"Do you trust me?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

Silas smiled at me. This time both of his hands slid over my ass to the back of my thighs. He gripped them firmly and lifted me against his body while guiding my legs around his waist. My hands shot out to grip his shoulders. I stared at his face as he walked down the hall towards my bedroom. Shouldering the door open, he entered and walked straight to the bed.

One of his hands slid up to rest between my shoulder blades as he lowered me. His body came down on top of me. I stared up at him with a little fear but also a little excitement. All he did was watch me silently. I was scared that he would change his mind. What if he actually decided that I wasn't worth the trouble?

"We will take things slow," he said softly.

"I'm scared."

"You have nothing to be scared about. I'll show you just how wrong those bastards were."

I swallowed loudly. "W-what if they were right?"

Instead of answering me, Silas kissed me again. He deepened the kiss but kept his hands still. Breaking the kiss, he slowly trailed his lips over my cheek and down along my jaw. A gasp fell from my lips when he suddenly bit down on my earlobe before sucking on the skin.

I tilted my head to the side to give him access to my neck. Goose bumps broke out over my skin when he pressed his lips to a spot right below my ear. He paused, and then nibbed the spot, making my toes curl. I got lost in the feel of his lips on my neck. I was completely unaware of his hand moving until I felt one hand sliding beneath my shirt.

Silas paused when he felt me tense. I squeezed my eyes closed when he raised his head. I didn't want to see the disappointment in his eyes.

"Look at me, baby."

I shook my head before turning it away from him. He shifted on top of me and then cupped my cheek, turning my head towards him. His thumb softly brushed against my bottom lip before trailing up over my cheekbone. Shock rushed through me when he pressed a kiss to my nose and then my closed eyelids.

But the shock quickly turned into sadness when Silas climbed off me. I gripped the sheets and tried to even my breathing. Tears burned the back of my eyes and pain flashed through my chest. He was walking away from me. I knew it was going to happen. I knew he wouldn't see me as worth it.

"I'm not leaving, Lara."

My eyes snapped open. Silas hovered over me with a small smile playing around his lips. He straightened and gripped my hips. A squeal fell from my lips when he picked me up and just threw me higher up the bed. I bounced slightly before stilling. His smile widened when our eyes locked.

"I'm just going to make you a little more comfortable before we continue."

Silas gripped my ankle and raised my foot. I watched his hands as he swiftly untied the laces and pulled my shoe off. He dropped it on the floor before grabbing my other ankle and doing the same. Dropping the other shoe on the floor, he placed a knee on the bed and slowly crawled up and over me.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

I blinked at him. "You're not leaving?"

"I told you, hadn't I?" He cupped my cheek again. "I'm on a mission tonight and I'm not leaving until it's completed."

A giggle fell from my lips. After only a second of hesitation, I reached up and gripped the back of his neck. My eyes trailed over his face before dropping lower to the glimpse of dark hair peeking out from underneath his dress shirt. Somehow he had lost his tie and undid the top buttons of his shirt.

"Are you shy?"

"What?"

"Are you shy?" he repeated his question. "I want to undress you but I don't want to make you feel any more uncomfortable."

Undress me? He wanted me to be naked with him? I've never been completely naked with anyone before. I was no supermodel.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours?"

My eyes snapped back to his. "What are you? Five?"

Silas chuckled. "No."

"I don't have a very fit body."

"So?"

"I don't have big boobs and a flat stomach or—"

I fell silent when he pressed a finger against my lips. The smile had slipped from his face and his brow had dipped into a deep frown. Silas's hand slid down to my throat. I blew out a breath when he gripped my neck in a firm grip.

"I don't want to ever hear you talk such shit about yourself ever again, is that clear? Forget everything those bastards ever told you." He lowered his face. "You are fucking gorgeous, Lara."

Tears filled my eyes. I searched his eyes and only found sincerity. He wasn't lying to me. Silas truly meant what he said. I blinked rabidly to stop the tears from falling. My hands slid down the side of his neck to his cheeks.

"You really mean it?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." His lips brushed mine. "If I ever hear you speak or think of yourself like that, I'll pull you over my lap and spank this sweet ass of yours."

Silas squeezed my ass with one big hand. A shiver raced down my spine when I thought of him just doing that. Instead of evoking fear, it actually made my heat flood me. I tried to discretely squeeze my legs together, but of course he caught me. Silas smirked. He sat back on his knees, straddling my hips. His eyes never left mine as he reached up to start unbuttoning his shirt.

I grabbed hold of the sheets again as my eyes dropped to watch the movement of his hands. With every button undone another inch of skin was revealed. He had a light dusting of dark hair covering his chest. It was just enough to make him look manly. Silas paused halfway and reached down to tug his shirt from his pants before continuing to unbutton his pants. When he was done, he shrugged the shirt off and threw it aside.

My breath got caught in my throat once he was completely shirtless. I knew he was well-built from the way his clothes fit, but nothing could've prepared me for the first real glimpse at his body. His pants hung low on his lean hips. Silas had those indents on his hips that formed a V and a trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath the band of his pants. My eyes slowly trailed back up—over his six-pack—and to the large tattoo covering the left side of his chest, shoulder, and part of his ribs.

It was scary but beautiful at the same time.

I sat up and reached out to press my hand against the colourful ink. The tattoo began at the top of the shoulder and spread over his chest and then down to his side over his ribs. It looked like a wolf surrounded by trees and there was a full moon peeking out between the branches of the trees.

My eyes snapped up to when he sucked in a sharp breath as my hand trailed down his ribs. His eyes were squeezed shut and his lips pursed. I instantly pulled away but his hand shot out to grip my wrist. He was now watching me silently with narrowed eyes. Silas raised my hand and pressed it to his chest again.

"Touch me," he muttered huskily.

I reached up with my other hand and pressed it against his chest. My breathing sped up and I softly traced his skin. His skin was warm and so soft. I hesitated before sliding my hands lower to trace the ridges of his six-pack. His muscles clenched. Before my hands could slide any lower, Silas pulled away.

I tilted my head back just in time for him to slam his lips against mine. Silas's hands slid into my hair and tugged slightly. He tilted my head back more as he deepened the kiss. I was barely away of his hand disappearing from my hair and moving down to grip the hem of my shirt. Only when he started tugging it upward did I become aware.

"Breathe, baby," he whispered against my lips. "We're taking it slow."

"Silas."

He tugged my shirt up and over my head. I instantly crossed my arms over my chest. Silas gently gripped my arms. I glanced up at him from beneath my lashes when he didn't say anything else. He was silently watching me. The longer I prevented things from going any further the more I could brace myself for the pain that would come when he was proven wrong. He would walk away. I was sure of that. Once he left, I could pack the rest of my things and leave. But then there was Andrea's wedding. I would have to stay until after the wedding and then leave in the middle of the night so she wouldn't be able to stop me. I just couldn't stop imagining how difficult things would be if he left me.

"You can try and draw this out for as long as you want to, sweetheart," he whispered against my ear. "I'm not giving up so easily. One way or another, I'm going to show you."

The pain that was about to follow was unpreventable. I should just get over with it. The more time I spend with him the more it would hurt when he walked away. 

Swallowing loudly, I slowly lowered my arms.

My eyes dropped to the bra I had pulled on this morning. I instantly winced. It had to be the most unflattering thing I owned. Colour flooded my cheeks. My breathing sped up when he traced a single finger down my neck, over my collarbone and to the top of my breasts. He softly traced the rim of the bra before pulling his hand away. I tilted my head up when he muttered something under his breath.

Our eyes locked when he reached around me. I sucked in a sharp breath when he easily unclasped my bra. Before I could reach up to grab hold of it so it wouldn't slide down, Silas grabbed my wrist and stopped my movement. He rubbed my skin softly with his thumbs. My mouth dried when his hands slowly trailed up my arms. Silas stopped when he reached the straps of my bra.

"Breathe."

I sucked in a sharp breath after realizing that I was holding my breath. At the same time, he started pulling the straps down. He threw the bra aside like he had done with his shirt. Silas wrapped and arm around my waist and pulled me up against his body. The air left my lungs in a rush when he pressed my bare chest against his. It felt strange but not unpleasant to feel his chest hair rubbing against my chest.

My eyes darted up to his in wonder. He gave me a small smile that lasted only a few seconds before he leaned down to claim my mouth again. Silas tugged me higher against his body and guided my legs around his hips, and then he was suddenly lowering me back down to the bed. I gripped his hips tighter and clung to his shoulders.

His tongue brushed mine briefly before he pulled away. I turned my head to the side when his lips started trailing down my neck. A whimper fell from my lips when he suddenly wrapped his lips around one of my nipples. Pleasure shot down to the apex of my thighs with every tug of his mouth. He pulled away and used his tongue to flick my puckered nipple.

My hands slid up his neck to bury in his hair. Silas kissed a path to my other nipple. He circled it slowly, flicked his tongue back and forth a few times, and then closed his lips over it and sucked. I arched my back and pressed his face closer to my chest. My hips started moving on their own accord.

I instantly became aware of the hard bulge in his pants that was pressing against my sex.

"Fuck," Silas rasped. "You're going to kill me, baby."

He shifted above me. Silas moved to lie down next to me. Disappointment instantly filled me but it died down when leaned down to kiss me again. The panic of him leaving was the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. He pushed himself up onto his elbow before sliding his hand underneath my head. His other hand landed on my stomach.

"Keep your eyes on me."

His words confused me. My lips parted but the words died down when his hand trailed up. Silas squeezed my breast and then tugged on my nipple.

"Do you think I could make you come by just playing with your tits?"

I instantly shook my head, making him chuckle.

"I bet I can, but not tonight." He gave me a small smile. "I'm going to make you feel really fucking good baby."

"W-what if y-you can't?"

His smile widened. Silas didn't answer me at all. His hand slid back down over the curve of my stomach to the band of my pants. He managed to unbutton my jeans one-handed. My stomach rolled when he slowly tugged the zip down. Silas made no move to push my pants and underwear down which made me feel a little better. His fingertips brushed against the band of my panties.

"Lara."

My eyes snapped open. "Silas."

I was pleading, but I had no idea what I was pleading for. My hand shot down to grip his wrist when his fingers slightly slid underneath my panties. Silas pressed his forehead against mine. His lips softly brushed mine. I sighed when his tongue traced my bottom lip. He placed one of his legs over mine and leaned over me a little more. My nipple brushed against his chest. It made a shudder race down my spine.

His hand suddenly slipped underneath my panties, making me tense. My breathing started to speed up again when I felt his fingers brush against my sex.

"Spread your legs a little wider."

To my surprise, I followed his order without thinking about it.

"Good girl," he instantly praised.

I swallowed. "Silas."

"Mmm?"

His hand slid down even more. My hips jerked when his finger brushed against my clit. It slowly slid down between my pussy lips. He made that strange sound at the back of his throat again. The last time he made it, it sounded pretty fucking scary, but not this time. It made my body heat up ever more.

"You're so fucking wet," he whispered.

I moaned and tilted my hips upwards, seeking his pleasurable touch. Silas didn't disappoint. He instantly started rubbing small circles on my clit. Silas would speed up and then slow down when I was close to the edge.

"Look at me."

My eyes shot to his.

"You are not a frigid woman Lara." His hand slid down and a finger traced my slit. "If you were a frigid woman, you wouldn't be so fucking wet. You wouldn't be begging me. You wouldn't be riding my hand like you're doing now."

"Oh please," I gasped.

His lips smashed down on mine again. I froze when he suddenly pushed a finger inside my pussy. I clutched the sheets and tried to slam my legs closed. His intrusion burned. Silas pulled away and buried his face against my neck. Muttered curses fell from his lips. Gripping the sheets didn't help so I reached up and gripped his arm and dig my nails into his skin.

Silas shifted slightly and then pressed another finger against my clit again. His finger inside me slowly started to move. Another low moan fell from my lips. The burning sensation had faded. Although it felt strange to have his finger inside me, it was also pleasurable—especially with his finger brushing against my clit.

And then the pleasure hit. My back arched and a cry fell from my lips. All air left my lungs and back dots appeared in my line of vision.