I slid my gaze to Taron. Such a rough, dangerous warrior. Loyal to his family. Willing to do anything for those he loved, whether they lived or had died. Ferocious. Undaunted. Glinting with sweat. Gorgeous. Powerful. Eager to slay a dragon queen, but maybe more eager to kiss her back?
A dreamy haze altered my vision, the world suddenly softer. Sweeter. What would a kiss hurt?
Desire clawed at me. If I didn’t feel his lips on my—Ineededto feel his lips on mine.
Stalking closer, I rasped, “Taste me, Taron.”
He stiffened, but he didn’t pull back, allowing me to thread my fingers through his silken hair. His pupils spilled over his irises, a thrill to behold. No protests sounded as I traced the seam between his lips. Mmm. Was there any man more tantalizing than this one?
Rising on my tiptoes, I lightly ran his earlobe through my teeth. “Kiss me,” I beseeched.
A tremor rocked him. He reached up and removed a plug, as if he wanted to hear my voice more than he wished to survive. “Olyssa.”
Olyssa, Olyssa, Olysssssssa.
“Mmm.” Mmm, mmm, mmm. The sound of mypleasure echoed between us, each rendition an auditory caress. “Kiss me,” I repeated, nuzzling against him. My cheek against his.
Kiss me, kiss me, kissssss me.
“Please, Taron.”Taron, Taron, Taroooon.
The fire snuffed out, and darkness rolled in. I didn’t care. Maybe he didn’t either. Sudden silence reigned. The whole world stilled, as if holding its breath.
With a growled, “Kiss,” Taron agreed, whipping one hand to my nape and the other to my hip.
For a heartbeat, his grip loosened, as if he fought something unseen. The enchantment? Me? Both?
Then whatever restraint he clung to shattered, and he yanked me closer, dipping his head to mine.
Chapter
Nine
Let them think they’re leading. It’s adorable.
-Humaning for Beginners: A Dragon’s Tale of Human Management
The possessive claim of Taron’s mouth swept me into a whirlwind. I poured myself into him. My every curve molded to the carved granite of his body, as if I were made to fit into those spaces. As our tongues danced, the kiss merged into a breaking. A binding. A ruinous tether spun from breath and need.
He tasted of honeyed venom, and the sugared sweetness proved lethal to my strongest defenses. But oh, I drank deep. A thousand sips wouldn’t be enough. Clinging to him wasn’t a choice but survival, the world sure to end the second we stopped.
“More,” I breathed.More, more, morrrrrre.
Our lips tangled in a rhythm too rough to be innocent, too honest to be anything but real. It was too much, too soon, yet not enough, and I would both regret and savor this for the rest of my existence.
I might play hostess to a dragon, but it wasTaronwho made me burn. Soft, keening whimpers escaped, sounds torn from the young woman I’d once been, before my heart was shredded. Each acted as an echoing confession and eternal plea.
He drove me back until hot stone pressed against a hotter spine, and I arched into him, needing grounding. Wanting him closer. Eager to take everything he had to give.
But.
An icy sting registered in my calves. And there it was again, stronger. I gripped Taron and looked at the ground over my shoulder. Confusion set in, and I frowned. In the darkness I saw nothing. Nein, an ember flickered. I breathed upon it, fanning it, and new flames crackled, revealing…
How odd. The stone had grown spikes, the tips now pricking my legs.
“Lyssa,” Taron rasped, cupping my cheeks to return my mouth to his.
Lyssa, Lyssa, Lysssssssa.
