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He laughed, knowing I’d just made them up. To my surprise, he secured my ass with his hands and ran around his house.

What just happened here?

I laughed because it was silly, absurd, and unexpected. The duel had pivoted to something entirely different, with me on his back for another piggyback ride. It seemed like that was an ongoing theme between us.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “Put me down!”

“Trying to make you dizzy so you can lose.” He stopped and pressed my back into a wall with a mirror across from us.

I bit gently on his neck and felt his racing pulse.

He met my gaze in the mirror. “I love the way your sex is pressing into my back, Tulip.” He shifted and wiggled, bringing my core evencloser to him.

A moan released from me, and he grinned, knowing exactly what he was doing.

I’d never been in this aroused position and didn’t know what to say.

“How about we call it a truce?” he asked.

I swallowed, caught my breath, and slid down from his back.

He turned around and braced his arms on either side of me. “You’re the ambush I wasn’t ready for. You’ve knocked all the sense out of me. Especially with the monkey choke and spider bite.”

My heart drummed, and I wondered if he could hear it.

Hebreathed near my ear, inhaled my hair, and growled. “We have to deal with this attraction, Vivian. It’s unavoidable.”

I lifted my face to stare up at his hungry gray eyes. Spears of cool blue burst from his irises, creating a mesmerizing mosaic that drew me in even more.

He ran his knuckles down my cheek, and electricity zipped through me. This man could command my body in unimaginable ways. The sexual energy was spiraling out of control. I didn’t want to analyze anything. I just wanted to feel him touch me.

He was right. This explosive attraction needed to be dealt with. The duel shouldn’t have increased the attraction, but it did. I loved that he was my match. If we had continued, he would’ve defeated me. He was a lot bigger and stronger than me.

For tonight, I wanted to be taken care of.

A Kiss is Not Enough could be confirmed after tonight. Would Arrow move on once this attraction was dealt with?

Would I?

Could I?

I placed my palms on his chest, feeling his warmth and heartbeat. “Arrow?”

“Yes, Tulip?”

“Kiss me.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR

VIVIAN

Arrow’s lipscrashed into mine with a masculine growl. I moaned at the onslaught of hungry lips, curious tongues, and greedy teeth. It was like an explosion of need that had been dormant for too long.

For me, it was an eruption from years of keeping my desires and emotions on a straight path. But right now, I wanted the detour. I wanted to take a different route without a planned destination.

His tongue dueled with mine, and the taste of him added fuel to my wildfire. He had sparked something in me when he’d asked me out the first time. But fear and responsibility forced me to keep my distance. The distance had kept me safe, but it also prevented me from exploring what I truly wanted—what I desperately needed.

Arrow lured that explorative part of me out and indirectly guided me to his home tonight.