Page 39 of Of Blooming Embers
Because maybe a win would momentarily offer me relief from the constant disappointment of not being able to tether my ember. Maybe it would make me forget my less-than-chaste thoughts about the man jabbing a blade at me.
A grin split across my face; I appreciated he wasn’t holding back. He trusted me.
A soft breeze caressed my skin, making me acutely aware of a bead of sweat that dripped down my temple. Gavrel’s eyes narrowed, a roguish smile dancing along his mouth.
Swiftly, I sliced my weapon through the air, the blade barely missing his tunic, and he jerked back with a wry chuckle. “One would think you’re trying to draw blood, Little Star.”
I beamed. “Never.” And then stabbed toward him.
Gavrel feinted left, spinning out of the way, his thick arm wrapping around my waist from behind me, and cold metal nestled against my throat. Stuck between us, my curls tugged at the back of my scalp. His face bowed, and his ragged whisper dragged across my ear. “Do you yield?”
Would I really give in to the man who had shattered my heart?
The one who lingered in my thoughts, refusing to fade away?
Perhaps.
The beginning of a growl caught in my windpipe as desire pooled between my thighs. “Never.”
Without thought, I flung my arm down, digging my nails into his upper thigh, precariously close to his manhood. A deep rumble vibrated against my back, and he pushed his hips into my bottom.
The blade at my throat drifted away, and my mouth curled. All at once, I dropped into a squat, kicked out my leg, and hooked behind his knees until he toppled onto his back. Swiftly, I straddled his waist, my blade pressed against his neck. “Doyouyield?” I asked victoriously.
The clatter of metal against stone sounded as his hands bracketed my waist. Gavrel’s pupils dilated, and I swore I stared into the eyes ofa wild beast. He licked his lips and gently raised his neck to my dagger’s edge. “Only to you,” he murmured.
My eyes widened, my mouth slackening until my bottom lip dropped along with my weapon. Clanging bounced against the rock and somber trees. The cacophony of croaking toads and chirping insects was suddenly overwhelming, accompanied by the faint caw of a raven flying overhead.
With each heartbeat, I bent forward as if the force of it drove my ribcage closer to his. As if his pulse called to mine, reeling me in.
Was he my captive, or was I his? I thought as my hands pushed against the cool, damp rock on either side of his head. The chill sank into my skin. My face hovered a breath above his. “Damn it, Gavrel,” I breathed. “Why do you say such things?”
“You know very well why, Asteria.” His words were rough and barely restrained. His body practically vibrated beneath me, taut and rigid. The bite of his fingers moored me to reality when all I wanted to do was fall into this dream.
My eyes searched his, bouncing between the viridian depths. His nostrils flared, and his fingers twitched against my waist.
He would never lose control.
Unless Iwantedhim to.
And I was tired of holding back. Of the guilt and anger. Of denying whatever was resurfacing between us.
“Fuck it.”
My lips collided into his, swallowing his escaping groan as his arms immediately wrapped around my back, one hand tunneling into my hair.
His plump lips were as I remembered. Firm, but supple.
Our mouths left each other.
Joined once more.
Over and over again.
His tongue invaded my mouth, demanding that mine meet his stroke for stroke.
We were still sparring. His patience and mine finally snapped.
My thoughts tapered, senses spiraling through me and condensing.Teeth and tongue and lips journeying over every inch of his kiss. It was as if my mind were creating a map of his lips for the times I’d want to imagine them on me in the future.
