Bound to a Warrior by Donna Fletcher

told himself not to do it. The warning rang in his head over and over.
    Don’t kiss her. Don’t kiss her. Don’t kiss her.
    He told himself to step away from her, but he could only go as far as the chain would allow. That wasn’t far enough. She was close, much too close to ignore. Turn your head away. Don’t look.
    But he didn’t listen, his glance strayed back to her lips. They waited for him, slightly open. His heart raced as her tongue peeked out to wet them, the tiny tip slowly moving around, covering every inch until they sparkled like the morning dew on a freshly bloomed rose.
    Don’t kiss her. Don’t kiss her. Don’t kiss her.
    The warning rang like thunder in his head and finally realizing that a storm brewed if he didn’t take heed, he turned and reached down for the sack of food. Turning back to look at her once again was a mistake, for he saw something in her eyes, something he couldn’t deny. He saw that she wanted him to kiss her.
    He dropped the sack, reached out, yanked her up against him and brought his lips down on hers.

Chapter 11
    M ercy found herself in Duncan’s arms and his lips on hers before she realized what was happening. Mercy forgot everything. Time stood still. Nothing existed except the kiss. His lips proved as powerful as the rest of him. They took command, melting her senses. And though the intrusion of his tongue at first startled her, it took only a fleeting moment for her own to respond. It was as if his tongue had invited hers to dance and she couldn’t resist.
    She didn’t know when she slipped her arms around his neck, or when her body gravitated up against his, or when she realized she never wanted this heavenly moment to end.
    His hand roamed down her back and over her backside to cup her buttocks and press her more intimately against him. And that’s when she felt the first tingle of heat between her legs and as their kiss deepened, the sensation turned into a steady, aching throb.
    She was lost, utterly lost in the magic of his kiss and…
    Fool!
    Her mother’s angry voice was like a splash of cold water in the face that cooled her ardor immediately. And she could think of nothing more than her mother admonishing her not to get lost in a kiss. And under the circumstances this wasn’t the time or place to allow herself the pleasure.
    She eased the kiss to an end and reluctantly stepped away, though Duncan planted his hands on her waist and refused to let go.
    They stood silent, staring at each other, and Mercy wondered if her unrequited passion showed so vividly in her eyes as Duncan’s did in his. And she clearly knew, or perhaps clearly felt, that if something wasn’t done they would soon be locked in another kiss that would end far differently than this one.
    She mustered up the courage to say, “Your kiss has been claimed.”
    He grinned and though he tried to urge her to him, she refused to budge, digging her boots firmly in the ground to keep a safe distance between them.
    â€œYou cannot tell me you didn’t like it,” he said confidently.
    â€œI certainly will not deny that I liked it,” she said, “even more so than the first kiss.”
    His grin faded and his dark eyes narrowed. “Who is it you compare me to?”
    She smiled. “When you first kissed me was the firsttime I had ever been kissed. While I cannot deny I enjoyed that kiss as well, this kiss was more…” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, trying to find just the right words. One came to mind and her smile turned generous. “Memorable.”
    Duncan appeared confused, shaking his head. “I was the first to ever kiss you?”
    She nodded.
    â€œNo man’s lips but mine have touched yours?”
    â€œNo man but you.”
    He looked at her strangely for a moment and then reached out to brush her lips with his fingertips. “They belong to me now.”
    Belong.
    Mercy