As their mouths melded together, the tension that had been circling them for weeks spilled over into something undeniable. Jae's hand, already firm at her waist, slipped lower, tracing the curve of her back before coming to rest boldly where he had wanted to touch her for longer than he cared to admit.
His fingers pressed into the soft shape of her, a deliberate claim that sent a shiver running through him just as surely as it drew a muffled groan from Tirel.
The sound lit him up inside, more intoxicating than any spell or spar. She shifted instinctively against him, her body pressing closer, the grind of her hips an unspoken answer to his daring hand.
The heat of it made his pulse quicken, his body caught between instinct and restraint. For a fleeting moment he let himself revel in the truth of it, this was something he had imagined far too many times, and now it was real, alive, and burning in his grasp.
