Page 46 of Never Flirt with a Dragon

My eyes closed.

Bliss.

Touching him was bliss.

The temperature of my body dropped in a heartbeat, cooling me off instantly.

The pain vanished.

I all but melted into him, turning my face to his skin and pressing myself against him more completely.

“You were in pain?” His voice was tight.

“Yeah,” I mumbled against him.

His fingers dug into my hip. “You didn’t say anything.”

“I handled it.”

“I don’t want you to handle it, Miranda. You’re my mate.”

“Temporarily.”

“I don’t care how long it lasts—right now, you’re mine. I don’t want you in pain.”

“I have to fight heat on my own.” I finally peeled my face off his chest. “You can’t help me, remember? You get all beastly. If we want to avoid sealing the bond, I have to deal with it myself.”

His expression grew darker with every word I said.

His lips twisted in a snarl when I finished.

His body shuddered, and I could tell he was fighting his instincts again.

“No one gets through heat without a bond when one person shoulders the responsibility,” he said, through gritted teeth. “Ask Elodie. She and August got through it because they became a team.”

“Becoming a team made them fall in love, Jasper. You seem like a good guy, but I don’t want to fall in love with you.”

He shuddered again, harder.

I saw it in his eyes when he lost control, his entire body tensing as he did.

“You belong to me.” His lips crashed into mine, and he kissed me.

It was harsh.

Rough.

Delicious.

His tongue parted my lips, and he dragged me closer, until his erection was pressed against my abdomen.

He tasted even better than he smelled.

I didn’t try to stop myself from kissing him back, just as brutally as he kissed me.

Or from wrapping my legs around his hips, positioning his erection exactly where I wanted it, and putting his hands on my ass.

When my back hit a wall, I used the hard surface to arch against him harder.

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