Free Dark Angel's Ward by Nia Shay Page A

with the force of it. The violent motion broke the kiss. It also knocked the air from my lungs when I fell back to the floor with his weight still bearing down on me.
    "Did you feel that?" he whispered as I struggled to draw a decent breath.
    "Obviously," I wheezed. "Now knock it the fuck off."
    "It doesn't have to hurt, Jandra." His hands curved over my shoulders--a gentle touch which pinned me down as effectively as force. His star-bright eyes bored into mine. "Stop fighting it. It wasn't painful when you weren't fighting, was it?"
    "No." The truth slipped out of my mouth without thought. Had he felt the difference, too? And what could it possibly mean if he had?
    I didn't get a chance to ask. He kissed me again, but softly this time. I'd forgotten how soft his lips could be. How warm. Heat began to build between us again, but a much more natural heat this time.
    No, no, no. I couldn't let this happen, or I'd be lost. I went limp beneath him. Zeph moaned deep in his throat, taking my stillness as submission. His kisses came faster, firmer, urging me to respond. I did, but mostly I focused on drawing deep, even breaths through my nose. Soon, my head swam with the clean scent of Zeph's skin and the acridity of pheromones. It was like a drug, and fortunately, it had the desired effect. My breathing slowed even as his sped up.
    Still, several minutes dragged by before I felt stable enough to move without trembling. My legs were no longer pinned down--I'd brought them up instinctively to cradle his body above mine. Now I bent them up at the knees, placing my feet flat on the floor. He let out another groan as my thighs squeezed against his sides. My body responded to the guttural noise, a shudder of desire coursing through me.
    He started to rise up, to say something, but I brought up my hand to tangle in his hair and urged him back down. He acquiesced with a sigh. Good. I braced my right arm against the carpet and rose up to meet him halfway.
    He arched his back when our lips met again, bringing his body more fully atop mine. His straining groin slid between my thighs, nestling tight against my core. I threw back my head with a shrill gasp.
    "Jandra." His voice had gone gruff with arousal. The sound of it startled me out of my brief stupor, and not a second too soon.
    I braced my legs and heaved my body upward again, but on purpose this time. He hadn't been expecting it. When I pushed off the floor with my arm, he flipped off of me and landed hard on his back.

 
    Nine
     
    I scrambled to my feet before he had a chance to recover, glaring down on him. "Hurts, doesn't it?"
    "Jandra...why...?"
    "Need I remind you again? My body is not your plaything." I resisted the urge to punctuate the sentence with my foot in his throat.
    He sat up, his eyes intent on my face. After a moment he asked, "Why did you stop?"
    "What?"
    "Something was happening just now." He rose to his feet, apparently none the worse for wear, and towered over me as usual. "I know you felt it too."
    My jaw dropped. "What I felt was you tackling me and dragging me across the floor so you could force yourself on me after I told you no! You haven't changed one damn bit, have you?" His mouth opened, but I didn't give him a chance to defend himself. "Well, on second thought, I guess you have. Now you're using brute force instead of mind tricks, but I think I like this better. At least this way I have a fighting chance."
    His brows had been lowering into an ever-deepening scowl as I'd raged at him. He didn't argue with me, though. All he said was, "Your wound is gone."
    "My what?" My hand flew to my cheek before I could stop myself. Damn it, I couldn't let him distract me! "Like I give a damn?"
    "And I didn't tackle you." He pronounced the word as if he found it distasteful. "You were falling. I only meant to catch you."
    "Look, I really don't care what you meant. You got what you wanted, so just leave me alone, all right?" I turned my back on him and started for the