Page 125

He growls low in his chest—but it isn’t scary. I feel the vibration along my knuckles.

We kiss like that, back and forth, until we’re breathless. He rests his forehead on mine. My heart is going nuts, galloping away. My lips are swollen.

“Wow.” The word slips out, and my face heats.

I haven’t kissed like that. I had one almost hookup in college, when a guy friend and I stripped down naked and tried… Well, we tried to have sex. But he kissed me, and it sucked. And then he kept kissing me. My neck, my breasts.

I didn’t like it.

I made him stop, and he yelled at me. Called me a tease. He was so fucking angry as he closed his pants over his erection, he couldn’t even look at me.

“Where’d you go?” Kian tips my chin up.

“Just thinking about the past…”

His brows lower. “Kissing me made you think of another guy you kissed?”

My face heats, and I tighten my grip on his shirt. “No. Well, it reminded me of the only other time I tried to have sex⁠—”

His jaw tics, but then he pauses. His gaze sweeps up and down me. “Tried?”

I release him. “Yeah, tried. I’ve never had sex before.”

The asshole fucking grins at that.

I try to push him away, but he doesn’t even move. I may as well shove the concrete at my back for all the good it does.

But then he grabs my thighs and lifts me higher up the column. He kisses the corner of my lips. “What happened to the guy who tried to fuck you, Astra?”

I shiver at the dark thread in his tone. “Um, he… I didn’t want to. It didn’t feel right with him. He got mad.”

“What’s his name?”

“I’m not telling you that.” I have no doubt Kian would track him down.

He runs his nose up and down my throat. It’s weirdly territorial and a little hot. I let him rub on me for another minute, then poke at his shoulder.

“Kian,” I prod. “We’re in Vegas, and we’re lingering in a freaking parking garage. Take me to see the sights.”

He straightens, that smug smile still in place. He sets me back on my feet and reclaims my hand. Then the bag that goes over his shoulder. We call the elevator and ride it in silence, and I smooth my hair. I don’t remember it being so messed up…

“Why were you rubbing on me like I was catnip?”

He snorts. “Catnip is for cats.”

“Well, you were acting like one⁠—”

“I was overcome by the urge to mark you with my scent,” he says.

That shuts me up.

“It soothes my wolf,” he adds.

Well, anything to soothe that beast…

I open my mouth to reply, but the elevator doors glide open—and the view steals my words.

We’re in a huge casino. There are no windows to speak of, but there are aisles of dinging, light-covered machines. There’s a bar to the left filled with people. The noise…