If she saidboo, would he break and run?Although tempted, she decided not to test her theory.
“You promised.I always keep my word, and I thought you were a man of honor.”
He drew himself up tall.“I am,” he snapped.“Very well.Let’s get this over and done so we can get back to our mission.”
He pounced so fast she never had a chance to release the squeak that rushed up her throat.His beefy arm—the good one—wrapped around her back, and he pulled her against his muscular body.He was so big, so strong.So masculine.
Gweneth pulled her tattered complacency around her and slipped her arms around his neck.He wore his black hair longer than Lynx and Shiloh, a bit scruffy as if he had little care for what others thought of him.Something to consider later.
Now that he held her in his arms, he hesitated, his bulky muscles tightening until she feared he’d renege on his promise.
Quick.She had to act.
Gweneth used her arms around his neck to lever herself up and stood on tiptoe to reduce the space between their lips.Their gazes connected and held, his open for a fleeting sec before he screened his emotions.
The big feline was nervous.She’d pushed past his comfort zone and wrong-footed him, and now he hesitated in his actions and thoughts.Although she hated to confuse him, perhaps an off-balance feline shifter would work in her favor.And, she had better make this a kiss to end all kisses.The best kiss he’d ever received.
No pressure.
She crushed her mouth to his, caught his quick gasp with her lips, and sank into the sensation of kissing the male her feline was directing her toward.
Soft.Warm.Decadent.
His lips were a beautiful shape, and she should know since she studied them often enough.Craving more, she opened her mouth and used her tongue to trace the sensual curves.He groaned and she used the sign to take the kiss deeper.Her tongue flickered past his lips, and she got her first taste.He tasted of the drink they’d consumed—tart and yet sweet.
His arm tightened around her, and a groan rumbled in his chest.The man—obviously slow on the uptake—started to participate and kiss her back.Instantly, her nipples pulled tight, and the physical contact seemed to seep into her pores.Her feline gave a lazy stretch beneath her skin, a sort of yawn as if waking fully from a long slumber.
Ellard pulled back a fraction and frowned at her.“What is that noise?”
Gweneth blinked.What—?Well, fuck a duck.The noise was coming from her.It sounded…it sounded like a feline purr.“It’s me,” she said with a trace of wonder, unable to believe her ears.“It’s me.Ellard, please kiss me again.I think it’s my feline.Maybe I can really shift instead of dreaming about the transformation.”
For a sec, he fought an inner struggle, but she thought their earlier conversation—her prattling about feline shifting—might have helped him make his decision.He gave a curt nod and took her lips without hesitation.This time, he swept her under into a place where sensations ruled and good sense fell by the roadside.The first kiss was a pale imitation of the passion he unleashed on her now.He sipped and tasted.He tempted and seduced.He owned her with this kiss.
A small part of her was aware of him lifting her, pressing her against the control panel.She didn’t care.He could do anything.She wrapped her legs around his hips and rocked against the hardness of his body.Both she and her feline sighed and purred, drawing every bit of pleasure from the contact.
A foreign sound invaded their bubble of passion, but she ignored it in favor of the kiss.Ellard seemed just as willing as her, and he continued to kiss and caress her past the bounds of the one kiss she’d demanded.
“A-hem!Ellard.Gweneth.”The familiar voice of their king had them breaking apart and spinning around.
“Um, I think the communications are working again,” she said in a weak voice.
“Where are you?”Lynx asked.“The Narenda delegation contacted us because you hadn’t turned up as scheduled.Why?”
Shiloh winked at her.“I think it’s easy to see why, my king.”
Lynx snorted.“At the cost of this mission?”
Ellard pulled back but retained his hold until she stood on unsteady feet.
“We had some trouble.Someone sabotaged your ship.They rewired the controls and yanked others out.I put the ship on autopilot while we had a meal.We didn’t realize we’d gone off course until we hit a debris field.”Ellard reported the facts clearly and concisely.
“But the ship was fine.We had it serviced and did a test flight.”
“Someone rewired it so the ship would function but go off course.Communications were down, and of course, the navigation took us in the wrong direction,” Gweneth added.
“Ah, the true reason for the kiss.”Shiloh smirked.“You’re both celebrating the fact you’re alive.”
Ellard glowered at his brother but Gweneth winked once she knew Ellard couldn’t see.
