Of all the things he's said, this is what leaves me speechless.
One of us must move because the space between us on the couch shrinks. It occurs to me that we’re already sharing a bed, it would be so easy to just… lean forward and take things a step farther.
“Food was good,” he offers quietly, just for something to say.
"Yeah."
"We make a good team when we aren’t driving each other crazy. Who knew?"
“It is surprising.” But it shouldn’t be. Not if we belong together.
When we first started this insane getaway together, I was on high alert. Looking for any sign he might be lying. Thinking what if he’s a killer, what if he’s not my mate? Holding myself back, I’ve been afraid to really trust him. It's been exhausting.
It feels good to relax around him. Feels right.
All the reasons I shouldn’t do this fall away. I lean in, pressing my lips to his.
His mouth opens under mine, a silent invitation that I can't resist. My tongue brushes against his as he wraps his arms around me, holding on to my shoulders tightly like he's afraid I'll back away. Leaving is the last thing on my mind. I rise up enough to bridge the space between us and plant myself on his lap.
He grins like I just made all his dreams come true. That smile should be illegal—does he have any idea what it does to me? His hands immediately come down and rest on my ass, like he’s been waiting to get his hands on me for a while. I groan and arch into him, our next kiss so incredibly heated that I melt into him and moan, begging for more.
My hands slide up Marlow's back, pulling him closer as his lips trail down my neck. My skin tingles where he touches me, like electricity sparking beneath the surface. So good. Of course the wily demon is good with his mouth.
Marlow tugs at the hem of my shirt, breaking our kiss long enough to yank it over my head. His gaze rakes over my exposed torso, pupils blown wide with desire, dark pools that drink in every inch of me. Then he's on me again, lips crashing against mine as his hands explore the newly revealed skin.
A throat clears.
I force my lips away from his and look to the left. Iggy sits on a dinner plate, staring at us open-mouthed. "Should I leave the room?"
Great timing, Iggy. But I can’t be mad at the gargoyle. My common sense returns, along with all the reasons this may be a terrible idea.
15.Not a Trap
Wynn
Sunlight streams through the cabin window, highlighting every mote of dust in the air. My wolf stirs restlessly inside me as I watch the forest outside. Now that Marlow has revealed why he's here, we can actually do something besides hiding. But how are we going to get into the city?
"Even if we get past the wolves and the wall, there's a clear stretch of road from here to Concordia. That makes it easy to spot someone crossing."
"We'd have cover at night," Marlow offers from the couch.
"My pack will have triple the patrols after the security breach, maybe more at night."
We’ve been tossing ideas around since we woke up but still don’t have a real plan. If a killer is hiding in the heart of the Iron territory, we need a way to search without being detected. That requires magic. To get magic, we need to get into Concordia. But first we need to slip past the pack standing between us and the city.
When I turn away from the window, Marlow’s already watching me. His eyes widen in surprise and he clears his throat so forcefully that he chokes on his tongue and a coughing fit ensues, looking anywhere but at me all the while.
His hair’s still mussed from sleep, sticking up in unruly tufts that definitely don’t make my fingers itch to smooth them down. Behind him lies the rumpled pillow and blanket he borrowedfrom the bedroom. He spent the night on the couch without complaint. Whether I missed him in bed or not isn't important.
Realizing that I’m staring, I clear my throat awkwardly and turn back toward the window, pretending the forest is incredibly interesting.
We haven’t mentioned the kiss we shared last night. We need to focus on our next move. There's no time to obsess over who kissed whom or whether the idiot who made out with a tricky demon wants to do it again.
Kissing and touching the man who might be my mate—the same man who made it crystal clear this won't end with us riding off into the sunset together—is a recipe for heartbreak, no matter how tempted I am.
A strange sound catches my attention, pulling me away from my brooding thoughts.
"Do you hear that?" I turn and ask the man across from me.
