She hummed out an inquisitive noise as he took a deep inhale and thought of blood and gore and death to keep from bringing things to an end too soon.
Reeve quietly thanked himself for committing to so many daily pushups as, suspended on one elbow, he brought his other hand to her belly. She twitched under his touch, and then drew in a slow, breast-heaving breath as he dragged his palm lower.
Her eyelids fluttered, the silvery sparkle there dimming, and her lips parted with a gentle gasp as he caressed between her legs. It was the warmest part of her, and for a moment Reeve thought he had accidentally cast a spell. She’d been so quiet until that point, but as his fingers moved in the way he’d been both shown and read about, she arched her back and clawed at the linens and moaned.
“Did I hurt you?” He pulled his hand away, worried only for a brief moment he’d somehow drawn blood, but was pleased to see that wasn’t the case.
She rocked her head from side to side. “No, Reeve, I just want you.”
“But I barely…”
Celeste giggled. “Well, you said a lot of nice things. Believe me, I’m more than ready.”
Reeve nodded, but all of his earlier hesitation came rushing back with the fear of disappointing her—his cock was nowhere near as limber as his fingers, and how was it meant to reach the important places?
But then she hooked one of her long legs around his hips and smirked up at him, and Reeve’s determination to give her exactly what she wanted won out.
CHAPTER 27
THE STAIRWAY TO EMPYREA GLITTERS ONLY BECAUSE IT’S SO RECENTLY BEEN MOPPED, SO TAKE CARE NOT TO SLIP
It was clear to Celeste that Reeve had no idea what he was doing, but he was putting his whole heart into doing it.
She let him pursue passage unsuccessfully for only a few moments as he tried both to watch the shadowy space between the two of them and close it at the same time, and then she pressed a hand to his chest, bringing him to stillness.
He grit his teeth, eyes roving up to meet hers, and she gave him the kindest look she could. “Why don’t you lie down?”
“But how am I to…”
Celeste shook her head gently and gave him a push, rolling him onto his back. She slipped a leg over his hips and straddled him, allowing his length to jut up between the two. No wonder he’d had trouble, she thought, running fingers around its crown. His whole body jerked beneath her. Thrilled, she did it again and wrapped her other hand around him fully, gently testing just how intense the ride was about to be.
But Reeve’s eyes had gone wide—too wide. She released him and instead touched his temple, moving a curl away from his face. “Are you all right?”
Reeve nodded, but she didn’t quite believe him, which was an anomaly, but she supposed, if he could lie to anyone, it would be himself.
“We don’t have to do this,” she said, squeezing his shoulder, and she could feel his muscles relax. “We can stop and just—”
He shook his head swiftly. “I just…I don’t want to let you down.”
“I don’t think you could let me down if you tried.” Celeste leaned forward and kissed him, his cock cradled between their stomachs, and his soft lips answered urgently. Hands took her waist and clung on with a need words couldn’t say. When she pulled back, he wasn’t looking unsure anymore, gaze traveling down her body and palms roving along her thighs with the kind of reverence she’d never felt in someone’s touch.
For once, Celeste didn’t feel the need to hide away in a shadow, sitting up fully and gently gripping the base of him. She leaned on his chest as she pressed up and then slowly lowered down to nestle him snuggly inside her, watching his face and listening to his ragged inhale for any sign things were not all right. But, crickets, perhaps it was her that would not be all right—he filled her so fully, she wondered how she would move at all.
Reeve pawed at her thighs as she straddled him and arched her back. His eyes fell shut, breath held. Under her hands, his heart beat wildly in his chest. He was as warm as the rising sun between her legs, and against her own chest, her locket thrummed.
No, not now, she thought, but there were no shadows creeping out to surround them, no protection needed. There was only her own beating heart.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
One of his eyes popped open. “There’s more?”
Celeste grinned and rolled her hips forward, pleased to feel she’d gotten used to him so quickly. “There’s quite a bit more, depending on the strength of your will.”
Reeve weakly raised a hand to his chest and attempted to make a sign with his fingers over his heart. “If that’s the case, I think I’ve been preparing my whole life.”
As it turned out, Reeve’s will proved slightly weaker than he had predicted, which neither surprised nor disappointed Celeste despite his breathless apologies. His conviction, however, was far from faltering, which was both a shock and a much too luxurious gratification. After coming undone and catching his breath, he took her by the hips, and with one swift move, had her on her back.
“What’s happening?” she asked as he shifted backward and knelt between her bent knees.
