Page 76 of Honour Bound
‘You heard me.’
I flung an arm out towards the trees. ‘Tipsania is out there! Your fiancée!’
‘She’s not my fiancée.’ He was telling the truth.
‘Not yet.’
‘I’ve told you many times that my relationship with Tipsy is complicated.’
I thought of Candy. ‘I’ll bet it is but I’m not the kind of woman who interferes in relationships. Even complicated ones. You need to ask for something else.’
‘No.’ He watched me carefully. ‘I won the bet and that is what I want.’
‘This isn’t going to make things better between us, Byron,’ I said.
‘It might.’ He took a step closer. ‘Even Kirsty can sense the tension between us so maybe it’ll act like a valve and release some of that … pressure.’ He shrugged nonchalantly. ‘And I can’t remember much from Aberdeen. Did we kiss then? Because you’re probably really bad at it and then I can walk away and concentrate on the Games instead of on you.’
My mouth dropped open. ‘Wanker! I’m a great kisser.’ The kiss we’d shared in Aberdeen was seared into my memory. Had he really forgotten it? His phrasing hadn’t been direct enough for me to use Kirsty’s Gift to ascertain the truth – or lie.
His eyes danced with both promise and challenge. ‘Prove it then.’
I muttered a frustrated curse. ‘This is ridiculous.’
Byron didn’t say anything. I sighed. ‘Fine,’ I said, snapping. ‘One kiss.’ I leaned over but he pulled away.
‘No peck on the cheek,’ he warned. ‘I’m asking for a real, passionate, proper kiss.’
‘You want a snog,’ I said flatly, ‘like a horny teenager.’
He ran his tongue across his top lip. ‘I suppose I do.’ He bent his head and whispered, ‘And I am horny.’ Another truth. Shite.
‘I hate that word,’ I said, dissembling.
‘Horny?’ He smiled. ‘Would you prefer randy?’
I made a face.
‘Lustful?’ he inquired.
‘More like prurient.’
He shook his head. ‘No. Try infatuated.’
For a moment I forgot to breathe. ‘Then maybe I will kiss you really badly to rid you of that,’ I said.
His eyes held mine. ‘Go on then.’
I could think of many reasons why I should just turn on my heel and run away but a bet was a bet. I wasn’t Taylor’s ward for nothing. I stepped up to Byron and stood on my tiptoes. I could smell his raw masculinity – an indefinable scent which suggested power and sex and a whole lot of other things that I didn’t want to think about. Emerald eyes glittered at me.
‘What are you waiting for?’ he breathed.
I had no idea. Perhaps I was simply savouring the moment. A snappy comeback was on my lips but I ignored it and pressed my mouth against his.
Byron didn’t react immediately and I grinned. He was creating his own mini-challenge. Let’s see how long he could resist. I coiled my body against his, running my fingers lightly around his waist. When that didn’t work, I ran them in the opposite direction. I was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath.
My tongue flicked against his and I deepened the kiss. Byron muttered something and yielded, grabbing my waist and hoisting me up, forcing my hands to leave their teasing dance and reach round his neck. He pushed forward, so my back was pressed against a tree. The trunk was rough but I barely noticed.
Cupping my face and moving in for the kill, Byron’s teeth nipped at my bottom lip, sending an explosive burst of pleasure rippling through me. Every semblance of common sense fled and I gave myself up to the heady sensation of his taste, his body and his ardour, which more than matched my own.
