his reach. He wasn’t half bad as a fighter. Along with his rapidity, he could move, and while he held back when he landed a blow, had he gone full out, he could have hurt her.
Not something many could do.
At times it was if he knew what to expect. He foiled her attack firmly, without truly hurting her and yet, at the same time, reminding her he could have the upper hand if he chose.
He could beat her if he wanted to. Which couldn’t be allowed. She used her magic even if it was unfair to him. She slipped in and out of shadow, peppering him with blows until he began to simply know where she’d appear. As if he could see her, taking away all her advantages.
So she did the one thing he’d never expect because it wasn’t something she’d ever imagined she’d do.
Dove in close enough that she could pop up on her toes and kiss him.
Chapter 10
The press of Casey’s lips shouldn’t have thrown Roark off balance. Yet it did. He staggered, not because he hated the touch of her but because he wanted it. A shock went through him. Intense pleasure, too.
The heat of arousal roared through his veins as his arms tightened around her, drawing her body into his, looking to deepen the embrace. Her lips parted for him, and her tongue, lithe and sweet, swept across his teeth.
He groaned then froze as the tip of a knife pricked him.
“I win,” she whispered.
It wasn’t desire that led to the kiss but a need to win. He wondered if she’d figured out she’d won more than she realized. She’d managed to do something few could—throw him off balance and take him by surprise.
He didn’t do or say anything as she stepped out of his embrace. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright. He knew if asked she’d deny any kind of arousal. His only consolation was he could feel it crackling in the air between them.
“You bested me,” he admitted. “Now what, Lady Casey?” He couldn’t have said why he liked to resort to the title that irritated her. Perhaps to distance himself. Because he knew better than to let a woman close. Especially one with her mind shuttered from him.
“The good news is you’re a decent fighter.”
He put a hand on his chest. “Careful with the flattery. I might expire if it’s too lavish.”
Her lips twitched. “Aren’t you going to ask me for the bad?”
“If you say my kissing needs improvement, I might just throw myself on your dagger.”
Finally, some sign she wasn’t unaffected. Her cheeks turned a ruddy color. “Can you be serious for a moment?”
“I’m always serious. You should be asking me to lighten up a bit. I do have people trying to kill me after all.”
“With any luck they’ll try again soon.”
He arched a brow. “You would call that lucky?”
“Do you know of a better way to acquire information?”
“Perhaps you’d like to stake me outside the city and see what comes crawling from the swamp?”
“Don’t tempt me. It would be the quickest method of flushing out those who want you dead.”
“Then let’s do it.”
She shook her head. “I’m not suicidal. There might be a few more than I can handle.”
“Your reassuring manner needs work.”
“I don’t lie.”
If only he could believe her. Roark left her, disturbed by the kiss and his reaction to it. The matchmaker had said they wouldn’t work together even as he didn’t say why. Roark knew she was all kinds of wrong for him. Secretive. Violent. Disrespectful. Brave. Sarcastic. Sexy and tough.
Was it any wonder he couldn’t get her off his mind?
The day passed, and he intended to make it to dinner, but affairs demanded his attention. The investigation into the claims of the psionic team he’d dispatched a month earlier had borne news. Basically, exposing the lies. The fire witch had claimed she and her companion were hired by the king ruling Port City to send a message that he needed to stop banding the Marshlands together.
That was what she claimed. And he’d almost believed it.
Except, unbeknownst to everyone, he’d spoken with the king, who was rather decrepit, having been felled by some kind of gastric malady. His daughter ruled in his stead—mostly behind the scenes—and had for a while now. A sweet girl. A little too sweet, but he’d seen inside her head enough to know she meant him no ill will.
Who did that leave? One of the other nobles in the Sapphire court, looking to