Evaline:
River froze, caught off guard. Then a low sound escaped his throat, half a growl, half a groan, as I pressed him back, my hands sliding into his hair. I didn't kiss him to surrender... I kissed him to punish him. To make him feel the same chaos he had set loose inside me.
He let me take control, though I could feel the strength he was holding back - the restraint coiling through his muscles, the effort it took not to reclaim dominance.
My lips moved against his, urgent and furious, tasting the air between us, taking everything and giving nothing back.
His breath hitched when I broke the kiss, only to drag my lips along his jaw, then lower - to the edge of his throat. His heartbeat thundered beneath my mouth, matching the wild rhythm of my own.
"Evaline…" he breathed, his voice rough and unsteady. "You are playing with fire."
"Maybe I like the burn," I whispered back.
