As he was doing now. He’d been the one to call her out for ogling him. He’d prowled closer to steal this incredible kiss. Her toes curled at the magical sensations roiling through her bloodstream. And then she realized…it was magic. There was some kind of magical exchange happening between them, but it didn’t drain her. In fact, she was gaining energy, not losing it. Was she draining him?
She put her palms against his shoulders and pushed, trying to break the kiss. He didn’t let her go right away, but eventually her urgency seemed to get through to him and he raised his head. His pupils were dilated, as she was pretty sure hers were. Pleasure did that to a tiger.
The hunger in his dark-gold eyes almost made her forget why she’d denied herself more of the incredible pleasure of kissing him. But the dazed look to his features reminded her.
“Am I draining you?” she asked quickly, her voice breathless and her breathing rate still elevated from their kiss.
He shook his head. “What?”
“Power drain. Magic. Do you feel it?” She wasn’t really able to string words together into a full sentence yet, but he seemed to understand. His golden brows drew together for a moment as he seemed to think about what she’d asked.
“No. If anything, I feel energized. I think you’re giving me power. Are you okay?” His expression turned to one of concern as he focused on her, and his arms gentled, holding her close against his chest almost protectively.
“I’m fine. Great, in fact. I felt a boost in magical energy too.” There. She was able to speak a complete sentence at last. She thought of it as a small victory.
“Really?” Concern turned to intrigue on his face.
She was getting better at reading his strong chin and gorgeous golden eyes. He didn’t give away much, but now that she’d gotten to know him, she could figure out the subtle changes that echoed his mood.
His head dipped lower and she knew he was going to kiss her again…and then the phone rang. The loud bleat of her cell phone broke the spell they’d both been under and he released her. Gina swore silently that she was going to murder whoever it was on the other end of the call.
She stomped over to the end table where her phone lay charging and punched the button after seeing the name on the display. Paul Miller. Drat the man. He was one of her best friends, but he really needed to work on his timing.
“Hey,” she answered abruptly, not wanting to take her frustration out on him, but he heard it anyway.
“Sorry. Bad time?”
Paul didn’t usually tiptoe around her, but their relationship had changed a bit now that he was married and she wasn’t constantly underfoot. When they’d been in school, she’d been his pesky younger sister. Now there was a distance between them that she didn’t like but understood. They’d grown apart a bit. It was only natural, but she missed having him around all the time.#p#分页标题#e#
“Coulda been better,” she groused, but her good humor was returning. She could never stay mad at Paul for long. “What’s up?”
“I just called to ask your guest a question or two. My brothers are around and I wanted to know if Mitch didn’t mind having a few more bodies to pummel and be pummeled by.”
It was odd phrasing but she knew what he meant. Paul had a way of overcomplicating the English language that never failed to amuse. Like her, he had been born in Iceland, but he’d been older and had had to learn English as a second language. Gina was lucky in that respect. She’d learned both languages side-by-side as she’d grown up. Paul didn’t have an accent, but he did like to structure his sentences oddly from time to time.
“Hang on a minute. I’ll give him the phone.” Gina held out the small device to Mitch and he took it, jumping right into the conversation with Paul. Shifter hearing was sharp and he’d heard Paul’s end of the conversation almost as clearly as she had.
The men arranged to meet earlier than previously agreed and then have dinner at the Miller’s. Mitch ended the call, already gathering a change of clothing in the duffel she’d picked up somewhere along their journey here. She added a few things she wanted to bring with her and within a few minutes, they were ready to go.
They got outside, but there was only the one snowmobile. They had to ride double down the hill and over the fields to the Miller’s barn. Mitch let her drive, which was only sensible since she’d practically grown up on one of these machines. But having his big body spooning her from behind made it the most…um…exhilarating ride she’d ever had on one of them.
She didn’t feel the cold. Not with Mitch’s big body giving off heat like a furnace. And his arms around her middle made her wish there wasn’t a wad of bulky fabric between them. It made her want his hands to roam up, under her parka and sweater. Up, over the bare skin of her torso and into her bra. Up, over her breasts, cupping them, caressing her nipples.