44
" My hands, which for some reason keep ending up on his waist lately, curl into fists. Beta Sinta grabs one and holds on.
“Let go,” I demand.
“No.”
My eyebrows snap together. “Why not?”
“Because your gut reaction is always to punch, and I don’t like being tickled.”
Tickled? Tickled! Indignation swamps me. I’ll show him a tickle.
Before I can move, he drops the reins and captures my other hand, easily maneuvering both my hands into one of his. He picks the reins back up with the other. As usual, he gains the upper hand with disgustingly little effort, and I end up with both arms around him, my face buried in his back.
Beta Sinta’s crisp, masculine scent of citrus and sunshine fills my nose. Hard muscle ripples under my cheek. I’m frighteningly aware of all the places his broad, powerful body touches mine, and I shiver despite the heat.
“Let. Me. Go,” I grind out.
“I. Said. No.”
I open my mouth, teeth bared.
“If you bite me, I swear to the Gods I’ll dumpyou off this horse and make you walk.”
I close my mouth. The town is still miles away. “I won’t bite.”
“Or punch.”
I grit my teeth. “You’re asking a lot.”
“Am I?” he drawls, tightening his grip on my wrists until I hiss.
“Ow! Fine. Or punch.”
His fingers loosen. “Is that your binding word?”
My eyes widen. Beta Sinta says he needs me for information, but he already knows more about the ways of magic than is good for me.
“Fine. It’s my binding word.” It’s like pulling my own teeth, but I’m desperate to stop hugging him. He’s too hot and…and…something.
“Ever,” he stipulates.
Something between a laugh and a snort explodes from me. “Don’t push your luck.”
“A day, then. Starting now.”
“Fine. A day,” I agree, fuming.
He lets go of my wrists. I sit up so fast I almost tumble off the back of the horse. Beta Sinta’s chuckle is almost as irritating as the jolt of magic that seals the deal. "
― Amanda Bouchet , A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)
54
" With an offer like that, how can I refuse?”
He gapes at me. Clearly, my reciprocating was the last thing he expected. I whip a dagger from my belt and plant it at his groin, pricking just enough to make him yelp. Carver freezes.
I cant my head, saying coolly, “I haven’t been spanked much because I do the spanking.”
Beta Sinta laughs, startling the birds in the branches above. “Carver,” he says. “She just handed you your balls.”
Carver grins. “That’s all right, as long as I get to keep them. "
― Amanda Bouchet , A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)
56
" My eyes trip over a man and get stuck. He’s looking at me, and it’s hard not to look back. He’s striking in a dark, magnetic way, his size, weapons, and bearing all telling me he’s a tribal warlord. His build is strong and masculine, his gait perfectly balanced and fluid. He walks with predatory confidence, unhurried, and yet there’s no mistaking his potential for swift, explosive violence. It’s not latent or hidden, just leashed.
Watchful, alert, he’s aware of everything in his vicinity. Especially me. "
― Amanda Bouchet , A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)
