Page 58 of Apples Dipped in Gold

I tilted my head back, holding his gaze.

“And that bothers you?”

My eyes widened. “No, of course not.”

“Then why did you ask at all?”

“I told you I was curious,” I said.

“So you are saying if Ihadslept with someone, you wouldn’t care?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” I said.

He stared at me, smirking.

“I think you are a liar, Samara of Gnat.”

“Don’t call me a liar!” I said and shoved him.

He stumbled back and fell into the river. The only problem was that I also fell, slipping on the roots at my feet.

I was barely able to hold my breath as I hit the water. Lore’s arm fastened around my waist as he righted us and pushed us to the surface. I coughed and spit water from my mouth as it ran out of my nose before I smoothed my hands over my face and through my hair.

I found Lore standing over me, and I couldn’t look away.

I forgot how imposing he could be, but in thismoment, there was no denying it. He towered over me. His tunic stuck to every muscle and made me realize just how broad his shoulders were. I wanted to touch him.

“You are most certainly a liar,” he said, smoothing a strand of my hair behind my ear.

I closed my eyes at his touch, but it was not out of fear. A different emotion shuddered through me, and I swallowed hard before I looked at him again.

“Perhaps I am a liar,” I said. “But what good comes from knowing the truth?”

Lore’s finger trailed along my jaw to my chin. “I suppose that depends on how I feel about it.”

“And how do you feel?”

He leaned close, his lips hovering so close to mine.

“I like it,” he said. “I like it very much.”

Then he kissed me.

It was soft, a slow press of his lips against mine, and when he broke away, his forehead rested against mine.

“And you?” he said, his voice a quiet whisper. “How do you feel about it?”

He pulled back to look into my eyes.

“I like it,” I replied. “I like it very much.”

Lore smiled and offered a breathless laugh.

His hand slipped into my hair as he kissed me again, longer this time. He shifted closer, our bodies flush. I let my hands move and twist into the fabric of his tunic. I didn’t know what to hold on to or how to touch him. I hated that I was so aware of my inexperience when something this wonderful was happening, but I could not help feeling clumsy and awkward despite the heat surging through my body. I wondered if Lore could tell, if he thought I was terrible at this.

Then something changed, and Lore’s arm tightened around my waist. He pulled me closer than before. His body was hard, and I gasped at the feel of him. I thought I’d felt desire before, but it was nothing compared to this. My body suddenly felt heavy, and I was desperate to be touched in places only I had explored.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. I wanted to be closer, even if it wasn’t possible. The friction of his body provided a shred of relief as my breasts flattened against his chest and his arousal pressed against my stomach. I was no longer thinking about my inadequacies but how it would feel to have him inside me. I had never known such pleasure, and I had only dreamed of it with one person—the fae who had offered me a knife.