Chapter Twenty Seven
His mouth crashed into mine like a wave breaking. Sudden, fierce, impossible to resist.
I didn't want to resist.
I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe.
All I could do was feel.
My pulse thundered beneath my skin, every nerve tuned to him.
His lips were soft, warm, demanding. Taking and giving as his calloused fingers dragged over my cheek and down the sensitive skin on my neck in a way that made me shiver. His body leaned against mine, pressing me into the wall like I could bolt at any moment, like he needed me to stay.
My hands fisted the sides of his shirt, the soft fabric coming undone from where it was tucked beneath his belt.
I could taste the pent up frustration on his tongue as it brushed over my lip, making my body melt against his.
I wondered how many times he had thought about this, how often he wanted to break down and give in - whether it was as many times as me.
Dax trailed his hand around the back of my neck and threaded his fingers in my hair with a soft, delicious tug. I arched my back as I pulled him towards me, craving the closeness, needing the heat that thrummed in my veins.
I let go of my grip on his shirt, running my hands around his waist and up his back. His muscles flexed and tensed under my touch.
Every time his lips moved against mine, it rewired something - every instinct, every tightly held shard of control. My thoughts scattered like ash in the wind. All that existed was the heat of his mouth and the slow, molten undoing of everything I'd buried.
I wanted more.
I wanted to feel his skin under mine, to get lost in the warmth and heat until it consumed me.
As though he could read my mind, he shifted. His knee nudged against my thigh, forcing my foot to the side so he could move his leg between mine. The pressure sent sparks up my spine as he pressed closer, claiming space I hadn't realised I'd left open.
My breath hitched as he stole the air from my lungs. I could feel him smirk against my lips, the tug at the corner of his mouth. My heart stuttered.
Something shifted in the library behind us. A muffled laugh echoed through the closed door.
Everything froze.
His lips hovered over mine, our chest heaving in sync as we listened.
I waited for Talia to burst through the doors and catch me red handed, for Lucien to stroll out with a shit-eating grin and never let me live this moment down.
He'd revell in this, seeing me flushed and panting with desire, tangled up against a wall with another woman's fiance. Fated mates be damned.
Dax leaned his forehead against mine, noses touching. I looked up at him through my lashes, his eyes were still closed.
"Not here," he whispered, his voice like velvet edged in gravel.
He didn't let me answer. His fingers threaded with mine and he tugged me like he was dragging himself out of hell. My feet felt heavy and weightless all at once, every nerve lit with anticipation as he pulled me through the darkened hallway.
I glanced behind me, sure I would see prying eyes catching up, condemning us.
Dust motes floated in the air like secrets caught in the light. The room smelled of cedarwood and old warmth, faded memories soaked into the floorboards. I barely heard the lock click, my heart thudding too loudly in my ears.
Dax's eyes were a glowing amber, his gaze predatory and locked on me as his hands pressed against the door, caging me like prey. The door was cool against my back, but he was heat and pressure and promise.
The air between us sizzled and cracked as he let his eyes drag over me, slow and languid, like he was finally allowing himself to and revelling in the pleasure.
My instincts screamed danger, but my body leaned in, craved him, pulled toward the fire I knew could burn me.
"Dax..." I whispered and a low growl rumbled deep in his chest.
"Say it again."
His hands slid down the back of the door, silhouetting the curves of my body until they were a breath away from my hips.
"Dax."
His mouth was on mine again. No clumsy hesitation, just all consuming need.
I clung to him, hands clutching the collar of his shirt, daring him to try and pull away. His hands gripped my hips, fingers bruising as he pinned me to the door.
I caught his bottom lip with my teeth, the nip sharp and challenging and a low growl rumbled in his chest. His hands slipped under my shirt, trails of lava burning my waist as his hands roamed like he was trying to memorise every inch of me.
His scent wrapped around me, heady and intoxicating. The smell of forest fresh after rain, the musky darkness of amber wrapped up in pine. It wasn't just the mate bond pulling me.
It was him.
The way he stayed just far enough away to catch me if I fell without doubting my strength.
How he always brought food, not pressuring or forcing, just silently offering.
The small smile of pride as he wiped away the trickle of blood when I landed a good hit.
How he knew what it meant to make the decisions that killed you inside but helped the ones who needed it.
How he saw me.
His lips moved from mine, hot kisses and scraping teeth as he trailed across my jaw. His tongue brushed a spot on my neck, just under my ear. I couldn't help the gasp as the buzzing hummed through my body.
"You should hate me," Dax murmured against the curve of my neck, lips ghosting across my skin. "After everything."
"I'm trying," I rasped, my mind in a haze as he rubbed featherlight circles over my skin. "You're making it hard."
He laughed, low and husky, his breath tickling my neck. I hadn't heard him laugh before, not like that.
Dax kissed me again, slow and deep, like he was savouring a last meal - like he would lose me.
My hands moved over his shoulders, into his hair. It was needy and desperate.I had spent so long holding myself together, learning not to want him and he was undoing me one touch at a time.
I knew we should stop. It was dangerous, reckless. There was too much at stake to risk it all on a moment that would be far too fleeting and would only make us want it more.
But I couldn't pull away.
I drank him in, savouring every taste of his lips, his skin, holding on like I never would again.
He groaned against my lips, thigh pressed into mine. His nose swept along my jaw and his lips dragged against my throat until his canines scraped against the skin like a whisper.
My head tilted, the movement instinctual and ancient, an animalistic urge that simmered beneath my skin.
I knew what came next, I could feel it in my bones. I wanted it.
"Dax," I breathed, my voice shuddering in a half warning, half plea.
His stilled, his chest rising and falling in stilted restraint, like he was barely holding himself together.
"Tell me to stop," he said, voice hoarse and broken, his lips brushing my skin with each word. "Please. Before I lose it."
I didn't say anything.
My hands found his shoulders and I twisted so he was against the door. Then I took a step back, shattering the spell that held us tangled and entwined.
Dax ran a hand through his hair, smoothing the mess my fingers had made. His eyes were still a glowing amber, sharp and bright, tracking every breath, every move I made.
I swallowed hard. The electricity was still humming right underneath my skin, a magnetic pull that drew me towards him. I didn't want to resist but I shook my head and blinked away the desire that bleared the edges of my vision.
"This can't happen again," I said, voice croaky but sure.
I could still feel him, his hands on my hips, the shape of his mouth against mine, like phantom heat in my skin.
He nodded, lips pressed in a tight line. "No. Not now."
Not yet.
He unlocked the door. Every moment seemed slow, agonising, like his own body was fighting back against him. He opened the door, holding it for me to leave.
His hand brushed against my arms as I stepped past him, an electric current surging between us, thrilling and addictive.
"Cause, Kiera, if I touch you again..." His gaze dropped to my lips, then lower, voice barely more than a growl. "I won't stop. I'll make you mine."
Surprise update!
I did warn you it warn you that it was about to get hotter.
Do we think they should have stopped? Or should they have given in and really stuck it to Lyra, consequences be damned?
Or do we think they should have kissed at all?
Thanks so so much for following along and for all your votes and comments! It makes me so excited to keep writing!