Never More by Dana Marie Bell Page A

Up close, the sapphire blue still predominated, but just before his pupil was a tiny ring of vibrant green. You had to be very close to catch it, but it was there, disappearing completely when his pupils dilated. The outer ring of his iris was so dark it was almost black.
    “See something you like?”
    That whisper of breath against her lips made her lick her own. “Your eyes have green in them.”
    He smiled slightly. “Oh?”
    “Yeah.” She coughed, trying to pull herself out of the haze of whatever spell Raven had woven around her. “You’re not my type, you know.”
    “Oh, I know.” He caressed her hip. “You have a thing for cowboys, not bad ones.”
    “And Vikings,” she added.
    “No matter how tiny their spears are?”
    “How did you…? You know what? Never mind. You’ll tell me, and then my head will hurt even more.” She went to rub her forehead but wound up bonking him on the chin. “Sorry.”
    “Admit it.” He kissed her fingertip. “You’ve been dying to sink your claws into me.”
    “If I say no will you peck my eyes out?”
    “Liar.” He rubbed his nose gently against hers in what her mom used to call an Eskimo kiss. “You were ready to skin my ass barehanded.”
    She sniffed. “I told you to put me down.”
    “And I respected the claws and did as you asked.” He smiled, and Amanda found herself falling into the sheer joy on his face. “Now. About those bondmate steps.”
    “Fine.” She was trembling, but damn if she’d let him see it. “Pray tell, dark knight, what mythical quest do you need to go on to make me yours?”
    “Hmm. Well, for this knight, the quest is different from what you’re thinking.”
    “No slaying of dragons or stealing of golden fleece for you, huh?”
    “What can I say? I’m a rebel.” He winked. “The first step to winning the fair maiden is a simple kiss.”
    “Kiss?” She was pretty certain her skepticism was written all over her face. “Are we talking steps or bases here?”
    “Now now, no changing the game on me, fair one.” Raven tsk’d. “I didn’t make the rules, the gods themselves did.”
    “So you’re telling me Leo won Ruby over with a kiss.”
    “Are you surprised?”
    No. No, she wouldn’t be. Ruby had wanted Leo like a caffeine addict needed Kona coffee beans. “That was different.”
    “I suppose so. After all, we’ve just met, right?” Raven stroked her neck, his touch on her skin whisper-soft. “We don’t know each other at all.”
    “No, we don’t.” So why wasn’t she kicking his ass out of her room? Any other man who tried that kind of shit would find himself on the wrong end of a high-heeled boot. But here was Raven, lying in her bed, stroking her skin, so close she could feel his breath on her lips.
    “We haven’t talked much. I don’t know your favorite color, or what you like to read, or who you root for when you watch competitions on television.” He sighed, and the green band around his pupil expanded, swallowing up the blue. “But the moment I heard your voice I had to know you. The second I saw you walk out of this house I wanted to touch you.” He picked up a piece of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “The scent of your hair will haunt me for the rest of my days.” He sniffed her hair and shivered. “Peaches.”
    “Shampoo,” she breathed out. Oh, this guy was good .
    “No.” His eyes glowed softly. “It’s you.”
    He barely moved, but suddenly their lips were touching. The barest hint of a kiss and she was closing her eyes and sighing into his mouth, opening for more.
    Raven granted her unspoken desire, taking the kiss deeper. The invasion was sweet and soft, like a bird’s wing brushing against her. The grip of his hands on her hips pulling her closer didn’t surprise her. Her reaction to it was, as the need to keep him nearly overwhelmed her. She slid her leg up along his, grabbing a hold of his biceps. The strength of him mesmerized her. This was no pale, limp goth