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My body grows uncomfortably hot, and I can’t seem to take part in the conversation any longer. I think Kellyn might excuseus because suddenly he’s ushering me away, our hands clasped together once more.

His strides are so long, I almost have to jog to keep up. While most of my height is located in my torso, Kellyn’s is all in the legs. He shoves open some door, pokes his head in, and then pulls me after him.

I only catch a quick glimpse of the room—an unused bedchamber. White sheets cover everything. The air is somewhat stale, and a thin layer of dust coats everything.

“Are you all right?” Kellyn asks. “Was that too much? I know she’s a talker, but—”

I launch myself at him as soon as I realize that we’re alone. We’re alone and safe, and for once there isn’t any immediate danger.

His back slams against the nearest wall right before my lips cover his, swallowing his gasp. He tastes like butter and honey, and if that weren’t sweet enough, it is nothing compared to when he brushes my hair back with gentle fingers, cups my cheeks with his hands, angles me just where he wants me so he can taste me in return.

My hands slide down his chest, loving the hardness of him through his clothes. When I reach the end, I’m startled by a soft warmth.

His shirt has ridden up, and my fingers find bare skin.

Either he hasn’t noticed or doesn’t care that I’m touching his skin, because nothing changes in the movements of his lips. So, tentatively, I press the flat of my palm against his bare stomach.

He gasps, and I pull away as though I’ve been burned.

“I’m sorry!” Oh no, I ruined it. That was too much. I should have—

Kellyn yanks me right back. His lips find mine again, and with one of his hands, he returns my palm to his skin.

But I’m unsure based on his previous reaction. What if I do another thing he doesn’t like? Is he only humoring me? I find myself too scared to move, so I try to ignore the feeling of his skin, focusing on his lips instead.

Kellyn kisses along my jaw, bites my earlobe before blowing cool breath along my skin. “You only surprised me,” he whispers, his voice deliciously husky. “I love it when you touch me.”

I think about the way his arms move up and down my back. The way I feel when his fingers brush my cheeks. When he touches me, I feel alive. Is that what he feels, too?

I let my second hand join the first, and then my fingers rove to his bare back, where I apply pressure, fusing us together.

Kellyn makes a humming noise, and I love the sound of it. I think I could spend years kissing this man, learning the noises he makes, the places he likes to be touched the most.

One of his hands slides down my side until he reaches my thigh. He grips it, raises it up, so the inside of my leg brushes against his strong muscles.

And then he tries the same thing with the other leg. Only, then I won’t be able to balance myself. Does he mean for me to…?

I jump, and he catches me effortlessly. He spins us, rests my back against the wall, holds me up with his strong arms. His shirt is cinched up between us, and I rake my nails up and down his back, loving the way his muscles tense up underneath me.

I don’t understand. Temra always becomes so bored with men, hopping from one to the next. She seems to need variety to keep herself entertained. But I don’t feel that way. I want to learn all the different positions I can kiss this one man in. I think I could do this all day without tiring.

After what could be one hour or five, Kellyn lets me slide back to the floor. I almost don’t catch myself in time, but he holds mein place, our foreheads resting together while we share the air between us.

“I thoughtIdecided when we stopped kissing,” I say.

He laughs, kisses the tip of my nose, and takes my hand. “If we don’t go find your sister, she’ll come looking for you.”

“She’d never find us in here.”

“You’re probably right. But we have a meeting to get to.”

“A meeting?”

“With Skiro and Petrik. About Ravis’s approaching army?”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“You distracted me.”