Page 90 of A Trial of the Heart

“Well,” I barely managed to breathe, “are you going to kiss me?”

A toe-curling grin pulled at his lip. “There’s only one problem with that, Spitfire.” I raised my brows, tilting my chin so our mouths were just breaths from touching. “If I kissed you here and now, I wouldn’t be able to stop.”

“I don’t see a problem with that.”

This time, I took what I wanted. I wasn’t going to wait for him to make the move. Gripping Daxton’s hips, I aggressively coveted his delicious mouth with my own.

Daxton’s lips were warm and soft, more decadent than a rich dessert or the finest wine. Drawing me into a lustful haze that I never wanted to leave. I sucked on his bottom lip, encouraging him to open his mouth so I could kiss him harder, deeper. Exactly how I knew he wanted it. How I knew we bothneededit. This kiss felt like I was being swallowed and devoured by the raging sea, with Dax as my lifeline. The one thing anchoring me, preventing me from floating away. Nothing else outside this moment existed. Nothing.

His moan was a delicious sound that I could listen to again and again. I would forever strive to entice that sound from his lips for the rest of my mortal life if I could. It turned me on, knowing that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him. Daxton shifted to move against me, his hard, growing length seductively rubbing against the apex between my thighs. I reached my hand down between us and curled my fingers around him, stroking his erection through the fabric of his pants.

“Gods. Fuck, Skylar,” Daxton swore against my lips, feverishly kissing me as I opened my mouth to allow his tongue to enter. He grabbed my backside, hoisting me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. “I have countless ill-mannered things I want to do with this,” he growled, gripping my ass tighter.

Our kiss turned wild and unhinged in less than a heartbeat, tasting like sweet insanity, mirroring the danger of what we were kindling in this hallway.

Once my lips parted and his tongue licked inside my mouth, I couldn’t resist releasing my own sigh ofblissful pleasure. With my thighs spread around him, I could feel him hardening even more through the thin layers of fabric separating us. His kiss held a burning, ravishing need that left me hungry for more. More of him.

“I need you, Spitfire …” Daxton rasped. “I don’t know if I can wait any longer before I get to taste you again. You have no idea how unhinged I am when I’m around you. It’s utterly maddening.”

“No one’s stopping you,” I said breathlessly, pausing our kiss to cup his face between my hands before running my fingers through his hair, forcing his eyes to find mine. “Your move, Princey.”

The blazing storm of desire burned inside his hooded, lightning-gray eyes. He leaned forward, pressing my back harder into the wall to help hold me while his palms explored the curves of my body. Daxton kissed me with the passion and heat of a thousand blazing suns. Time stopped, becoming nothing more than a mere notion. One second, my lips belonged to me, and the next, they were his.

“Look at me,” he commanded, pulling back as I snapped my eyes open. His control was beginning to slip away, but I still, for the life of me, didn’t understandwhyhe was even trying to hold back.

His grip on me tightened as his cock ground against my throbbing center, sending waves of pleasure through my entire body. He was winding me up like a top. The teasing feel of him was almost unbearable.

Daxton’s breath was heavy and ragged, matching my own maddening rhythm as we continued to stare at one another in complete silence. Daring the other to push past that invisible thread between us and lose all control.

Footsteps padded down the hallway to our right.

“Fucking timing,” Daxton cursed as he quickly bent to kiss the sensitive spot on my neck, my center aching with a need to be filled. “This is not over yet.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” I said, arching my back to press my breasts and hardened nipples into his chest. The faint sound of his sensual moan echoed once more as he reached up to fondle one of them, his lips still on the base of my neck. Again, I sank into the bliss of his touch, making me forget anything but him. Fuck… this was a dangerous game to play, but I was done being careful and cautious.

Daxton slowly released me and stepped away, physically bracing himself and trying to regain his composure. I reached up to smooth my hair as best I could, quickly tying a braid across my brow before pulling it into a long ponytail that draped over my shoulder. Daxton watched me with liquid fire burning in his penetrating stare, never once taking his gaze off me.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Dax whispered as he tucked a stray hair behind my ear, his hand cupping the back of my head. I smiled, my cheeks flushing. “Just one word from you … and I won’t be able to hold back. I’ll ruin you, Spitfire.”

“That’s exactly what I want,” I said with absolute clarity. “I need you to lose control with me. I want you to be wild.” I could feel my animal’s power surge to the surface, making my amber eyes glow like fire, challenging him. “Ruin me, so no other could dare try.”

His throat bobbed as he closed his eyes, the final threads of his self-control threatening to come undone. “Understood,” he said in a dark, rough tone, rushing in for one final kiss before leading us out the door of the Summit.

“Those of you who wish to advance into the ranks of Silver Meadows warriors must first successfully run the Ice Gauntlet,” Daxton announced as he stood at the base of the towering mountain that housed the obstacle. “The course is warded against magic, so you will only have your strength, stamina, and sheer willpower to progress you through. If you do not complete this course within the allotted time, you fail. If you fall from an obstacle, you fail. If you slip and grab onto one of the ropes at the higher tiers—”

“You fail?” a mocking cadet asked.

Daxton shook his head. “No, you have two minutes added to your time. But two minutes added is better than falling to your death.”

Silence broke out amongst the crowd, but the look of determination on their faces did not change.

“How long did it take you to finish?” I whispered to Gunnar.

“Twenty-seven minutes. Fucking close, but luckily, I didn’t grab onto a rope.”

“And you were how old?”

“Fifteen.”

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