Free Golden's Rule by Billi Jean Page B

danger. This was a response to her, he realised. Her need for closeness or maybe her slight chill. Holy hell. What’s happening to me?
    “Mmm, do you think there’s any wine left?”
    The question sounded so normal, murmured without looking up, but with a soft caress of her hand on his thigh, he felt that odd tug in his chest again. Protectiveness, that was what he was feeling.
    Instead of answering, he set his book aside and reached over to tip her head up from her study. Her brow furrowed as she blinked up at him. Colour blossomed across her high cheekbones. He didn’t think, he simply dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. She froze, then sighed softly and slid her hand along his forearm and up his arm to his hair. She left a sizzle of heat where her palm smoothed over him. She tilted her head to the side. He took the offer and deepened the kiss, slowly turning the erotic play into a more powerful possession.
    She tasted like red wine and spicy pasta and he’d never tasted anything as good as Beauty in his life. Sensations he’d never felt—warmth, rightness, possessiveness—beat at him. Mixed with it all, lust swelled along every nerve ending with every dip and glide of his tongue inside her lush mouth. With more willpower than he ever believed he had he slowly pulled up from the sweetness of her lips.
    She blinked green passion-filled eyes up at him and slowly smiled.
    “What was that for?”
    It was that or strip us both bare and make love to you until morning.
    He brushed a blonde wisp of hair off her cheek and couldn’t resist caressing the smooth satin of her skin with his knuckles. “I thought I’d best get that over with before I took matters too far, too fast.”
    Her eyes widened slightly then her smile grew. He swore her eyes danced with laughter.
    “Oh yeah? Well, good thing since I don’t think I’m ready for too far, too fast just yet.”
    He cracked a grin and shook his head at her comeback. She had the most amazing spirit he’d ever seen. “Well, you tell me when, and I’ll make sure to be ready.”
    She didn’t say anything at first, merely killed him with soft caresses of her hand against his chest, then with another of her teasing grins, she said, “Oh, I doubt you’re ever not ready, big guy.”
    It was his turn to blink and she giggled, a sound so foreign to him he frowned at her. She mocked a shiver and pushed him back with a finger against his chest.
    “Oh, scary, very, very scary. I bet that look has gotten you what you want for far too long.”
    She had no idea. Literally. She had no clue who he was, what he could do. And she didn’t fear him one bit. He could sense she knew he was powerful. She’d said she couldn’t sense her power, but she’d told him she was an empath.
    Did she like what she could see beneath the skin? If her teasing was any hint, he thought so. He hoped she did. And he hoped she didn’t sense too deeply into what he held back from everyone. The undercurrent of anger. That anger was noticeably missing with her.
    “Hey? I didn’t mean to—”
    He cut her off with a shake of his head, realising he must have simply been sitting there like an idiot frowning down at her. “You know, I just might have. For way too long, Beauty. You willing to take on the job of culling that much ego?”
    She tipped her head down and hid her expression from him, but not before he saw how her eyes turned haunted.
    “Mmm, well, I might be good at that, but then again, what do I know?” she said sounding like she forced the flippant answer.
    Right. She has no memory, douchebag. Way to push the frightened, vulnerable female.
    “Hey, none of that. Let me go get that wine. And I hate to bring it up, but was that chocolate cake under that round bowl?”
    She gave him a wan attempt at a smile for his lame humour.
    “Huh, I didn’t think you saw the chocolate cake. It might not be any good. The cocoa powder had some seriously questionable colour to it and your