Page 23 of Siren's Kiss & Feral Beasts
I’ve heard of that before but never paid enough attention to the local wolves here. Or maybe it’s just an alpha thing—the sign that its wolf has awakened and he or she is dominant.
They’re stunning. Intricate yet intimidating, but it’s the compass on his neck that draws my eye. The coordinates in it cause my brows to furrow, as if I should understand their meaning, but I’m pulled from the thought by a hand extending toward me, palm up.
Long, rough fingers. Hands that have labored and killed, if needed.
I’ve seen them bloody before. That night on the beach, even from afar, my keen eyesight didn’t let me miss a single detail,and I craved for those blood-soaked claws to trace the length of my spine before gripping me?—
“Come with me, little treasure,” he says, and the deep tones resonate with a hidden place inside of me. It’s rough, the animal there and commanding, and I find myself placing my hand atop his without conscious thought. The compulsion to be closer is undeniable, and I’m lost to the small curve of his lip when our skin touches.
What is that?
Tiny electrical pulses dance across my palm; they extend from the tip of my fingers, crawling up my wrist and arm. It almost tickles. The small bursts of playful energy dart between our hands, anchoring me in place, and my breath catches.
I don’t pull away either. Can’t.
Kai drops money onto the table, covering the cost of my untouched wine. The sound of it hitting the wood is sharp, final. Without another word, he threads our fingers together and leads me from the tavern.
The air outside is cooler than earlier today. In the horizon, the sun sets and the night blooms release a soft perfume, but it’s dulled by the scent of man, wood, and that hint of sweetness from the pineapple that makes my mouth water. The combination is sexy, overpowering my senses in the most pleasant way, and I forget the world around us as he leads me silently down the street.
I’m not thinking about anything outside this stolen moment.
A mistake? More than likely, but I don’t care. Not right now.
The further from the center of town we get, the more his body relaxes. The rigid control I felt radiating from him in the tavern loosens, shoulders lowering, and the line of his mouth is less severe. He doesn’t release me, though. Instead, Kai moves my hand to the crook of his elbow, covering mine with his in a gesture that cannot be called anything but gentlemanly.Sweet.
I tilt my head up, caught by the sharp cut of his jaw. In the way his head turns just enough that our eyes meet again, and in them, the glint of hunger is unmistakable. It makes my heart beat faster and my pulse flutter, a rhythm I know he can hear.
“I’ve waited.” Two words, and once again, they leave him in a dark, yet velvet tone. Man and wolf, their tone curling around me in a way that tugs at the center of me. Like a spell—a call—I can’t ignore, and I find myself moving closer. In this moment, nothing matters but luxuriating in the heat coming off his skin and scent. His thumb brushes across my knuckles, testing the pulse flowing between us. “So fucking long. Even without the stone, I know.”
Out of nowhere, two dogs run past us, almost barreling into me before I can make heads or tails of what he just said. I blink, and my back is against the wall of a closed bakery with Kai standing a few inches from me.
Not touching, but the heat coming off his large body envelops me like a blanket, and my nipples tighten against the soft cotton of my dress.
“Look at me, sweetheart.”
“I’m…” I trail off, almost biting back a whimper when a soothing, low rumble comes from his chest. It’s calming. Can’t control my compliance—don’t want to fight it.
I barely reach his chest, and to meet his gaze, I have no choice but to tip my face up. Those soulful eyes are staring at me, and I find myself fascinated by the change in them. One second brown, the next golden, and his gaze remains intense.
There’s reverence in them, too.
My eyes lower a bit, and I notice the slightly crooked bridge of his nose, an imperfection that doesn’t diminish his handsomeness. If anything, it adds to it. And as if he knows what I’m thinking, he lowers his head, bringing his mouth to my nose, and he kisses the tip.
Such a contrast to the rugged and dominant man I know he is. The filthy, untrustworthy pirate.
What are you doing, Nerissa?
Kai chuckles then, and the sound feels like a warm caress. It renders my earlier thought void, and I want him closer. To burn myself with his touch.
I’m in trouble.
“…I didn’t reset it before my healing abilities kicked in.”
“Oh,” I say. Not the most eloquent reply, but I’d been too busy watching his mouth just now. How it moves with each enunciation. How he ran the tip of his tongue over his slightly fuller bottom lip.
Won’t deny the small shiver that crests over me at the act. And while I should be embarrassed by my attraction to this man—an enemy to my people—I’m not.
Instead, I blush. Heat spreads across the apple of my cheeks, spreading down until reaching the tops of my breasts. Another mistake.
