Page 146 of Hellbound

He ducked beneath her blade, cutting the air where his head had been just moments before.

She spotted an opening and jammed her foot between his, forcing him back down.

Ever the opportunist, his hand fisted in her tunic as they both hit the ground in a heap.

A satisfying crack resounded as the heel of her palm connected with his jaw.

Both vied for control, to get their feet beneath themselves. They traded blows, fierce and fast.

His balance faltered as she shoved.

He recovered in time for the tip of her blade to kiss his throat.

She gripped his hair, yanking his gaze up to her.

“Yield,” she hissed, echoing his earlier command.

They stood frozen, breaths held. Her eyes were bright with triumph and something more carnal—something that spoke to the basest needs in his body that had nothing to do with the fight.

“Well, there’s a first for everything.” He spoke roughly, almost reverently. His eyes held hers, full of hunger.

“Don’t act so surprised.” She held the blade firm.

He pushed himself up slowly, forcing her to either step back or maintain their proximity. She stubbornly held firm, the rapier still at his throat even as he towered over her.

“You going to hold that blade to my throat all night?” His eyes were dark, pupils blown wide, leaving only a thin green ring at the edges.

“There he is.” The blood in her veins burned like fire.

His thumb traced her bottom lip.

She closed the remaining distance between them, her fingers tangling in his hair as their mouths scraped together in a searing kiss.

36

Bohdan reciprocated her kiss, hard and demanding.

Ksenia bit down on his lip, the taste of his blood mixing on their tongues as his hands roamed her body and she palmed his hard length through his breeches.

She gave in to the debauchery, too strung out to fight the feelings stirring within her—a delicious mix of hatred and desire.

She unraveled beneath his mouth’s wicked ministrations on her neck.

He laced his fingers with hers, breaking the kiss so he could lead them briskly to his quarters.

The wood rattled on the hinges when Ksenia slammed him against the door outside his bedroom, crushing her mouth to his.

Bohdan unlocked the door and they tumbled through, biting and tearing at each other. He unfastened the laces of her trousers as she pushed the leather vest from his shoulders and sliced his tunic clean off with her dagger.

The buttons popped off her chemise, clattering to the floor.

He hummed appreciatively, his eyes skimming the curves of her body from her toned legs, the dip of her waist, and her pert breasts.

His hand captured her gloved one and he kept their eyes locked as he slipped his finger under the lining and removed it.

He pressed a searing kiss against her palm, and a hungry darkness pooled in her core.

Beg me.