Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) by Elianne Adams Page B

breath mingling with her own.
    Shrugging, she tried for nonchalance, but she doubted he would notice. “It doesn’t matter.” She tilted her chin just a little higher. His gaze held her steady as he came closer still. The challenge in his eyes was clear. If she backed down, he won.
    Heart pounding, she returned his glare. He wouldn’t do it. He was testing her. Smiling, she all but dared him to kiss her. He was so close, she could lift her head and take his lips herself if she so chose. One thing living with the pack had taught her was never to show weakness. The feeble had a way of disappearing and she was anything but weak. She had proven herself time and time again. She had gained their respect. She would gain Evan’s too.
    Pressing her damp palms to her thighs, she waited for him to retreat. The inner battle he waged shone in his eyes. For a brief moment, she thought she had won—that he would back off, but then the corners of his lips quirked up and his pupils dilated. His movement was so swift she didn’t have time to avert her face. No time to take a breath before his lips pressed against hers and stole what little air she had left.
    Too stunned to move, she stood motionless under his assault. His lips slid over hers, exerting just enough pressure to make her want more. He brought his hands up her back to take the tie from her braid, tugging to free her hair before sliding his fingers through the locks. Tightening his hold, he pressed her closer still.
    His spicy fragrance surrounded her, enticing the dragon and pulling her in with his virile male scent. Somewhere in the far recesses of her mind, she knew she should put a stop to it, but she had dreamt of this man, yearned for him for so long she couldn’t tear herself away. When his tongue probed at the seam of her lips, she opened to him with a soft sigh. Need burned in the pit of her stomach, making her breasts ache and every inch of skin tingle, demanding his touch.
    Not waiting for him to take things further, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him so that he was flush against her, his hard length pressing into her softer belly. Her energy mingled with his, pulsing all around them, creating a soft glow in the dim light of the cave.
    She swayed against him, slow and steady. Sensation overrode logic, and she lost herself in it—in him. When he tore his lips from hers and trailed down her neck to her shoulder, she pressed more tightly against him, wedging her thigh between his, needing to be closer still.
    His body stiffened as a pained groan ripped from between his clenched teeth.
    How could she have forgotten his injuries? How could she have gotten so lost in the moment that everything else disappeared around her? An Erritrol could have waltzed into the cave and attacked and she wouldn’t have known until it was too late. Inattention got people killed in these lands. She had given up her rights to this man long ago, and it was high time she remembered that.
    “I’m sorry. I should never have allowed that to happen. I… it won’t happen again.” She pulled away from his heat, careful not to jostle his leg as she extricated herself.
    His expression hardened and the muscles in his jaw clenched as he brought his gaze up to hers again. Those she could have handled, but the pain reflected in his eyes shook her to her core.
    He hadn’t wanted to be strapped down to a mate. He didn’t “have time” for a needy female. His duty was too important. The words he had spoken echoed in her mind as they often did. Was it possible he had changed his mind? Had she subjected him to the same soul-searing pain she had herself undergone?
    She swallowed past the huge lump lodged in her throat. “Evan…”
    He blinked heavily once, and by the time his eyes opened again, the pain was gone. All emotion dissipated as if it had never been. He showed no signs of distress, physical or otherwise, but the agony in his leg and spine had to be excruciating.
    “Now