If only it was as easy as that.
30
The beat on the dance floor was deep, the sort that settled into your blood and made you feel as one with the music. As I swayed with Larissa, eyes closed and arms above my head, I wasn’t Maddison James, orphan and human-turned-supe, I was a forest nymph, powerful, strong, and sexy.
We were joined on the dance floor by almost all the other supes here, everyone drinking and dancing, letting whatever magic was in the air—and beer—capture them. I was swirled from one group to another, dancing with everyone, not caring whose skin I touched.
I think for a short time there I lost my mind. And I was well aware that a pair of green and silver eyes burned into me the entire time. Asher stood off to the side, Jesse and Rone with him, and even when I tried not to look at them, he kept capturing my attention. Asher stole my breath in the sort of clichéd way I previously thought only happened in books. My limbs felt heavy, my body achy as lust pulled at my core. But I was also stubborn and had way too much pride to throw myself at him.
Maybe with a few more drinks under my belt though…
Larissa wrapped her arms around me, and I was distracted as she swung me around. When she let me go, she moved into her unique and somewhat complicated dance steps of the sprinkler-slash-lawnmower.
Just as I threw my head back, laughing until I almost cried, a warm hand landed on the bare skin in the center of my back. My laughter turned into a gasp at the heat and spark under that touch. It almost felt like the palm was branding me.
Slowly I turned, and I wasn’t at all surprised to find Asher behind me. He towered over me, gaze hooded, the silver defined in his eyes. Before I could say a word, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me fully into his body. His head tilted down, close to mine, and energy danced between our eyes as the moment extended. This second, where our lips hovered together but we didn’t kiss, was beyond intense. I couldn’t breathe.
“This doesn’t feel very friend-like,” I finally said, sounding as breathless as I felt.
Asher’s chest rumbled, his lips brushing across my jawline while his hands traced over my back, bringing every nerve ending there to life. He didn’t speak, but whenever I caught sight of his face, there was a lot going on. The beat took hold, and our bodies started to move together, the magic in the air driving us. I’d only had one drink, but it was enough.
Asher moved his leg between mine, I could feel every inch of his muscled thigh along my skin. I pressed my aching center against him, finally understanding the supesneedsexthing. I was dying. There was only so much I could take care of on my own, and right now I wanted Asher more than I wanted anything else in the world.
“You tempt me like no other,” he said, so softly that I almost missed it. I tilted my head back, needing to see his expression. His eyes told me so much more than his words. “I’ve tried to embrace the friendship, because everything between us is complicated. Your power. Our Atlantean heritage. I’ve never dated, because my world can be dangerous. I lost my parents at a young age because of their obsession. Dragging you into it just seemed selfish.”
We stopped dancing, but we didn’t move apart. If anything, we were pressed even closer.
“But I’m already in it,” I reminded him.
He shook his head. “We don’t know anything yet. You might even be more important than any other Atlantean … beyond me.” His nose brushed across mine as he brought his face closer. I breathed him in, the scent, remembering his taste from last time. His next words jolted me. “I can’t resist you any longer.”
My tongue darted out to try and moisten my lips. “Then don’t.”
Asher’s mouth crashed into mine and I moaned against his lips, our tongues moving together. He tasted like … everything. Life and air and water.
Elemental.
Primal.
He pulled me into him, lifting me up. I wanted to wrap my legs around him, but I wasn’t high enough to easily do that—he was just holding my weight, a few inches off the ground.
“Higher,” I moaned.
He tightened his hold, and I almost sighed as my legs finally settled around him. Our mouths never parted. I wanted to kiss him forever. It started to rain at some point, but I barely even noticed the cold droplets scattering across my heated skin. We were technically inside a magical building, but it rained all the time in here. The water was clean and almost identical to normal rain.
Asher kept one hand under my ass while the other tangled in the hair at the back of my neck. His hold was firm, and I wanted him so badly that my head was spinning. As more rain fell, I tilted my head back to stare up into the darkness above, letting the water soak my face. Asher’s lips landed on my throat and my eyes fluttered shut at the sensation of him pressing kisses along my jawline, the scruff of his five o’clock shadow scraping across sensitive skin.
I knew we were drawing attention. I could feel the eyes on us.
But I didn’t care.
He pulled my lips back to his, and I groaned, needing more. “Let’s go,” I said softly.
One last kiss and I was back on my feet. Asher kept a hand on me until I was steady on my heels. “You want to leave?” he murmured huskily. “But this is only our second date…?”
I glared, or tried to; I was too aroused for angry emotions. “If we count all of our movie nights and shared meals, we’ve had fifty dates.”
His grin was fierce, his eyes predatory as he threaded our fingers together and started to lead me through the crowd. Mostly everyone parted for him, which was finally coming in handy, but someone stepped into his path just before we left the dance.
