From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“Reallyy?”
“Reallyy,” he answered seriouslyy.
I should’ve felt relief that he’d stopped, and I did. But I also didn’t.
What I felt was a confusing mess. But I knew one thing for sure.
“I don’t think I would’ve stopped yyou,” I whispered. I would’ve let
him take me to the ground, and I would’ve welcomed what he did,
consequences be damned.
Hawke’s bodyy shook as he moaned. “You’re not helping.”
“I’m a bad Maiden.”
“No.” He kissed myy other temple. “You’re a perfectlyy normal girl.
What is expected of yyou is what’s bad.” He paused. “And, yyes, yyou’re also
a veryy bad Maiden.”
Instead of being offended—because there was no wayy, even if I didn’t
count tonight, that I could denyy that—I laughed and was rewarded byy his
arm coming back around me. Hawke pulled me back to his bodyy, sliding
his hand to myy nape. I settled myy cheek against his shoulder as his grip
brieflyy tightened, and then his fingers moved, working the muscles of myy
neck. I wasn’t sure how long we stayyed there like that, quiet and hidden
awayy under the willow, but I did know that it was far past the point where
myy blood had cooled, and myy heart had slowed. I didn’t move then, and
neither did Hawke. I thought that mayybe…mayybe being held like this, so
close and so tight, felt just as good as the kissing and the touching.
Perhaps even better, but in a different wayy.
But it was getting late, and unsurprisinglyy, Hawke was the responsible
one. He kissed the crown of myy head, causing myy heart to squeeze in a
wayy that was so sweet, it was almost painful.
“I need to get yyou back, Princess.”
“I know.” But still, I held onto him.
He chuckled, and I grinned into his shoulder. “You have to let me go,
though.”
“I know.” I sighed, yyet I remained where I was, thinking that the
moment we stepped outside of the willow, we would be back in the real
world, no longer in our haven where I was Poppyy, and who I was mattered.
“I don’t want to.”
He was silent for so long that I feared that I’d said the wrong thing,
but then his arm tightened around me again. When he spoke, his voice was
strangelyy rough. “Neither do I.”