No need to hold back. For the first time, he could give her all of himself.
“This time, you get all of me. And…” he hesitated, and brought her hand to his chest, splaying her fingers out. Wanting her touch. “And I get all of you, as well.”
“Oh. You want a little more give and take, Mr. Blackburn?” Her eyes danced as she cupped him through his pants. God, shedidunderstand. “I recall a sudden retreat last time I tried this…”
“I would be utterly satisfied focusing only on your pleasure.”
“I wouldn’t be.”
She toppled him backwards, straddling him. Her thighs were strong and warm around his hips and his cock strained towards her. She ground herself against him, slowly, then stopped.
“Oh. Whoops.” Her face was alight with mischief. “This is meant to be for you, not for me…”
“This is working for me,” he gasp-growled.
“Good.” She reached between her own legs into his pants and grabbed him. Her grip was so firm and soft at the same time that he was already seeing stars by the time she took him into her mouth.
Time stopped. His magic unfurled like dusk stretching across the sky, and when it touched her she moaned, the sound reverberating into his cock.
“Did that hurt?” He had to check, even through the desperate need burning through his veins.
“No. Never. I promise.” She kissed up the length of his cock, then moved up his body, hands and mouth devouring him.
Bringing her pleasure was one of the great joys of his world, and from the light in her eyes as she looked up at him, she felt the same.
Magic followed her fingers, darting shadows and flickering lights. It traveled up her arms, over her body and he felt it, the duskfire touching her skin, caressing every soft part of her.
Her breath quickened. “Much as I’d like to keep talking,” she said, already losing the fight to sound even slightly unaffected, “I don’t think I can wait any longer.”
They fell on one another like waves crashing in the middle of the ocean, clinging and grasping and devouring. His magic was wild and free, worshipping his mate, his dream woman, hisMaya.His light in the darkness. Unhurt by his magic, even as it caressed every inch of her, the night sky a pillow for her glittering star.
He felt everything his magic touched. Tasted every joy on her skin. It was like flying in the shroud of his magic, but instead of misery, he was bathed in pleasure. Wonder. Happiness.
Everything neither of them ever thought they would have.
31
Maya
Maya lay on her stomach, exhausted and content. Corin drew patterns on her back with his magic.
“How did you know my magic wouldn’t hurt you?” he asked, his voice reverent. “My whole life, all I’ve known is that the duskfire destroys. That’s all I’ve ever seen it do.”
She turned her head to the side, her gaze fuzzy with contentment. “Your wings only come out when you’re trying to protect people.”
“My wings come out when I want tothreatenpeople,” he corrected her.
“No. You can make them come out for that, sure. But when you’re with me, or when the Dans first arrived here and started kicking up trouble—you wanted to help them, not torture them.”
“I might want to torture them a bit,” he grumbled. “And Maya—that isn’t much to base a theory on. I could have wanted to protect you and my magic still might have injured you.”
“But it didn’t.” She rolled over and pulled him into a kiss. “It’s the safest I’ve ever felt. Your magic understands hurt. It … fuels it, you said. Maybe that’s why.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Doesn’t it? Don’t people who’ve been hurt the most want to save others from being hurt?”
His eyes darkened. “If they’re good people.”
