A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)

by Amanda Bouchet

All thought stopped, and Griffin’s lips parted but without any hope of breath passing between them. A dark-haired woman crossed through his field of vision and snared every last one of his senses, overloading them in a flare of searing heat. His mind blanked at the sight of her—she was too much to process all at once—but his blood suddenly roared like it had been pumped straight into his veins with bellows. Violent. Fracturing. Overwhelming. His heartbeat slammed up into his throat. Her. She was the one.

Griffin needed that smile to be his like he needed his next breath. The woman called to him with a pull he felt straight down into his gut. His blood heated.

Something powerful tugged, his feet moved, and he walked toward her, not caring if his team followed. There shouldn’t be anyone in between them, especially not a crowd of strangers. He wanted to be over her, under her, inside of her. He could scarcely think he wanted it so much.

“Brutal,” Cat commented. She didn’t sound averse. Griffin glanced at her. “No one touches you.” She bit her lower lip, looking adorably confused. “You’re touching me.” Griffin’s eyes fixed on her mouth. “I’m the exception.” She seemed to stop breathing, to maybe even like what she heard. Hope jerked in his chest. Smiling, Cat swayed toward him, and his fingers tightened on her hip. It took an almost herculean effort to resist hauling her up against him and kissing her like he’d wanted to since the moment he’d first laid eyes on her, weeks ago.

She stumbled, dizzy and distracted, and he easily caught her around the waist. Gods, he loved the feel of this woman in his hands. He wanted her under him. Over him. Everywhere.

Unable to resist, he angled his head toward her and inhaled deeply. Cat smelled like frosted lemons—fresh and tangy, with a hint of acidity. He loved her bite. He was fairly certain he loved her.

Cat turned back to him, completely bare. Heat built in his groin and crept through his abdomen. Griffin wanted to reach for her, to cover her. To cover her with himself. He nearly groaned.

Gods, she was amazing. And fun. And strong. The knowledge made him grin and hit him square in the chest—which made his eyes automatically drop to hers. Griffin froze, balling his hands into fists to keep from reaching for her.

Griffin stepped closer to hide her nakedness from Carver. He didn’t watch Carver leave the room, but he did watch Cat blow his brother a kiss, and Griffin practically saw red. He’d never felt so barbarically possessive in his life.