Page 40 of Gravel and Grit

The sensation that fired through his body at that small, seemingly inconsequential touch was not one he had ever experienced before.

Zaek barked something that was half laugh, half yelp of shock, and leapt backward to escape her finger with such force he fell into the wall and ended

up with his wing claw buried in the wood.

Mira stared up at him in slack-jawed surprise before she gasped, “You’re ticklish!”

She then promptly erupted into a fit of loud, delighted laughter. So powerful was her amusement that she bent at the waist and braced her hands on her knees so she did not collapse onto the floor.

“Warriors arenotticklish!” he sputtered as he fought to twist around and yank his claw free.

Released from the clutches of the traitorous wall, he rose to his full height and faced her.

“You sure about that?” she drawled, lips curled up in a devious smile.

“Female… ”

She sprang at him before he could finish voicing his dire warning.

Half a minute later, Zaek found himself sprawled on the floor with Mira perched on top of him, trying unsuccessfully to fend off her vicious attack.

He was laughing uncontrollably, the gravelly sound filling the hallway, and, alarmingly, felt as if he might lose the contents of his bladder if she did not cease.

Realizing the only way to defeat her was to take her by surprise, he bucked his hips hard enough to send her slight frame airborne, caught her before she crashed back down, then rolled to the side and pinned her beneath him.

Mira looked a little dizzy and very confused as to how she’d ended up under him. Zaek took that opportunity to grin at her wolfishly.

“My turn,” he growled.

Her eyes popped open wide, and she tried to appease him with profuse, half laughed apologies and placations, but nothing other than revenge would satisfy him now.

Mindful of his claws and her delicate skin, he quickly retracted them then went for her ribs first before working his way up to her underarms, over to her clavicles, then down to her hips.

By the time he was finished with her, she was a mess of tangled hair, tears of laughter, and yelled proclamations of surrender.

Crawling back up her body, he settled between her parted thighs, braced himself with his forearms on the floor, then gently brushed the hair off her face so he could see her. They grinned at each other, chuckles still spilling from their lips before their laughter slowed, then stopped altogether as they

became aware of their position.

He could feel her hard nipples rubbing against his chest, through the thin material of his shirt, with every one of her panting breaths. He could feel the heat of hercanikinagainst his lower stomach, and her scent surrounded him in a drugging cloud of gland-swelling euphoria.

Zaek could not quite decide if he was glad she was so much smaller than him, because it meant his erection was pressed against the floor where she couldn’t feel it, or aggrieved for the same reason. What he did know was that the desire to curl his hips forward and nudge her with it was stronger than his restraint. Her short, startled moan sent a shiver down his spine and forced an answering groan from deep in his throat.

From inches away, he watched her pupils swell until only a thin rim of blue remained. She exhaled a shuddering breath, slowly wrapped her arms around his back, and lifted her head off the floor. Keeping her gaze glued to his, rendering him motionless, she pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his lips before lying back down.

Joy and lust flooded him with such force his mind went blank. Only one thought remained.

She desires thedassa…

Reacting instantly, he moved on instinct and kissed her with a ferocity that should have scared her, but instead made her moan. Never in his long life had he felt such sharp, urgent need. He wanted to be gentle, to deliver the mate kiss with all the tenderness and reverence he felt, but he couldn’t.

Growling low in his throat, he pried her mouth open with his tongue and swept inside to taste her. He felt her fingers dig into his back and her legs spread wider before locking around his waist, pulling him tighter against her, as she returned his kiss with equal fervor.

Fisting one hand in her fluffy hair, he tilted her head back against the floor then held her still as he expressed his gland and curled his hips forward at the same time, nearly bowing his body in half to thrust against her heat.

The sweet liquid filled his mouth and hers. Mira swallowed it with a low hum of pleasure, her hips bucking against him, then gasped and went rigid as thedassaspread through her system.

There was a drawn out second of stillness before she screamed into his mouth and came, hard.

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