I hope everyone enjoys this story -- it's the first in a series about Renee and Sinjin. There's tension, there's heat, and a little mystery too. Enjoy. ;)
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Renee never expected to hear Sinjin's voice like that--low, commanding, just inches from her skin... and yet, no one else was in the room.
They'd been friends for years. Comfortable. Familiar. Always dancing around something unspoken. That kind of closeness where looks linger a second too long and boundaries fray like old fabric.
But today, sitting alone in a coffee shop--stirring her drink, zoning out--she heard him.
Not from across the room.
In her ear.
Right there.
"I didn't mean to startle you," came his voice, smooth and unsettling. "But you looked so soft sitting there in your tank top... I couldn't help but whisper your name. You're not imagining me. I'm here. Watching. Closer than you think. And if you want me to touch you again... all you have to do is breathe a little deeper."
Renee jerked upright, sloshing her drink. Her breath hitched. "Wh-what? Who said that?" Her eyes darted around. "Sinjin? This isn't funny! If this is some kind of prank..."
"This isn't a prank," his voice replied, still disembodied, but somehow more intimate. "And I'd never hurt you. I've just... wanted to touch you for so long. I've seen you--every curve, every sleepy smile, every night you slipped out of your robe thinking no one was watching."
A chill crept over her skin. Renee rubbed her arms, trying to ground herself. "This is crazy," she muttered. "I'm losing it."
"You're not," he said gently. "If you let me... I'll make you feel things you've only ever dreamed of."
She shivered, a reaction she couldn't suppress. Her voice cracked. "Sinjin... if that's really you... how the hell are you doing this?"
Silence for a breath. Then:
"Yes, it's me. But not the version you know. I'm not here to scare you. I'm here to give you what you didn't know you were missing. Let me show you. Just lean back... let your breath.......slow..."
His words trickled down her spine like melted wax. She clutched the edge of the table.
"No," she whispered. "I mean... yes. I don't know. This is so--"
"Don't explain. Just feel."
And suddenly she did. She felt a phantom hand glide across her collarbone, fingers pressing lightly. Her thighs tightened on instinct. A moan escaped before she could stop it.
"Oh god... this is wrong," she gasped....."how.....are you....wait... we're friends!"
The invisible presence responded, his tone hushed but rough: "Friends don't touch you like this. Friends don't remember how your voice sounds when you're half-asleep and needy. I'm not just your friend, Renee. I'm the man who's wanted you in silence for years."
She tried to sit up, but couldn't. Her body felt weighted by air, her breath shallow and quick. Panic flirted with arousal.
"I don't know what to believe anymore," she said, trembling. "This doesn't make sense. It shouldn't feel--"
"But it does. Doesn't it?"
