Page 40 of Heart of Defiance

Gods help me, what would I have done if the Darium soldiers had murdered this man in front of me?

The anguish that rushes through me at that thought reflects back at me from Jostein’s face. His hand rises to touch my cheek. Heat tingles across my skin, both from his touch and the mix of fear and longing in his gaze.

“I’ve just found you,” he says in a strained voice. “There’s so much we haven’t had time for… I can’t lose you.”

I know he’s talking about more than finding me just now in the crowd. My body sways toward him of its own accord, my hand coming to rest on his chest. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

A raw sound thrums from his throat, and then he pulls me into a kiss.

Chapter Fifteen

Signy

I’ve kissed Jostein before, but it was nothing like this. His fingers tangle in my hair; his mouth captures mine with an urgent passion as if he needs me to survive.

The heady rush of the embrace floods my body. I kiss him back with all I have, giving myself over to the moment, to the thump of my pulse and the sparks racing through my nerves, confirming how alive we both are.

I grip the front of his tunic, caught up in the need to pull him even closer. My desire flares all the way down to the apex of my thighs.

We just did something crazy and incredible, and it won’t be the last time. There’s no telling what might become of either of us when we next face the Darium army.

I don’t want to think about that. I want to revel in the fact that we’re still here right now—that I matter to this daring, valiant man.

When Jostein draws back just enough for our mouths topart, his breath tingling over my lips, I murmur, “Have you got a tent?”

A partly suppressed groan escapes him, and then he’s ushering me with him, his arm at my back and his hand twined with mine. His musky scent and the heat of his body drown out all but the vaguest impressions of the comrades we pass on our weaving path between the trees.

Our soldiers have been pitching tents all around the campsite. Jostein leads me to one at the farthest edge—because of course he’d want to be the first line of defense.

I can’t be anything but glad for it now, because it means we’re well beyond watching eyes when he pushes back the flap and we duck inside.

The moment we’re kneeling together within the low, sloping walls, Jostein’s mouth descends on mine.

He’s been careful with me in the past, sometimes almost tentative, but it must have been because he didn’t want to overstep his welcome. There’s nothing but confidence in the way he handles me now, angling our heads to deepen the kiss, guiding my knee over his legs so I’m straddling him.

He’s a man who knows what he wants. A man who’s meant to be leading, even if his superiors haven’t yet recognized just how much authority he can wield.

I sit back on his thighs, splaying my hands against his well-muscled chest, and gaze at him with a spark of mischief tickling through my veins. “It seems I’m at your disposal, squad leader. How would you command me?”

Only faint lantern light filters through the canvas walls of the tent, but it’s enough to reveal the answering glint in Jostein’s eyes. His posture pulls a little straighter.

As he rests his hands on my hips, his voice comes out low but resonant. “Let’s have that shirt off so I can appreciate even more of you, rebel maiden.”

With a soft laugh, I reach to peel off both my blood-stained tunic and the thin undershirt beneath. The cool evening air washes over my bared skin.

Jostein’s gaze drinks me in through the dimness. A brief doubt flickers through my thoughts—all those years of scrounging for food have left my ribs visible through my flesh, and I’ve hardly got the fullest breasts around—but when he brings his mouth back to mine, I feel nothing but hunger.

He kisses me with all the intensity he showed before. One hand rises to skim the slight curve of my breast and then cup it completely. His palm swivels against my nipple with a jolt of pleasure, and I gasp against his mouth.

Jostein hums in approval and eases away just far enough to yank off his own shirt. He pulls me close against him, skin to skin, one hand massaging my other breast while he reclaims my mouth.

The arm at my back slides down almost to my ass and tugs me closer. My sex settles against the bulge straining against Jostein’s pants.

I rock against it, propelled by my growing need, and he gives a strangled growl. His lips trail from my mouth to nip the edge of my jaw.

“Lean back,” he says in his commanding voice.

I’m all too happy to comply. As I tip against his supporting arm, he ducks his head to chart a scorching path along the side of my neck and down my chest.

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