He turns toward me. Our eyes meet. The air thickens again.
I set the book aside. He reaches for me at the same time I lean in. This kiss starts slower than the one in the kitchen. His hand cups my face, thumb stroking my cheekbone. I sigh against his mouth. He pulls me closer until I’m half in his lap. My fingerstrace the line of his jaw, feeling the faint stubble. He kisses me deeper, slower, like he’s memorizing every second.
When we finally part I rest my forehead against his. “This feels real,” I whisper.
“It is,” he answers. His voice is rough. “And I’m not letting it go.”
I believe him. For the first time I really believe him.
Outside the wind moves through the pines. Inside the fire keeps burning steady. And for now, in this cabin on the mountain, I let myself imagine a future that does not end in a cockpit or a hospital room. A future that starts right here, with the man who refused to let me fly away alone.
CHAPTER 10
Silas
The kiss on the couch drags me under like a current I have no interest in fighting. Hannah tastes like coffee and sunshine, and her fingers curl into my shirt like she needs something solid to hold on to. I feel the exact moment her body softens against mine, the way her breath hitches when my hand slides up her back and pulls her closer. She’s in my lap now, straddling my thighs, and every shift of her hips sends heat straight to my groin. I want her. Badly. The need has been building since the first time I caught her on that runway, and right now it’s roaring loud enough to drown out every careful reason I had for taking things slow.
I break the kiss just enough to look at her. Her lips are swollen, cheeks flushed, eyes dark with the same hunger I feel. “Hannah,” I say, voice low and rough. “Tell me you want this.”
“I want this,” she answers without hesitation. “I want you.”
That’s all I need. I stand with her still wrapped around me, her legs locking at my waist. She’s light in my arms, but I carry herlike she’s the most precious thing I have ever held. The short hallway to the bedroom feels endless and too short at the same time. I kick the door shut behind us and lower her onto the bed, following her down so my body covers hers without crushing her. The navy quilt bunches under us. I brace one forearm beside her head and look straight into her eyes.
“You’ve done nothing like this before,” I say. It’s not a question. I saw the nervousness mixed with want in her face the moment things heated up on the couch. “I need you to know I will take care of you. Every step. You tell me to stop and we stop. You tell me slower and I slow down. Understand?”
She nods, breath already coming faster. “I understand.”
I kiss her again, slower this time, letting her feel how much control I’m keeping. My free hand slides under the hem of her sweatshirt, palm flat against the warm skin of her stomach. She shivers and I smile against her mouth. “That’s good. Let me feel you.”
I peel the sweatshirt off inch by inch, revealing her inch by inch. No bra underneath. Her breasts are perfect, nipples already tight from the cool air and from wanting. I cup one, thumb brushing the peak, and she arches into my touch with a soft sound that goes straight to my cock. I lower my head and take the other nipple into my mouth, sucking gently, then harder when her fingers thread into my hair and hold me there. “So responsive,” I murmur against her skin. “That’s my girl.”
I work my way down her body, kissing every rib, the soft curve of her belly, until I reach the waistband of her borrowed sweats. I hook my fingers in and pause. “Lift for me.”
She lifts her hips. I slide the fabric down and off, taking her panties with them. She’s bare now, completely open to me, and the sight of her makes my mouth go dry. I settle between her thighs, spreading them wider with my shoulders. “Look at you,” I say, voice thick. “So pretty and wet already. All for me.”
I press a kiss to the inside of her thigh, then another higher up. When I finally lick a slow stripe up her center she gasps my name. I do it again, then focus on her clit, circling it with my tongue while one finger teases her entrance. She’s tight. So fucking tight. I ease the finger in just to the first knuckle and feel her clench around me. “Easy, baby girl. Breathe. Let me open you up nice and slow.”
She moans, hips rocking against my mouth. I add a second finger, scissoring gently, curling them until I find the spot that makes her cry out. I keep licking, keep stroking, until her thighs start to tremble and her hands fist the sheets. “That’s it. Come for me. Let me taste it.”
She does, hard and sudden, back arching off the bed. I stay with her through every pulse, licking her through it until she’s boneless and panting. Only then do I rise up, stripping my own shirt and jeans off in one motion. My cock springs free, heavy and aching. Hannah’s eyes widen when she sees it.
“Silas,” she whispers. “You’resobig.”
I wrap a hand around myself and stroke once, letting her look. “I know. We’ll go slow. I’ll make sure you’re ready for every inch.” I reach for the nightstand drawer and pull out a condom, rolling it on while she watches. Then I settle over her again, the blunt head of my cock nudging her entrance. “Eyes on me, Hannah. Breathe in when I push.”
She nods, hands coming up to grip my shoulders. I press forward, just the tip, and she tightens instantly. “Relax for me, baby girl. Let Daddy in.” The word slips out, low and natural, and her pupils flare. I feel her body soften around me. I push another inch, then another, talking the whole time. “Good girl. Taking me so well. Feel how wet you are? That’s helping me slide right in. Halfway now. You’re doing perfect.”
She whimpers, but it’s not pain. It’s overwhelm. I hold still, letting her adjust, kissing her slow and deep until her hips start to move on their own. “There you go. Move with me. Show me what feels good.”
I rock forward again, sinking deeper until I’m fully seated. She’s stretched tight around me, hot and perfect. I groan against her neck. “Christ, you feel incredible. So tight. So mine.”
I move, slow thrusts at first, letting her get used to the stretch. Every time I bottom out she makes a soft sound that drives me crazy. I reach between us and circle her clit with my thumb, keeping the rhythm steady. “You’re going to come again for me. I want to feel it around my cock this time.”
Her nails dig into my shoulders. “Silas… it’s so much. You’re so deep.”
“I know, baby girl. But you can take it. Daddy’s right here. I’ve got you.” I angle my hips, hitting that spot inside her again and again. Her moans turn into cries. I keep talking, low and filthy, telling her how good she feels, how wet she is, how I’m never letting her go. Her body starts to shake. I speed up just a little, still careful, still in control. “Come on. Let go. I want to feel you milk me.”
She comes with my name on her lips, inner walls clamping down so hard my vision sparks. I ride her through it, holding back by sheer will. When she starts to come down I kiss her again, deep and possessive. “One more,” I say against her mouth. “I want one more before I let myself go.”