“If you couldn’t use your other form, how did you… oh… Mackenzie.” The soft way he said her name tore at her, brought tears to her eyes as he gazed at her, the black slashes of his eyebrows furrowing. “You killed yourself.”
She looked away from him again. “I thought it would be easy. I mean, I know I can come back from death. It should have been easy.”
But it had been so hard.
She had made several attempts, faltering at the last second, because the only option open to her had been snapping her own neck. The mages had left her with nothing in her cell she could have used as a weapon. Bleeding out would have been too dangerous anyway. If she had lost too much blood, she wouldn’t have resurrected.
She shivered as she thought about her latest death, about how afraid she had been, how desperate she had been for death to take her in the end because she had wanted to come back.
Her gaze lifted again, locking on Hartt.
She had felt compelled to come back to him.
“When I managed to… well, my plan worked. The rage I had stoked, rousing my phoenix side, was unleashed. It worked better than I expected. I don’t remember what happened. I only remember coming around in the ruins of that house, cold to the bone and still afraid.”
Hartt placed his other hand over hers, tangling them together in a knot that felt too good. She stared at their joined hands, letting her past wash over her, letting it all flow away to leave her calm inside. Lighter than she had felt in a long time.
She slowly lifted her eyes and her gaze collided with his. His soft expression reached deep into her, touched her soul and warmed her heart, and stirred something she found she didn’t want to deny.
Her walls fell away as she leaned towards him, as her focus lowered to his mouth, as a need filled her again and she didn’t fight it this time.
She wanted to kiss him.
She wanted these sparks that leaped between them to set her on fire.
Even when she felt sure she was only going to get burned.
Chapter 14
Mackenzie captured Hartt’s lips before he could draw away from her, willed him to respond as he froze, his mouth still against hers as she swept her lips over it. A heavy feeling grew inside her as he didn’t react, slowly filling her with doubt and a need to break away from him, to curse herself for thinking he wanted this too.
For thinking he felt the sparks that leaped between them too.
She went to break the kiss.
Hartt seized her nape, tunnelled his fingers into her hair and claimed her mouth, his kiss far fiercer than hers had been. She melted into it, gasped as he slid his other arm around her waist and pulled her to him, settling her sideways on his lap. He groaned as he stroked his tongue across the seam of her lips and she opened for him, as she brushed her tongue against his and angled her head to kiss him more deeply.
He leaned into her, bending her backwards, towards one arm of the blue chair, and cradled her as he kissed her. He slowed it, softened it until she was floating in his arms, lost in how good it felt to kiss and be kissed by him. He skimmed his hand down her side, over her hip, and she trembled as he made contact with her bare skin. His whisper-soft caress heated her, threw fuel onto the fire that had ignited inside her the moment she had set eyes on him, making her burn for him.
For more.
Mackenzie brushed her fingers through the short blue-black hair at the back of his head and then brought her hand forwards. He moaned and shuddered as her palm accidentally brushed his ear, and she couldn’t stop herself from doing it again. She feathered her fingers along his ear, from lobe to pointed tip, and smiled wickedly as a low groan rumbled from his chest and he stilled against her for a heartbeat before snarling and seizing her mouth in a punishing kiss. Flames licked through her, had her writhing in his arms and desperate for more as he dominated her, as he bent her to his will and possessed her.
She teased the pointed tip of his ear again, revelled in the way he kissed her harder still, the way his fingers tightened against her, pressing into her flesh so hard she was sure she would have bruises when they were done.
She didn’t care.
She liked how fiercely he held her, as if he didn’t want to let her go, as if he needed her as badly as she needed him.
She liked his strength, how he easily matched her, made her feel she didn’t have to hold back with him. She wouldn’t hurt him. He was strong enough to handle her.
Mackenzie ran with that, couldn’t stop herself from twisting in his arms, moving to sit astride his thighs facing him. Her tunic rode up, but she didn’t care as Hartt palmed her bare legs, as he skimmed his hands up to beneath the only thing she wore. She shivered and kissed him harder, tangled her fingers in his hair and clutched him to her as she waited to see what he would do, on the verge of panting with anticipation.
He groaned as his hands met her bare backside, yanked her closer so she pressed against him, and rocked his hips up. She moaned and shuddered as his hardness pressed against her, twisted her fingers in his hair and yanked his head back. He grunted, paid her back by sinking the tips of his fingers into her bottom and thrusting up against her, rubbing her.
Gods, she needed more.
She kissed him, tangled her tongue with his and possessed his mouth as her hands fell to his chest, as she made fast work of the buttons of his tunic. She shoved it open as the last button gave, peeled herself off him and dropped her gaze to his body.
Shivered as she saw delicious bare flesh rather than his armour.
She slowly skimmed her hands up the perfection of his stomach, traced gentle lines around his six-pack and trembled as it tensed beneath her questing fingers. He leaned back into the chair, his head tipped back against the blue cushion, the tight cords of his neck tempting her to tease them with her teeth, to nibble and lick her way from there down to his navel. A hot, achy feeling bloomed inside her as she flattened her palms against the square slabs of his pectorals, as she pressed against them and felt the hardness of them.
Felt his strength.
His heart drummed against her palms, hammering a rhythm that matched the pace of her own, singing to her and telling her she wasn’t alone. They were one in this moment.
Mackenzie raked her short nails over his chest, earning a wicked growl from him. He sat up and seized her again, clutched her backside with one hand and the small of her back with the other, and dragged her against him. He kissed her hard, taking the lead again. She fought him, savoured the tug of war as they battled for dominance.
He cheated.
She gasped and rose up on her knees, quivered as his fingers brushed between her thighs again, caressing her bare flesh. He brought his hand around from behind her and pressed his thumb to her most sensitive spot, gently stroked it in a maddening way that had her forgetting kissing him, forgetting everything but the delicious feel of him touching her where she needed him most. She felt the heat of his gaze on her face as her eyes slipped shut, as she gave herself over to him and rocked against his hand, seeking more.
Needing more.
A need to touch him too mounted inside her, but she couldn’t move as he stroked her, as he teased her towards the edge before slowing again to pull her back from it, stealing control from her in a way she discovered she loved. She had never enjoyed being at someone’s mercy, had always fought it in the past, but the masterful way he teased her captivated her, rendered her immobile.