Page 46 of Taking Jenny
Maybe all he wanted was to kiss.
Then again, why the hell was he kissingme?”
I pushed against his chest, confused, my breathing ragged. He didn’t let go. Instead, he leaned in and gently bit the tendon at the base of my throat, right over my pulse. I growled for more, for less—I didn’t know anymore. The hunger and the questions inside of me tangled so tightly, I couldn’t separate one from the other.
But there was something I had to know. “Mal, stop.”
He lifted his head, his breath grazing my cheek. “What’s wrong?”
“I thought…” I swallowed hard, trying to calm my racing heartbeat and the throbbing of my cock. “I thought you preferred Jenny.”
He stared deeply into my eyes, so many shadows there. “I prefer you both.”
My brain stalled, trying to make sense of his actions. “Then why have you been antagonizing me all this time, if you like me?”
He exhaled a harsh sigh and climbed off my lap, running both hands through his hair before resting them on his hips. “It’s too hard to explain.”
“Try. Please,” I insisted.
He just shook his head, dismissing my question. “If Jenny doesn’t win Illiapol, it will be a trip to the executioner for you both. Justice will see to that. But if she wins, she’ll have the public’s favor. And as long as we make you appear as a couple, you’ll have the public’s favor, too. That is all that matters.” His expression hardened, shutting me out in the process. “We should get back to work.”
He turned to leave, but I grabbed his wrist, stopping him. I couldn’t help but wonder…if there was some way for the threeof us to be together, like my boss, Jac, and his consort, Sarah, and their companion, Deacon. “What aboutyourpublic favor?” I asked him.
He gave a dry, bitter laugh. “I have none. No one likes me, Tiger. I’m tailless. I’m feared, and the public believes I am Justice’s executioner.”
My chest ached at the way he said it. Like it was carved into him. Permanent. Undeniable.
“Are you?” I asked, forcing the words out.
His expression shifted. Just slightly, before he pulled his arm away. “Go back to bed, Tiger. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He turned and walked to the other table, gathering the rest of the books.
Compelled by unknown forces, I stood up, walked to him, and knocked the books from his hands. Before he could speak, I pinned him against the shelf behind him and kissed him. Hard. Rough.Minethis time. No question. No hesitation. My mouth devoured his, fierce and greedy, and he melted into me for one staggering second.
In the next, he pressed a hand to my chest. Not hard, but firm.
“Go to bed, Tiger,” he said huskily. “Don’t make me tell you again.” A beat passed before he added, “Please.”
The moment between us was gone and my hands fell back down to my sides. I didn’t say anything else. I just turned and walked away, not knowing what to make of my awakened feelings, and my desire, for this very complicated man.
CHAPTER 15
Mal
What. The. Fuck. Was. I. Thinking.
I was thinking about Tiger’s iron jaw, his piercing amber brown eyes, his gorgeous tail, his masculine beauty…
My dick. I was thinking with my dick.
I tried to shove the thought out of my head as I stormed down the dark, empty hallway, berating myself with every step. Stupid. Reckless. Undisciplined.
And yet,his kisses stole my breath away.
The truth hit me hard, and I had to stop, bracing a hand against the wall to catch myself. I inhaled deeply. Exhaled slower.
During that moment in the library, he’d seen me. Not as the executioner. Not the rake. Not the cold-blooded tool of Justice’s regime.Me. And I had suspected that he would, given the chance.
