Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast Page B

tell at a glance what kind of man he is.” He paused and then growled, “Not the right kind for you.”
    “You can’t tell that just by looking at him.”
    He turned her, took a longer look at Kendal over her shoulder, and then said, “He’s weak and a user. Self-centered. He probably always talks about himself in a conversation. Am I right?” She nodded. “He’s a putz.”
    “A putz?”
    “Oh, yeah. Worthless.”
    She glanced around Gabriel’s shoulder and saw that the putz in question had spotted them and was walking in their direction. “Oh, no. I don’t want to talk to him,” she said under her breath. “I haven’t talked to him since the breakup and—”
    Putting his hand at the small of her back, Gabriel dipped her . . . then he kissed her.
    Aislinn’s body stiffened, but she didn’t fight him. To fight him in this position meant she’d probably fall on her ass in the middle of the dance floor. Gabriel held her there, suspended in air, his warm, broad hand on the small of her back, his strong arms holding her effortlessly.
    And the man could kiss.
    His lips skated across hers slowly at first, then he nipped at her lower lip before slanting his mouth across hers and coaxing her to open for him. His tongue swept within and brushed up along her tongue . . . slowly. So slowly. Up and down. Hot and wet. She’d had no idea until now that her mouth was an erogenous zone. Her stomach did a flutter and pulse. Time seemed to stop and Kendal left her mind completely.
    His kiss reminded her of sex.
    Her body heated and she shivered at the same time. Her muscles relaxed and the sounds of the ballroom receded to nothingness against the suddenly loud beat of her heart. A purr started in the back of her throat and she swallowed it forcibly. Gods, the man kissed like an . . . well, like an incubus.
    His lips still on hers, he pulled her up to stand again, flush against his body. Although her knees were so weak, she wasn’t sure she could. It didn’t matter; he held her up . . . and still kissed her. They weren’t even dancing anymore. His lips were sliding over hers and his tongue was skating along her tongue and there was nothing left but sensation. He took his time with her mouth, sucking on her lower lip and abrading it gently between his teeth, a thing that made places in her body much lower react. The hand he’d placed on her back found bare skin and stroked.
    Someone cleared his throat beside her. Kendal? Aislinn could barely remember his name. Gabriel ignored him. He simply tightened his grip around her waist and turned her a little away from her conniving ex.
    Kendal cleared his throat again. “Aislinn?”
    Gabriel broke the kiss slowly, very slowly—dragging her lower lip once more through his teeth—before he raised his head.
    She looked at Kendal, knowing her eyes were a little out of focus, her lips parted, swollen, and probably a bit red. She was completely unable to form words.
    “Aislinn, you don’t have to show off this way in front of me. Really, I’ve moved on. I couldn’t care less who you’re fucking these days.” He flicked a glance at Gabriel. “Although I wouldn’t touch Unseelie trash if I were you. You’ll get a reputation.”
    His words threw a bucket of cold water on her warm lethargy, but Gabriel’s reaction was faster. He gently extricated himself from her and loomed over Kendal, suddenly seeming twice the other man’s size.
    Kendal took a step back and Gabriel’s hand reached out like lightning and fisted his shirt, making sure he couldn’t flee. Kendal blinked, his face going pale.
    Gabriel bared his teeth a moment before speaking. “You gave up your right to talk to her when you used her, then publicly dumped her in front of all the court. You should turn around right now and leave before I get angry.”
    “I have more of a right to talk to her than you do, incubus.”
    The entire court had gone breathless. The music was still playing but no one within eyesight