Page 21 of House Ignis

"Jeremy," I said, my voice coming out too loud, too breathless.

Gods, my body was on fire.

My thigh was still trapped in Asher's hand, the heat pooling dangerously low in my stomach, while my own hands were still tangled around the dark line of his neck.

It was like a spell suddenly snapping.

I scrambled to let go of Asher, his palm feeling like a brand as it finally slid off my bare skin.

I straightened my gown, smoothing the silk with trembling fingers, and dared to look at him.

I regretted it instantly.

The gods-damned smug bastard was looking at Jeremy with a blatant, lethal challenge written in every line of his face.

"Thank you, Asher, for the dance," I managed to choke out.

"Of course, darling. The pleasure was entirely mine." He reached out, caught my hand, and brought it to his lips.

Gods, the second his mouth met my skin, electricity scorched its way up my arm, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from moaning aloud. His lips lingered a heartbeat too long, and I swear to the gods, the tremors beneath my heels intensified.

He gave me a slow, mocking wink and vanished into the shadows of the crowd.

He left me standing there, breathless and burning, with the impending earthquake to deal with.

I exhaled a shaky breath and turned toward Jeremy, whose eyes were still fixed on the spot where Asher had vanished.

"Jer," I breathed, reaching out to catch his hand. His gaze finally tore away from the crowd and crashed into mine.

He gripped my hand and pulled me flush against his chest, guiding me into the rhythm of the next song with a rigid, practiced grace.

As his green eyes poured into mine, I felt the tension in his shoulders begin to bleed away, and the tremors in the ground finally stilled.

Then he smiled—that familiar, comforting curve of his lips. "Hello, sweetheart."

My chest constricted at the sound of it.

That nickname.

It tasted like childhood and safety, but tonight, it felt like a restraint.

"You need to be careful of him," Jeremy said, his jaw locked tight.

"Jealous?" The word landed with far less bite than I'd intended.

"Of course I am, Ava." His grip tightened, a flicker of something raw crossing his face.

"I watched you out there with him and I—" He stopped, jaw working. "I don't want to lose you. I know I haven't been there the way I should have since Jax. But I'm here now."

Something in my chest cracked open at that. He wasn't trying to own me. He feared losing me. And somehow, that was harder to deal with.

"Jeremy," I said softly, my fingers finding his jaw.

"You're not losing me."

Then his expression shifted, darkening into something more primal. His green eyes burned hotter, and before I could even draw a breath, his hand slid up to cradle my jaw.

His thumb pressed firmly beneath my chin, tilting my head back until I had nowhere else to look but at him.