And God… she wanted him to.
Chapter 10
He claimed her mouth like he owned it.
Not gentle. Not careful. He kissed her like he’d been starving for it, desperate and rough, every part of him demanding more.
The small sound she made was lost into his mouth as she kissed him back just as desperately. Going up on her toes to get closer, to get more, she pressed her whole body against his.
The taste of her exploded through him. Sweet from the spiced kasta, but underneath that was pure Juni. Warm and sweet and utterly hers.
He slid his hands into her hair, careful of the comb he’d made her, tilting her chin up so he could deepen the kiss. Her tongue touched his and his control cracked. A surge of heat flooded his veins, his erection straining painfully, throbbing with every flick of her tongue against his. He backed her against the porch rail, caging her with his body, one hand braced on the wood while the other cupped her jaw.
Draanth. She was so small. So soft. He could break her without trying, and here she was pulling him closer instead of running.
He broke the kiss to breathe, to think, to remember why this was a bad idea?—
“Goraath.” His name on her lips was breathless and wanting. Her face was flushed, lips swollen from his kiss, and her pupils blown wide with the same need eating him alive. “Please.”
That single word destroyed him.
Bending, he scooped her up, one arm behind her knees, the other around her back. She was light as air in his arms, her curves pressing against him everywhere. The soft weight of her breasts against his chest sent fresh waves of arousal through him.
“Finally,” she breathed against his throat, then her mouth was there, pressing kisses to his neck, his jaw, anywhere she could reach. Her teeth grazed his pulse point and his knees nearly buckled. The sharp nip made his balls tighten, his shaft aching with the need for friction, for her.
He made it to the porch before he had to stop. Had to press her back against the door and claim her mouth again because she’d slipped her hand under his collar, fingernails dragging across his shoulder, sending fire racing across his skin.
The kiss went wild. Her legs wrapped around his waist, bringing her core against the evidence of what she did to him. He groaned into her mouth and ground against her, just once, and she gasped his name against his lips.
“Inside. Need to?—”
“Yes.” She reached for the door handle, twisting it while still kissing him. “Yes, yes, please?—”
They crashed through the doorway. He kicked it shut, started down the hall, but then her hand slipped under his shirt. Skin on skin. Her palm flat against his abdomen, fingers spreading like she wanted to touch all of him at once. Her touch was electric, trailing fire down to where his erection strained against his pants.
He pinned her against the wall.
This kiss was different. Slower but more intense. His tongue sliding against hers, tasting, claiming, while her hands explored under his shirt. Every touch made his cock harder, the insistent pulse of his arousal growing almost unbearable and his control slipped another notch.
“Bedroom.” The word came out rough, little more than a growl. “Now.”
She nodded, both of them breathing too hard, too fast. He carried her the rest of the way, shoulder checking his bedroom door open.
He kicked the door shut and set her on her feet beside it.
They stood there for a moment, looking at each other. Her hair was a mess from his hands, the comb he’d made sitting crooked. Her lips were red and swollen. Flushed and rumpled and perfect.
Mine, his instincts roared with satisfaction.
“Too many clothes.” Her hands went to his shirt, tugging. “Off.”
He helped her pull it over his head, watched her face as she saw him for the first time. All of him. He’d been a hunter, so he hadn’t had access to a healer’s hall like most warriors. Which meant he had scars. Lots of them. The massive one across his chest from claws that had nearly ended him. The burn marks on his back. Dozens of others…
Her breath caught. But not with fear. Her eyes went dark with something else entirely.
“Oh,” she breathed and reached out, fingertips tracing the worst scar, the one that curved across his ribs. The gentle stroke sent shivers down his spine. “You’re beautiful.”
Beautiful. Him? No, she was insane. But she was his.
