"Tell me to stop right now if ye want," he said against her lips.
"Dinnae stop." Ada's fingers tangled in his hair. "Dinnae ye dare stop."
Magnus lifted her, pressing her between his body and the wall. Ada wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively, gasping at the feel of him hard against her.
"Feel that?" Magnus's voice was rough, almost desperate. "Feel how much I want ye? There's nay question, Ada. Nay doubt. I want ye so badly I cannae think straight when ye're near me. But I'm done bein' afraid. Done denyin' what I feel. Done pretendin' I dinnae need ye like I need air tae breathe."
He kissed her again, swallowing her gasp as his hand slid beneath her skirts. Found the heat of her through thin fabric. Ada trembled in his arms, her head falling back against the stone.
"Magnus," she breathed.
"I've got ye." His fingers stroked gently, learning what made her gasp, what made her arch into his touch. "I'll always have ye, Ada. Always keep ye safe. Always protect ye. Because ye're mine. Dae ye understand? Ye're mine and I'm yers and nothing else matters."
"Aye." Ada's nails dug into his shoulders. "I understand. I'm yers, Magnus. Only yers."
And finally, finally, Magnus let himself believe it.
He freed himself from his trousers, positioned himself at her entrance. Paused despite every instinct screaming at him to claim her.
"Last chance," he said, his voice strained. "Tell me nay and I'll stop."
Ada's eyes met his, clear and certain and full of everything he'd been too afraid to hope for.
"Make me yers completely. Show me what it means to belong to ye," she whispered.
Magnus pushed forward. Slowly at first, giving her body time to adjust, trying to be gentle despite the raw need consuming him. Ada gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders, and he stilled immediately.
"Am I hurtin’ ye?" His voice was rough with concern.
"Nay. Just... a wee bit. Dinnae stop. Please dinnae stop."
He moved again, inch by careful inch, watching her face fer any sign of pain. But all he saw was wonder. Trust. The absolute certainty that she was safe with him even in that vulnerable moment.
Something cracked open in Magnus's chest. Some wall he'd been maintaining between them finally, completely crumbling.
"Ada," he breathed against her lips. "God, Ada."
"I ken." Her hands came up to frame his face, her eyes never leaving his. "I feel it too."
Magnus had bedded many women before. Had shared physical pleasure without emotion, had known release without connection. But this was different. This was Ada trembling in his arms, looking at him like he was something precious. Like he mattered beyond his title or his strength or what he could provide.
Like she saw the broken parts of him and chose him anyway.
He began to move, and Ada moved with him. Her body learning his rhythm, her soft sounds of pleasure driving him toward the edge faster than he wanted. He tried to slow down, tried to make it last, but Ada urged him on with her legs tightening around his waist, her hands pulling him closer.
"I'm nae made of glass," she whispered. "I willnae break."
So Magnus let go. Let himself feel the full force of what was building between them. Let himself be vulnerable in a way he hadn't been since Freydis had destroyed his ability to trust.
And Ada met him there. Matched his intensity with her own. Her nails scored his back through his shirt, her teeth caught his lower lip, her body arched into his like she was trying to get closer despite there being no space left between them.
"Magnus," she gasped. "I cannae... I'm going tae..."
"Aye. Let go. I've got ye."
Release hit her first, her body tightening around him, her cry muffled against his shoulder. The feel of it, the sight of her coming undone in his arms, shattered what little control Magnus had left.
He followed her over the edge, his own release tearing through him with devastating force. And as pleasure overwhelmed him, as his body shuddered with the intensity of it, Magnus buried his face in Ada's neck and held her like she was the only solid thing in a world gone liquid.
