“Especially me.” I let her go reluctantly and stepped back. “Try again?”
We resumed, and this time she managed the sequence without faltering. As we continued to practice, the energy in the room changed. Each time our hands brushed, a small spark of magic passed between us, her joy magic responding to my presence, my vampire magic reaching for hers.
The dance was becoming more than practice; it was becoming an unintentional seduction.
As dusk painted the room in shades of amber and rose, we reached the most intimate part of the dance. I stood behind Cyrene, my chest touching her back, one arm wrapped lightly around her waist.
“Now we move as one,” I said close to her ear, guiding her through the steps. “Side, side, forward, back. Our movements must be perfectly synchronized.”
Her breathing quickened, and her heart beat erratically. My own pulse responded, especially when she leaned back, her body rubbing against mine.
“Like this?” she whispered, executing the steps while maintaining the tantalizing almost-contact between us.
“Exactly like that.” My voice had dropped to a whisper. “Now we turn…”
I guided her into the spin, and when she faced me again, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. Magic crackled in the air between us, visible as faint golden sparkles mixing with the deeper blue of my own power.
“Kieran,” she said, my name a question and an invitation all at once.
I knew I should continue with the lesson. I still had to demonstrate the final sequences, the culmination of the dance where the two partners finally joined completely.
But I couldn’t look away from her lips, slightly parted and impossibly tempting.
“There’s more to learn,” I said, even as I stepped closer to her.
“Show me.” Her gaze dropped to my mouth, then back to my eyes.
Instead of showing her the next steps, I closed the final distance between us. My hands found her waist as hers slid up my chest to my shoulders. For a heartbeat, we stood there, suspended in anticipation.
Then we were kissing, and any pretense of restraint vanished.
I claimed her mouth with hunger, drawing a soft sound from her throat that sent heat coursing through my veins. Her arms wound around my neck, herfingers tangling in my hair as she pressed herself against me.
I backed her toward the wall, needing the support. When her shoulders met the stone, I braced one hand beside her head, the other sliding down to her hip to pull her near.
Her magic flared at my touch, and the sensation was intoxicating. Her essence mingled with mine, light and dark creating something new and beautiful.
“Cyrene,” I breathed against her lips, unable to form a coherent thought.
She responded by deepening the kiss, her tongue meeting mine. Her hands were everywhere. In my hair, tracing my jaw, and sliding down my chest to tug at my shirt.
I broke the kiss to trail my lips down her throat, savoring her soft gasp when I found the sensitive spot below her ear. Her head fell back against the wall, giving me better access to the elegant curve of her neck.
“The dance,” she said breathlessly. “We should finish.”
“Tomorrow,” I whispered against her skin. “Unless you want to stop?”
Her answer was to pull my face back to hers, kissing me with pent-up need. My body responded, and I pressed her harder against the wall. When my thigh slipped between hers, she made a sound that nearly shattered my control.
“Kieran,” she gasped, pulling back enough to look into my eyes. “Let’s make sure there’s no way the fates will ever allow this marriage to be annulled.”
My mind hazy with desire, I wasn’t sure I understood her meaning. “What are you saying?”
Her eyes met mine. “I’m saying I want you. All of you. Now.”
The words sent heat through me so intense I had to close my eyes. When I opened them again, she was watching me, vulnerable but determined.
“Are you certain?” I needed to be sure despite every instinct urging me to take what she offered.
