Page 46 of Cursed Evermore

My lips parted, but no sound came. What was there to say? My pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out rational thought. I didn't want to say no. So, yes, he was right again. Iwouldn'tstop him.

Wolfe lifted his hand slowly, letting his knuckles skim my cheek like a reverent caress, as if memorizing me through touch alone. His skin was warm, slightly rough, and utterly mesmerizing.

“Still think I'm not real, Ziyka?” he murmured, his breath ghosting across my lips.

My answer never came out. Because in the next second, Wolfe leaned in. And pressed his lips to mine.

At the contact fire and ice clashed inside me. Life and death collided as one. All consumed me.

His mouth moved against mine with practiced precision, drawing sensations from my body I never knew existed. He tasted of wild honey, power, and sin.

The kiss wasn’t gentle. The kiss wasn’t soft.

The kiss was aclaim.

He kissed me as if he wanted to take everything and taste my soul while he was at it. And I let him.

I leaned into it, intohim,like a flower seeking the sun, fingers curling into the leather of his cloak like I needed something to hold on to before I fell apart.

Maybe I already had.

I gripped tighter, anchoring myself against the storm raging through me. The world fell away, replaced by a hunger that clawed at my insides, begging for everything he could give me.

Just as I surrendered to the feeling, he backed me into the alcove under the cover of more darkness and privacy. No one would see us here.

We crashed against the wall, his body pressing against mine with desperate need. The cool stone bit into my back, a sharp contrast to the heat radiating from his skin.

His hands found my waist, fingers splaying wide and searching as if he wanted to feel every part of me.

I did the same. My palms explored the hard planes of his chest, feeling the defined muscles beneath his shirt and the rapid beat of his heart that matched the wild rhythm of my own. When I traced the powerful lines of his shoulders and arms, he tensed under my touch, a low sound rumbling from his throat.

His lips moved to trace the column of my throat and a soft gasp escaped me, and I felt him smile against my skin.

The strength in his frame was invigorating, all lean muscle and controlled power that made me feel both delicate and scarily safe.

His mouth found mine again and heat spiralled through my entire body. Then his hands became desperate and as hungry as his lips, as they roamed my curves with reverent urgency.

When his fingers found the laces of my bodice, he tugged at them with barely restrained need, his knuckles brushing against my skin, making me arch into his touch.

He groaned against the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder. The fabric loosened under his skilled fingers, and cool air kissed my skin.

Wolfe stopped kissing me and caught my throat, forcing me to stare right into his eyes. “So you accept my offer, little mage? You want me to fuck you?” The wicked smile that danced across his lips burned through my skin.

This was madness. I knew it was.

It was complete and utter madness. I was supposed to be downstairs at my engagement party, smiling prettily while Thayden paraded me around like a prize he'd already won. I was supposed to be the dutiful daughter, accepting my fate in a forced marriage with grace. Instead, I was out here, in the shadows with a man whose name I'd only learned tonight, letting him unravel me with his touch.

But for the first time in years, something was mine to choose. Not anybody else’s. Justmine.Emabelle’swords rang through my mind. I should get to choose, so I decided Wolfe could have me.Hecould be my first.

This wild, reckless moment belonged to me alone. And I was just a woman who wanted to be touched, to be desired, to feel alive. If this beautiful stranger could give me that, even for onenight, then I would take it. I would take everything he offered and make it mine.

“Yes,” I told him.

“Good.” He gave me a maddening smile then he claimed my lips again. This time with that dominant vibe that told me there was no turning back.

This was it. I was going to give myself to him. Right here.

His tongue swept across mine before he drew it into his mouth, the gentle suction making me feel like I might dissolve completely.