Page 113 of The Alien's Vicious Starflash Manor

She makes a soft sound and melts against me, her mouth opening under mine. The kiss deepens, and suddenly I’m drowning in her warmth, her taste, the way she fits against me like she was made for my arms.

My magic rises, responding to my need.

I shouldn’t be doing this. Shouldn’t be holding her like something precious, kissing her like I have any right to gentleness. Not when I know how this ends.

But I can’t stop.

Can’t pull away from the heat of her mouth, the silk of her hair between my fingers, the way she trembles against me. My whole world has narrowed to this moment, this kiss, this woman who makes me want impossible things.

For one glorious moment, Lara melts against me, her lips soft and yielding under mine. Her hands slide up my chest to tangle in my hair. I want to devour her, to lose myself in her warmth, to forget everything but the way she feels in my arms.

Then she tears her mouth away from mine with a broken gasp. The words tumble out in a panicked rush as she tries to pull back. “No—I can’t—they were following me?—”

I tighten my hold, unwilling to let her run again. “Who? Who was following you?”

“I don’t know. I heard footsteps—voices—” She’s trembling so hard I can feel it in my own bones, her terror still pulsing through our connection. “They were getting closer?—”

“I saw you leave the house. I followed you the entire way.” Ice crystals form in the air around us as my magic responds to her distress. “There was no one else.”

She shakes her head frantically. “No, I heard them. They were right behind me?—”

“That was me.” I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to meet my gaze, and brush my thumbs across her cheekbones, catching the tears that still fall. Her skin burns against my palms like a living flame. “Only me.”

“But—” Her gaze darts past me, searching the ruins of the maze. “I swear I heard?—”

“Look at me.” When she doesn’t immediately comply, I gentle my tone. “Please.”

Her gaze finally locks onto mine. I let her see the truth in my eyes, let her feel the steady certainty in my touch.

“I watched you slip down the servants’ stairs,” I tell her, each word precise and measured. “I took the main staircase. By the time I reached the bottom, you were already outside. I followed you into the maze. No one else.”

She draws in a shaky breath. “You’re sure?”

“Absolutely certain.” I press my forehead to hers. My fingers slide into her hair, cradling her head. “I would never let anyone hurt you.”

The irony of that statement should destroy me. But in this moment, I mean it with every frozen shard of my soul.

Long moments pass as I hold her, letting her process my words. Gradually, her trembling subsides. Her breathing steadies. The terror flooding our connection ebbs, replaced by exhaustion and something softer I refuse to name.

When she finally speaks again, her voice is barely a whisper. “I feel so stupid.”

“Don’t.” My hands slide to her shoulders, kneading the tension there. “I would never fault you for being cautious.”

A bitter laugh escapes her. “Is that what I was? Cautious?” She shakes her head. “I was terrified. Panicked. I didn’t even think—I just ran.”

“And I followed.” The words emerge rougher than intended. “I will always follow.”

Her eyes meet mine again, and the vulnerability there steals my breath. Snowflakes dance in the air between us, caught in the gravity of this moment.

I brush her wild hair back from her face, tucking the copper-gold strands behind her ears. My fingers linger there, tracing the delicate shell. She shivers, but not from the cold.

Then she surges up and kisses me.

I groan into her mouth as her fingers fist in my coat, pulling me closer. The taste of her—sweet and hot and addictive—makes my head spin. My magic responds to my desire, frost spreading across every surface, but she doesn’t seem to notice the dropping temperature.

If anything, she burns hotter against me. Her tongue traces the seam of my lips, and I open for her, letting her take control of the kiss. The novelty of yielding sends electricity down my spine.

My hands span her waist, lifting her until she’s pressed between my body and the ice wall behind us. She makes a desperate sound and wraps her legs around my hips, and suddenly I’m drowning in sensation.

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