Queen Takes Rose (Wicked Villains #6) - Katee Robert Page 0,35

half the pieces to. If I have one vice, curiosity claims the honor. Aurora’s layers are what draw me to her, and realizing they go deeper than I expect is like a gift just for me.

I settle myself more firmly on top of her. “We’ll add sparring to our schedule.”

“Pass.”

I ignore that and nod to myself. “A bet, if you will. Winner gets a favor.”

She opens her mouth but seems to reconsider whatever she was about to say. Aurora frowns up at me. “What kind of favor?”

Got you.

“Whatever you like, within reason.” I allow myself a satisfied smile. “Today, I win.”

“Give me a rematch now that the terms are set.”

I chuckle. “I don’t think so.”

She licks her lips. “What do you want?”

I should demand answers, information to sate my curiosity. This woman has secrets upon secrets, and I want to hack my way through her barriers to get to them. “A kiss.”

She blinks. “A kiss?”

“Yes.” I lean down, pressing myself to her. Gods, she’s something else. Soft and strong and straining to kick my ass. But the anger has faded from her eyes, and she’s watching my mouth as if craving a taste. I’m only too happy to close the distance and touch my lips to hers. She tenses, as if she expected me to plunder her mouth. Another time, I might—I will. Right now, I intend to enjoy my prize to the fullest extent.

I nip her bottom lip and trace the spot with my tongue, deepening the kiss when she gasps a little. Pretty Aurora. She’s a revelation. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times she’s experienced something, how many people she’s kissed. She reacts like this is the first time, like it’s a shock. Or maybe I’m projecting. There’s something about this woman that brings a fierceness to the fore. I want to conquer her, to brand our shared experience all over her hot little body. The desire is inconvenient, but if I could get rid of it, I would have done it by now. That’s what these two weeks are about: purging her from my system.

She kisses me back. I shift, settling on top of her and pressing my thigh between her legs. Aurora instantly digs her heels into the mat and arches up to rub herself against me. Wicked little thing.

I don’t mean to lace my fingers through hers. It seems the most natural thing in the world to go from gripping her wrists to pressing palm to palm. The shock is almost enough to jolt me out of this moment, but then she makes a delicious little whimpering sound, and I push away my misgivings in favor of drawing that sound from her again.

She rocks against me, and I press my thigh more firmly to her, giving her the friction she obviously needs. She kisses me like she needs me more than she needs air. It doesn’t matter that this is pure chemistry. That it doesn’t mean anything. I sink into the feeling of Aurora with everything I have.

Fuck, but if I were a different person, I might decide to keep her.

12

Aurora

They say love and hate are different sides of the same coin. So are lust and anger. Malone has turned my fury into an inferno that I’m terrified will burn me down to nothing but ash. She’s kissing me. Something I refuse to admit that I can’t get enough of. More, her entire body is pressed against me, and it feels like I’ve been starved for touch until this moment. Like the one thing I’m missing in my life is the slow slide of her soft skin against mine.

She’s holding me down, but it feels like we’re clutching each other, like we exist in a space outside the simple rules of gravity. I can’t help rubbing myself against her leg as her tongue strokes mine. It must be the endorphins still raging from the sparring session because I’m so turned on, I can barely think straight.

I can’t think straight.

I am pure need and raging emotions. I can’t tell which way is up, don’t care about anything but the press of Malone’s body against mine. She’s wearing a similar outfit—shorts and a sports bra—and I wish it was less. I want all of her against all of me with a ferocity that leaves me breathless. I knew I wanted her, of course, but I never bargained for how much. She overwhelms me.

Malone shifts, pressing my hands more firmly to the mat, and uses her