My mouth went dry.
In a low, deep, gravely voice that shivered across my skin, Taroc asked, “How badly do you want me?”
“Very,” I whispered.
“That's a good start.” He brushed his lips over mine.
My cock stirred.
Taroc breathed in again and grinned. “A very good start. But we need more, don't we?”
“Yes.”
“Are you close?”
I whimpered. “What?”
“Are you close to falling in love with me?” Taroc nuzzled my ear. “Is your heart beating fast, Ember?”
“Yes.”
“Does your belly tighten every time you see me?”
I groaned. “Yes.”
Another primal movement of his head. Taroc's lips at the other side of my neck. Teeth scraped my skin. “Do you think about me?”
“All the time.” I slid my hands up his chest, over the curves of his pectorals.
“What do you think about?”
I paused.
“Tell me.” He nipped me.
“I know you want to hear something sexy,” I said breathlessly. “And I do have those thoughts. Of course, I do. But mostly, I think about . . .”
“Yes?” Taroc's voice dropped to a whisper.
“Waking up to you in the morning,” I admitted. “Training with you every day. Having a future with you. Something beyond the war.”
Taroc shuddered, his breath catching, and lifted his head to meet my stare. “You're wrong, Ember.”
“I am?”
“That's exactly what I want to hear.”
And then his mouth was on mine, and his arms around me. As Taroc claimed me with a kiss, he lifted me from the seat, dragging me up his body as he stood. He didn't lay me on the table or take me to his bed. He just held me tightly pressed against him, my body hanging along his, and kissed me with a depth of feeling that I didn't know we could share.
Shivers up and down my spine. My heart racing, slamming against my chest. There was desire, certainly, but more importantly, there was lightness. Hope. A sudden clearing of fear and weariness. I wrapped my arms around Taroc and pulled him closer. I hooked a leg around his hip. Maybe if I held on hard enough, I'd never have to let go.
But after an eternity of slow kissing and deepening emotion, Taroc pulled away from me and set me on my feet. “We're almost there, Ember. But not yet.”
“What?” I screeched.
Taroc grinned. “Do you love me?”
“I . . .”
