Even if I could, I wouldn’t.
From the moment I saw Sabelle Rion roaming Bram’s posh estate two months past, serving hungry warriors a steaming dinner with a genuine smile and that halo of golden hair curling nearly down to the breath-catching sway of her hips, I’ve been captivated. My head has screamed warnings every day since—she’s forbidden, she’s a Rion. A princess. She’s everything I can never have. I hate her brother; I shouldn’t be so desperate to bed his sister. I’m violating every unspoken rule of magical society by even thinking about her sexually.
But parts south continue to hope. Constantly. Relentlessly. Foolishly. As if wanting alone could ever bridge the chasm keeping me from her.
Suddenly, that possibility lies between us. What would she do if I kissed her?
What would I do if she let me?
Slowly, I stand. Her blue eyes follow me up, up. Vulnerable. Alluring. Intrigued. How interesting… Her rosy lips part. Her breaths quicken. Neither of us blinks. I scour my resolve for the will not to devour her that instant.
I’m fighting a losing battle.
As I step closer, my heart chugs. In the air between us, I smell peaches…and her arousal. Her pupils dilate, nearly swallowing the blue of her irises. The pulse at her throat flutters like a trapped bird.
My hands clench into fists at my sides. I just need a sign from her—any sign. Even the tiniest hint that she’s receptive…and like a freight train with no brakes, I won’t be responsible for how quickly I roll her beneath me. She’d barely draw a breath before I’d be between her pretty splayed thighs and thrusting deep inside her.
“Which would you prefer, Sabelle?” I growl, my voice rougher than intended.
Suddenly, she drops her stare, breaking our breathless connection. Sod it all! My stomach drops to my knees.
At least I have my answer.
I fucking don’t like it…but I expected her to rebuff me. Still, to have any hope of leashing my lust and keeping my distance, I need to hear Sabelle say that she doesn’t want me.
But she says nothing.
Though I have no business being anywhere near the princess, I can’t stop myself from propping a finger under her trembling chin and lifting her gaze to mine. “Answer me.”
Dragging in a rough breath, she lifts her hand to my chest. It shakes like the rest of her. Does she intend to touch me? Or to keep me at bay?
When her fingertips make contact with my skin, it sears me. My mind races nearly as fast as my blood rushes to fill my cock. Bloody hell, is there any left for my brain? Gazing at her upturned face with those shining blue eyes, rosy cheeks, lush mouth, and honeyed skin—her incredible beauty, inside and out—I don’t think so.
Finally, she swallows. “I-I don’t like being angry.”
Again, she hasn’t exactly rebuffed me. This could be the biggest mistake of my life, but Sabelle’s nearness compels me to put my hands on her. Somewhere. Anywhere. I brush my way down her shoulder, then caress the curve of her waist. She draws in another shuddering breath. The scent of her arousal thickens. I swallow, my knees turning dangerously unsteady.
She doesn’t screech at me to stop, doesn’t make any move to break the contact.
Will she let me do more?
My heart trips into hyper speed, and I can barely hear my breathing over its roar. I feel poised on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the free fall likely to kill me…and still I can’t stop from making the perilous leap.
My hand on her waist tightens. “Do you like being kissed?”
She tenses…but doesn’t back away. “I shouldn’t.”
Perhaps she shouldn’t, at least not by me. But maybe this once, amid chaos and possible death, duty and class won’t stop her from allowing me one forbidden taste…
“That isn’t what I asked. Do you?”
Her breasts rise as she takes a deep breath. Her lashes flutter again until our eyes meet. Her head falls back before easing forward. Then she repeats the process again, this time more quickly. Is she nodding?
“Yes.”
Barely a whisper. Her blue eyes hold apprehension…and desire. Sabelle Rion—the most privileged, beautiful witch in centuries—isn’t repulsed by the idea of my kiss.
Desire zaps me like lightning, scorching my veins, turning my blood to boiling desire. I cup her face in my hands and drag her against my body. Then slowly, I bend my head, giving her plenty of time to back away.
