Chapter 25 #3
A sense of wonder flooded through her, warming up all of the cold places, driving away the darkness that had crept inside.
Casrian Dain wanted her. He wanted her. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in the animal tension in his big body.
In the warm solid length of flesh still pressed against her hip.
And that was shocking.
That someone like him—beautiful and perfect and respectable—could want someone like her.
The idea of it was so terrible and wonderful that it pushed back some of the horror of the night.
He dragged in a breath. “This happens sometimes after a fight. The craving for flesh. The need to feel something warm and alive. To reassure yourself that you’re actually still living. Soldiers—”
“Are you really going to give me a lecture from the Academy right now?”
He looked at her helplessly. “You don’t want me, angel. Not like this.”
“I’m not an angel.” She didn’t know why he kept calling her that.
Tentatively, she pressed her hand against his chest. He actually stopped breathing for a second but she could feel the thud of his heartbeat steady against her palm.
“What if I do want you right now?” she asked softly. “What if it’s what I want most in the world? What if I think it’s the best idea I’ve ever had?”
“Rowan…”
He searched her face for a long moment and then breathed out a curse. Then he bent his head and his lips settled on hers, warm and firm as she’d imagined, moving in a gentle caress.
His eyes were closed as he pulled away, the firelight catching the golden tips of his eyelashes. When he opened them to look at her, he looked almost confused. “I shouldn’t do this.”
She laughed, reaching for him, feeling something loosen inside her. “I think you should.”
Because what would it be like to have the heroic Captain Dain focus all his attention on her?
This might be the only time she’d ever have to find out.
A few more days in the Black Woods. He’d find his men, kill the witch.
He’d pay off his debt to her and her mother and then he’d go back to his life.
She wasn’t going to see him again after that.
Really, as soon as they found his men, it would be over.
He’d go back to being the untouchable captain again, son of a great House, even if he was a bastard.
And she’d go back to being a ragged girl from Toam, the daughter of a branded witch.
He was kind to her, kinder than any man had ever been.
He was competent and clever and decent. Beautiful, too.
So perfect her heart ached to look at him.
She wanted him, even if she shouldn’t. This wouldn’t last once they were out of the woods.
Their truce would be over if he ever learned the truth about her.
But right now, she wanted him and he wanted her.
Couldn’t she have him for just one night?
When he pulled away, she sat up enough to pull her shirt over her head. Her nipples tightened in the cold air and his gaze locked on her breasts with a hunger that made her insides turn liquid.
“You keep talking about how you want to help me,” she whispered. “So help me, Casrian. This is what I need right now.”
He groaned, his fingers pushing into her hair, as he eased her to the ground, his body unfolding above her. His long legs stretched out, tangling with hers. He cradled her head and kissed her again, deeper this time, his tongue pushing past her parted lips to stroke into her mouth.
She froze, drowning in the strange sensation. Almost immediately, he gentled the kiss, exploring her slowly, teasing her, tasting her. She kissed him back.
The witch hunter.
She was kissing the witch hunter.
This was nothing like kissing Toby, who’d been a friend and a playmate.
Kissing Toby had been all innocent curiosity and awkward experimentation.
Kissing Gavin had made her feel weak and dirty because he’d tricked her into thinking he liked her until she refused to go further than a kiss and he’d walked away angry.
That was it. She’d only ever kissed two men and Toby hadn’t even been a man at the time.
This was completely different, thrilling in a way that consumed her whole body, bringing every part of her alive. It was so recklessly dangerous. Nothing either of them would allow under other circumstances.
Sliding her tongue against his, she lost herself in the feel of him. His hard body pressed against her side, his hand cradling her head. One of his thighs half-covered hers, pressing her down to the ground. A hard weight rocked against her hip.
She gasped, and he lifted his head. His expression had lost its usual calm. His eyes gleamed with plain desire. With raw and open hunger.
“We should stop,” he said.
“No.” As his hand left her hair, she caught it and moved it to her breast. “Please. Don’t stop.”
His fingers tightened and she arched her back, pressing against the warmth of his rough hands. His mouth slid over her jaw, pressed a kiss to the soft spot below her ear.
He whispered her name and there was such a ragged edge to his voice that it sent a shiver down her body. The cold knot in her belly loosened, slowly thawing beneath the heat of his touch. She rolled toward him as he plucked at her nipple. The sharp sensation shot straight to her groin.
He smoothed a hand down her flank, past the curve of her waist, moving slowly, mapping out every inch of vulnerable skin, finally settling on her hip and pulling her up against him.
“Angel.” His voice was hoarse. “I don’t want you to regret this.”
That seemed a laughable idea. How could she regret this? It was the most wonderful thing she’d ever felt in her entire life. She didn’t want it to end.
“I won’t.” His jaw was tight, eyes as bright as when he’d had a fever. She kissed that notch on his chin, drew her lips over the gritty scrape of his whiskers. “I promise.”
She licked the strong column of his neck. He groaned out a curse and rolled her flat onto her back. He propped himself up on an elbow and jerked her breeches down over her hips. She kicked free of them and he moved his hand between her legs.