He stood, too. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
They both stood motionless, neither making any move to leave. Then he stepped forward and kissed her. She fell into him, her mouth engaging his. Her hands slid down the sides of his body, around to his back, her fingers digging into him. He rubbed the back of her neck, then moved down the length of her spine. She shifted closer, making a sweet sound deep in her throat.
Crash. The rest of that numb shield fell away. Along with his convictions.
There wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He was as lost as she seemed to be. He needed to feel her all over, sliding his hand underneath the back of her top. The action pulled it up in front too, and he felt the bottom swell of her breasts brush his chest. Holy hell but he wanted to feel every inch of her naked body against his. From that first contact, the smell and taste of her had been burned into his memory.
She pressed closer against him, and her breasts grazed his skin. He pulled her top up, and she lifted her arms in perfect unison. The scrap of silky material fell to the floor.
“Amazing,” he uttered on a whisper, trailing his fingers over her curves and between her exquisite breasts. When her breath caught, he cupped them. Firm, yet soft, a perfect fit.
She tilted her head back, which pushed her breasts more fully into his hands. Suddenly feeling her wasn’t enough. He needed to taste her, and so he kissed her, sucking on her tongue, exploring her mouth. Then he tasted every inch of her from her chin down her throat, tracing the edges of the hollow at the base. She tasted of clean female and the faint tang of soap. He wanted to taste more of her.
She exhaled in pleasure, her fingers moving through his hair, tugging it like she couldn’t pull him close enough. His body throbbed with want, making his jeans uncomfortably tight. He wanted—needed—all of her. Tendrils of magick crackled over his skin and through his body.
What the hell?
He’d never felt anything like that before.
There was a lot that he’d never experienced before meeting Violet.
Her Dragon was heating up, too, all around her waist where he now held her. Its essence was now in him. He felt it connect to his own magick, twisting together the way magick vines could wrap all around you. She must have felt it, too, because her hand went to her tattoo. Her Dragon stretched sensually, its eyes afire like sparkling amethysts.
“It’s not supposed to want a Deuce,” she whispered, surprise in her voice.
“Does it want a Deuce?”
She met his gaze with a grin. “Very much.”
He traced his finger lightly over her tattoo, feeling the energy it exuded. He knew enough about Dragon essence to gain an advantage in battle. He knew nothing about how it felt to be Dragon. “Do you want a Deuce?”
Her gaze held his. “Very, very much.”
He pressed his forehead against hers. He was disciplined. Strong. But not with Violet. “Something about you pulls at me, tears away my resistance.” His voice was raw. “You tug at my wild side, the part of me I buried long ago.”
“Is that the part you forgot was inside you, the ache that never went away?”
He brushed her hair from her face, his thumb grazing her cheek. “I forgot until you. Every time I’m close to you, that side of me takes over. And right now, more than ever, I need to keep my head straight. We shouldn’t do this.”
The mist in Kade’s eyes swirled something fierce, belying his directive.
Violet felt his words in her body. The ache in them, the wanting. “You’re trying to be Vega-like, and I get that. Honor. Discipline,” she said. “And there are sound, logical reasons for not going further. But right now, I need your arms wrapped around me so I feel safe for the first time since Arlo’s death. I need your body pressed up against mine so I can pull your heat and strength into me. And what I need, really need, is the hot kind of comfort that only you can give me. Only you.”
He hesitated for a moment, and then reached for her on a groan. His mouth found hers, his hands cradling her face. “Why are you making it so hard for me to be good?”
He wanted her. She didn’t want to think about all the differences between them, didn’t want to think about tomorrow or what consequences it might bring. She wanted him, too, and she wasn’t going to let him suffer. Remembering how Kade had told her his fantasies, how he’d responded to her when he’d been blindfolded, made her shed her own inhibitions. She gave a tug on his pants. “Take these off, Kade. That’s an order.”
Surprise sparked in his eyes, and he lifted his face to the ceiling. “Oh, no. You’re really killing me here, Violet.”
“No backtalk.”
He pulled his gaze back to hers, both agony and arousal on his expression. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Faster.”
“Anything you say, ma’am.” Now it was only arousal burning in his eyes. He unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, pushing them down to the floor and stepping out of them.
She hooked her finger over the waistband of his boxer briefs. “Now these.” She pulled it and let it snap back. He blinked at the sensation, then complied.
