Free Crystalfire by Kate Douglas

tightly around his waist, and she clung to him, breasts to chest, crotch to belly, but it was obvious the moment had ended.
    Taron’s sigh rivaled any sound of frustration Bumper could make. “I’m sorry. I had no idea how much I wanted to kiss you, or I would have been able to stop myself before it got so ...” He glanced at the way he was holding her and grinned. “Intense. That’s the word I want. Before it got so intense.” He planted a brief kiss on the end of her nose. “I was kissing you with too much feeling before I knew what I was doing.”
    He frowned, but he really wasn’t looking at Willow anymore. It was almost as if he were arguing with himself. Lemurians were known for their love of debate. But now?
    He focused on her once again. “I certainly didn’t realize how kissing would not be nearly enough, but this is something I’m totally unfamiliar with. Will you accept my apologies, Willow? I believe I was out of line.”
    She leaned back and glared at him. Her body literally trembled with unmet needs and he was busy having a debate all by himself. Of course, his beautiful green eyes sparkled, and he didn’t look as if he regretted kissing her all that much, but what did she know?
    “Why?” she demanded. “Why would you want to stop yourself? What was out of line?”
    A tiny frown appeared between his brows. “I shouldn’t be kissing you like that. Becoming so aroused.”
    “You don’t like being aroused? You didn’t like kissing me?”
    He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He had a rueful smile on his face when he said, “Willow, you have no idea.”
    “Well, of course I don’t. I’ve never been kissed before, but I thought it felt pretty good. You’re saying you don’t want to do it anymore?”
    His eyes flew open. “You’ve never been kissed? Ever?”
    She sighed. “Taron. Think about it. I was less than two inches tall. Then I lived inside a dog. Of course I’ve never been kissed. Who would have kissed me?”
    She unhooked her heels and let her legs slide to the floor. Taron relaxed his grip on her butt, and draped his hands loosely over her shoulders, but he had a stupid grin on his face.
    “I guess I never thought about it. I mean, I just figured that if there were tiny little women, there must be tiny little men.”
    She shook her head so hard her stupid curls bounced around her face and shoulders. “Maybe you should think about it. I was created for Dax. My sole purpose was to help him function in Earth’s dimension by gathering enough energy to feed his demonic powers. I started out as a fairy light, otherwise known as swamp gas.” She snorted. “Even you must admit, Taron, that there is nothing remotely attractive about the thought of kissing swamp gas.”
    He laughed at that, a soft, sweet chuckle that made her tummy clench again. Willow sighed. “For awhile, I actually thought I was in love with Dax, but obviously I didn’t have a clue what love was, at least not the kind of love that Eddy feels for Dax and he feels for her. Not what Alton and Ginny share. Point being, I didn’t exist until Dax existed, at least not as a woman. I was barely sentient before the Edenites turned me into a sprite.”
    “Oh.”
    His expression didn’t fit his simple statement. No, not when his eyes flashed and his hands tightened on her shoulders. Then he hugged her close against his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. “I don’t feel nearly as stupid as I did a moment ago.”
    “Why would you feel stupid?”
    He leaned back and smiled at her. “Because that was my first kiss, too. I’ve never kissed a woman before.”
    She frowned at him. “I don’t believe you. You knew exactly how to kiss me.”
    “I’m a scholar, Willow. I study everything, including sex. It’s not all that difficult to figure out. It’s true. I’ve never kissed a woman, never even held one in my arms. The closest I’ve gotten to a woman is swordplay during training.”
    When she