Kiss of Snow

by Nalini Singh

Page 63

 

  Laughing, he followed at her heels as she ran up the two small steps and crossed the porch to push open the door, flick the manual light switch. “Oh, it’s wonderful,” she said as the cabin was bathed in a soft glow. The entire place was a single large room, except for an alcove at the back fitted with a wooden sliding door.

  There was a kitchenette off to the left, with a table and two chairs tucked in neatly under the window. To the right was a fireplace set with an eco-friendly laz-fire, in front of which lay a fluffy white rug Sienna could already feel plush and decadent against her skin. The rest of the available space was dominated by a huge bed with a wrought-iron headboard. Her eyes widened.

  “Hawke,” she said, “why are there fur-lined handcuffs hanging from the headboard?” Stepping closer, she saw—“They’re too big for my wrists. ” Oh.

  Hawke made a growling sound low in his throat. “Probably Drew’s idea of a joke. ”

  “No,” Sienna murmured. “Drew told me to never, ever talk to him about sex. As far as he’s concerned, I’ll be a virgin until I’m a hundred, same as Brenna. ”

  Unhooking the cuffs, Hawke brought them to his nose. Sniffed. “Son of a bitch. ” His grin was half-amused, half-feral.

  “Who?”

  “Figure it out. Who do you think is sitting at home laughing his ass off at the dance you’ve led me?”

  Sienna paused, considered all the people who cared about Hawke and who’d dare pull a prank like this. “Lucas,” she said. “It was Lucas. ”

  “Damn cat must’ve snuck in here after the crew left. ” He fiddled with one cuff, smiled as it made a snick of sound. “What do you know—they tighten up fine for smaller wrists. ”

  She didn’t trust that look. “Hawke. ”

  “Come here. ” A command, for all that his voice was soft, his eyes hooded.

  She swallowed, took a step back. “Um . . . perhaps . . . ”

  “Scared, Sienna?” Thick, silver-gold lashes lifted to reveal those impossible eyes, the eyes of a husky or a bird of prey.

  “No. ” It wasn’t fear that caused her heart to beat a staccato drumbeat against her ribs, her blood to turn molten.

  Hawke smiled . . . and she realized he was stalking her in slow, steady steps. Twisting, she saw she was about to back herself into a corner. She jerked left, expecting him to stop her. When he didn’t, suspicion licked through her veins. “I’m glad you’re going to be reasonable about this,” she said, never moving her eyes off him.

  “I like your hair. ” That wild gaze stroked over her. “Put it down for me. ”

  “I don’t think that’d be a good idea. ” It was instinct to disobey him, to challenge him.

  “I disagree. ”

  Her hair tumbled around her shoulders before she so much as sensed him shift position. He was crouched on the bed, on the other side of the room by the time she realized what he’d done. A very satisfied, very male smile flirted with his lips.

  Playing with her, she thought, he was playing with her.

  And tonight, there was no leash on the wolf.

  “You think you’re so smart,” she said, inching to her left again as he reached back to pull off his T-shirt with masculine roughness. The door was only a few steps away.

  T-shirt on the floor, he angled his head in a way that sent his hair sliding over one side of his face. “I think you should take off your top. ”

  “Try it and I’ll—” She shot up a column of cold fire between them, making him come to a skidding halt, his nose a bare millimeter from the flame.

  He bared his teeth. She grinned . . . and took off, slamming the door shut behind herself as she dropped the wall of flickering red and gold. Something crashed hard on the wood as her feet hit the earth and her instinct was to turn around, check he was okay. But that wasn’t the game. And she was nowhere near wolf-fast. He was breathing down her neck in seconds.

  But she was an X. A cardinal.

  She blocked his way using her abilities until he fell back. Chest heaving, she came to a halt, bracing herself with her hands on her thighs as adrenaline thumped through her. God, but he was fast. Never had she seen anything or anyone move with that kind of speed. Dangerous man. Her man.

  Having caught her breath, she rose to her full height. But even with her every sense on alert, she didn’t have the slightest inkling he’d circled around on her blind side until she turned to find herself staring into eyes gone night-glow. “Pretty, pretty, Sienna. ”

  Gripping her wrists before she could summon the cold fire, he tugged her close, shattering her concentration; his chest was a gorgeous, touchable distraction. There wasn’t even a hint of sweat on him. It should have been annoying, but she was far too fascinated by the smile flirting with his lips to care. “My Sienna. ”

  The absolute possession in his voice didn’t scare her. “Yours. ”

  A short, sharp nip at her neck. She shivered with pleasure, before twisting away from him using a move Indigo had drilled into her until it was second nature. She wondered if the wolf lieutenant had known this day would come. Hawke smiled at her, a delighted predator. Then he lunged.

  She scrambled backward, only to feel him brush past her and into the forest.

  The game was on again.

  Taking off in the opposite direction, her night vision ample in the early evening light, she began to laugh inside. This was fun. It was only a couple of minutes later that she felt him pacing her in the trees to her left. Heart pumping hard and fast, she raised a wall of X-fire and disappeared in another direction, muddying her scent by using every trick in the book. It wouldn’t work of course. He was an alpha, his senses acute, and—

  A bouquet of wildflowers in her path.

  Laughter bubbling out of her, she picked them up, put a cherry red bloom behind her ear. Taking the rest in hand, she looked up. And realized he’d herded her back to the cabin.

  To the bed.

  Butterflies in her stomach. Because she understood his words from last night now, knew that he’d been on his very, very best behavior. Tonight . . . tonight she’d be tangling with the dominant, wild heart of him.

  Creeping up to the cabin, she tried to locate him in the dark shadow of the trees.

  Silence.

  Taking a long, deep breath, she made a run for it. Her feet left the ground midway through the journey, and she barely had time to utter a short scream before he dumped her on the bed, the wildflowers scattering around them as he braced himself above her, all playful smile and wolf eyes. “I win. ” A sharp nip to her lower lip. “What’s my prize?”

  Chapter 46

  OH DEAR GOD. She was melting into a pile of goo. He was big and beautiful and impossible . . . and hers. He was hers. Not as she’d once imagined he would be, but this bond that continued to grow between them? It was as strong, as precious. “I’ll brush your hair for you. ”

  He blinked, thought about it. “All right. ”

  Delighted, she waited for him to get off so she could rise. He stayed in place, his gaze never moving off her lips. She parted them, felt his breathing change. “Hawke?”

  “I’ll get you the brush. ”

  She hadn’t even managed to catch her breath before he was back over her again. “Here. ”

  Taking the brush, she reached up to push one hand through the thick silk of his hair. It was cool, soft, stunning. A wolf’s pelt given human form. “Beautiful. ”

  “More. ” He dipped his head, allowing her to run the bristles through the strands. A low growling sound of pleasure accompanied her first stroke, and he lowered his body a fraction, so she could feel his weight against her legs. “Harder. ”

  Obeying, she ran the brush through his hair over and over. “You’re closer to your wolf than any other changeling I’ve ever met. ” It told her so much.

  “I am as I am. ” A wolf’s answer. It had no time for overthinking things. “Open yo
ur mouth. ”

  She dropped the brush. “Wh—” His mouth took hers.

  The kiss was hot and deep and all kinds of sinful, his hand closing gently around her throat to hold her in place as his tongue played with hers and his thigh rubbed against the arousal between her legs. When he let her breathe, it was only for the barest instant before he was taking her again. Her hands clenched on his shoulders, muscle and tendon flexing so powerful and hot under her touch.

  “Sienna,” he murmured against her lips. “Smart. ” Another bite to her lower lip, this one softer. “Strong. ” His body settled heavily on her own, his erection a demanding hardness between her thighs. “Mine. ”

  When she used her nails on his back, he growled and dipped his head to suck on the pulse in her neck, making her body arch. Or attempt to. He was too heavy to shift. Fisting one hand in his hair, she breathed in the scent of him and knew that tonight he’d demand more than surrender, more than submission. He’d demand everything she was, then ask for more.

  “Your heart’s fluttering like a bird’s. ” A lick over her pulse.

  It took concentration to find the words, to put together a coherent sentence. “This is only my second time, you know. ” Then she used her mouth on the strong cords of his neck.

  He liked that, his chest rumbling against her. “I’ll make it good for you. You know I will. ” Arrogant and sexy and tender, he braced himself on one arm, running the fingers of the other down her front, over the buttons of her shirt. “I don’t like this. ”

  The shirt tore down the middle.

  As she sucked in a startled breath, he pressed an openmouthed kiss to the bared flesh of her abdomen, his hand stroking under and around the torn shirt to spread over her lower back.

  “Hawke. ”

  Sliding his hand around to the front again, he moved it in slow circles over her navel. “Hmm?” Another kiss, this one on her breastbone. “Does something hurt, baby?”

  She shook her head. “Kiss me. ”

  A wolf-sharp smile before he gave her exactly what she wanted. A kiss that tore her wide open with its sensual tenderness and reformed her anew. She nipped at his mouth this time, and he paused, gave her a look out of eyes slitted until she could only see a strip of wolf-blue. “You bit me. ”