He couldn’t keep his hands still, didn’t even want to try. He explored the soft curves and smooth skin of her waist, her sides, then splayed his hands over her ribs and let his thumbs brush the undersides of her generous breasts. The kiss turned ravenous, and Sadie’s hands moved frantically over him, untucking his shirt, undoing every button she could find.
They moved toward the bed, and Nicholas pushed down his trousers, nearly tripping as he tried to step out of them without slowing their progress or taking his mouth from Sadie’s. Finally they reached the bed, and he shifted so he could topple Sadie onto the soft mattress, leaning over her, pressing into her.
He kissed his way down her throat, past her collarbone, and directly between her breasts. He wanted to linger there, and knew if he didn’t pull back now, he would soon be too distracted, but it wasn’t the most comfortable position and he was still wearing his open shirt and undergarments. With a curse, he pulled away and undressed as quickly as possible.
Sadie shifted fully onto the bed while he did, turning so her head was now at the pillows and not hiding the way she watched him. In his mind, he saw himself climb over her, and he didn’t know or care if the thought was his own or hers. Perhaps it was both of theirs.
He straddled her thighs, then grabbed her wrists and pinned her hands on either side of her head and claimed her mouth again. Releasing her, he slid his hands down her arms. He placed one by her shoulder for support and let the other slip lower. He traced a swirling pattern over her breast, never quite touching her nipple.
She moaned into the kiss, arching her back to press closer. He pulled back, chuckling. “So impatient. Let me take my time, Sadie.”
He wanted to take forever with her. Wanted her pliant and lost in the pleasure he’d lavish on her.
She reached for him, but paused only halfway, looking over at her arm in surprise. “You didn’t cast a ward to hold me down.”
Was that surprise in her voice? He swallowed, not daring to hope that she had found that particular fantasy as compelling as he did.
Instead of touching him, she stretched both arms above her head. “Do it.”If I can’t hold back with you, then you can’t hold back with me either.
“Are you—”
“Yes, Nick. Yes.”
There was no mistaking the breathy quality of her voice as she answered. That wasn’t fear or nerves. He carefully crafted a ward around each wrist.
She shivered.
Her breasts were even more inviting with her arms stretched up like that, and Nicholas could no longer deny temptation. He cupped one and took the other in his mouth, exalting in the way Sadie twisted to get closer. After long minutes, he forced himself to move on, kissing a path down her stomach, curving around to her hip, then back to her inner thigh. He shifted backward and placed his hands on her thighs, gently pushing them apart as he slid his hands down to her ankles.
Then he crafted two more wards, looking up at her as he locked her ankles in place. He didn’t have to ask; she heard the question in his mind and answered the same way.
Yes, Nick. Yes.
He kneeled between her legs and took a moment to admire the view. Having Sadie splayed out like this satisfied some dark desire he’d never felt before. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her to touch him, but knowing she trusted him this much, knowing she was at his mercy, he couldn’t suppress the primitive thought that she was all his.
Yours, she agreed.
That thought was enough to cut through the last of his patience. He might have joked that she was impatient before, but in truth, he was burning with desire. He needed to touch and taste every inch of her.
So that’s exactly what he set out to do. He started at her ankles and worked his way up, getting lost in the sweet heat between her thighs long enough to have her squirming and begging for release. She showed him exactly what she wanted with her magic, and he rewarded her trust by giving her precisely that, though he’d have preferred to linger.
She shattered on his tongue, her thoughts splintering through his mind in a cascade of images and dreams and hopes. He crawled up her body, releasing the wards and pulling her close, then shifting so he was on his back with Sadie cradled against his side. He gave her the tenderness he didn’t think she was aware of asking for, smoothing a hand down the honey-brown hair falling from its pins and murmuring that he had her, she was safe with him.
Her fingers curled into his chest, and she burrowed closer.
“Sadie,” he whispered, needing to ask after the way she’d come apart both physically and mentally. “Was it too much?”
“Too much and not enough,” she answered unhelpfully. “I’ve never—”
She trailed off, and though he waited a minute, she didn’t try to speak again. “You’ve never?” A thought struck him. Sadie wouldn’t have wanted to be as vulnerable with anyone as she had just been with him. In the heat of the moment, she hadn’t had any control over her power, sharing every thought she had with him. “Sadie, are you a virgin?”
He didn’t truly care one way or another, but it would be nice to know ahead of time so he could plan accordingly.
She shook her head against him. “No. But I’ve never… without my amulet.”
“Had sex? Orgasmed?” He asked, needing her to be more specific.
“Both,” she said, her cheeks red. “And it’s been a while. Ever since the original power in the charm faded, I’ve always been wary that the trickle I can coax into it is enough to hold up to such an onslaught.”
