Page 40 of Goody Magic Academy: Year Three

Emboldened by the heat building between us, I slid my hands down the strong planes of his back. My fingers found the hem of his shirt, and I hesitated for just a moment before slipping them beneath the fabric. The feel of his bare skin under my palms was electrifying. His muscles rippled and flexed as he moved, his body warm beneath my hands. I explored the contours of his back, tracing the dip of his spine, the breadth of his shoulders.

Jaxon sucked in a sharp breath at my touch: the sudden intake of air was like thunder in the quiet room. His kiss instantly turned possessive, hungry, as if he wanted to devour me whole. His lips pressed harder against mine, his tongue became more insistent. One of his hands tangled in my hair, holding me in place as he deepened the kiss even further.

As I ran my hands over his skin, I marveled at the sheer perfection of his form. Every muscle, every sinew felt as if it had been sculpted by a master artist. He was magnificent, a Greek god come to life.

A new thought struck me then, sending a thrill of excitement and terror through my body. This beautiful, powerful man belonged to me. The possessiveness of the idea shocked me, but I couldn’t deny how right it felt. As Jaxon’s lips moved from my mouth to trail scorching kisses along my jaw and down my neck, I gasped out the word that had been echoing in my mind.

“Mine,” I whispered, my voice husky with desire.

Jaxon paused the seductive tracing of his fingers, lifting his head to meet my gaze. His dark eyes, often so guarded, now burned with an intensity that took my breath away. A slow, predatory smile spread across his face, making my heart race even faster.

“Yes. Yours,” he said, his voice a low growl that sent shivers down my spine. “Andyou’re mine.”

With those words, he claimed my lips again, and I lost myself in the sensations, the rest of the world fading away until there was nothing but Jaxon and the raging fire he ignited within me.

His fingers traced a tantalizing path down my body, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. I trembled beneath his touch, every nerve ending singing. When he reached the hem of my shirt, he paused, his knuckles just barely grazing the strip of exposed skin above my waistband. The brief, fleeting contact sent a jolt through me, as if I’d been struck by lightning, and the cool air whispering over my feverish skin made me acutely aware of every point where Jaxon’s body met mine.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my muscles liquefying, any tension melting away as if by magic. I felt boneless, as if I might simply dissolve under his bold touch and possessive kisses.

A heady lightness overtook me, my head spinning from a delicious cocktail of desire and anticipation. All rational thought retreated, replaced by a primal need that consumed me utterly. Some distant part of my mind warned me about the madness and potential consequences of what we were about to do, but inthat moment, with Jaxon’s hands on my skin and his breath hot against my neck, I simply didn’t care.

Every cell cried out for more. The realization hit me with startling clarity: I wanted this. I wanted him. Not just his body, but all of him—his strength and his vulnerabilities, his light and his darkness. The intensity of my epiphany should have frightened me, but instead, it felt like coming home.

I arched into his touch, wordlessly encouraging him to continue. My hands found their way back into his hair, fingers tangling in the soft strands as I pulled him closer. Our lips met again, kissing deeply and hungrily with barely restrained passion.

As Jaxon’s hands continued their exploration, pushing my shirt higher, exposing more of my burning skin to the cool air, I surrendered myself completely to his touch and to the moment. Whatever tomorrow might bring, tonight belonged to us. And I intended to savor every second of it.

Chapter

Twenty-One

The moonlight shone through the window onto Jaxon’s skin as he tossed my shirt to the floor, making him look as if he had been carved from the finest white marble.

His fingers trailed along my collarbone, leaving a tingling path of warmth in their wake. With agonizing slowness, he hooked one finger under my bra strap, sliding it over my shoulder. The fabric whispered against my skin as it dropped and I shivered, not from cold but from anticipation.

His lips replaced his fingers, pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses along the exposed skin. Every touch of his lips sent sparks racing through my body, igniting a fire that threatened to consume me. I tilted my head, giving him better access, silently asking for more.

Jaxon’s hand moved to the other strap. When he pulled it down, I held my breath, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it. Time itself slowed, each second lasting an eternity as I waited to see what he would do next.

A small part of my mind reminded me that this wasn’t entirely new territory: he had seen me naked before when I shifted. But this... This was different. There was an intimacy to this moment that went far beyond merely being unclothed. Eachtouch, each kiss was laden with intent and desire, heavy with unspoken promises.

Jaxon’s gaze met mine, his eyes dark with need. The intensity I saw there made my breath catch in my throat. Slowly, deliberately, he lowered his head, pressing a kiss to the hollow of my throat. His lips trailed lower, following along my collarbone, then dipping to the swell of my breast just above the edge of my bra.

I gasped, my back arching involuntarily, pressing my body closer to his. My fingers threaded through in the soft strands of his hair, holding him to me. The feel of his stubble against my sensitive skin sent shivers down my spine, a thrilling contrast to the softness of his lips.

As Jaxon continued his exploration, alternating between gentle kisses and light nips that made me whimper, I lost myself in the moment. He scraped his fangs down my skin, which was surprisingly both exhilarating and painful. But this wasn’t just about physical pleasure—it was about trust, about letting down our guard and allowing ourselves to be truly vulnerable with each other.

In that moment, with Jaxon’s hands and lips mapping my body like uncharted territory, I felt more alive than I ever had before. Whatever came next, I knew with absolute certainty that I wanted him.

“You’re beautiful, Peyton. I’ll never get tired of seeing you naked like this, either beneath me or when you shift into your dragon. No other man will ever touch you unless they want me to?—”

I slipped my hand around and kissed him before he went on a tirade. His possessiveness humbled me. No one had ever felt like that about me before.

My bare breasts pressed against his shirt as he planted a line of kisses down my throat. I let out a soft moan, tilting myhead back and letting out a gasp when his mouth fastened onto my nipple, his tongue licking, his lips sucking. My body tingled as wave over wave of pleasure washed over me. I speared my fingers in his unruly locks, pulling him closer as the sensations built.

“Jaxon,” I panted. “Take me.”

“Oh, sweet witch, I’ve only just begun.”

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