Page 86 of Chasing Stardust

“Very funny.” Folding my arms over my chest, I tear my gaze from his, swapping embarrassment for a healthy dose of exasperation.

Either ignoring—or blissfully unaware of—my shifting mood, Dash collects a few stray marshmallows lying in the dirt and flicks them into the glowing embers. Then his gaze lands on the wet spot under the discarded cup. “I can’t believe you fought a bear with nothing but a cup of pee.”

I shrug and shoot an exaggerated glance at the yellow Pokémon character guarding my lady bits. “I must’ve left my Taser in my other underwear.”

As if just noticing my current state of undress, Dash’s smile slips. He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his gaze drifts from my exposed shoulders to my bare legs.

A rough sound rolls up his throat, and my nerve endings flare to life. I’m afraid to even breathe as he traces the contours of my body with his eyes, as if memorizing every dip and valley, every line and curve between the tips of my toes and the top of my head.

A dull throb settles in my center as the thrill of anticipation evaporates every drop of my momentary irritation like water on a hot skillet. I release a jagged breath, drawing his attention back to my face.

Our gazes lock as we stand there in the clearing, the air between us crackling with unspoken promises. Moonlight sparkles in his mismatched eyes as he drinks me in. Then he licks his lips, and a slow grin curves his mouth. He hasn’t even touched me yet, and I’m already putty in his hands.

Quickly closing the distance between us, he hooks an arm around my shoulder and pulls me into an embrace, shifting his weight and opening his stance until I settle between his parted legs.

“You did good,” he murmurs, and his lips brush the shell of my ear.

My knees threaten to give out, and I melt into him, burying my face in his hard chest as tiny ripples of electricity dance down my spine. He smells of campfire, burned sugar, and the unique scent I’ve come to associate with Dash. If only it were possible to bottle that fragrance and keep it forever.

“Taking on a bear was pretty badass.” His hot breath raises goose bumps over my cool skin.

I suck in a breath and let it out quickly, wishing we could rewind to before the bear showed up. “Badass or not, it wasn’t what I had in mind for this evening.”

“The evening doesn’t have to be over. Not if you don’t want it to be.” His heart races beneath my cheek, but he doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe, as if contemplating the weight of his own words.

“But . . .” Torn between the dangers lurking in the dark and the desperate need building within me, I gaze up at him and drag my bottom lip through my teeth. “What about the bear?”

“You chased him away, right?” He glides his stubbled cheek along my jaw and traces a trembling hand up my spine, leaving a trail of heat in its wake.

Yogi could be anywhere, but Dash’s fingers stroking over my bare skin chase away the fear until I can’t focus on anything but him.

“What if . . .”

The thought dies on my lips, my concentration shattered as he nips my earlobe, clamping down just hard enough to send blood rushing from my brain to points south.

With a dark chuckle, he releases the lobe and soothes the sting with his tongue. “If what?”

My stomach bottoms out as his low purr unleashes another wave of liquid heat.

Abandoning my ear, Dash fixes his lips to the sensitive spot behind it, resting his fingers in the notches between my vertebrae while he ravages my neck. Every brush of his lips, every sweep of his tongue, pulls me under, drugging me, loosening my muscles and turning my bones to jelly.

My thoughts scatter like ashes in the wind as I cling to him, twisting my fingers in the back of his shirt, lost to the sensation of his lips, his teeth, and his tongue, caressing the column of my throat.

“If what?” he asks again, and his mouth curves into a smile against my neck, as if he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.

My lips fall open to respond, but my mind goes blank. If he thinks he can coax any sort of rational thought from me while he slowly kisses his way to my collarbone, he’s sorely mistaken. I can barely coax breath from my lungs.

Dash skates his large palms over my shoulders and down my sides, making my knees go weak and my core clench as his fingertips graze the swell of my breasts. Nonsensical ramblings about the bear tumble from my lips before I can snatch them back. Screw the bear. I’d willingly face down an army of predators for another minute of this delicious torture.

“Don’t worry.” He locks his gaze on mine and rests his wandering hands on the soft curve of my hips, lazily tracing the elastic waistband of my Pikachu panties with the pad of his thumb. “I’ll protect you.”

Lost in the hypnotic thrall of his eyes, I mutter, “Who’s going to protect you?”

Dash brings his lips to my ear once again, his fingers flexing before sinking almost painfully into my hips. “I’m Superman, remember?”

His unexpected declaration snaps the remaining threads of my frayed willpower. My pulse quickens as I wrap my fingers around his neck and drag his face down to mine. Our mouths collide in a tangle of lips, tongues, and teeth. Again and again, his mouth slants over mine, his tongue delving inside. Tasting me.

Claiming me.