Page 70 of Heritage of Fire

I bite my lip and grab a few more pieces. Nik’s eyes flick to my mouth, sending another flutter of butterflies to my stomach. The thought of his hands on me again—I shiver.

Distracting myself with my chocolate seems to help, so I eat a few more pieces before settling in to watch baseball.

The game is close to the end, and after it’s finished, Nik flips the channel to a random cooking competition show.

He tilts his head toward the TV. “Kate got me hooked on cooking shows. She’s always watching them when I’m over.” He rubs his palms over his sweatpants, and his gaze moves to my, orhisshirt, rather.

“I should probably watch more cooking shows, seeing as I can’tactuallycook.” I smile and pull my legs up underneath me.

“Want me to record this episode for you?” He grins at me.

I toss a candy at him, and it lands on his chest. Smirking, he picks it up and puts it in his mouth, eyes holding mine. Then he moans. Actuallymoans. It’s overly dramatic and in jest, but that doesn’t stop my stomach from tumbling in anticipation. I can’t be the only one sensing the chemistry between us, can I?

“Want more?” I ask, holding out a few different colors in my palm. He ignores them, not sparing them a glance.

“I definitely want more.”

Desire blooms at his words, my heart leaping out of my chest. But, as if realizing the effect of his words, he blinks and clears his throat.

“Ever put some of these on popcorn?” I dump a few of the candies on top of the remaining popcorn, and he scrunches his nose like I’ve committed a grievous error.

“Please tell me you didnotjust ruin the popcorn?”

“It’s good,” I say. “Here, try it.”

I hold the bowl out for him, and he picks out a piece of popcorn with a blue candy before popping it into his mouth. His tongue darts out to lick the salt from his mouth, and I watch it trace around his lips. I have to shove away the urge to touch him, to kiss him.

“Not bad, Moonbeam. Who would’ve thought?” He grins and tries a few more pieces before setting the bowl down between us. His hand grazes my knee, and suddenly I can’t breathe. Instead, he lets it hover there, his warring expression pained.

Kiss me.

“Nik …” I want to sound confident, but his name comes out as a whisper. Slowly, his hand glides up my thigh, stopping at the spot where the shirt lands. He yanks the hem toward him, and I’m pulled into his body, my forehead knocking against his chin.

Laughter bubbles out of me. “Ouch!” I rub my head where we collided and reach up to his face with my other hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He rubs his chin. “You’ve got a hard head, Luna.”

I laugh and swat at him, attempting to pull away, but his hand comes up to circle my wrist and he tugs me farther on top of him. Hazel eyes stare me down, unsaid words swirling behind them, and I wish I could crack open his head to know his thoughts. I hold still, fighting the urge to put my lips on his.

Wait for him, Luna.

A hand skates up to my face, Nik’s thumb caressing across my cheekbone. Fingers tangle in my hair, and he fists a small amount to tug.

“You’re impossible to resist. It’s maddening.”

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he kisses me. His tongue runs along my lips, and I open for him, inviting him deeper. There isn’t any urgency this time. This time, it’s slow and languid as our tongues stroke passionately together.

He tastes like chocolate and home.

His hands slide under my shirt, fingers grazing my ribs but never moving farther up. The moment isn’t lust-filled; it’s somethingmore, and I’m taking it. I’m holding on to this.

I bring my hand to his face. The closely trimmed hair prickles my skin, and I follow it up to his hair. His eyes close as I bring his mouth back to mine and he nips at my bottom lip. A laugh spills out of me as the rough pads of his fingers skate around my neck.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to be the one to make you laugh.” He drops his hands to my waist. “It’s intoxicating.”

Yep.

I’m insomuch trouble.

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