A smile curved my lips when the heroine and hero found themselves on the lawn outside of a banquet they were attending. The hero convinced her to accompany him to the distant gardens, and soon, it was only the two of them, since the rest of the partygoers had stayed in the ballroom.
The entire book, I’d been waiting for this moment. Each ofthe characters had felt their attraction growing. Their need for one another blossoming.
The hero pinned the heroine against a tree’s trunk and began to kiss her. His hands roamed over her skin, his mouth on her neck, as he?—
“His hard rod pulsed against her belly, and the need to have him inside her sang through her soul.”
Kole’s deep timbre jolted me out of the story, and his voice was not only tinged with amusement but something else, something...heated.
I snapped the book closed. Mortification burned my cheeks. At my back, I became aware of the warmth from Kole’s chest. Like me, he was on his side, but I had no idea when he’d turned to face me, or for how long he’d been reading over my shoulder.
“I didn’t realize you had suchgraphictaste in novels.” A slight tease filled his voice, but his undercurrent ofwantwas there too.
“It’s just a bit of light reading before bed,” I breathed, since the shock of how he’d just read that filthy sentence aloud was still barreling through me.
“I thought you were an academic scholar?”
“I am, but that doesn’t mean I don’t also read books for pure enjoyment.” I cocked my head, and I tried to remember if I’d ever told Kole my profession, but then he shifted closer, not touching me, butstars, I was suddenly aware of every particle of his being, and his entire length was only an inch away.
How I’d not realized he’d moved so closely to me while I’d been reading, I didn’t know.
He leaned down and inhaled. I could have sworn that he was drinking in my scent. He inhaled sharply again and shifted even closer, nearly touching me.
“Fuck,” he said so softly under his breath, I almost didn’t hear it.
Panting, I didn’t say more. I couldn’t breathe. I could barely think. My entire body was on the precipice of igniting, both from my book and from Kole’s rising energy, and I had a feeling Kole was on the verge of touching me.Reallytouching me.
I was about to turn, to let him know that I’d welcome his advances, that I wanted him too, but a crack of magic filled the air, then a hiss of pain from Kole.
Before I could face him, coldness washed over my back, and the blankets tugged and pulled. I didn’t have to move to know that he’d just put distance between us again.
Energy rolled through his aura, but his head thumped against his pillow. “Goodnight, Prim,” he said, his voice sharp. “Sweet dreams.”
Confusion swamped me, and I tentatively rolled over, but the warrior had closed his eyes even though his aura waspoundingout of him.
The firelight flickered in our makeshift cave, dimming more as the embers died.
What just happened?
The warrior had been on the verge of touching me, perhapsmorethan touching—I was certain of that—but Kole had stopped himself just as fast, right after his strange magic had flared.
What in the realm is that magic?I’d never heard of one’s magic causing pain before, but I also didn’t know much about Solis affinities. Maybe the reason he hadn’t told me about his other affinity was because it was more of a curse than a blessing.
Regardless of whatever had just happened, the warrior had made it clear he didn’t plan to act upon any attraction tonight, and the last thing I wanted to do was cause him more pain if his magic was stopping him from doing so.
“Night, Kole,” I finally whispered.
I settled myself onto the covers too, then forced myself to close my eyes while trying to forget my bursting arousal. But my core throbbed. Between Kole’s allure and my smutty book, I definitely would have taken him up on his offer for release. It’d been so long since I’d been with a male, and Kole was the epitome of a sexy male.
Sighing, I turned on my side and faced the wall again. Behind me, Kole shifted too, and even though he was once again trying to hide his aura, it pulsed into me in steady, strong waves.
I scrunched my eyes closed even tighter.Uncle Timith. Uncle Timith. Uncle Timith.
Concentrating on my sick family member helped dispelsome of my arousal. Besides, I needed to remember why I was here. Even though the warrior elicited responses in me that I’d never felt before, our paths had only temporarily crossed.
And if we did have an affair, if we did find a way to overcome whatever pain his affinity inflicted on him, it would likely be quick and fleeting...over before it truly began.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
