Untouchable(11)

Taylor’s staying here at the bar and then meeting up with me when I’m done with the family dinner. I can only hope it’s over as quickly as possible.

I stop by my villa quickly to change into khaki pants, a fresh polo shirt, and loafers. As I’m leaving the tiny house and go to lock my door, I look to my left and spot Raven doing the same. She’s changed out of her shorts and tank top I saw her in earlier, and is now wearing a satin spaghetti strap top, a tight fitting black skirt, and heels that make her legs look like they go on forever.

A low growl resonates in my throat as I watch her make her way towards me. Her strawberry blonde hair looks redder under the darkening sky, and it’s lying like silk against her shoulders. It’s beckoning me to run my fingers through it as I drag her inside my villa to fuck her on every surface available.

I adjust myself as casually as possible as I turn and greet her with a polite smile. “Hey, Spitfire. Ready for dinner with the parents?”

“Hey. Yeah. I’m actually heading there in a few minutes. First, I need to run to the gift shop. I purchased a necklace there earlier I know my mother will love, and an engravable flasks for your dad. As usual, I’m doing the whole gift thing last minute.” Looking down at my hands, she gives me a confused look. “You didn’t get them anything?”

Cocking my eyebrow at her, I ask, “Why the hell would I get them a gift? It isn’t like it’s their first wedding and really need a blender or a fucking toaster.”

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Raven blows out a puff of air through tightly pressed lips that are twinkling under the lighting lining the sidewalk. “Are all men this dense? Just give me half of what their gifts cost and I’ll throw your name on mine. We’ll give it to them from the both of us to save time.”

She takes me by surprise and slides her hand under my arm, gripping my bicep. Shaking off the nervousness in the pit of my stomach, I lead her down the sidewalk and over to the gift shop. “Thanks for doing this, Spitfire. I hate shopping, so this is a win-win kind of deal for me,” I tell her as I stop beside the door, opening it for her so she can walk in ahead of me.

“Sure.” Her voice comes out sweetly as she steps into the lavish gift shop.

I follow her around, gazing inside the glass display cases while she talks with a woman behind the counter about her earlier purchases before the woman disappears into the back.

Raven stares at a spinning display filled with necklaces while we wait. Growing bored quickly, I join her at the counter, since the cashier keeps glaring at me every time I try to play with anything. These people are always so freaking uptight.

“See something you like?” I ask, making her jump.

“Jesus, Linc. You sure do love sneaking up on me.” She giggles as she presses her hand to her chest. “This necklace is cute. I may come back tomorrow and buy it. I didn’t bring my wallet with me to dinner, since I paid for the gifts earlier today.”

Reaching into my back pocket, I grab my wallet and snatch the necklace off of the display, causing all of the chains to jingle loudly in the small empty gift shop. Once again, I notice the cashier glaring at me. “I’ll buy it for you. I’ll pay you back for half of the gifts tomorrow once I can get to an ATM,” I say as I hold the white cardboard a few inches from my face and examine the necklace she was eyeing.

It’s a small silver sparrow charm dangling off of a delicate silver chain. It’s simple and beautiful. Just like her.

Grabbing the display, she quiets the jewelry before turning back to face me. Her smile is contagious as she beams up at me when I hand her the necklace. “Thank you, Linc. I got a tattoo of a sparrow a few weeks after I returned back to school. My roommates got me way too drunk, and before I knew what was happening, I was lying face down on a tattoo table, getting the small bird tattooed on my shoulder. It’s exactly like this necklace, with the tiny swirls in the wings and the pretty design on its belly. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. You can actually see it with this top I’m wearing,” she says, spinning slightly and sweeping her hair off of her shoulder.

I can’t believe I didn’t notice it while we were out for lunch. I guess I was too distracted I guess by her that I never spotted the tattoo. Wrapping under the bird’s body in a cursive font, it reads, All good things are wild and free.

“Why did you pick that quote?” I ask as I gently run my fingers across it. I feel her shiver slightly beneath my touch. She looks up at me with half-hooded eyes, looking slightly dazed from feeling my hands on her warm, smooth skin.

“I thought it was perfect, since I left San Francisco to follow my dreams on my own. It’s been scary, but so rewarding, all at the same time. I feel like the baby bird who took flight and set out into the world on my own. Being wild and free—it was scary and all so new being in a new city not knowing a single person—but it was worth it. I’m chasing my dreams…I looked at ravens, but they’re not very cute-looking birds like the sparrow is. It’s so beautiful, delicate and colorful. I love it.”

“I like it. It definitely suits you perfectly.” I let my hand drop away from her shoulder, slowly gliding down her spine before sliding it back into my pocket. I notice small goose bumps covering her arms and back as my fingers leave her body.

She opens her mouth to say something, but the woman who was in the back of the gift shop reappears with the gifts, so she turns to greet the woman with a friendly smile once again. “Here’s the flask. Look it over and let me know if it’s to your liking. If it is, I’ll get it wrapped up right now for you. Also, here’s the necklace you purchased earlier, gift wrapped for you already.”

Within a few minutes, we have everything wrapped and ready to go, along with Raven’s necklace. Pushing the door open, I hold it open for her. Stepping out into the warm summer night, I take advantage of having one last moment alone together before we join our parents for dinner.

“Let me see your necklace. I’ll hook it for you,” I say, holding my hand out to her. She digs the necklace out of the tiny gift bag and sets it into my hand before hugging the gifts nervously against her chest.

It takes me only a few seconds to free the necklace from the small piece of cardboard holding it. Tossing the packaging into the trash, I step behind her, unclasping the necklace, and then wrap it around her delicate neck. She fingers the charm as the cool metal presses against her chest. It takes me a few tries, but I finally get it to hook.

“There. You’re all set,” I tell her as I bring my hands to rest on her shoulders. I slowly run them down her arms as she looks up at me over her shoulder.

“Thank you.”

I don’t know if it’s the alcohol, her perfume, or the emotions of the week catching up with me, but before I know what’s happening, she spins to face me, and I find my hands coming to rest on her hips as I back her up against the stone building. It’s darker now, but the sidewalk is still busy with people walking every which way. We fade into the background, with everyone around us suddenly not mattering in the least.

“Linc…” The word comes out breathless and full of lust. Her eyelashes flutter up at me before closing, and they stay that way as I lean in to kiss her.

I don’t speak a word; instead, I pin my body against her and bring my lips down to hers, but hesitate for a moment, leaving only a breath of air between them. I can feel her shaking against me and beneath my fingers, as the adrenaline that’s coursing through my body seems to travel straight into hers.

My tongue darts out of my mouth, wetting my lips as I prepare to kiss her for the first time in three months. Three very long months. I know it’s wrong, but right now, I don’t give a flying fuck. I’m buzzed, and she seems more than willing to let me do to her as I please. I’ll worry about the consequences of it tomorrow.

It’s only a kiss.

Famous last words…

Throwing caution to the wind, I tangle my hand in the back of her hair, and crash my lips to hers with so much force my hand hits the brick wall behind her, causing a slight moan of pleasure and shock to vibrate from her lips into my mouth as I slide my tongue into her mouth. Our kiss is hot, passionate, and exploding with need. There’s too much between us to go slow and be gentle. I feel as if I’m kissing life back into her, as she is into me, while I twist my tongue with hers, savoring the taste of her minty toothpaste.

I know we need to stop, but everything in me is screaming, Don’t even think about it! I slow down our kiss, all the while squeezing her sides so tightly I don’t doubt it has to be hurting her, but she doesn’t seem to mind. I can’t help it; I feel as if I need to hold her with both hands, because if I don’t, she’ll fly away like the sparrow tattooed on her shoulder.

Finally, I break away from her lips, ending our kiss, and take a step back as I try to pull myself together. My dick is throbbing in my pants, and I’m doing everything I can to not bring attention to it.

A dick like this is really hard to hide when it’s harder than the fucking brick I had Raven pressed up against only moments ago.

“Wow,” she murmurs as she brings her hand up to her lips and runs her fingers over them slowly. “That was...nice...and quite the surprise. I was not expecting that at all.” She giggles nervously as she reaches into her bra and pulls out a small tube of lip-gloss, applying it to her lips. “But if we don’t haul ass to the restaurant, Mom and Matt are going to send the cavalry after us.”