Page 20 of Raven's Nest
Lights bobbing on the water…
Saylor blinked, catching her balance against the wall as the memory faded. She glanced around the shower, jumping when a low tone sounded in her head.
It wasn’t real.
Just the aftermath of the chase. The effects of seeing that body — imagining it was someone she’d recognized from theVigilant. How it had morphed into Captain Baker for a few moments, the surroundings shifting into theVigilant’sbridge, before quickly switching back. It was bound to manifest a few unwanted ghosts.
She waited for the episode to pass, thankful she hadn’t inadvertently called out Zain’s name — had him barrel into the room, again, as if he’d missed a threat. She knew the fact she’d gotten hurt ate at him. If he thought she’d lost her mind, too…
The image of that man wavered in her head as she finished her shower, then stepped out. Zain obviouslyheard the water turn off because he knocked — gave her a few moments to get decent — then stepped inside.
He covered the short distance over to her, placing some clothes on the counter. “They’ll be big on you, but they’re dry.”
“Thanks. They’re perfect.”
He smiled, and her stomach fluttered. The man was far too sexy when he smiled.
Zain inched closer, glanced at her shoulder as he shook his head, then sighed. “You, okay?”
“Are you going to grunt every time you look at my shoulder? Because that’s going to get annoying.”
“It was my job to keep you safe.”
“No, it was your job to back me up, which you did.” She waved at the bandage. “This is just a reminder for me to do better, next time.”
Zain frowned, leaning in until his mouth hovered a breath away. “You were incredible.”
She palmed his cheek, loving the brush of stubble against her skin. “Almost as good as you.”
“Does that mean I get that do-over?”
Her heart thumped hard in her chest. “I was kinda hoping we could count the chase as the do-over. Make dinner with your buddies our second date.”
“Or, we could make this, right now, our second, and dinner our third.”
She snagged her bottom lip, wondering if any man had ever looked at her the way Zain was. As if she held all the answers. “I like the way you negotiate. There’s just one problem…”
A hint of unease lined his face as he arched a brow in question.
She smoothed her hand along his jaw, drawing him closer. “If this is our second date, I definitely would have kissed you, by now.”
The right side of his mouth curled up, then he leaned in that last inch — brushed his mouth over hers.
Electric.
No other way to describe the heat that arced across her skin as his hands landed on her hips — drew her tight against him. She inhaled and everything changed. Went from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye. One second, he’d been barely touching her. The next, his mouth crushed against hers as he delved inside, tangling their tongues — making the room spin from the sheer intensity of the moment.
Zain lifted one hand and speared it through her hair, tilting back her head as he deepened the kiss. Stole the last of her sanity. She held on, wondering if they could make the counter work, when a throat cleared behind them.
Zain stilled, easing back without moving more than a breath away. He closed his eyes, the muscle in his temple pulsing as he sucked in a breath, then glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, Chase?”
Chase shuffled on his feet. “Sorry to interrupt. Greer’s on the phone. She retrieved four bullets from the Zodiac, but while she was standing on the dock, she got this odd feeling. She’d like to know if she can take a quick look around your boathouse, Saylor. Unless you’d rather she didn’t.”
Did Chase actually expect her to form words after that kiss? Because the only two that looped in her head wereyesandmore.
Zain grinned, the smug bastard, then stepped back, taking all the warmth with him. “Is that okay?”
She clenched her jaw, wondering if it was possible to die from sexual frustration, before nodding. “She’s not going to confiscate all that cocaine I’ve been running, is she?”
