She closed that last inch between our chests and tilted her face higher. "I can't stop wondering what comes after kissing," she breathed, "and no one ever told me how to ask."
"Oh, you're asking perfectly," I swore as I bent to claim her mouth with mine.
Her fingers fisted in my shirt. Her other arm went around my neck, but when I paused to steal a breath, she looked to her side.
"Dogs, stay!" she ordered.
"And that," I murmured, "is definitely one of those sexy things you do, Ayla." And I kissed her again.
Fifty-Two
Ayla
Ididn't know what sexy thing I'd done, and I wasn't even sure I cared. The way Zasen was holding me so tightly was amazing. It made me feel small and helpless, but also amazingly powerful. He was tall, and strong, and broad, and his mouth took control of mine, but Ilikedit.
I also knew I could stop it. All I had to do was tense up and he'd not only let me go, but jump back. I didn't want that, though. I wanted him to keep going. I was ready to know what came after this, and I couldn't think of a better place than in the forest that had set me free.
Every time his mouth slid over mine, I matched him. When his tongue explored my mouth, mine tangled with it. One kiss, then another, and before I knew it, I'd stopped thinking about what I was doing and started worrying more about how all of it felt.
That was when his hands moved. The one on my cheek slipped back into my hair and grabbed a handful of it, tangling his fingers in the braided strands. The other found my hip, turning me carefully, and then Zasen guided me back. I let him, knowing I didn't need to look - until he pressed me against a tree.
I gasped, wrenching open my eyes to find him smiling. "I don't want to topple you over," he explained before bending even lower to kiss along my jaw. "And all you have to say is 'stop.'"
"No," I breathed, tilting my head back so he could keep kissing. "I trust you, Zasen."
"No, little Phoenix, you really don't." And he nipped the skin of my neck.
That made my breath hitch, but my entire body felt like it was on fire. His tongue traced the tendon along the side of my neck, and the hand on my hip began to move higher. Slowly, torturously so, he followed the curves of my body, pressing into each one. My waist, my belly, and then his hand shifted, pausing just beneath my breast.
"What do you know of men, Ayla?" Zasen asked, his voice deep and gravelly.
"Enough," I promised.
So he leaned his hips closer, pressing a hard ridge into the side of my belly. "Do you know about that?"
I nodded, the movement a subtle little jiggle of my head. "It's not your tail."
Ducking his head forward, Zasen laughed. "It's definitely not. Scared yet?"
"No." And I shifted my own hips closer, wanting to feel that part of him against me.
The sound he made was low, deep, and wild. It also sounded pleased. Not angry. Not dangerous. It was the sort of sound I wanted to hear him make again, so I shifted one more time.
Zasen caught my waist with the hand that had been in my hair. "Woman, if you grind against me, I'm going to make a mess here."
"Should I stop?" I asked, trying to mimic his tone from before.
"Should I?" he countered, "because I promise I can make you moan like that too."
"No stopping," I decided.
His thumb swept out, sliding across my nipple. Sparks shot up my spine, and while I didn't moan, there was a sound - but his hand stilled.
"Do I stop now?" he asked.
All I could do was shake my head. My eyes had closed at the sensation, but I liked it. I wanted more of it, more ofthis. Yet instead of touching me that way again, Zasen simply kissed me deeply. I felt like I was drowning, or flying. I couldn't decide which, but it was amazing. I was surrounded by him, and lost in him, and it all felt so damned good!
Again, his hands moved, and this time both of them were there, on my breasts and doing that thing. I could feel my pulse throbbing between my legs, and my pants were cool down there, like they were damp, but I didn't care. Nothing else mattered but the next kiss, the touch that would come after, and the feel of this strong, powerful man making me delirious.
