Page 121 of A Trial of the Heart

“What about no peeking?” I scolded him, arms crossed in front of me. “You peeked, didn’t you?”

His saccharine smile grew wide, the dimple on his right cheek visible even in the dim light. “Never.”

“Daxton!”

“All right, all right…” His laughter was deep and pure, one of the most beautiful sounds I would hear in this lifetime. “I might’ve stolen a glance of that perfect ass sliding underneath the surface of the water,” he said as he pulled me in close, placing his hands firmly on my backside.

“Might?” I challenged him.

He squeezed harder, attempting to make his point. “All right, I did.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, my arms crossed under my chest, purposely pushing my breasts upwardjust to tease him. “And here I thought you had such high moral standards. That my mate was a true gentleman.” His smile practically reached his ears, and I knew it was in response to me calling himmy mate. I would be lying if I didn’t feel the same every time he said it as well.

“You and I both know you’d never settle for a vanilla mate who always stuck to the rules and never challenged what they thought was right. That is mundane, my love. You and I were never meant to live meek and uneventful lives.”

I was about to argue, but then again, we both knew he was right. “Fine, point taken,High Prince of Silver Meadows.”

“Forgive me for peeking yet?”

“No.” He frowned slightly. “But…” I paused. “I do have some ideas on how you can make it up to me.”

His smile returned as he bent closer to my lips. “Gladly.”

He stopped with our lips breaths apart, but neither of us moved forward. “Weren’t you about to kiss me?”

“Weren’t you about to forgive me?”

I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Are you withholding your kisses until I do?”

“Maybe.”

“You won’t last long.”

“Is that a challenge, Spitfire?”

“Yes,” I said with a smirk.

Daxton released his hold and silently stepped backward. His expression was unreadable, and his demeanor mimicked one I had seen on the sparring fields and in the midst of battle.

“Challenge accepted,” Silver Shadow replied. “We’ll see who caves first.” He looked at me with cold, calculating eyes that mimicked raging mountain storms.

Fuck. I gulped, barely able to keep myself from spreading my thighs and begging for him to take me again. His smoldering stare of menace only managed to turn me on all over again. He would never intimidate or frighten me. I knew him. I loved every part of who he was and apparently was even aroused by the deathly terrifying Silver Shadow facade dictated in the history books of Solace.

“Fine,” I groaned with a glare, knowing he could sense my arousal. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to show me?” I asked with my own blast of power fueled by my animal, my eyes glowing like amber fire.

I watched his eyes flare, knowing he could feel my magic skittering across his taut flesh, feeling the same exhilarating and arousing caress I experienced when his power reached out to find me. It put us in a sort of fight or flight. Well, no, more accurately, a fuck mood. The adrenaline rush was overwhelming, followed by intense, lustful waves of pure desire.

“Don’t look at me with those eyes, Spitfire.”

“What eyes?”

He narrowed his gaze at me, his muscles flexing across his chest and arms as he fought to keep them pinned at his sides. “Like you’re hungry and already waiting for me to fill you for a third time tonight.”

“Maybe I am.” He went utterly still, every ounce of self-control teetering on the edge. “But alas, you’re withholding your kisses until I forgive you for peeking. And I have ideas in mind for you to earn your way back from that.” I licked my bottom lip, sucking on it for a moment, never letting my eyes wander from his. “Your move, Princey.”

“You’re a cunningly wicked female … who most certainly does not play by the rules.”

“We both knew that.”

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