Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(24)

His body heat warmed her, which would have relaxed her except for the fact that he was a hot guy. He would kiss her, right? She waited. The only sound she heard was Valmont breathing. Seriously? They hadn’t discussed the kiss they’d shared last night. She assumed it would be the first of many. Maybe not.

She wiggled against him, trying to get comfortable.

Valmont’s left eye opened. “That’s distracting.”

He seemed amused.

“Sorry, just trying to get comfortable.” Her nearness didn’t appear to have the same effect on him that his had on her. Damn it.

She sighed and cuddled against him. A nap. That’s what she needed. Not.

“You have two choices,” Valmont said. “Lie still and we’ll take a nap, or keep wiggling around and we’ll do something else.”

“Like what?” She wanted him to say he wanted to kiss her.

“I don’t know. Play cards. Memorize china patterns.” He opened his eyes. “Or I could kiss you senseless.”

“I vote for option C.”

“Are you sure? Because I was thinking about brushing up on my poker skills.”

She smacked him on the chest. He laughed, catching her hand and pulling her close.

Her heart sped up as his lips touched hers. Magic flared through the bond, increasing their connection. His mouth moved against hers and suddenly, it felt like she was flying.

Valmont jerked away from her. “What was that?”

It took a minute for her brain to adjust to the no longer flying/kissing sensation. “What was what?”

“You didn’t feel that?”

“Are you talking about the cold vacuum of air that rushed in when you stopped kissing me? Because that’s what I’m feeling right now.”

“No. It felt like we were flying.”

“That’s not a bad thing.” Why was he freaking out about this? She leaned toward him.

He scooted backward, putting distance between them. “That’s not normal.”

“Maybe it’s normal for us.” Why did he care, and why didn’t he want to kiss her anymore?

A shadow of sadness passed over his face. “What if you don’t really feel the way you think you feel?”

To sum up… The guy she wanted was looking for explanations she didn’t have. “Valmont, you have two choices. Kiss me and be happy about having the added feeling of flying, or don’t kiss me and ask a bunch of stupid questions.” Wow…that came out bitchier than she intended.

Valmont cupped her face in his hands. “I would rather kiss you, but I want to know what’s happening between us is real and not some side effect of the bond.”

“Why does it matter? Can’t you think of it as a bonus?”

He dropped his hands. “I’m not sure.”

“I told you. I liked you before the bond.”

“Not enough to dump Zavien.”

“Hey. It’s not like I have a lot of experience with these situations. I needed to figure out what was going on with Zavien before I moved on. And why are you picking a fight with me?”

He blinked. “I am, aren’t I?” He shook his head like he was trying to clear his thoughts. “I think the bond magnifies things between us—our emotions, my lingering resentment about Zavien, and your insecurities about being abandoned.”

Could he be right?

“I don’t claim to be an expert on healthy relationships, but even if the bond amplifies our emotions, they’re still our emotions, right? The bond can’t create feelings between us.”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked.

She stared at him for a moment, fighting to keep her temper under control. “Before you became my knight, we met. What did you think of me? Did you think I was hideous?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Did you think I was cute or pretty or the type of girl you might want to ask on a date?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. We’ve established you were interested pre-bond. Now, the magic of the bond might be amping up our emotions, but it isn’t brainwashing us. Can’t you think of the bond like sprinkles on ice cream?”

He cracked a grin, and his single dimple appeared. “Sprinkles?”

“Yes. Normal ice cream is great, but when you add sprinkles, it’s extra good.” She needed him to be okay with this. Being pushed aside for a stupid reason was unacceptable. She wasn’t above playing dirty. Moving closer, she played with the black curls at the nape of his neck. “Sprinkles are good.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re trying to distract me from logic.”

“Logic sucks.” She grinned. “You should kiss me.”

He didn’t move toward her. He didn’t make a witty comeback. He didn’t do much of anything but sigh. And then he said, “I’m not sure what’s going on between us is appropriate.”





Chapter Nine


What the hell? “Last night you kissed me. You started this. You said we’d be together till death do us part. Where’d that guy go? Because I liked him.”

Valmont’s cheeks turned a mottled shade of red. Was he mad, or embarrassed? Time ticked by at a glacial pace as the awkwardness between them grew.