Page 97 of Shielded Heart

Her only warning of his approach would’ve been a barely audible whisper of fabric—had his foot not hit one of the empty bottles as he pushed himself off the couch and stalked toward her. Samantha took off running, mounting the steps as fast as she could. She grinned, her heart pounding in excitement, her breath coming in quick, shallow bursts.

She spun around once she was behind his desk, and he stopped at the foot of the stairs with his stance low and his tail extended behind him; he looked like a dangerous predator about to pounce.

One corner of his mouth tipped up. “There’s nowhere to run, Samantha.”

“There are plenty of places to run.”

He placed a foot on the lowest step. “Nowhere that will get you away from me.”

Samantha pressed her fingertips to her lips. When it came to flirting with Arcanthus, she was still shy, still nervous, but she couldn’t stop grinning. Anticipation fluttered in her belly, desire flooded her veins, and a touch of pride swelled her chest.Shehad brought that smile to his lips.Shehad sparked that fire in his eyes.

“What will you do if you catch me?” she asked.

“WhenI catch you, little terran.” He grasped the sides of his robe as he ascended another step, pulling the fabric apart. “When I catch you, I’m going to tear the clothes from your body.” He shrugged off the robe, letting it fall away.

Sam’s eyes trekked over his lean, powerful body, watching the play of his muscles as he moved. He wore only his loincloth, the fabric of which revealed his powerful thighs. She forced herself to slide farther away from him along the desk; it wouldn’t be much of a chase if she stood there gawking until he grabbed her.

Arcanthus reached the top of the platform and placed his hand on the edge of the desk, turning his head to stare at her. “Once your clothing is in tatters, I’m going to run my tongue over every centimeter of your body. I’m going to taste every bit of you, and when I thrust my tongue between your thighs, my flower, your body is going to gift me your sweet nectar. I’ll drink my fill of you, and you will beg me to take ever more.”

She raised her gaze and locked it with his. Her heart quickened as ripples of eagerness swept through her, heating her core.

He braced his other hand on the desk and leaned forward. The muscles of his arm and chest flexed, and the light of hisqalintensified. “And only when your need is so great that the only thing you can do is cry out my name in a desperate plea will I bury myself deep inside your body and claim you as mine. But even then, I’ll take my time, because you aremyprize. Each deliberate stroke will drive you mad, and when I finally deign to grant you release, you will shatter against me.”

Samantha clenched the fabric of her shirt in her hands, close to tearing it off herself. His words alone might’ve pushed her to the edge. Her nipples hardened, her breasts felt heavy and full, her legs trembled, and her sex throbbed with arousal.

“Then why are you still talking?” she asked breathlessly.

“Why aren’t you running?”

They stared at each other for another second, and then Arcanthus burst into motion, darting around the desk toward her. Sam’s heart leapt. She turned and ran, nearly slipping as she rounded the corner of his desk. She chanced a sideways glance to see Arcanthus plant a hand on the desktop and vault over it. His tail trailed behind him as his body passed through the holographic screens.

He landed in front of her, and Sam’s momentum carried her directly into his arms. She hit his body, but he didn’t budge. Tilting her head back, she looked up at him.

His lips stretched into a wide, triumphant grin. “You’re mine, little terran.”

Arcanthus leaned forward, cupping the back of her head to prevent her retreat, and slammed his mouth down on hers. His kiss demanded as much from her as it promised—everything.

Electric waves spread outward from her lips to course through her body, lighting every nerve, setting her on fire. Samantha moaned against his mouth, returning the kiss without restraint. She tasted theguroshon his tongue and smelled it on his breath; mixed with his taste, it was intoxicating and irresistible. She delved her fingers into his hair to clasp the back of his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as she rubbed her body against his; she neededmore.

Arcanthus groaned and moved his hands to the collar of her shirt. He tugged the fabric to the sides; it tore easily. The brief caress of cool air against her skin made her shiver, but it was quickly replaced by the heat of his advancing body as he guided the tattered shirt down her arms and let it drop away.

He finally broke the kiss and eased down onto one knee, lips searing a path along her neck. Cupping her breasts with both hands, he skimmed his mouth over their tender flesh before sucking one of her nipples into it, swirling and rolling his tongue around her hard peak.

Samantha bit her lip to muffle a cry and tilted her head back, clutching him closer. “Arc…”

She started when he nipped the bud with his fangs—it sent a bolt of pleasure-pain straight to her sex that made it clench in need.

She lifted her head and looked down at him. His center eye met her gaze as he placed a kiss upon the abused nipple before moving to the other. She watched, eyelids heavy, as he laved attention on her breasts, pulling her nipples into his mouth and sucking until they were sensitive and red, and she was a squirming, whimpering, helpless creature, trapped in his hold. Part of her felt like she could come from this alone, but it wasn’t enough.

She wantedmore.

Neededmore.

As though reading her mind, Arc’s mouth trailed down between her breasts and across her stomach. He dropped his hands to her hips and hooked his fingers under the waistbands of her leggings and panties. He drew them down slowly at first, his hands leaving tingling heat in their wake as they bared the skin of her pelvis, and moved his mouth lower until his lips were just above the cleft of her sex. He kissed her there. It was a feather-light caress, and she instinctively lifted her hips toward him.

Then he pulled the leggings down to her ankles in one smooth, quick motion.

She lifted her feet one at a time so he could remove those last pieces of clothing, and once she was fully bare, he ran his hands back up, cupping her calves, brushing his fingertips over the backs of her knees, following the outsides of her thighs.

---