Page 13 of Herbs & Hex-breaking

“You’re trembling,” he pointed out.

“No, I’m not trembling.” I did my best to sound firm, but his eyes were such an intense shade of cobalt blue that it was taking everything I had not to sigh and simply melt into his embrace.

One side of his mouth kicked up. “Melt, eh?”

“Stay out of my head, Dex,” I snapped, leaning slightly back and away.

His grip tightened. “Maybe if you didn’t think quite so loudly, I wouldn’t have overheard your thoughts.”

I placed one hand in the center of his chest to hold him—or maybe myself—in check. “Well, sugar, whatever you think you heard, you were wrong.”

Dex’s lips curved in a slow smile. “We could test the theory.”

“Dex—” I managed to say, right before he leaned in and kissed me.

His kiss was warm, soft, and seeking. And my brain fizzled out. It was simply gone. When he lifted his mouth from mine, I stood there, mutely staring and blinking up at him.

“Let’s try that again,” he said, swooping in to kiss the hell out of me.

I gasped in surprise and my mouth opened. Dex took immediate advantage of that. His hands slid around my back, and he lifted me to my toes. Our tongues met once, twice, and then his was deep in my mouth.

Yes! was my only thought.

I’m not sure how long we stood there wrapped up in each other, but when his hand slid from my back down to the end of my casual dress, and his fingertips trailed across the back of my thighs, I jolted hard.

We broke apart, both of us out of breath. I knew that he wanted me. The proof of his desire was currently pressed against my belly. His eyes blazed down into mine and I gulped nervously.

I took one shaky step back, and another. Not because I didn’t want him as well. But because I didn’t trust myself not to dive on him and drag that beautiful man down to the floor to finish what we’d started.

“I wouldn’t fight you,” he said, slightly out of breath.

“What?” I blinked in confusion.

“You can drag me down to the floor, Kate,” he said softly. “Whenever you like.”

My face went red instantly. In defense, I lifted my hands to my cheeks.

Dex only smiled. “You can try and raise your shields again, Kate, but I heard your thoughts when we were kissing and, again, a moment ago.”

My humiliation was complete. “This shouldn’t have happened,” I said. “This was a mistake.”

His smile faded. “It wasn’t a mistake. I’ve wanted to kiss you for over a year.”

I did a double take. “Wait, what?”

He moved closer. “If you hadn’t been shielding so hard against me, you probably would have noticed.”

“I’m older than you are,” I pointed out.

He shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“It’s inappro—”

“Don’t say inappropriate,” he interrupted. “Besides I don’t think that it is. Not at all.”

“Well, I...” My words trailed off when he slipped his fingers along the underside of my jaw and then into my hair.

“I want you,” he said quietly. “And you want me.”