Page 9 of Ransomed to the World
“Didn’t need your help either, huh?” She couldn’t resist teasing him. He was much too serious. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him truly relax, and she was determined to change that.
Edgar gave her a crooked, self-deprecating smile. “I haven’t had much cause to go camping.”
“No, I suppose not.” She shrugged and followed him into the trees. To her amusement, he followed her around, insisting that he carry the wood she collected.
It was…sweet.
Which flustered the hell out of her.
“You’re not pissed because I slipped into the afterworld?” Annora bit her lip in consternation. She hadn’t meant to ask the question, but waiting for him to express his disapproval was like a weight on her chest.
She hated that she disappointed him.
Edgar scowled as he glared off into the distance, then sighed and shook his head. “You need the training. I don’t like it. I don’t like having you out of my sight for even an instant, but it’s not something we can avoid.”
“You worry,” she murmured.
He nodded, staying close to her side as she collected more branches. “While you might be powerful, you’re relatively untrained. You don’t know your limits. You don’t know the dangers. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
She stooped to pick up a couple of twigs.
“Annora…”
She froze at the husky way he spoke her name, her insides going all fluttery, and she glanced at him over her shoulder.
“You should select one of the others for your date.”
Pain struck hard and fast, stealing her breath like someone had reached into her chest and clamped her lungs in their meaty fists. “What? I thought—”
“We’re going to be spending a lot of time together training, and even more time together when we reach the metropolis.” His expression softened. “I want to be selfish and claim all your attention, but I know how much you mean to them…how much they mean to you.”
“You’re doing this for me.” Annora straightened, rearranging the branches in her arms. “So I don’t have to choose.”
“I’ve spent years trying to protect you.” He widened his stance, his blue eyes sparking with the afterworld. “It pains you to choose, so I’m making it easier.”
When he leaned down to accommodate her, she dropped the branches in his outstretched arms, then cupped his face before he could escape. Her fingers tingled at the contact, her stomach somersaulting at her boldness.
“You’re brilliant.” She brushed her lips against his, pulling back to smile up at him. “You just gave me an idea.”
He leaned forward to follow her mouth, hunger darkening his eyes, a groan of pure longing escaping him when his loaded arms kept them apart.
One taste wasn’t enough.
Giving into temptation, she brought her lips back to his, loving the way his breathing hitched right before she kissed him. Need seared along her insides, the taste of him making the world around her vanish.
When she tried to get closer, the branches poked her in the chest, and she came back to reality with a scowl and reluctantly pulled away. She touched her tingling lips, looking up at Edgar in wonder. His eyes opened slowly, the afterworld glowing in them, his hunger barely banked.
“We should head back to the others.” His voice was gruff, the branches in his arms snapping as he gripped them harder, as if to hold himself back.
When she took a step toward him, craving more, he shook his head and looked down, fussing with the armful of wood he carried. “Don’t. If you touch me, I won’t be able to stop myself from taking what you offer.”
Heat tingled along her veins, desire making her feel sexy. “Would it be so wrong?”
His throat moved as he swallowed, then his head snapped up, and a pure predator stared back at her. “I’ve waited for you for years. Damned if I’m going to fuck you up against a tree.”
He stalked toward her, and it was all she could do not to throw herself at him. “Why not?”
He halted just inches away from her, then rose to his full height, an imperial lord gazing down at her. “Because when I finally claim you for my own, it will be more than a stolen moment. It will be where I can worship you properly and take my time memorizing every inch of you.”
