Page 69 of Happily Ever Witch
“Yes.” Esmeralda nodded. “I’m pretty sure I’m not going to give you up, either.”
“‘Pretty sure?’”
“I told you, I’m still deciding whether or not to keep you.”
He didn’t like her hesitation. At all. She was still standing in his arms, though, so he decided not to push it. There were other ways to convince her that Trevelyan was her one-and-only mate. “If you understood how amazing I am at kissing, this wouldn’t even be a question.”
“I would be out of my mind to kiss you. You’refor surethe worst person in the world.”
Trevelyan’s hands caressed her perfectly perfect ass. “I try.” He said modestly. “But I’m also very open to deals. Tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen. I’m ready to progress to the part where your tongue is stroking against mine in helpless submission.”
“I thought you didn’t even care about kissing.”
“I care that you’re denying me something that’s mine.”
Obviously,the principleof the situation was his main concern. It was a matter of fairness! And ensuring he didn’t die celibate. And keeping other men away. And other very important things he couldn’t exactly think of.Thatwas why it bothered him so much that she wouldn’t kiss him. His eyes drifted down to her lush mouth. Obviously…
From Esmeralda’s expression it was clear that she’d now somehow casthimas the Bad guy in this discussion. Granted, he was the Baddest guy ineverydiscussion. But, not this time. No.Thistime, Trevelyan was being the soul of reason, while she was deliberately toying with him.
“My kisses aremine, jackass.” She informed him loftily. “Idecide who gets them.”
“Well, then hurry up and decideIshould get them. I’m tired of waiting.” He paused, considering her words. “DecideonlyI should get them, while you’re at it, because we have a deal about monogamy.”
“Kissing doesn’t count as sex.” She argued mutinously, staking out an absurd position simply for the sake of being difficult. “We never agreed to that.”
“We’re agreeing to itnow, unless you want guitar players dead in the streets.”
She made a face at the warning.
“I’m very serious, Esmeralda. I’ll start picking off those kind, friendly, musical assholesbeforethey kiss you, if that’s what it takes to keep you all to myself.”
Still standing in the V of his legs, she arched a brow and didn’t look concerned. “You’re going to preemptively kill the kindhearted guys who might kiss me,andall the wizards in existence,andthe Wonderlandian masses,andannihilate the entirety of the Four Kingdoms?”
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll killeverybody, one of these days. …Except you.” He leaned forward to brush his lips at the very corner of her mouth. As close as he could possibly get to a kiss without inciting her wrath. Esmeralda drew in a quick breath of desire and he nearly purred. “You smell too pretty to savagely murder, regardless of how frustrating you are.”
That comment earned him a reluctant sound of amusement. “You really are ninety-eight percent evil, Trev.”
He loved it when he made her laugh. It warmed something inside of Trevelyan to hear it. Dragons craved warmth, so that was obviously why her laughter would matter. That was the only reason it had become a goal.
Obviously.
His hand brushed the skin of her inner thigh, savoring her small jolt of surprise when she realized he’d worked his way under her sinfully short skirt. “Give me your word you won’t kiss anybody else.”
“Willyoukiss anybody else?”
“No.” His fingers slid higher. “When dragons make a promise to our mates, we keep our word. I promised you monogamy and that’s what you’ll get. A thousand percent.”
Her eyelashes fluttered down, as his thumb stroked her inner thigh. “I won’t kiss anybody else either then. One thousand percent.”
Trevelyan gave a hum of pleasure at how simple it was to secure her agreement. The witch might not be willing to kiss him, but she clearly wasn’t plotting to kiss some other man in his place. “Let’s go upstairs, for a while.” He suggested enticingly. “Wouldn’t that feel…Good.”
She gave an unconscious nod, leaning a bit closer to him.
“That’s it.” He nuzzled her temple. “We don’t have to kiss, if you don’t want to. Just let me have the rest of you.”
She swallowed. “I’m not going to sleep with you today. I’m still teaching you how to be a True Love.”
“And I’m studyingsohard. Don’t I deserve a reward?”
