Page 124 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
Zandyr’s eyes slashed to mine, a cutting smile on his lips. “You would take on the decisions of the gods?”
“I think the gods have better things to do than worry about you and me. If they ever bother with us mortals at all.”
His low chuckle throbbed through me. “Blasphemy. You can be punished for such an offense.”
My mouth wentdry. “Then let’s keep it between us.”
“I’ll think about it.” He licked his lips, gaze growing impossibly dark. “I’m going to ask one more time–are you sure, Evie?”
Achingly, drippingly sure.
Instead of answering, I gathered all my courage, every crumb and speck I’d been collecting since coming to Phoenix Peak, and closed the gap between us. The second our lips touched, a surprised groan rushed up Zandyr’s throat.
Then his arms were all over me, just like I wanted, sliding over my shoulders, grasping my waist.
His mouth did wicked, terrible things to mine. The way his tongue twisted against mine almost convinced me gods were truly real, because there was no way a mortal man could ignite such passion with one kiss.
My hands wound in his hair, messing it up like I’d been craving to. Let him feel just as overwhelmed by this insane magnetism between us as I always seemed to be. The pressure that kept us coming back to each other, ignoring all the reasons not to.
In one move, Zandyr pulled me to his chest and rose, no pause or strain in his mighty muscles. As if I weighed nothing. To his strength, I probably did.
It was impossible for me to swallow my moan, when my mouth was too busy keeping up with his expert, teasing strokes. He sucked on my lower lip, teeth gently digging into it until I wanted nothing more than to melt right there in his arms.
Completely enthralled by him, I only became aware he’d walked us toward the bed when the mattress cradled my back. My hands clutching his tunic for dear life, and he stilled for a moment, as if waiting for me to push him away.
I pulled him closer.
He covered my body with his and kissed me softly with a smile playing on his lips. Soon enough, our kiss turned manic. Desperate. We turned into a tangle of limbs, lips, and teeth.
His right hand found the back of my head again, which seemed to be its new favorite place, fingers twinning in my hair. His other palm slipped down the grooves of my body slowly, almost reverently, as if he wanted to remember every dip and angle of me.
His fingers raced lower, thumb gently stroking the side of my breast. Another moan slipped past my lips, compelled by his fiery touch.
When his mouth found the spot behind my ear, tongue lavishing it with the kind of attention I never thought possible, my back arched against the bed.
My knees rose, wrapping around his middle and cradling him to me. The friction between our bodies was delicious. Maddening.
“Gods,” I breathed.
He chuckled darkly. “Now who’s a believer?”
“You might have missed your calling.” I arched further as his teeth gently nipped at my collarbone. “You should have tried your hand at converting people, not protecting them.”
“Perhaps I should petition the temple, they might be looking for new priests.”
My hands snaked around his neck, gingerly tracing the edge of the dragon’s head. So much responsibility on these shoulders. These great, big, twisting shoulders.
My fingers slid down lower over his tattoo, playing with the edges of his tunic.
“Evie,” he breathed. It sounded like a warning.
“What?” I asked as innocently as I could while completely debauched. My nightdress had slipped down my shoulders and bunched up around my middle.
He sighed against my skin. Why was he sighing?
“I’ll make a deal with you.” He tilted his head up, staring deeply into my eyes. “I promise I will make you come undone while screaming my name–”
I hadn’t known it was possible, but my face heated up even more as his words spun a deprived, decadent image in my mind. Him above, taking me relentlessly,deeper, harder, just like that.
