He shivered. “Yes.”
What?
He swept my legs out from under me. We hit the ground, breathless. He grabbed my wrists in one brutal grip and pinned them above my head, his body settling between my thighs.
I gasped.
His mouth crashed into mine, his teeth catching my bottom lip. The sharp pain sent a jolt between my legs.
I tried to turn away but his hand fisted in my hair, holding me in place. The pull on my scalp made my eyes flutter. Oh gods, this was real.
I bit his lip in retaliation.
He groaned and kissed me fiercely. His tongue forced its way past my teeth, and his taste flooded my senses. Saltand cedar. My mind careened. I wanted to drown in it. All the fight in me surrendered.
My mouth opened for him. The fist in my hair tightened, and I whimpered.
He released my wrists, and his hands flew to my face. Our tongues collided. Deeper. Dirtier. More. He growled, pressing me into the earth. His mouth trailed over my throat, sucking bruises into my skin. Then he moved lower until he was on my breast.
He gripped the neckline of my dress and tugged. A breeze teased my nipples into aching points. He fondled my breasts, and his thumb dragged over the peak while his tongue lashed my nipple.
I forgot how to fucking breathe. This was happening. His mouth on me. His hands. I should stop this. Should push him off.
A violent shudder rippled through me as his tongue flicked over the sensitive bud, circling once before his mouth closed around it. Then he sucked. Hard.
I choked at the sight of his tongue pleasuring me. My fingers tangled in his hair and wrenched. Then he bit down, and heat pulsed through me.
I moaned.
He surged up, crashing his mouth into mine, and we clutched at each other. I pushed against his chest, and he fell back. He let me rise over him and straddle his hips to take what I wanted.
I kissed him, slower this time. Tasting. Learning the shape of his lips, the rough sound he made when I nipped at him. My mouth ran all the way down his neck, where he smelled incredible. I sucked on his skin, greedy for the taste of him. Fuck, his scent. His moans. This was madness. Beautiful, reckless madness. And I didn’t want it to stop.
What am I doing?
I pulled away, panting.
The world came into focus—Kairos, his hair stuck up in wild angles where I’d fisted it, his lips swollen. A red mark bloomed on his neck.
Oh gods.
I scrambled off him. I’d kissed him and I’dwantedit. Climbed on top of him.
Kairos stared at his hands. They were shaking.
I stood, my cheeks flushing. “I don’t understand.”
His jaw clenched. “It’s just a kiss.”
“That wasn’t just a kiss!”
He lurched upright. “And?”
I backed off, yanking my dress into place. “Why can’t I control myself around you?”
This was worse than with Vaeris—the desperation, the need, the hunger for his hands on me.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Panic flickered across his face. “It—it happens. It’s normal.”
