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I barely managed to keep the whimper out of my voice. “All the above.”

He grinned and reached over to pull me into his arms. I stumbled and fell against him; I took a slow breath and closed my eyes. He smelled incredible, and I couldn’t help but place a hand on his chest. His heartbeat was nowhere to be found, but the drumming of my own heart pounded in my chest.

I felt him lean down, and I clenched my jaw, waiting for his lips to touch mine. I knew I shouldn’t have wanted this, but I did. Every part of me wanted it.

The kiss never came, but my treacherous heart screamed at me to beg for it.

He licked below my ear instead, exploring every curve of my neck. I shivered at the coolness of that tongue.

Oh. My. God.

And then he nipped the bottom of my neck.

“Dorian …”

In my past life, he’s had a thing for the spot just above my collarbone. He loved the taste of my skin. But in this life …

“I know,” Dorian said softly, his breath wafting over my face as he released my pounding heart. “We can’t, can we?”

And then he stepped away.

He left me leaning against the counter, my mind in a fog, as the air between us chilled the parts of my body where his touch had just been.

I turned to him and forced myself to form words. “I don’t need to tell you that we have to be careful, right?”

“I’m not going to hurt you, Mercy,” he said firmly. “I may want you, but I would never make you do something you don’t want to do. I know this isn’t what you want.”

This is exactly what I want.

I swallowed hard and nodded, unsure of what to say. It was true that I’d made the difficult choice to remove my feelings for Dorian, but at that moment, I wasn’t sure the spell worked anymore. Every cell in my body wanted his hands back on me so he could explore this new body of mine.

I was also certain that once I left, I wouldn’t be able to think about anything except Dorian. The coolness of his skin, his soft lips, and the way his hands moved over my body.

He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes, the corners crinkling into tight lines. It was as if he was trying to force away his attraction to me. Just the way I’d been hoping to do by not meeting his eyes earlier.

I failed.

As the quiet click of the coffee maker shuts off, I raised my hand to his cheek and turned his head toward me.

“Idowant this,” I whispered, wanting Dorian to believe me.

He opened his eyes and stared intently into mine. I smiled, leaning forward to touch my lips to his. He hesitated for only a second, then put his hand on the small of my back and gently pushed me back against the counter until we were flushed against each other.

His mouth was as soft as I remembered, and I moaned softly as his tongue pushed past my lips and met mine.

I grabbed hold of him, my hands clutching his broad shoulders, and I pulled him against me, my core throbbing with a sheer need for him.

His hands found their way under my thighs, and he lifted me onto the kitchen counter effortlessly. Dorian spread my legs apart with his strong hands and pushed himself against me.

I couldn’t help but moan loudly as Dorian rolled his hips against mine. My hands found the buckle straps of his pants, and I pulled him against me harder. He pushed down into me, and I could feel his erection straining against his pants.

God almighty,I forgot how amazing his cock felt between my legs.

I wanted to feel him. I wanted to feel every inch of Dorian’s body. I was still wearing my jeans and cursed the barrier of rough fabric between us. He pulled back and looked down at me.

“This is okay, right?” he asked.

I nodded, a smirk forming on my lips. “What a silly question, Dorian. I’m already wet, so I would venture to say yes.”

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