She gazed up at the tall doorframe. “How did they get it to stand here?”
He said, “Magic keeps it standing.”
She said, “Maybe somebody will come while we’re standing here.”
He said, “If somebody were coming, the door would be on fire.”
She took a hasty step away from it. “Wait. So, they have to walk through fire?”
He burst into laughter. “No. It’s just that magic makes the door open, and fire makes magic.”
She gave him a skeptical stare. “I think I’ll pass.”
He spotted some familiar bushes and a glinting red fruit. He said, “Since we’re here, let’s pick some of those berries.”
She followed him, and they stood looking at the bushes. She said, “Was all this a ploy to get me to engage in some free labor?”
He turned to her, opening his mouth to deny that but instead of speaking, his lips came down on hers. He had not meant to kiss her. Had not planned on it, but he was kissing her, and it felt so right. Her mouth was warm and soft and firm; she tasted of spices and mint. His heart thundered in his ears, and he couldn’t resist sliding a hand up the nape of her neck and fisting her hair in one hand. A low gasp broke from her throat as he did so, and his excitement mounted as she kissed him back just as fiercely as he kissed her.
Their bodies meshed together, and they landed on the soft grass. His hands were on her flesh, and his mouth was too. She tasted of sweetness and the sun and wind. He let his hands wander over her breasts, felt the hardening of her nipples. He squeezed her breasts with his hands as his tongue moved around those erect peaks, making them grow stiffer still. He grew harder, and blood pounded in his ears as she ran her hands up and down his chest, a low cat-like purr breaking free from her lips as she did so.
His body ached for hers. His hands divested her of the gown that she wore, and his lips pressed against the skin of her lower belly, and then he was between her legs, his hands seeking out the wetness of her core. She groaned and arched upward, her fingers tugging at his hair as he let his tongue slip between her lower lips and taste the sweetness of the oils gathered there. He licked away those creamy drops and then let his tongue wander upward to find the throbbing flesh of her button. He pressed his tongue against it as his fingers dipped inside her body to stroke her inner folds.
“Oh my God, that feels so good,” she groaned out. “Oh yes.”
He kept going, knowing that he was taking her to the edge and then past it. Her cries got longer, and louder, and hot juices splashed from her body and onto his face and fingers. He slid upward, his hand going to his trousers, and hers was there too, helping to free his staff from the layers of fabric and then bring him into her body.
Her legs wrapped around his body and her mouth found his, urgently seeking his kisses. Her body met his thrust for thrust, and his body shook as he felt her inner folds squeeze down on his member, milking it and drawing it back into her body.
Their breaths shuddered in and out of their mouths, and he felt her inner folds squeeze down on him one final time before shivering as an orgasm hit and raced through her body. His quickly followed, and he groaned, his hands tugging at her hair.
She managed a breath. He stared down at her face. It was the most beautiful face he had ever seen in his life, and he wanted her in his life.
He withdrew from her slowly, and she sat up, pulling the gown back down and smoothing it with trembling hands.
Darkness had fallen. The air had begun to cool, and he could sense a growing chill between them as much as he didn’t want to admit it. He stood, arranged his clothes, and asked, “Should we go back to the castle?”
She said, “Yes, I think we should. Heather’s probably going to be worried about me.”
He said, “You two are really good friends?”
She wasn’t quite meeting his eyes, but her words held a ring of truth. “She’s my best friend. She’s the only person in the world I could ever really count on.”
Before he could stop himself, he asked, “Why?”
She gave him a crooked smile. “Because people suck. Most people. Is Max your best friend?”
He nodded. “Yes, and my cousin. We grew up together, and we’ve always been there for each other. Do you want to fly back or do you mind walking?”
He didn’t actually mind flying, but he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, and he was hoping she’d say she’d rather walk.
She said, “I don’t mind walking.”
They set off. The distance between them stayed though. When her hand accidentally brushed his, she moved it away fast, and that time she kept herself far enough away from him that their bodies did not touch either. He felt that absence even though he didn’t want to.
He asked, “Did you grow up in the city that I found you in?”
She nodded. “Yes, but I didn’t live where I live now. My mom never made a lot of money. The only reason I met Heather at all is because I applied for a scholarship to a school for gifted children when I was still in grade school. Well, actually, the guidance counselor did it for me, and my mom just agreed because she really didn’t care either way.”
