He grinned and leaned into my personal space, his irises capturing mine. “Did you think his kissing you thwarted my claim, Claire? Because I’ll take you right now and prove how wrong you are. Your fire is all mine, sweetheart, and that’s a part of you that I’m not sharing.”
Goose bumps trailed down my arms, my mouth suddenly dry. “So, uh, you don’t care that I kissed Exos?”
“Oh, I care.” He inched closer. “What I’m saying is I understand and respect your need to date us both. Because what we have isn’t comparable. We’re fire, sweetheart. And fire is all passion.” He licked my lower lip, a trail of flames following in his wake. “Do you forgive me, sweetheart? Or do you need me to grovel?”
Shouldn’t I be the one begging for forgiveness here? For almost burning him and Ignis alive? For kissing Exos in front of him after our intimate night together?
“I’m so confused,” I admitted.
“May I make a suggestion?” he countered, his hips leaning into mine.
“Y-yes.” I swallowed. “Please.” I’d do anything to solve the puzzle in my thoughts.
“Stop thinking,” he whispered, embers flickering between our mouths. “Just feel.” He pressed his lips to mine. So different from Exos’s. Not that I should be comparing them, but it was hard considering the short time span that had passed from earlier to now.
Yet, as Titus slid his tongue inside, all my worries vanished. His skilled strokes consumed me, his heat absorbing mine and causing me to arch into him for more. He groaned, his grip on my hip tightening.
“Titus,” I breathed, flames erupting over my skin.
He lifted me into the air, bracing my back against the glass as he wrapped my legs around his waist. Then his fist was in my hair, holding me to him as he devoured my mouth, stealing all the air from my lungs.
So hot.
But even as my fire brewed out of control, his tempered the inferno, creating an erotic dance of elements around us. He was right. No one could touch this part of us, not even Exos.
My fire belonged to Titus.
Just as my spirit belonged to Exos.
Acceptance washed over me, my mind too exhausted to fight the truth any longer. I wanted them both, and I would have them both, so long as they would have me. Titus was right. I needed to stop thinking and just live in the moment.
I wound my arms around his neck, my fingers threading through his auburn strands and giving them a tug. He growled against my mouth, deepening the kiss and stirring an inferno in my lower belly.
Exos had ignited a need in me.
Titus was stoking that need to a whole new level.
It left me feeling dizzy and so incredibly aroused. Both of these men touched me in entirely different ways, yet it was all so interconnected inside me in a complex web of elements. It left me craving an outlet, a way to expel some of my pent-up power in a safe environment. And Titus provided me with that, by calling out my fire and wrapping it up in his own. The entire room was alive with light—our light.
I felt safe here.
Protected.
Alive.
“More,” I whispered, sliding my palms over the bare skin of his back. “I need more, Titus.”
He smiled against my mouth. “You want to play with fire, sweetheart?”
I nodded. “Yes.” He was my outlet and I needed him. “Please.”
“Mmm.” His hands fell to the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, causing my nipples to stiffen despite the warm air. He kissed me as he lowered my feet to the ground, his grip falling to the shorts at my waist. “Are you sure?”
I didn’t know if we were still talking about playing with fire or if he wanted to know if stripping me was okay. Either way, my answer was “Yes.”
Warmth caressed my legs as he tugged the fabric down, causing it to pool on the ground at my feet and leaving me naked before him. His gaze ran over me, his pupils dilating. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this.” He lifted me again before I could reply and laid me out over the bed.
My pulse thundered in my ears, my nipples tightening to painful points of anticipation. What is he going to do now? What do I want him to do?