Winged Soldiers.
“Shit,” Xander cursed, yanking up his hood and hiding his silver-white hair. Personally, I thought it did little to help him hide. His size was more of an issue. Even after two days together, I wasn’t used to how… big Xander was. He muttered, “Dammit Daegal, you had to be wrong today. Three minutes, my ass.”
Xander grabbed me, his grip rough as he swung me around and pushed me up against a nearby alley wall. Bricks dug into my back and I lifted a knee, intent on showing him my displeasure.
He smirked, anticipating my movements and pinning me against the alley with his hips. I struggled as he placed one arm against my hip and the other on the wall above my head. I tried to ignore the way warmth flooded through me as I shifted my hips, trying to get away from his heated touch.
“I told you, don’t touch me,” I growled, but Xander simply pushed his forehead against mine as he angled our bodies away from the street. His chest was heaving, his breath warm as he loomed over me. If I’d thought he was big before, it was nothing on the way he looked now. Up close, with his chest heaving and such little space between us, he was huge.
“If you want to remain free Sunshine, I suggest you play along,” he ground out through clenched teeth.
A snarky comment rose in my throat, but I shoved it down as the Winged Soldiers drew closer. I had some sense of self-preservation, after all.
“Fine,” I hissed.
Xander’s eyes sparked, and I could tell he thought he had won. But if he thought I was just going to stand there and do nothing, he was wrong.
Two of us could play this game. Whatever this game was, I knew I did not want to lose.
Narrowing my eyes, I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth for a moment before blowing out a long breath.
The Winged Soldiers drew nearer, their footsteps pounding on the cobblestones, as I raised my head. Xander’s face was mere inches from mine, his jaw clenched as he stared at me. His eyes looked darker in the shadows, more of a dirt brown than the gold from before. They seemed to flicker as dark shadows passed through them.
“Xander,” I whispered.
“Yes?” he ground out through clenched teeth. His pupils dilated as he stared at me.
“I cannot stand you,” I murmured. My voice was husky as I leaned forward and cut the distance between us in half. His eyes widened as I drew nearer to him, but he didn’t move. Pressing my hand against Xander’s chest, I pushed myself onto my toes as I looked him in the eye. “I think I can honestly say I’ve never disliked anyone as much as I do you.”
Not wanting to lose my courage, my eyes fluttered shut as I finished closing the space between us. I brushed my lips against his. Our first kiss—my first kiss, ever—was light, tentative, and little more than a whisper on the wind.
It wasn’t enough. The second I moved my lips off of his, I knew. I needed more. I wanted to taste him, to make him feel the tumultuous storm that was raging within me.
Xander stared at me, his eyes unblinking, as I came back for more.
This second kiss was anything but fleeting. I moaned as I pressed my mouth against his, my eyes sliding shut once more. He tastedsogood. I hadn’t known another being could taste this good.
I must have caught him by surprise, because for a moment, Xander was nothing more than a statue against me. Then a small noise that sounded like a growl escaped him as he took over. He moved subtly, his hips pressing against mine as our kiss went from a light touch into something that was deeper, filled with urgency and passion.
As I kissed him, this male I despised, a feeling I had never felt before began to spread through me like liquid fire.
He groaned, his hand tightening around my hip as he pushed me harder against the wall. I huffed out a surprised breath, my mouth opening slightly, and Xander’s tongue darted in and brushed against mine. I gasped at the warmth that flooded from him into me as we became nothing more than lips and tongues and teeth.
In the back of my mind, I registered the sound of the Winged Soldiers as they walked past us. They chuckled, their voices low.
“Pair of lovers out for the night,” one of them said.
The other whistled. “I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on her.”
“Damn straight, I would…”
The pressure of Xander’s lips increased, and the soldier’s voices faded. I had no room for anything except the male in front of me.
Xander pulled away slightly, his voice deep and raspy. “Guess what, Sunshine?”
“What?” I breathed, too lost in the kiss to even open my eyes.
“Ireallydon’t like you, either.” With that declaration, Xander pulled his hand from the wall. He slid it behind my hood and underneath my hair, cupping the back of my neck and tilting my head the way he wanted it. He drew me close to him, our bodies touching from chest to feet, as he pressed himself against me. I wasn’t surprised to find that underneath that cloak, he was hiding hardened muscles. Whoever he was, he clearly exercised.