Page 4 of Seasons of War
Hefelt incredible.
Warm breath fell against her cheek, and she flinched at the jolt of electricity shooting through her from the taste of his humanity. A strong hand gripped her hip, fingers pressing into her, touch savoring her as he worked his palm along her side to the small of her back. Each move so intentional, especially the pressure encouraging her to arch into him.
Her masked stranger breathed hot and slow against her waiting lips, along her tongue, and down her throat.
Tingles crawled down her spine. Shock.
Everything inside her begged him not to wait another moment to kiss her, but she also ached for him to never stop doing whatever that was. Torturous heat churned in her middle, and she wilted in his embrace as he intentionally wafted another breath over every bit of her lips.
As long as she lived, she'd never forget the instant his mouth melted with hers, and she knew him only by his taste and smell, by the tenderness of soft lips contrasting with his commanding kiss. The same firm arms that guided her from one rooftop to the next now held her tenderly.
Kira returned the kiss with the same intensity, her body reacting, though her mind lagged behind with the breath against her lips.
She couldn't get close enough. Couldn't kiss him enough. Because this was it for them, all they'd ever get, when it was so perfect.
One of her hands strayed up his neck and to his face, so her fingers discovered the hard line of his jaw and the short whiskers along his cheeks. Her mind painted a picture of the face hidden beneath his mask; every place she touched, a brushstroke and a splash of color.
Her other hand wandered lower to his chest, her palm cupping hard muscle, and her fingers gliding down a long scar she easily felt through his shirt. Someone had hurt him badly.
A pang hit her gut.
When they drew back for air, she tried in vain to fill her lungs. It didn't help when he kissed the nape of her neck, repaying her for when she'd done the same. She gasped from the kisses that trailed back to her lips and the fingers tracing circles along her side. Until finally his sweet mouth worked over hers once more.
Kira sighed with devastation when he drew back, desperate for a few more minutes with him. Desperate for this to be the beginning and not the end.
And then he opened her lips with his again.
“Stay alive.” Her stranger whispered the plea into her mouth and chased the heat of his breath with his tongue.
The unexpected, deep rumble of his real voice sounded like tenderness buried in gravel, all that hardness about him grinding against something much softer. No doubt grinding it away day after day.
It sounded painful.
Arms looping around his neck, she dragged herself close to kiss him one last time, because she knew this meant goodbye. In the greatest shock of the night, he removed his hand from her eyes, burying his fingers in her hair. Trusting her not to look.
When his lips broke from hers, coldness fell over that sensitive skin. His thumb eased down her chin. It took more self-control than she knew she possessed to keep her eyes closed and not discover more of her stranger.
She heard his helmet shifting. Knew he'd hidden himself from her once more. That he was about to leave her forever after he'd kissed her in a way no one else ever had before. Not even close.
The warmth of his body ripped away from her, and she sank against the tree, reeling.
How could he do that to her and walk away? There was nothing normal about that kiss.
The image of him leaving her stayed etched into her heart, and from then on, she easily remembered how he looked with those straight shoulders of his fading from sight. How he did not look back at her, like he wanted to show her he meant it, and they'd never have more than this.
She longed for years after that night for one more glimpse.
One more.
But even if their paths crossed again one day, she wouldn't know it was him.
CHAPTER 1
Zayne
The Territories
Bluehaven, Antor
