Page 50 of Rapunzel's Gambit (All That Glitters)

“I can prove to you,” he whispered, dragging his gaze up my neck to fix on my mouth, “that I always take care of my hoard. I can prove that I can make you happy.”

How could a dragon make me feel this way? Any more of this longing would become painful. Kissing other men in the past had always felt like a job or some sort of chore. While I had enjoyed their kisses from time to time, being here with Pollox felt vastly different. A kiss from him would actually be significant. Did I deserve it?

I leaned into his hold on me and ran my hands slowly up his chest, savoring the feel of solid muscle under my palms, then snaked my arms up to his shoulders, inviting him to close the tantalizing distance between our mouths.

“I’ve never kissed a human before,” Pollox confessed, almost inaudibly.

“And I’ve never kissed a dragon before.” I hesitated, then went boldly on, “But I want to, whether a book tells me to or not.”

Time ground to a halt between us. His gaze never left my face, and flames danced in his eyes, alive with eager anticipation. I could feel the heat of his scorching breath between us and wanted it even closer. If Pollox waited any longer, my heart was going to beat right out of my chest, or else I would fly into a thousand pieces.

I clutched at the front of his tunic, pulling with just enough pressure to convey my willingness. That was all it took. Pollox leaned in the rest of the way and pressed his lips against mine. It felt as though fire blazed through me with an electrifying charge. Delicious flames were consuming me, and I didn’t want them to stop.

My arms crept around his neck as I stood on tiptoe, the better to reach him, and my body pressed against his as I eagerly kissed him back, returning his enthusiasm. It was impossible to resist curling my fingers into his hair, wanting to extend this kiss forever. This time, the passion didn’t dwindle and die as it had with other men. It grew with every second, and I swooned as I lost myself to the moment.

His grasp around my waist tightened until I was nearly lifted off my feet. His kisses became more aggressive, as if he was desperate to experience the fullness of the sensation that humans so often raved about. One of his hands lifted to cradle the back of my head, holding me close enough to keep our lips pressed firmly together.

Pollox pulled back first, releasing me enough that I could catch my breath. His eyes were wide. “Is this what it’s always like?”

“Typically, there isn’t this much heat.”

“Is that bad?”

“No, this is a very good thing.” I pulled him back toward me again and repeated in a quieter tone, “Very good.” My thought from after first meeting Pollox, about how flying was better than kissing, had been completely wrong.

The cool breeze blowing in from the open window to our sides made the furnace that was Pollox bearable to hold. Judging by the impatience with which Pollox returned to kissing me, perhaps he didn’t think that every human practice was useless after all. There was no comparison. Griffin was sweet, but Pollox, impossible, snarky dragon that he was, had an iron grip on my heart.

“Rapunzel! Rapunzel, are you there?” Griffin’s shout echoed up to where Pollox and I were still locked in an embrace.

Pollox froze, his lips pressed against the curve of my neck. “Can Ipleasejust eat him?”

I swatted at his chest. “No jealousy, remember? Who was I just kissing, him or you?”

He sighed heavily and pressed his forehead against mine. “Fine. I’ll come back in a few minutes to get rid of him.”

“No eating him,” I called softly after Pollox as he clambered back into the wardrobe. Once the door closed, I crossed to the balcony. “Griffin?”

“Rapunzel!” Griffin didn’t have his usual ropes with him, and I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to rappel down a tower again. “I’m coming up!” He reached into the satchel slung over his shoulder and pulled out an object, too small to be seen from this height. But the moment he touched it, he began rising into the air, without any ropes to support him.

I turned and looked at the room. “Quick!” I hissed at it. “Look like the prison from before!”

The room hurriedly rearranged, and not a moment too soon. Just as the final chain clinked into place, Griffin came level with the balcony and stepped beside me. “Is the dragon close?”

“I don’t think so; he’s off hunting.” Off hunting for more flirting tips in his book, no doubt. “How did you get up here?”

Griffin held out a small purple crystal ball. “I sent away for this as soon as I heard you were in a tower, and it just barely arrived. It’s a levitation crystal. There aren’t many.”

I really ought to figure out a way to repay Griffin. Who knew how much he had spent or what he had sold to purchase the dragonsbane and the levitation crystal?

I inspected the crystal. “That’s incredible. So it makes anyone float?”

“Anyone. And you can control the speed and direction simply by thinking about it. But we need to hurry, before the dragon comes back.”

“Right.” I cast an eye back at the tower room, rather tired of the same routine over and over. What was Pollox’s plan for the future? We wouldn’t be able to repeat the same swindle endlessly. How could I put an end to these rescues when I didn’t want to be rescued anymore?

“My deepest condolences about your father,” Griffin said solemnly.

Time froze and I forgot about everything else. What had he said? What did he mean, his deepest condolences? Father couldn’t be…

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