"Hai-Yen."
I reached out, the leather of my gloves creaking faintly, and tilted her chin upward with two fingers.
Her skin was warm, a stark contrast to the biting mountain air swirling around us.
For a moment, she just stared, her breath uneven, eyes scanning my face to find the deception.
I thought she would push my hand away.
She didn't.
I leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull back. Time to reject me.
She stayed.
Our lips met.
It wasn't soft. It wasn't gentle. It was tense, like two blades testing each other.
Her fingers tightened around my sleeve instead. Not pushing me away. Holding on.
That surprised me more than any insult she'd ever thrown. Could it be she really fell for my tricks that easily? If so, she might have more in common with her little sister than I'd realized. Maybe the strong, confident woman was just a mask.
The more I tasted her small lips, the more she drew me in.
I deepened the kiss slightly, testing again.
