Pyromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 1)

He moved his hand down her back, pressing her body against his and deepening the kiss. Her moan only spurred him on. She was bent backward into an uncomfortable position, but when she tried to free herself, he tightened his fingers around her wrist and threw an arm around her waist. Picking her off her feet, he carried her to a tree and braced her back against the trunk. He allowed her a moment to breathe, raking his teeth down her neck before nipping her shoulder. In a lustful, mindless act, she flexed her hips to find relief for the aching spot between her thighs.

He lifted his head to stare down at her. His silver eyes shimmered in the light that came from the chapel as he inspected her hand. “You’re bleeding.”

“Just a prick from a thorn. Where did you go?” She wouldn’t admit she’d been frightened out of her wits or how relieved she was he’d come back.

“Let me kiss it better,” he said, holding her eyes as he brought her finger closer.

She couldn’t tear her gaze away as he sucked on her finger, his tongue circling the tip.

He was never easy to read, but the startling intensity with which he studied her sparked her concern. However, the desire he ignited was an effective distraction, muddling her thoughts. She was panting when he finally pulled her finger free.

“Better?” he asked, lust thick in his voice.

“A bit,” she lied.

“Do you know what this reminds me of?”

She could only swallow, afraid her voice would give away her desire. He buried his hands under her dress, cupping the back of her legs and brushing his fingers along the line where her ass and thighs met. Heat pooled between her legs. She throbbed with need.

“This reminds me of the first time I tasted your blood,” he said.

He skimmed his lips over her ear, barely touching her, but every inch of her skin contracted. Goosebumps ran down her arms. She shouldn’t let him do this, should push him—

“That day in the woods, when I saw you bleeding,” he continued, “I wanted to kill him.” He continued stroking her thighs, his fingers a swipe away from her core. “I knew that day you’d haunt me. Did you know what I thought when I tasted your blood?”

She shook her head, unable to look away from his mercurial eyes.

“I wanted to make you mine. Just mine. My own little stalker. I wanted nobody else’s hands on your body but mine.”

He brushed a finger over the silk of her panties, tracing her slit. Her legs trembled. She clenched her knees and leaned her head back against the tree. He traced her folds with a finger, up and down, light like a feather, before pausing on her clit. She gasped when he pressed down the pad of his thumb, massaging in slow circles. The pressure was delicious.

“Open your eyes for me, Cle.”

A part of her, the part that mourned her first and only love, was still eager to please him. She peeled open her eyes, trying to focus when everything was hazy.

His breath fell warm on her face. “Look into my eyes. I need to see what you feel. Understand?”

The only thing she understood was the hard-on that pressed against her stomach. Torturing her with one hand, he fastened the other on her ass and yanked her against him. Like this, his hand was trapped between their bodies. She gripped his forearms for balance, holding on as she spiraled out of control.

His eyes darkened. “Promise me you’ll never wander the woods alone again. Promise me from now on you’ll never leave my sight.” He pressed harder against her. “Promise you’ll come with me wherever I go.”

This part of him she understood. When she’d told him in the car he couldn’t just take her to New York, she’d pushed the button of his insecurity.

“Joss.” She sighed, a sound of frustration and need. “You can’t ask me for a promise I can’t make.”

“You’re mine,” he growled. “I won’t let you go.” The pace of his hand matched the urgency of his tone. “The thought of letting you go scares me more than the evil of my past.”

The statement surprised her. Appealing to his reason, she said, “You can’t keep me against my will forever.”

His chest deflated with a breath even as wildness invaded his eyes. She was so close. Heat erupted, pushing her over the edge and making her body convulse with pleasure. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him while the orgasm wracked her body. He didn’t let go. He kept working her clit with his thumb even when the aftershocks had passed.

Too sensitive, she pushed with her palms on his chest. “It’s too much.”

“Shh.” He leaned closer, trapping her against the tree with his weight. “You can take it. Just feel.”