Page 109 of Saints & Sinners

Still, he chuckled. It was so deep, so masculine, it had me shivering. “You think so?”

I nodded. “Don’t let it get to your head, though. The last thing I need is for you to become vain too.”

Hunter leaned in just enough that I could feel his breath against my ear. “Too late.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to hide the smile tugging at my lips.

He pulled back slightly, studying me. Something softer lingered in his eyes. “You’re dangerous, you know that?”

I raised a brow. “Shouldn’t it be the other way, considering I’m thehelplesslittle Bambi and you’re thebig badhuntsman?”

He chuckled under his breath. “You’re far from helpless, Grace.”

My stomach did a flip. “Oh, but I am. Trust me, I mean, I know. When I was little, I tried to climb this tree in our back garden because I thought if I got high enough, I could touch the clouds—don’t laugh, I was like six—and I got stuck halfway up because I didn’t think about how I’d get down. Joe ended up having to use his wings just to come get me because I was crying, thinking I’d have to live in the tree forever like some weird forest hermit. And then, in school, I froze during a presentation about dolphins, and I just stood there, staring at my cue cards like they were in another language. So yeah, I have a long and unfortunate history of being helpless in many situations.”

I realized I hadn’t taken a breath and clamped my mouth shut.

Hunter was staring at me, brow raised with that infuriatingsmirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Heat flooded my face, and I looked away. “Please forget everything I said.”

“Never,” he whispered, and my breath caught as I glanced his way again. His eyes flickered briefly over my shoulder. “Come with me.”

I hesitated. “What?”

“When no one’s watching. Slip out.”

The music came to a quiet close, and just like that, we stopped dancing, and he was gone, disappearing back into the crowd.

I hesitated for a heartbeat, pulse thundering in my ears, before casting a glance over my shoulder at Joe. His back was to me, deep in conversation with Sariel and a few other Celestials from the Healers’ Sector.

I released a slow breath, waiting for the perfect moment. When I was certain no one was watching, I slipped away.

Hunter stood outside the hall, leaning against the stone wall as if he had all the time in the world. “Ready to break a few more rules, Bambi?” he asked, pushing off the wall once he saw me.

I chuckled, taking his hand as I followed him into the night, the cool winter air hitting my skin as we left the warmth and noise of the ball behind. We went past the training grounds and slipped deep into the woods. Hunter moved ahead, leading us to a small clearing. There, he found a few sticks, built a small tinder, and set it alight with a lighter. The flames flickered and danced, casting a soft light against his features and causing something in my chest to tighten.

He turned to me, and I closed the space between us before I could think twice. Our lips met in the middle in a power-hungry kiss.

There was no hesitation this time.

We’d been craving it since we saw each other inside the ball.

His hands slid down my back, pulling me closer. The cold nightair seemed to vanish as Hunter’s lips moved with purpose—slow, deliberate, yet laced with hunger. His hand found the curve of my hips, gripping me firmly before trailing lower. I bit my lip, and he broke the kiss just enough to rest his forehead against mine, his breath ragged.

“Tell me to stop,” he murmured, but there was enough of a rough edge to his voice like he was barely holding himself together.

I didn’t hesitate when I said, “Don’t.”

That was all he needed.

Hunter kissed me again, rougher this time, backing me up against a tree before he slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of me. His hands slipped beneath my gown, but his eyes were fixed on me as I watched him lift the hem of my dress, bunching the soft fabric slowly, teasingly, until the cool air kissed my thighs.

“Hold still.” His voice was like pure smoke. I wanted to inhale it.

The next minute, his lips were on me.

The first touch of his mouth was gentle, testing almost, but it sent a sharp jolt of pleasure through me that made my knees nearly buckle.

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