Page 34 of A Snowed in Valentine's

He stared at her, unable to believe his ears. Was she out of her mind? “And you…you decided to remain on Frost Mountain? You could have returned to Earth. Don’t tell me this is part of your silly dream of saving everyone on this mountain,” he growled.

“Frost Mountain can’t be saved,” she told him. “Not by me, anyway. I don’t think I’m powerful enough for that. An entire coven of witches created it. I’m just one, not to mention that this place exists by itself now. It’s been out of the control of the witches who created it for centuries.”

It was taking all of his self-control to keep from screaming at her. “So why, justwhywould you choose to remain trapped here?”

She shrugged. “I’m already a wanted person on Earth. The government was never going to stop looking for me. Back there, my life is pretty much over. But here, on Frost Mountain, it’s just beginning.”

Something told August she wasn’t being entirely honest about her reason, but he didn’t press her.

“I’d like to continue living here,” she went on with a light tremor in her voice, “with you—if you’ll have me, that is.”

He stared at her, at a near loss for words. He replayed what she’d said in his mind; it sounded more unreal each time.I’d liketo continue living here with you.She’d come back for him? His heart raced like he’d been running.

“You’re a witch,” he told her, although he thought it sounded more like a question than a statement.

“I am,” came her reply.

“I’m a witch hunter.”

“Yes.”

“Our kind should not be living together. We’re sworn enemies. My entire bloodline was devoted to killing witches.”

She nodded, looking expectantly at him.

He sighed. “I should have made sure you were dead the very day we met. But I didn’t. I ignored my duty that day and in the weeks that followed. I allowed you to live with me because of what I felt toward you because it was real. What I’ve done so far goes against everything I’ve been taught, against everything I’ve learned. I’d be taking a major risk if I continued to be with you.”

“Will you?” she asked, blinking at him. “Continue to be with me, that is.”

He regarded her silently, and for a moment, it seemed as though they were each holding their breath. Slowly, he nodded.

“I will,” he said. “I want to because what I feel is real.”

He saw her swallow. “And what’s that?”

“Love,” he whispered, and he pulled her against him, covering her mouth with his.

***

The moment his lips touched hers, a delicious shiver traveled down her spine, and she felt most of her worries fade away. Nothing else mattered except for the sensation of this man kissing her, his fingers sliding through her hair and caressing the small of her back, holding her against him. The cave floor was hard, and the spell she’d cast for warmth was only temporary, but right now, there was nowhere else on Frost Mountain she would rather be.

His tongue stole into her mouth, his lips so warm against hers she was certain they would cause another fire if they didn’t stop soon. She kissed him back, surrendering herself to the intensity of his mouth. He pulled her even closer so that their groins were pressed together, her breasts flattened against his chest, and she found, to her delight, that he was already rigid. Anticipation fluttered in her chest, and it took most of her willpower to refrain from reaching down and sliding her hands into his trousers.

Perhaps the spell she’d cast in the cave had spun out of control as the blizzard had, she thought, feeling the temperature rise between them.

Either that or their passion was generating enough heat to melt all of Frost Mountain. August was right. What they shared was real. Sworn enemies or not, it didn’t matter, not one bit. There could be no denying the raw attraction between them.

He broke the kiss and pulled her head back by the hair, exposing her neck for him to kiss her bare flesh. She sighed as his warm lips caressed her. The sound seemed to motivate him, and he continued to feast on her flesh, his ravenous desire a match for her own.

Memories of their previous bout of lovemaking crossed her feverish mind: August thrusting deep inside her, filling her up in a way she’d never been filled before. She wanted that again. She wantedhimagain.

By the time August lifted his lips from her neck, she was panting with need. She let him ease her onto her back on the cave floor, just as he had in his cabin. His large body was stretched over hers, his groin settling perfectly between her legs so that she could better feel his erection throbbing against her, telling her everything she needed to know.

The idea of snapping her fingers and magically removing their clothes crept into her mind, and she entertained it for asecond before brushing it aside, which was fortunate because August soon started to pry her clothes off. It was even more exciting, watching his fingers tremble with their shared need as he stripped her down to her underwear.

She felt his gaze travel over her body. She recognized that look in his eyes. It was the same intense, burning gaze she’d felt the first time she awoke in his bedroom and found him looking at her. In his eyes was a dangerous hunger that she supposed should terrify her but instead filled her with excitement.

“Why,” he whispered, his voice thick with adoration, “just why do you have to be so…”

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