"Again." Magnus breathed in ragged bursts against her hair. "Go up for me again."
She went up even harder and felt his hardness twitch inside her tugging contractions.
"No," he gritted out, maybe to himself. "I'm not going yet."
He sank onto his elbows, one corded forearm shoving under her neck. "Is this all right?" he asked, his h*ps working more emphatically into her, as if he couldn't help but go harder. "I don't want to hurt you."
His thrusts did hurt now, just a little, but she was groaning over yet another stupendous orgasm and couldn't really complain. When she came out of it, the ache of his pounding felt even better.
"Magnus," she gasped, her nails digging into his big shoulders. "Please, don't stop what you're doing."
She heard his teeth grind together, felt his muscles bunch for more power. He shoved her into another cl**ax so quickly she didn't have time to prepare herself for how good it was. She wasn't even sure it was one cl**ax. It seemed more like a chain of throbbing peaks, each pulsing with violent sweetness until the next one seized and shook her.
She knew he reveled in doing this to her, but Magnus could only stand feeling her clench around him for so long.
"That's it," he said, his thrusts utterly savage now. "Grab it. I can't—Oh, God—"
He slammed into her, hard and deep, his eyes blind with pleasure, his mouth slack as he went over. She felt him come inside her, a jet of force that was more than seed—though there was plenty of that. It felt as if his soul were bursting through its barriers, joining hers, loving hers. Ecstasy sang through her body and melted it away. She was light and joy in a humming silence bigger than the world.
Best of all, he was there, with the same tender, awestruck emotions beating in him.
She didn't have to give him her heart. He was her heart, and she was his. In this shining moment, there were no differences between them: no regret, no fear, just a love that loved for the pleasure of letting that delicious energy run through their consciousness. They would never lose each other, because they would always know this was the truth within each of them.
She felt him sigh a thought that might have been her name. There was wonder in it, and she knew that however many women he'd shared pleasure with, he'd never reached this pinnacle with them. The place they dwelt was so lovely, its peace so profound, that it almost didn't matter if he had.
Still, it was nice to know she was the only one.
She found herself back in her body a blink later. He had collapsed on top of her, but now he rolled to the side, pulling her with him to snuggle close.
She was almost afraid to speak. Instead, she pressed her lips to his pounding heart and stroked her hand down his side. He was summer-warm, like a big, cuddly radiator. It seemed magic to be lying here in the open, totally comfortable, with the stars wheeling over them.
"Sleep," he said, his hand gentle on her curls. "I'm going to see if I can remember a healing spell."
Zoe slung her leg over his thigh and hummed happily. She hoped he could remember. Pummeled though her pu**y was, she was looking forward to trying that again.
Zoe had always wondered what it would be like to go all night with Magnus.
They did make it into the house before she found out, the noise of their entry sending Corky scurrying under her bed. Fortunately, the kitten wasn't permanently traumatized. When they finally quieted again, he crawled out and mewed for Magnus to pick him up. Magnus petted him no more than half a dozen times, and Corky collapsed into kitty dreamland, actually purring a bit in his sleep.
If Zoe's heart hadn't belonged to Magnus already, it would have then.
"You are a true friend to kittens," she joked.
"This pu**y certainly seems to think so."
Zoe smiled. A brand new day was dawning outside. The sliver of orangey-pink sun looked pretty nice seen over his shoulder.
"I have something to ask you," she said, "which seems a little silly now. What is your name really?"
"Oh," he said, then chuckled. "It's really Magnus Monroe. I was able to steal the identity of someone with the same name—which seemed a lucky break at the time. I knew I'd have to keep secrets if I stayed, and I wanted my name to feel like me."
"And Bryan couldn't see through your falsified records because he's not psychic?"
Magnus shifted higher on his elbow, his face serious. He seemed to hear the words she didn't say. "I didn't force him to want you, Zoe. My spell only broke down his hesitation to pursuing you."
Zoe stroked his strong forearm. "I'm not sure that makes me more comfortable. You saw me with him and Alex."
"Are you upset because I intruded on your privacy?"
"I don't know. I—" She stopped, not wanting to spoil their morning, not when their night had been perfect.
"Whatever it is, Zoe, you can tell me. I know more about the twists and turns desire can take than most people."
She knew he did, and it was one of the qualities she loved most. Start the way you mean to go on, she thought. If it's important to you, you need to talk it out.
"I know Alex loves Bryan," she said, "and I'm glad for them. The thing is, there was something in Alex's eyes last night when he looked at me, even after he came back from Fairy." She hesitated, but Magnus's look was land. "I don't think he's completely over me, or at least not completely over needing more than one lover. I want him and Bryan to make it."
Magnus stroked a tumbled curl out of her face. "You want your old love to be happy… and maybe you'd like a little of his happiness to come from you."
He was so perceptive he scared her. "I love you, Magnus," she said, wanting to be very clear. "You are my choice, completely. I know it's not my responsibility, or even my business, but I can't help wanting him to be content."
Magnus was silent for a moment, his gaze thoughtful. He ran one finger gently down Corky's tail. "Suppose we help them out?"
Zoe blinked at him. "How do you mean?" she asked care-folly.
"Well, you're right that Alex probably isn't ready to be monogamous. If he develops like the average fairy, he has a decade or so before his heart, and his body, can really settle on one person. We could, if you wanted, provide him the variety his fairy constitution needs without endangering his bond with Bryan. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I doubt Bryan or Alex would kick me out of bed any sooner than they'd kick you."
Zoe hadn't been this surprised when she found out he was a fairy. "You'd do that for them? For me?"