Page 101 of Shardless
Wrapping her arms around Skye’s neck, Taly pressed her body against his. That simple gesture, or maybe it was the sudden skin-on-skin contact as she snaked her palms inside his shirt, seemed to finally break through his restraint. With a strangled moan, he coiled his other arm around her waist, drawing her to her toes as he shoved her against the bookcase. In the distance, through the haze of lust, she thought she heard several books fall to the floor with heavy thuds.
Shards, he felt good.Thisfelt good. That was all Taly could think as he pressed himself against her, all firm masculine planes and sinewy lines of muscle.
Eventually, her need for air made itself known, and she had to pull away, gasping for breath. As soon as her lips left his, Skye was at her neck, placing wet, open-mouthed kisses down the column of her throat. Tilting her head to give him better access, she shuddered as the cool air of the library wafted against her moist, overheated skin.
“Skye?” His name came out as a needy moan, and Taly fisted a hand in his hair.
“Yes?” he whispered against her skin, his voice lilting. His hands traced the curve of her waist, up and then back down over the swell of her hips.
She gave his hair another tug, hoping that he’d catch her meaning. All she got was a lowchuckle, puffs of air against her skin as he ghosted his lips across the length of her neck.
“Is there something you want?” His tongue darted out to trace the shell of her ear, and she thought she felt a slight tremble shake his frame.
Another tug and she finally pulled his lips back up to hers, but he didn’t close the distance. Instead, he teased her, placing soft kisses along the line of her jaw. “You’re going to have to tell me what you want, Tink. Word for word—you know I don’t take instruction well.”
Taly’s cheeks flushed an even brighter shade of red. “I…” she stuttered, a breathy sigh escaping when he started to nibble at her other ear. “I… I want…” Another lick. Another nip. “Shards, would you stop being such a tease and just kiss me again?” she finally managed to blurt out in a rush.
Skye’s reaction was immediate. With a low growl, he hooked his hands beneath her thighs, twisting them around and hoisting her up on the nearby desktop. His lips were back on hers in an instant, and he used her gasp of surprise to deepen the kiss as he hooked her legs around his waist.
His tongue felt like velvet as it expertly invaded her mouth, but she froze up, overcome by the flood of new sensations. Sensing her hesitation, he pulled back, pressing his lips to hers once, twice. Slow, soft kisses, waiting for her to set the pace. After a moment, she opened her mouth in invitation, and though she fumbled, he was patient. His hands cradled her face tenderly as she tried to match his rhythm, and she felt him smile against her lips when she started kissing him back with increasing confidence and enthusiasm.
Eventually, his hands started to become more daring, moving to caress her waist, her thighs. Butwhen he began tugging at her shirt, palming the bare skin of her back and grinding into her just where she needed it most, she had to pull away.
“Skye, stop,” she gasped, tipping her head back as a strangled whimper tore from her throat. She gripped his shoulders and gave him a slight push.
“Sorry.” Breathing harshly, he pressed his face into the crook of her neck. “Too fast?”
“No… I mean… maybe a little,” Taly stammered. The telltale hardness that was still pressed against her core did little to help her recover what was left of her higher thought processes. “What are we doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” He gave a strained laugh, then a groan as he took a step back, putting a small amount of space between their bodies.
“Don’t be a smartass.” She pinched his shoulder, which earned her a sharp nip on the side of her neck. “I mean it. What are we doing?”
Skye finally pulled back far enough to look her in the eye, and his hands moved to encircle her waist, almost like he was afraid she was going to run away. “Well,” he said, a little unsure, “I wanted to kiss you, so I did. Then you kissed me back, and then it…escalated.”
Taly licked her lips, and his eyes dipped down to her mouth. She placed a hand on his chest, a warning. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Why not?” His face fell, and she could see a shadow of apprehension creep into his expression.
“Well,” Taly said, her breaths still heavy and uneven, “you’re my best friend, for one.”
“I’m sorry,” Skye broke in. “I’m confused. Is that supposed to be a reason for or against me kissing you again?”
Taly swatted his chest. “Stop it. I know you love the sound of your own voice, but just shut up for one second and listen.” Skye didn’t look too terribly chastened, but he pressed his lips together as he waited for her to continue.
She took a deep breath before saying, “You’re my best friend, and I don’t want to ruin that. I don’t want to ruinusfor… I don’t even know. What is this? Just a way to relieve stress after a shitty day? Or hell, did you strike out with Jezebel the other night and still need to scratch that itch?”
Skye’s arms tightened around her waist. “Is that what you think?” he asked, so quiet, so calm. His eyes turned hard—lethal. “Do you actually believe that I would use you as some sort ofplaything?”
“No,” Taly replied quickly. When she moved a hand to cup his cheek, she felt him relax as he leaned into her touch. “But I do think that this is a little unexpected, and maybe we need to take a step back before we end up making a mistake. Shards know I’ve already made far too many of those.”
Skye snorted a laugh. “Oh, Taly, full of grace, who did flee from the manor in all due haste.”
Taly glowered at him as best she could from where she was still pressed against his chest. “How long have you been waiting to use that line?”
“A while,” he replied, grinning. “There are other verses if you’d like to—”
“Nope. I’m good.”
