He hadn't quite said it. Not directly to her. But it was there. In the way he looked at her. In the way he'd charged through fire and chaos to reach her.
"Then dinnae lose me," Ada whispered. "I'm right here. I'm nae goin' anywhere."
Magnus stared at her for a long moment. Then, slowly, he bent and kissed her again. Softer this time. Sweeter. Like he was memorizing the taste of her.
Ada melted into it, her hands sliding up into his hair. She felt his control waver, felt the careful restraint he'd been maintaining start to crack.
His lips moved from her mouth to her jaw, pressing kisses along the unmarked side. Down to her throat, where her pulse hammered. Ada's head fell back, giving him access, her breath coming faster.
"Magnus," she breathed.
His hands moved up her sides, careful to avoid her bruises. One palm cupped her breast then gently worked the nipple through the thin fabric of her nightgown and Ada gasped at the sensation. At the heat that flooded through her, pooling low in her belly.
That was what she'd been waiting for. What she'd been hoping for every night they'd shared that bed with that careful distance between them.
Magnus lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. Dark with desire but still cautious. Still giving her a chance to stop this.
"Please," Ada whispered. "Dinnae stop."
Something in his expression shifted. The last of his control finally, finally breaking.
Magnus swept her up into his arms—carefully, mindful of her injuries—and carried her to the bed. Laid her down on the furs and blankets with a gentleness that belied the hunger in his eyes.
"Ye're certain?" he asked, his voice rough. "Because once I start, Ada, I dinnae ken if I'll be able tae stop."
"Then dinnae." She reached up, pulled him down to her. "Show me what ye've been holdin' back. Show me what ye really feel."
Magnus groaned and captured her mouth again. His body covered hers, careful of her weight but letting her feel the full length of him pressed against her.
Ada's hands explored the broad planes of his back, feeling muscles flex beneath her palms. She'd seen him shirtless during training, had admired the raw power of him from a distance. Buthaving him there, over her, his warmth seeping into her skin—it was overwhelming in the best possible way.
His hand slid up her thigh, pushing the nightgown higher. Ada arched into his touch, desire overriding any embarrassment she might have felt. She wanted that. Wanted him.
Wanted to finally close that last distance he'd been so careful to maintain.
Magnus's lips moved from her mouth to her throat, trailing fire down to the neckline of her gown. His hand cupped her breast again, thumb circling until Ada couldn't suppress the soft sound that escaped her.
"Beautiful," he murmured against her skin. "Ye're so damn beautiful, Ada."
She wanted to respond, wanted to tell him how long she'd been waiting for it, but then his mouth closed over her breast through the fabric and all coherent thought fled.
Ada's fingers tangled in his hair, holding him to her. The sensation was exquisite—heat and pressure and the scrape of fabric between them that somehow made it more intense rather than less.
Magnus lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. "I need tae see ye. All of ye. Can I?"
"Aye." Ada's voice came out breathless. "Please, aye."
His hands found the torn edges of her nightgown, carefully drawing it up and over her head. The firelight painted her bare skin in shades of gold and amber, and Ada felt suddenly exposed.
Magnus went very still. His gaze traveled over her, taking in every curve and hollow, every freckle and scar. Ada resisted the urge to cover herself, to hide from that intense scrutiny.
"Perfect," he said finally, his voice rough with emotion. "Ye're perfect."
Then he was kissing her again, his hands mapping her body with reverent touches that made her shiver. Ada tugged at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against hers, and Magnus pulled back enough to yank it over his head.
The sight of him—bare-chested and powerful, firelight gleaming on the serpent inked across his forearm—made her breath catch. She'd seen him already, but never had she been allowed to touch. Never had those hazel eyes looked at her with such naked want.
Ada reached out, traced the lines of muscle across his chest. Felt his heart thundering beneath her palm, as wild as her own.
