“Here.”
I look up to find Paige there, holding her hand out.
“Let me help.”
After a moment’s hesitation, I place the substance in her hand. She goes behind me and rubs it on the sore spot, finding it with unerring accuracy. I groan as she works on the cramp with surprisingly strong hands.
“You’re too tense,” she says. “Try to relax.”
Relax? When her every touch sends fires shooting through my skin? My heart thuds hard, rushing blood through my ears. It’s all I can do not to cry out.
“There you go,” she says, wiping the excess paste on her own skin. “I don’t know what’s in this stuff, but it’s so soothing.”
“Thank you.”
I rise from the floor, preparing to build a fire at last. When I reach down to pick up a log, her hand also falls on it.
“Oh,” she says. “I guess we both had the same idea, huh?”
I look up. Her face is inches away, her breath warm on my skin. Paige’s blue eyes shine with … something. Something I cannot name. Or dare not.
Before I can think about it twice, I lean forward and sweetly kiss her plump lips.
7
PAIGE
God, I was so hoping he’d kiss me.
Now that he has, I’m utterly overwhelmed by the pulses of fire racing through my veins. His lips on my own are pure magic. I find myself relaxing into the kiss, exulting in the taste of his lips.
Jovak’s hands come up to my face, caressing my cheeks. His hands are huge and practically envelop my head, but I don’t care. Not as long as he keeps kissing me like this.
His tongue slips into my mouth, and a moan escapes my throat. Our breath mingles as I lash my tongue against his. Lips smack, tongues play, and our mutual hearts beat only a few inches from each other.
Jovak dropped one hand from my face and slid it down my back. I leaned into him harder, my pulse a thudding tympany in my ears. It doesn’t matter that I’m inexperienced. I seem to be doing it right. He’s enjoying himself or doing a damn good fakery of it.
Oh god, where is this going? Stupid question. It’s pretty obvious where it’s going. Even before his hand slides down my back until his lowest finger just brushes the slope of my ass. A pulse like fire shoots through me, and I feel my body responding to his touch, his kiss, his manly musk-like scent.
I feel my entire nervous system being doused in electricity. It feels so damn good to be kissing him. Isthiswhat I was missing? The older girls undersold this experience, if anything. I feel as if we’re floating on a cloud.
Only we’re not floating. My sister is sleeping not far away. That thought should probably make me stop, or at least slow down, but I can’t bring myself to stop kissing Jovak long enough for that to happen.
A hard lump presses against me from right between his legs. I know what that is, and I know what it means. Part of me wants to go all the way. Okay, I’ll be honest. Most of me wants to go all the way.
But Laney … and I get the feeling that if we give in to our passions and let them sweep us away, it will get … loud.
Maybe it’s a good thing my sister is here. Maybe it’s best if we just stop. Where is this going? He already said he doesn’t want a mate. And even if he did, nothing says he wants that mate to be me. After all, he’s a chieftain. He’s probably going to mate with an orc who happens to be a chieftain’s daughter.
What chance would we really have? While I ache for him, burn for him, I know this is doomed from the start.
Not only that, but it feelstoogood. I don’t know if I’m supposed to enjoy it this much. I have no basis for comparison at all, considering the fact that this is my first time. If the actual sex is supposed to be better than this, then I’m afraid I will lose all control.
I stop kissing him back, stiffening in his arms. He stops right away, pulling back enough to meet my gaze.
“What’s the matter?” he asks softly. Oh god, I don’t want to hurt his feelings. The last thing I want is to drive this strangely noble and kind orc away from me. He’s the first man to be good to me and my sister since Gramps died.
And yet, I can’t let myself go and just flow with the moment. There’s something else gnawing at me, a tiny voice in my head telling me that this good feeling is just the setup for a great big fall.