Velvet Shadows

By Nicole Blake

Copyright ©2026

In the hush between my thoughts,

you slip in—

a silhouette draped in velvet heat,

eyes like slow-burning embers

that dare me closer.

I imagine the air between us

thickening,

your breath grazing my cheek

like a secret only skin can keep.

My fingers trace the map of you

in the dark of my mind,

learning every curve

as if the world might end

before I finish.

Your name tastes forbidden—

a ripe fruit I roll on my tongue

but never bite,

though my body aches

to break that rule.

If we met—

no polite words,

no careful distance—

just the press of your hips

against my hunger,

the slow unravel of restraint

until the night itself

blushed and turned away.