He leaned over me, inhaling deeply and causing a fresh firestorm to go through my body when his eyes blazed brighter than the sun on an August afternoon. His head turned into mine, his nose pressing against my ear as he inhaled again. I was afraid if I moved even a centimeter, I would somehow ruin the moment or break the spell.
Then his fingers released my wrist and slid up my arm. I barely perceived his touch on me, yet my skin felt seared by his caress. His hand cupped my cheek within his palm and lifted my head toward his. My eyes fell to those enticing lips I’d craved to feel against me for so long now. I held my breath as I waited for something, anything.
He remained unmoving, seemingly torn as he stood against me. Just when I was about to yell at him to end my torment, he bent his head and his mouth claimed mine. I’d thought the original wash of power had been jolting, now I nearly screamed as his mouth slid hotly over mine and something surged up between us.
A dim crackling noise barely penetrated the haze of passion consuming me. When his tongue traced against my lips, my knees gave out. His hands on my waist kept me standing when his tongue brushed over my mouth once more. On a sigh, I parted my lips to his.
His tongue slid into my mouth, tasting me in deep, penetrating waves that stoked the fire within me higher. I’d never been kissed with such hunger and reverence before. He branded me with every thrust of his tongue against mine. I couldn’t breathe, but it didn’t matter as our breath mingled together until I couldn’t tell if it was his air or mine I inhaled.
He easily plucked me off the ground. I could sometimes set things on fire and see my opponent’s future moves, but when he held me, I felt incredibly small and fragile. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. Some of the pressure in my chest eased when I rubbed my aching breasts against his solid pecs and broad chest.
The low rumble he emitted vibrated his chest and caused my nails to dig into his nape. The heat of his body and the thrusting motions of his tongue made the wetness between my legs spread. Lifting myself, I slid my aching center back down over the bulge pressing against me. My body bucked in reaction to the delicious sensation the movement caused.
His hands clenched on my waist. “Fuck,” he groaned against my lips when he lifted me up and slid me down him again.
Feeling as if I was rapidly spiraling out of control, my tongue slid over his lengthening, bottom two fangs before running over the top two. Like the hard length of him I could feel swelling in his pants, his fangs grew longer the more aroused he became. They didn’t scare me as they probably should have; instead, they fascinated me as they grew against my questing tongue.
His grip became almost bruising as his body shuddered. I was so awash in the overwhelming sensation the friction of my body sliding over his caused that I didn’t realize he was striding across the earth while carrying me until I heard the flap on the tent pulling back.
Too fast, this is happening too fast.Remember his attitude about sex.
However, my damn traitorous body told that sane, still somewhat logical part of my brain toshutup. I had to admit I much preferred my body’s instincts on this one. Kobal never broke our kiss when he ducked beneath the flap.
His hands slid under my shirt, burning into my skin when they flattened against the small of my back. I was lost to the sensation of his strong, calloused palms running over my flesh to settle against my ribcage before he lifted me off his waist. My eyes opened to find his startling amber ones burning down at me.
The image of that woman in the cafeteria blazed back across my mind. Had he looked at her like this too? A cry escaped me, but it had nothing to do with the fervor shooting through my system and everything to do with the idea of him with someone else. I jerked my hands away from him and stepped out of his hold.
Now that the contact with him had been broken, reality returned, and reality told me nothing good could ever come of the two of us. I would only end up with a broken heart, and he would end up with different and numerous women sometime in the near future.
“I can’t.” I took another step away from him.
“River,” he growled, coming toward me.
“No, I can’t. I’m not enough for you. I can’t be. I’m not one of those women at the fire. What you need isn’t what I can give you.”
I took another step away and held up my hands to ward him off. He wasn’t at all deterred by my words or my next step away from him as he took another one toward me. “You can give me exactly what I need.”
“Oh, God,” I panted and moved further away.
A sardonic smile curved his mouth. “God most certainly isn’t here. Something you should be grateful for, considering what I anticipate doing to you. And all of it will be wickedly sinful.”
My eyes widened at his words. I wanted to scream at him that I wouldn’t be used for sex, that I wouldn’t be willing to share him with anyone else, but I bit the words back. I would only be leaving myself vulnerable if I said those words to him.
He would leave if I told him to. He may be a demon, he may be horny and rock hard, but he wouldn’t force me. I knew that and I couldn’t reveal to him how much I was coming to care for him. Not when he was willing to ease his needs whenever and withwhoever he could.
He snatched hold of my palms and held them before him. Whatever argument I’d been about to unleash died away when golden-white sparks flickered over the tips of my fingers. The sparks crackled between us, firing like the sparklers I’d played with once as a child, before all Hell literally broke loose.
I’d seen the strange electrical currents dance over my fingers briefly before, but never this vividly or strongly, and I’d never experienced the surge of power that I felt from them now.
He stared at the sparks for a minute before lifting his head to look at me with narrowed eyes. “You didn’t tell me you felt the pulse of life,” he accused.
CHAPTER 26
River
“I didn’t tell you I felt the what of what?” I stammered, too astonished by those sparks, the twitching muscle in his cheek, and the angry tone of his voice to fully comprehend what he’d said. A spark shot between my index and middle fingers, looking almost like a mini-lightning bolt. My jaw went slack as I watched the small lightning bolt zip all the way through to my pinky finger before fading away. “That’s beautiful.”
His hands tightened around mine. “You didn’t know.”
