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“Yet some surly ass was quick to silence tales not so many nights ago.”

Heat rose in Tait’s cheeks. “Perhaps he did not take pleasure in a certain woman dancing about with all the men.”

I pressed a hand to my chest, feigning horror. “Tait Hearttalker! Dare I say you were jealous?”

“Never. I was wholly unbothered.”

“Not certain I believe that.” I used one fingertip to trace the tops of his knuckles. “I am glad you had those nights.”

Tait nodded. “For a moment, pain was only a memory.”

“Perhaps this is unkind of me to say,” I whispered, “but I am glad Bloodsinger killed your father.”

The red of Tait’s eyes deepened when he tilted my chin to look at me. “I think the same thing every day, Vicious.”

Tait’s regard fell to my lips. I scooted nearer, pulse racing. When he did not pull away, I cupped one side of his jaw. A great deal of stubble had grown over his face. The feel of the scratch sent a thrill to my blood of what it might be like to feel it against my lips.

As though reading my thoughts, Tait dropped his brow to mine. “There are so many things I want to do to you. But I…” His words faded for a breath. When Tait lifted his gaze, there was a heat in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. One breath, two, then, “Damn the hells.”

No more hesitation, Tait yanked my mouth against his.

He kissed me. Hard. Tender. Like a man who’d been starved for weeks, but now that he had his meal, he planned to savor all of it.

Unable to stop, I arched against his chest and glided my tongue against the edge of his lips. Tait parted them and I tasted him. Honey and rain and a hint of smoke. I could devour this man for days and never get my fill.

Tait hooked one arm around my waist. I let out a shriek of surprise when he tugged me over his lap, securing my thighs on either side of his hips. Bleeding gods, I sank against the hardness of his body. A bit of madness took hold. I trapped his face between my palms, releasing into my kiss every drop of desire I’d hidden since the day Filib first revealed who I wanted above others.

Never did I expect this moment. Months of sneers, avoidance, and brisk words. But like none of it mattered, heat rolled through my blood, my insides ached for more, and my heart swelled more the deeper he kissed me.

Tait claimed my lips with a passionate tug on the back of my head, drawing me in. I let out a soft sigh and sank over his lap more, rubbing over the bulge of his cock. Tait hissed against my mouth, coiled my hair around his fingers, and pulled until my head arched back in the angle he desired.

Caution faded and I curled one arm around the back of his neck, needing him closer, wanting more, wanting all he desired to give.

Tait groaned into my mouth when I slid my hand over his damp chest. With a touch of hesitation, he tugged at the sleeve of my chemise, his palm hovering over my shoulder for a long breath.

After a moment, Tait dipped his chin and studied where his hand rested above my bare shoulder. I didn’t move, hardly breathed, and watched every tentative thought reel through his mind. At long last, Tait flattened his palm over my heart, his thumb running along the top of the cleft of my breasts.

He kissed me along my throat, gentle, exploring the surface of my skin. I curled my fingers in his hair, held his mouth against my body. His thumb drifted lower, lower. The tip slid between my breasts. Up and down.

I whimpered when the sharp point of Tait’s canines nipped my flesh.

He paused, shuddered, and kissed my jaw.

Tension gathered in my shoulders. His hands weren’t moving any longer. They were holding me, gripping me like a ballast.

“Tait,” I said, breathless. “We need not continue if—”

He covered my lips with one thumb and shook his head against my throat. His eyes burned like the fading sun when he lifted his chin. “I am not one to give up control. Bedmates have never been romantic for me; there are too many ways to lose the upper hand. I prefer to handle such things by myself.”

“Sounds horridly one-sided and dull.”

Tait smirked. “I can hardly stand touching others. Over the turns, I’ve not cared to build enough trust with anyone to risk losing control of myself in such a way. I refuse to lose that.”

There was more to the meaning of his words, and I was not certain the truth would be kind. There was a vulnerability that came with slipping into someone’s bed. They would see the raw form; they might glimpse at a scarred heart underneath the passion.

“I’ve never seen the point to trifle in anything deeper,” he told me. “Except with you, thoughts are spinning. I want your touch, your sharp mouth, your body. I want to know what brings out the sweetest sounds from your lips, but I’m not even certain how to do any of this.”

He felt…out of control.