For the Warmth (A Beyond Blood Short) (MFM Romance) by Nora Flite Page B

over the bruise, lifting goosebumps and making me shiver helplessly. “My secret... is that I'm not even sorry. I love seeing you covered in my marks, no matter how I get to make them.”
    Oh, dammit—that throbbing need between my thighs was distracting. Kite's chest was nearly on mine, his scent washing through my skull. He liked marking me? What a bastard.
    Except... god, it was making my knees fail. There was something so primal and intoxicating about wearing these tattoos of possession. But Kite was getting too cocky, and I wasn't keen on being rolled over so easily.
    Gathering myself, fighting for strength, I looked him in the eye and put my palm on his hip. Both of us twitched at the same time. “There's just one problem,” I whispered, my tongue drawing over my bottom lip. “This mark?” I touched his hand, pushed it against my ribs and wondered if he could feel the heat of my blood. “I'm not sure it's from you. I think it belongs to Jacob.”
    That day, we'd all wielded different colors in our guns. It had been a contest—whoever got the most hits would win a prize; whatever they desired.
    Those two men were skilled far beyond me. My body and its bruises knew that solidly. I especially remembered the aftermath of the game. The three of us, sweating and groaning in the cool air beneath the darkening sky.
    My blood roared quicker with that image.
    Kite's expression shifted, brows crawling low, challenging. “You're memory needs work, Marina.” His eyes were an abyss, drawing me deeper. “This,” he growled, pushing me by my collarbone into the glass, “Is definitely from me.”
    Sparks exploded in my skull. His hard muscles brushed across me, but still, his mouth hovered just out of reach. My voice was hushed. “One of us remembers wrong, then. So what do we do about that?”
    “Guess I'll just make you remember.” His hand wound in my scalp, forced me to him. But, again, he kept his smirk just out of reach. I could see the flecks in his eyes, somehow darker than the rest. The edges of his teeth were sharp, waiting to dig into my skin.
    My tongue took up my entire mouth. “And what if you can't?” I teased.
    I wasn't ready for him to grip my bra, to rip it so hard it snapped uselessly. My gasp was muffled by his lips, but the kiss ended as fast as it had begun.
    Kite held my temple to the glass, talking into my ear, nuzzling my throat. “If I can't?” His teeth lifted new goosebumps when he slid them down to my shoulder. “I'll just have to make brand new ones.”
    I couldn't have looked at him with how he had me forced down, but truthfully, I think my eyes had stopped working. My lashes fluttered, blinding me and helping me sink deep into the sensations.
    This man—how easily he could dive into my core and stoke the fires, like he'd done it a million times. There were so many reasons not to give in. So many reasons to push him away, or at least try to.
    But I never bothered.
    Call me insane. I don't care. It was true, Kite was an assassin who was perfectly capable of ending my life and erasing my existence. I had no family, no friends. No one would bother looking for me.
    Of all the people to make vanish... I would be one of the easiest.
    Once, I'd hoped it was the letter—the proof for the world that this man and his friend were hitmen with a history—that would keep me safe.
    Now, god...
    What if Kite actually wanted me alive? He'd told me before that he couldn't promise me anything. Somewhere along the line, had that changed? Or was I just being irrationally hopeful?
    This wasn't the time to think about any of that. Thinking, in general, was fucking hard. He slid his palm higher, dragging the hem of my shirt over my already rock-hard nipples. I could blame the cool air, but we both knew the truth.
    “Fuck,” he hissed, pushing the hand in my hair deeper. He had me pinned. “Marina, how are you always so beautiful looking?”
    Blushing furiously, I tried to peer at him. Kite would have