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He wanted to say something charming, to erase his earlier assumption. His words never formed. Nothing seemed right. What came out was wholly unexpected.
His gaze dipped to her lips again. “And if I ask permission?”
“To kiss me?” She blinked.
Leaf cleared his throat. “For the ruse.”
“The ruse.”
His hand burned where it still held her bare arm. His thumb brushed her velvety skin, addicted to how he uncovered something pure under the filth, how he wanted to see more. He let go and clenched his fists, willing them to be civil. It was bad enough that his tongue alienated everyone around him, but he wasn’t sure he could live with himself if his actions did the same.
She folded her arms. “So you want to kiss me to test my acting skills?”
His lips parted, surprised. That wasn’t exactly what he’d meant.Well-dammit,he was a louse at this nonsense. Probably because he was tired, his body gave him mixed signals about this woman, and he needed something from her. None of it made for an appropriate relationship.
“Forget it,” he mumbled and gestured at the horse. “I’ll—”
She lurched upward, lifting her lips as though coming in for a kiss.
He froze.
But she didn’t kiss—not yet. Her velvety lips swiped his, triggering a seismic reaction in his body. He wanted to both close the gap and run away. She licked along the seam of his lips, and a bolt of heat shot straight down to his groin.
He stood stock still as his body made a fool of him. She exhaled, and he shuddered. She touched his jaw, and his lashes fluttered. Small, dainty fingers scraped down his chest and hooked in the waistband of his leather breeches. And he didn’t stop her. He allowed her to tug his hips against hers, felt the surprising ache of an erection, and released a breathless groan.
That needy sound wasnotsomething an elf like him made, especially not with a woman he wanted little to do with. She’d barely touched him, yet his blood was on fire. This was how he’d reacted when he first saw her standing on that log, being pawed at by a shifter.
She’d run from them but had run toward him, right into his arms. And this… this magnetism was hard to deny.
Perhaps this arrangement was a bad idea—the kind of distraction that messed everything up. Breathing hard through his nose, he composed himself. Clearing his throat, he prepared to tell her the new plan—that he’d take her to the Order and continue his mission. But mischief flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly became more feminine. How that was possible, he had no clue. Something about her awareness of her beauty, perhaps. Confidence. Knowing.
She crushed her lips against his.
Fuck.
Fireworks went off in his blood. He cupped her jaw, plunged his tongue between those sweet, juicy lips, and sought hers out. With wet slides and plundering sweeps, he claimed her mouth. Her responding whimper encouraged him to kiss her harder, holding her still to take her mouth as he wanted—with complete and utter possession.
Nova broke away, panting, eyes unfocused and wild. She looked at him with a mix of confusion and… victory.
“I’m not done.” He chased her mouth with his own.
She averted her face, taking his kiss on her cheek. He stilled, expecting more dainty fists to flail at him, but she took a step back.
Frowning, he straightened. Had he offended her again? But she’d kissed him first. He hadn’t misled her, had he?
Nova stroked the horse’s neck, smiling to herself.
“What was that?” he demanded.
“You enjoyed kissing me, even in thesedirtyclothes.”
Never had a female schooled him with his own words.
“Fine.” His fists flexed. “You made your point. If you agree to this fake relationship, you won’t need to dress or do anything differently. You may remain in those tattered clothes forever.”
Her gaze snapped to his. “I didn’t say that.”
“Will you agree to the exchange?” he asked, folding his arms. “If I take you to the Prime, will you pretend to be my mate?”
