Page 10 of The Witch & the Hound
Her hands found my horns. She hesitated—one heartbeat, two—and then gripped them like she’d been meant to all along, pulling me up to her mouth.
The kiss was clumsy at first, wine and want and heat. Then it found a rhythm, her tongue brushing mine, the taste of her sharp as salt air.
My instincts howled. To take. To pin. To keep.
I broke the kiss only long enough to growl against her lips, “If you want me to stop, tell me now.”
She answered by tugging her sweatshirt over her head.
The world narrowed to heat and hands and the sound of fabric giving way. My mouth traced freckles up her ribs, her laugh tumbling into a moan when my teeth scraped just below her breast.
Trust. Vulnerability. The belly, the throat, the way she leaned back on her elbows and let me have her skin.
Not fear. Not hesitation. Just fire.
And I burned with it.
“I—” She laughed, breathless. “God, this is embarrassing.”
I stilled, every instinct braced. “What?”
Her blue eyes flicked away, then back. Bold, even with the blush climbing her throat. “I might’ve… looked something up. In the bathroom.”
“Looked up?”
“Barghests.” The word tumbled out, quick and guilty. “Porn, specifically.”
The heat that ripped through me had nothing to do with wine. "You were watching Barghest porn in the bathroom?" My tail twitched, betraying me before I could hide it.
She noticed. Of course she did. Her grin went wicked. “So… are the videos right?” Her gaze slid down, shameless. “Does the tail actually—”
I didn’t let her finish.
The tip of it slid inside her pants, along her calf, velvet over bare skin, curling around the back of her knee before tighteningjust enough to make her gasp. Her thighs parted without thought, welcoming the press of me between them.
Her gasp still rang in my ears when I dragged my teeth up her belly again. My tail curled tighter around her thigh, velvet-soft and possessive, stroking the sensitive skin.
She shivered, laughing nervously. “So the internet wasn’t lying.”
I lifted my head, eyes locking on hers. “What else did you see?”
Her flush deepened, freckles vanishing under red. “What do you mean?”
“You said you watched Barghest porn.” My voice came out rougher than I meant, like gravel. “What else did you see?”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Um. That you’ve got… different equipment.”
I leaned in, my mouth brushing the corner of her jaw. “Different how?”
Her breath hitched. “Tapered. Long. With those—” She waved a hand toward my lap, too flustered to finish. “Nodes. At the base.”
I huffed against her skin, half-growl, half-laugh. “Knots,” I corrected, low and steady. My tail inched higher, teasing just beneath the hem of her yoga pants. “You should know before you decide.”
Her whole body trembled, but she didn’t pull back. She tilted her chin instead, daring me. “And if I’ve already decided?”
Every instinct I had snapped taut. The hunger. The restraint. The urge to claim.
I nipped her throat, careful but possessive, and felt her pulse jump against my teeth. "Then I'll make sure you know exactly what you're agreeing to."
