Page 117 of Ignition

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means…” I dipped her again, lower this time, dragging a little squeal out of her.

Better than any music.

“Shut up, enjoy the dance… and stop hiding.”

I straightened her up, catching the tremor along her spine with my palms.

“I’m not hiding!” she huffed, fingers trailing up from my shoulders to my hair, drawing a small, contented sigh out of me as they curled in.

I pulled her closer and leaned in, so that my words grazed the shell of her ear. “Yeah, you are.

“Fighting me, asking questions, anything to avoid feeling this,” I whispered, hand splaying over the small of her back as the other stroked through the hair at her nape. My lips brushed the dip below her earlobe, catching the frantic kick of her pulse, which only spurred me on.

The song was ending.

Propriety said to pull back, but I couldn’t care less.

My heart bruised my ribs from the inside, or maybe it was her own thumping against mine, our chests nearly level, thanks to her heels.

I trailed a slow line along her jaw, then brushed the corner of her mouth, until her breath hitched and she was finally, mercifully, quiet.

My breath ghosted over her face as my fingers hooked into her hair, tipping her head back in a gesture that could no longer be misinterpreted.

My nose nudged hers, and I caught a glimpse of sparkling green around blown pupils, before her lashes fluttered shut, and I swallowed her whisper of my name.

A soft groan rumbled from my chest as her hands locked behind my nape—as if she wouldn’t let go—and our lips learnt each other all over again under the spotlight.

Her stifled little whimper bloomed on my tongue as it sought access, coaxing her mouth open, until I tasted her, until the fizzy sweetness of her made my head spin.

The whispers of the crowd I’d normally be concerned about rolled off me like smoke. All I knew was her warmth seeping into my chest, the feel of her cradled in my arms, and her scent settling all over me—and I cursed myself for having waited that goddamn long.

My fingers tightened on the small of her back, pressing her closer.

If war came—and it might—I’d have to find a way to protect her.

Then, any and all thoughts fell out of my head.

Her hands speared into my hair, and her tongue licked boldly into my mouth, setting me on fire from the inside.

Her softness brushed my chest, luring me into dangerous territory with every scrape of her nails against my scalp, with every sweet breath I stole with my mouth.

We kissed forever, until time stretched and snapped.

Seasons changed, and at least a dozen songs swelled around us—or maybe there had been only one—by the time our mouths finally unglued and her glazed eyes settled on me, dipping to my mouth before she smothered a chuckle. A split-second later, she wiped around my mouth, rubbing over my lips, and by the smear on her own, we’d made quite a mess of her lipstick.

Our smiles met in a soft, slow press, before the music picked up into something lively, and I pulled back, cocked an eyebrow at her, and grabbed her hands.

“Fancy another one?”

She shook her head and laughed, mouth a little swollen, smile breath-stoppingly bright.

“I guess.” She shrugged.

“Please, temper your enthusiasm,” I chuckled. “Hope you can keep up.”

Her eyes lit up at the challenge, her grin matching my own before I twirled her fast, catching her against my chest, harder this time—hard enough her breath stuttered over my face.