Page 43

I slid my hands across his chest, feeling the hard muscles beneath his shirt. If this was the closest I’d ever get to him, I would make it count.

My fingers trembled as I traced over the ridges of his muscles, each defined inch crafted by a master. Ruugar wasn’t just strong, he was built like a cliff face. Hard, sturdy, and with just enough unevenness to make himextra appealing. He was a living, breathing force of nature that made my pulse stutter in response. Heat pooled deep in my belly, a slow ache unfurling as I imagined what it would feel like if he pulled me against him, if those restrained hands found their way to me willingly. If he didn’t see me as someone to help, but a woman to hold. To claim.

He made a low sound in his throat.

I'd never wanted anything as much as I wanted him to give in.

He couldn’t look at me the way I saw him. He seemed distant sometimes, always careful, watching me like I was a problem he had to solve. A guest at best, but most likely, a burden. Never as a woman who burned for him, aching for even the smallest touch.

His jaw clenched. His hands twitched, rising again, only to stop before they could touch the back of my waist. He’d never take if I didn’t offer.

Did I dare hint at my feelings? I'd only shared a few stolen kisses, and they were long enough ago, I wasn't sure I remembered what they felt like. I didn’t know how to put myself out there, to make someone aware that I was interested. No time to learn but now, right?

I leaned down and brushed my lips over his in a whisper of contact. Enough to get a taste of what it felt like to kiss Ruugar.

I had no idea if this was the right thing to do, but I didn’t care anymore. I’d been aching for him in silence, waiting for a sign, for something more than stolen glances and stiff shoulders. I wanted him. If this wentnowhere, if he shoved me away, I needed to know if he’d felt this same unbearable, mounting pull between us. My breath shuddered out of me as I moved closer, drawn to him like a desperate wish that might disappear if I hesitated too long.

His whole body went rigid beneath mine. Did that mean he’d changed his mind? I wasn’t sure what I’d do if?—

His control snapped. With a rough sound, he rolled, flipping me onto my back so fast my breath left in a gasp. His massive body covered mine, his heat searing through the thin layer of fabric between us.

The earth beneath me was hard, unyielding, but with him above me, I didn’t care.

His lips crashed against mine. There was nothing soft or hesitant about this kiss. It was fire meeting fire.

I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer, but he was already there, pressing into me as if he was intent on devouring the space between us. His kiss deepened, his tusks brushing my chin, the faintest scrape sending shivers all the way to my toes.

I buried my fingers in his hair.

“Beth,” he said against my mouth, a prayer or a warning. I didn’t want warnings. Didn’t want hesitation.

“Don't stop,” I croaked.

His forehead rested against mine for a second, and I sensed his control was slipping. I could feel it in the way his hand finally settled on my hip while he braced himself above me.

Unless I was reading this completely wrong, hewanted this. Wantedme. Even if he didn't believe he should.

“Tell me to stop,” he rasped.

I slid my hands down his chest, feeling every inch of power beneath my palms. “Never.”

His lips claimed mine again, and I sunk into the feeling of being held by Ruugar, the guy I was beginning to adore. Maybe I was falling for him because he’d rescued me, but I didn’t care. As long as he kept kissing me, holding me like I was the most precious thing in the world, I was complete.

Finally, he lifted his head, staring into my eyes before his gaze slid to my mouth.

A groan ripped from his chest, and he levered himself up and off me, easing back, fisting his hands on his thighs. With a growl, he raked a hand through his hair, his breathing rough. “I, um, I…” he muttered.

He leaped toward the entrance, and the tent nearly collapsed as he shoved his way out, the fabric shuddering with the force of his escape. Cool air swept over my skin stealing his warmth, leaving me feeling hollow.

I could still feel the imprint of him, his weight pressing me into the ground, his wild, heated breaths mingling with mine, the raw restraint in his fingers as if holding me had been both agony and necessity. He had kissed me back, hadn’t he? I hadn’t imagined it. Had it only been a lapse, a mistake on his part, something he was already regretting?

From the way he’d fled the tent, I’d bet anything this was true. I never should’ve pushed him to kiss me. Lyingon the relatively soft sleeping bag, I stared at the tent canvas overhead, willing myself not to cry. I was so foolish. Ruugar had drawn a line between us, and I'd stepped right over it.

The taste of him still lingered on my mouth, and the ghost of his touch scorched my skin. I hated that I wanted more. It should be enough to know that for one brief, shattering moment that he might've wanted me, too, but it wasn’t. Sure, he'd kissed me back, but what guy wouldn't? He was overcome with emotion but only until he realized who was lying beneath him, who was kissing him.

Beth. OrBen. The helper on this excursion. Ruugar's burden until Bradley and my father gave up, and I could return to town and start a new life far from here and them.

With a deep breath, I sat up, rubbing my face, though it didn't stop the sting behind my eyes. What should I do now?