Page 33 of Into the Light

Silence.

And then, “Please.” A whisper. “Let me up.”

I was at war with myself, my finger hovering over the “unlock” button. Maybe he’d been right this whole time. What good could come from me falling in love with my older brother’s best friend? But like always, his pull on me outweighed everything else.

I unlocked the deadbolt next to me, and then pressed the button on the speaker and heard the familiar buzz and click. A moment later, Raf’s quick footsteps on the stairs. And then the twist of the doorknob.

He opened it, his tall frame dwarfing the doorway. I stood only a few feet away. Neither of us moved.

“You wanted to talk?”

“Yes.”

“So talk.”

His face looked pained. For the first time, I saw the anguish he must have always kept deep inside him. Because now, it was displayed as clear as day. His downturned lips, the circles under his eyes, the crease between his eyebrows that was more pronounced than ever.

He was the most handsome man I’d ever seen, but tonight, the grittiness of grief took hold of his features.

“I’ve tried like hell to stay away from you.”

“Nice opener.”

He just looked at me with that fierce stare of his and my mouth snapped shut.

“God, El. I’ve thought about what I should say to you a thousand times. And now that I’m here, I’m drawing a blank.” He took a step forward, closed the door behind him, and looked down at me. His eyes raked over my body, and I felt a flame lick my skin with each pass. I stood, frozen to the spot as Raf’s eyes drank me in. My eyes shifted away, his stare too powerful.

He raised his hand up and held my cheek. My mind went haywire, synapses firing left and right, no rhyme or reason. I had no idea what was happening or what my response should be. Raf was touching me. In an intimate way. What the hell was going on?

But then his hand slid down to my jaw, and his thumb caressed my lips. I held my breath, blinked. And when I opened my eyes and found the courage to look up into his, I was done for.

Hunger. It was plain as day. His eyes were filled with hunger. A need. A longing. But there was no time for thinking anymore. He raised one eyebrow—just the slightest bit—and it was a question.

Is this okay? Did you want this?

And yes, yes I did. I blinked again, raising my chin up, moving my lips toward him. And then, the storm hit. A violent turbulence of everything Rafael.

His lips crashed down onto mine in a fierce claiming. His hand dug in on the side of my neck, while the other gripped my waist and pulled me closer to him. Our bodies aligned in a sizzle of heat.

His lips weren’t gentle, but I didn’t want them to be. They were hungry and demanding. Just like I’d fantasized about so many times, but infinitely better. I opened to him and his tongue advanced, swirling with mine as a moan hit the back of my throat. I forgot about my own hands until I realized they’d been tugging at his T-shirt. I swooped them under it to get closer to him. I needed to touch his skin more than I needed my next breath.

He growled and picked me up as if I were a feather pillow. My legs wrapped around his waist and he turned us, my back now against the door, and not once did his mouth move from mine.

My arms moved to rest over his shoulders, fingers digging into his short hair as the kiss deepened. I bucked against him. Every sensation I’d ever felt combined in that moment to turn into some sort of tornado of passion. I didn’t understand, had never felt anything like it before, but I didn’t question it. This was Raf. This was the man I’d wanted for years. And he was kissing me like his life depended on it.

I couldn’t help but buck my hips again. I needed him. Neededsomething.And when he growled in response, I felt the vibrations all the way down to my core.

I snapped my head back against the door and tore my lips from his.

“Please, Raf.”

“Please what, angel?” His breaths were harsh, but his eyes held mischief and desire… So much desire.

He moved his mouth to my neck, kissing along the side and I forgot I had even spoken. But then my own desire took over again and I bucked against him once more.

“Please. I need you.”

He nipped at my neck, and then carried me to the bedroom. Laying me on the bed, gentler than I expected, he knelt over me. And just stared.

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