Chapter 232 – Pride's Temptation
She leaned in—not to kiss his mouth just yet, oh no, that would give him too much too soon—but to press her lips against the edge of his jaw.
Soft at first. Then firmer. Then lower.
The taste of him was a mix of faint copper from earlier blood, heat, and something richer—like burnt sugar and smoke that clung under the skin.
She breathed him in, tongue barely brushing against him as she reached the spot just beneath his ear. That's when she let her teeth scrape, slow enough to feel his breath hitch.
"Mm," she murmured against his skin, "I could get used to this."
She felt his muscles tighten under her palm, not from fear but from that coiled, patient strength he carried like currency. That patience was a challenge. Pride liked challenges.
