Page 37 of The Warlock's Kiss

“If it’s anything like what you makemefeel, Adalynn, there isnothingto fear.” He turned her hand over and kissed her palm, trailing his mouth first to the tips of her fingers and then to her inner wrist.

She shivered, her breath quickening. Her pulse raced beneath his lips.

Never in a thousand years had he wanted a woman as much as he wanted Adalynn. Never had he burned so hot, never had his thoughts been so clouded by desire. There shouldn’t have beenanyconnection between them, especially considering how little time she had left. It could only lead to complications, to unwanted, unwarranted pain.

Even if she only had a few weeks of life remaining, Merrick had eternity to carry the pain of her loss. Why torture himself like that? Why allow this to go any further?

Because I want her. She has consumed my mind during every minute since her arrival. So, I will take from her all I can while she is here—and give to her as much as I am able.

"Adalynn," he said, his voice rough and silky all at once, his eyelids heavy.

Her eyes met his for a split second before she caught his face between her hands, pulled him down, and pressed her mouth to his.

Merrick’s eyelids drifted shut as her warmth and softness enveloped him, and the energy that seemed ever-present when they touched flooded him. He lifted his hands, slipped his fingers into her hair, and leaned over her, deepening the kiss, deepening the overwhelming sensations it produced. He’d shared kisses with other women, but this was something entirely new. Something entirely different. His mana song interwove with hers and resonated in his heart, spreading throughout his body and into hers.

A delirious thought flitted through his mind—this is not a kiss, it is destiny.

Delicious heat spiraled through Adalynn,coiling tight in her core. She opened her mouth eagerly and kissed him in full, savoring every detail of this moment—the firmness of his mouth, the soft bristles of his short beard tickling her palms, the solidness of his jaw, the tingling sting on her scalp caused by his grip on her hair; every stroke, nip, and lick of his lips, teeth, and tongue.

He took her mouth with an intensity that left her weak and trembling with need.

But there was something more, something powerful that swept through her and filled her with longing, with anticipation, with an unfulfilled need—like a song without an end. It coaxed her closer, enticed her, sang to her, and she reached for it willingly.

The connection was instantaneous. Adalynn shivered with delight. The sensation rushed through her like a sweeping orchestral crescendo, gaining in power until it suffused every inch of her body. She was aware of nothing except Merrick.

He groaned, tightening his hold on her hair with one hand while the other moved down her back. His fingers spread over the gentle curve of her lower spine, and he drew her against him, pressing her belly to the hard evidence of his want.

Adalynn moaned and slipped her arms around his neck, holding onto him as though he was all that kept her grounded, all that kept her from falling. But shewasfalling—into his kiss, his taste, his scent, his touch. Her body felt as though it were no longer hers.

With only a kiss, Merrick was consuming her.

Her body burned as lust surged through her. Her breasts were heavy, her nipples tight and aching, and her clothes felt too hot and restrictive, abrading her sensitive skin. All she wanted in that moment was to tear them off and feel his hands on her naked flesh. She was caught in a maelstrom of sensation, and she wanted to be lost in it forever.

Except…she didn’t have forever. She had months, maybe onlyweeks.

What am I doing?

Dropping her arms, she flattened her palms against his chest and pushed away from him, breaking the kiss. Merrick’s hold on her tightened for an instant, but he released her, allowing Adalynn to open some space between them. As soon as their connection was severed, as soon as those thrilling sensations halted and the strange energy he exuded no longer radiated directly into her, Adalynn felt…bereft. Like she was missing a part of herself.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” she said, panting softly as she reached up and touched her mouth. Her swollen lips tingled; it felt like he’dbrandedthem with his searing kiss.

His tongue slipped out to slowly trail over his lips. “Why?”

Oh God, why is that one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen?

“You know why, Merrick.”

“All I know is that it feltright, Adalynn.”

It did. It feltsoright. It feltperfect.

That didn’t change the fact that she was dying.

“We shouldn’t,” she said again.

Merrick frowned, and his nostrils flared with a heavy exhalation. “Do you plan to spend your last days denying yourself pleasure? Denying your desires? Denyinglife? This place is a chance for you to reach out and take whatever is within your grasp simply because youwantto.”

Adalynn stared at him, throat tight, heart heavy.

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