Page 23 of A Kiss of Frost

“She is nowhere near as enchanting as her sister.”

His voice had deepened again, and she shivered in response.

“But she’s so pretty,” she protested automatically.

He tilted his head, considering.

“She’s an attractive child and will no doubt become an attractive adult. But you, zeretta, have a far more rare and exquisite attraction.”

Her breath caught in her throat and her tongue swept out to moisten suddenly dry lips. His eyes gleamed as they followed the movement, glowing in the dim room.

“As I suspect you’re about to run away again, I have something for you.”

Warmth heated her cheeks.

“I wasn’t going to run away,” she protested. “And you don’t need to give me anything.”

“I do not need to, but I want to.”

He reached beneath the furs, disturbing the pika, and pulled out a long clear strip that he handed to her. At first she thought it was glass, but unlike glass, it flexed slightly in her hands.

“What is this?”

“It is to place over the gap between the shutters, so that you will not be chilled. The dimensions should be close enough, but let me know if I need to alter it.”

“You made this? For me? But how?”

“Keffi retrieved my bag for me.”

He reached beneath the furs again as Keffi made a disgusted noise and scampered off to the end of the bed. The bag appeared to be made of white silk, thin and flat.

“And this was in there?”

He laughed. It was the first time she had seen him laugh and it turned him from handsome to breathtaking. She was so busy staring at him that she almost missed his words.

“No, but the bag contains nanites – a technology which can be used to manipulate matter.”

“That’s amazing. Can I see?”

He opened the bag to reveal a collection of small crystals, with the same intricate patterns that frost created on a windowpane and she caught her breath in astonishment.

“You really are Jack Frost.”

“Perhaps I am the Tandroki version,” he said lightly. “Do you wish to retire now?”

“Yes, but not because I’m running away. I’m tired, and the children will be up early. But first…”

She bent over him and kissed him. He didn’t respond but she could feel the tension in his body, so she licked at his lips, delighting in the cool, minty taste of him.

“I’m not going to run away,” she whispered. “I want you to kiss me back.”

With a harsh groan, he obeyed, pulling her down next to him as that wonderful, seductive tongue entered her mouth, setting her senses on fire. Fire and ice, she thought dazedly as his hand swept down her back again. This time he made no attempt to reach between her legs, but simply pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together. The thick ridge of his erection pressed against her stomach and she rocked against it.

She wanted more, but the sensible voice that lived inside her head could not be silenced for long. The children were just outside the room and the door was still ajar. She couldn’t allow this to go any further, despite the need humming in her veins.

“We can’t,” she whispered as his mouth left hers and began trailing down her neck.

He paused, his tongue licking gently at the modest vee between her breasts. She wanted, as much as she ever remembered wanting anything, for that tongue to go further, to fasten around her nipple without anything between them. But after a brief hesitation, he raised his head.

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