Page 60 of The Haunting Plot

Every thought in my brain quiets as his eyes dip to my lips.

“Did you call me a good girl?” I blurt to break the silence.

“I dunno, did I?”

“You did.”

“How do you feel now? Better?”

It’s a bit before I answer as I take a moment to inhale and exhale again. I’m flooded with relief. “I do. How did you know to do that?”

“I know what a panic attack looks like. I’m a first responder.”

“But I told you I don’t like touch.”

“You did, and I’m sorry. But I saw the way you hugged yourself just now. You’ve done it a lot over the past few weeks, wrapping your arms around yourself when you get overwhelmed. At first I thought it was a nervous tic, but then I realized you were self-regulating. You said you hug Jonah like that when he’s having a meltdown too.”

“You noticed that?”

“Raven, I notice everything about you.” His hand cups my cheek, the slow drag of his fingers across my skin lighting up every nerve ending in its path. “Like how my touch affects you. Your mouth drops open slightly, and your pupils dilate. When I touch you, I can see the physical reaction and the emotional one you try to hide.”

“I think I’m done hiding,” I admit, my voice soft.

“Oh thank fuck, because I’ve been dying to kiss you since the moment I met you. Can I?”

“Yes.” I barely finish the word before Sawyer pulls my face to his and presses his lips against mine. It’s soft at first, like a gentle caress. Each press is intentional, and when he pulls back, he drags his lips lightly across mine.

The air around us is charged, and my body is buzzing as he continues exploring my lips. His hand slides from my cheek to grip my neck, and he tilts my head slightly as he deepens the kiss.

When he captures my lower lip in his, he sucks on it lightly. A soft moan escapes my throat, and he groans in response. Then he licks along my lips, slowly adding his tongue into the tango like a dance that’s been choreographed and rehearsed, except we’ve never done this before. The way his tongue tangles with mine has warmth pooling in my core. No kiss has ever had this effect on me. No man has ever kissed me like this. It’s better than anything I’ve ever written, better than I could have imagined. Like he knows exactly how to kiss me, how to touch me.

I lose all sense of time as I grip his neck, threading my fingers into his hair. This isn’t like me. My aversion to touch should prevent this, but I can’t get this man close enough. My body physically aches in the places he’s not touching, like it’s screaming out, begging for his attention.

“Wow,” he rasps as he breaks the kiss, pulling back slightly to examine my eyes.

“Yeah.” My head races with thoughts as he leans back in and places a gentle kiss on my lips. Instantly, the voices in my head quiet.

“I knew kissing you would be the best decision I ever made. I just didn’t know it would feel that good. Fuck.”

Something flutters in my chest knowing he feels the same way I do, but I have trouble getting the words to form in my mouth as I stare into his eyes, blinking at him.

“Say something, please,” he says.

“I think your phone is poking me.”

“You can ignore that. My dick got excited that a pretty girl sat in my lap.”

I drop my head to his shoulder, trying to hide the laugh his words elicit.

“Fuck, you’re gonna get me to full mast if you keep laughing at my jokes.”

“We need to get going if we’re going to make it back before the kids.” I push off his lap and slide into the passenger seat, buckling my seat belt.

He blows out a deep breath. “I know you’re right.”

I look down at the floorboard, kicking the mask. Should I ask him about it? Will that start a fight?

Sawyer must notice my shift in attention. “I don’t think there was anyone in there since I found a safety pin still in the curtain. I swear it wasn’t me. But I’m not ruling out the possibility of someone being in the house. I’ll have the guys come out and check things out while we’re gone.”