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“You heard what I said, Juliette. I care about you. I will not lose you. You’ve turned my world upside down with your beautiful smile and lilting laugh and it will destroy me if anything happens to you. I can’t and won’t watch you die.”

There were no words needed, no understanding of what was happening between us.

But the pull, the crazy heightened electricity was something neither one of us could deny.

With Kage’s chest rising and falling, every breath he took as labored as mine, he fisted my hair with one hand, sliding his other under my bottom and lifting me from the floor.

“Goddamn it,” he breathed. “This shouldn’t be happening.”

I slipped my arms around his neck, darting my eyes back and forth across his. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

The moment his lips crashed over mine, my core erupted, extensive heat spilling down my arms and legs. I pressed my knees against his thighs as he dug his fingers into my scalp. Whoever said pain mixing with pleasure was a powerful aphrodisiac was brilliant.

Every action demanding, he thrust his tongue inside my mouth. There was no way to calm my desires or control his. The kiss was a fiery explosion, a desperate attempt at fulfilling an intense longing. He sucked on my tongue then I repeated the action. He tasted of fire and sin, the heady scent of musk and timber infusing my senses.

I was lightheaded, fighting nerves and more than a hint of fear. What could this mean? I shoved thoughts aside, allowing the tingling sensations to drive me into a moment of euphoria.

Within seconds, we were ripping at each other’s clothes.

He broke the kiss long enough to grin just before ripping my shirt off. With my legs still wrapped around his waist, I tugged at my boots, laughing when I almost tumbled from his arms.

We both laughed and he tightened his hold. When the boots were tossed, he leaned me against the wall, jutting his hips forward to keep me positioned perfectly without falling. With the same dark expression on his face, he cupped both mybreasts, flicking his thumbs back and forth across my nipples. Panting, I rubbed my fingers up and down his muscular back, marveling from his carved features. How could any man be this carved?

With every kiss, he stole oxygen from my lungs. With every touch, he exposed the vulnerable side of me, a woman who’d never felt anything like this before. While everything about him demanded respect, there was a sensual side to him, yet the need he felt inside was as desperate as mine.

Not just for sex, but for passion in all things in life.

With one hand, he unfastened my bra, tilting his head back and studying me as he lowered one strap then the other. The wry smile on his face could be considered annoying, but on him it was sexy as hell.

Just like everything else.

I lowered one leg to the floor, teetering on my toes as he stroked his hand across my skin.

He pulled me away from the wall just enough to dip me into an arch, the move lifting my breasts. A heady growl was followed by a wash of heat as he blew across one nipple. When he engulfed the tip, I let out a strangled moan.

The dazzling sensations from before were turning into electric jolts, another wave of prickles dancing down the back of my legs. He brushed the tip of his tongue across my hardened bud, alternating between sucking and licking until both my mind and body were in a frenzy.

Every sound made was a stark reminder he was all male.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the pleasure even as I longed to hold his thick cock in my hand.

He rolled his lips across my chest, consuming my other nipple and drawing a moan from the center of my being. I tilted my head, staring up at the ceiling. The feel of every scar under my fingers was a reminder, but not that he was a broken man. It was a reminder that he was one of the strongest men I’d ever met.

The sound he made as he sucked on my taut bud caused moans to escape my lips. He dragged his tongue along my shoulder blade, the action slow and easy. When he nipped my earlobe, I laughed nervously.

Why was I nervous around him? There was no reason to be. We’d done this before, although everything had been different.

Heat swept across my exposed skin, melting me.

Kage pulled back, his nostrils fully flared. Around him, I never knew what to expect. The way he pulled me into his arms was possessive. The rapid beat of my heart matched every solid thud of his boots as he took long strides into his bedroom. Being inside his private space felt too personal, too intimate, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

His eyes never leaving mine, he lowered me to my feet, immediately ripping one boot off his foot then the other. After unfastening the button of his jeans, he stopped long enough to point toward my waist. “Off. Now.”

Even the sound of his voice was gravellier than before, every syllable drenched in lust. With his hooded eyes, he appeared more sinfully dangerous. How was that even possible given he was the epitome of rugged perfection?

I teased him just a little, swaying my hips back and forth before unfastening the button on my jeans. He wagged his finger before cupping his groin, stroking his bulge as he watched my reaction. I wet my lips and slowly tugged on the zipper. Only then did he do the same.

A soft laugh left my lips when I finally peeled the material away, shimmying the dense fabric over my hips and pushing them to the floor. Now wearing only a red thong, I felt more embarrassed than before, mostly because of the way he was looking at me.