Groaning at the torture she was inspiring, he bent his head to nip her shoulder. He knew she was close to coming, knew, too, that bringing her to pleasure quickly was the only tiling that might save him.
If he took her the way he wanted, heart and body, he'd have to give both back when the moon was full; have to return the sweetest, dearest prize he'd ever won.
He wasn't sure either of them would recover if he did that.
"Omigod!" she cried, stiffening without warning. "The cat! We left my kitten outside!"
He panted like one of Tryon's flying horses as she wriggled out of his hold. It took a couple of tries before he could form words.
"I'm not doing this right if you can think of that."
"You were doing it perfectly," she assured him, patting his arm a second before she tugged it excitedly. "Oh, Magnus, look! The fairies have come back."
They had come back. Magnus could see them clearly as they both peeped through the sliding doors, though Zoe probably didn't know that. A crowd of at least a dozen were clustered around the box that held the kittne, darting back and giggling when it reached for them with its paw. They must have been making sure it wouldn't try to leap out.
"Can you see them?" she whispered. Her fingers curled into his as naturally as if they'd been holding hands for years, instead of this being the first time. "They might look like fireflies to you, but in different colors."
"I see them," he said.
His voice was rough. Zoe lifted his knuckles for an impulsive kiss, her hand still warm with sexual excitement. "That was so clever of you to bring him! Kittens are like catnip to fairies. I bet they couldn't stay away when they saw."
He couldn't utter a word. Her pleasure in his pleasure—without ever guessing how much it meant to him—closed his throat.
For millennia, the little fey had served his world's ruling families—happily, so they thought. It was their nature to delight in helping others' dreams come true. They had not, however, delighted in doing it as slaves, or at his mother's whim. One by one they'd slipped through the cracks between the worlds, hitchhiking on their larger cousins' trips back and forth. The last of his tiny kindred had disappeared when he was a boy. Since that time, he hadn't seen a single one until tonight.
When Zoe's gaze found his, alight with her happiness over this privilege she was sharing, he couldn't have looked away to save a million magical visas.
Her fingers tightened meaningfully on his. "The kitten seems to be fine. Lots o' babysitters. Maybe we could continue where we left off?"
A bashfulness she hadn't shown a scrap of when she climbed na**d from that tub had crept into her voice. Blood surged harder through his groin. He knew no male in Fairy could have resisted her blend of shyness and availability. Everything in his highly sexual nature told him to claim her, hard and fast, for himself alone. He knew he needed to step back now, while his sanity was still intact. Except, if he left her when she sounded this insecure, he doubted she'd forgive him a second time.
Feeling more solemn than he ever had in his life, he cupped her lovely face between his hands.
"I think we should slow down, sweetheart. Maybe not go 'all the way,' as the kids put it. What you're offering me is a precious gift. I want to take my time unwrapping it."
Zoe pulled his clasp away from her.
"Oh, boy." Her voice was breathless… and not in a good way. "This is sounding sickeningly familiar."
"Zoe—"
"No." She stepped back and shook her head as he reached for her. "Far be it from me to rush any man."
He didn't understand her reaction, but knew it couldn't bode well for him. He scrambled in his head for something to say that would make it better, but only got as far as drawing breath when her kitchen phone began ringing.
"Saved by the bell," she said bitterly.
He had the stomach-dropping sensation that she believed the bell was saving him.
Chapter Five
Bryan had spent many evenings in Phoenix in overloud country-western bars, waiting for some cowboy to give him The Eye. Despite these numerous assaults on his eardrums, his hearing was fine. He caught more of Alex's conversation with his mother than he suspected Alex intended. Why Alex had been rattled by the information, Bryan didn't want to speculate.
Alex couldn't be thinking he'd been switched as a baby, when Oscar Pruitt was so obviously exactly who the hospital said.
That Alex was rattled was undeniable. Bryan's partner didn't take a "thinking" break from a case before they'd barely gotten under way. Bryan also had the impression that Alex was avoiding making his presence known in his old hometown. It was nearing sunset, late this time of year, and guests were coming back from dinner. These weren't people likely to recognize him, but Alex chose to enter the Vista Inn via a side door, handily skirting the public lobby.
Equally suspicious, they took the rickety elevator to the fourth floor, riding it alone and in silence. Alex's face was tense, maybe a little flushed. Though this might just have meant his partner was upset, Bryan found his body hardening.
If Alex was a sex addict as he'd claimed, it seemed likely he'd be wanting to have it soon. Bryan had been pretty sure he'd had a boner back in the car. And possibly being on edge, for whatever reason, might increase his need. For motives that, admittedly, weren't unselfish, Bryan was more than ready to be Alex's therapeutic sex object—repeatedly, if required.
He'd been wanting him way too long to have exhausted that appetite.
Alex had the key out and entered the room first. Bryan made up for that advantage by kicking the door shut behind him and pulling off his shirt.
The slamming door spun Alex back. A flicker of irritation crossed his face, but the appearance of Bryan's chest erased it. That his disrobing also darkened Alex's cheeks brought Bryan's erection to its most demanding proportions. In that moment, he thought he might go crazy if it wasn't seen to soon.
"Bed first," he said firmly, kicking off his shoes. "Brooding later."
Alex didn't say a word, just took two steps toward him and grabbed his face for a quick, deep kiss. Bryan fell back onto the king size bed almost before he knew he'd been pushed. Alex was on top of him in two seconds, on his knees, and heading straight for Bryan's belt.
He got it off so fast, Bryan's waist should have had whiplash.
"Hey," he said as Alex started wrestling off his pants as well. "Give me a chance to get my hands on you this time."
Alex looked up. His eyes were the same intense blue Bryan had noticed back in the firm's bathroom. Whatever caused the effect, it had to be the sexiest expression he'd ever seen.