by Emma Holly
He nuzzled her neck and sent a tendril of energy curling further in. Zoe jerked helplessly. It felt like her very womb was being caressed.
"This is only a fairy tease," he murmured, "to make sure you're ready to take all of me."
"I've been ready for the last two years!"
He chuckled at her hoarse complaint. "Patience," he said. "We only have one first time."
Zoe understood his position, even agreed, but her body had no patience left. She nipped his shoulder in answer, which startled him enough to release her hands.
"Fair is fair," she said, running them down his back and purring with enjoyment. His skin was velvet over hard muscle, so smooth she marveled that she'd ever thought him like other men. He was wonderfully different, that skin of his luring her to explore all the curves and creases that she could reach.
He had a pair of sweet ones under the shadow of his rear.
"Zoe," he cautioned even as his eyes glowed with arousal.
"Tease me all you want," she said. "Just know I'm going to tease you back."
The hand he'd trapped her wrists with slid over and cupped one breast, its thumb circling her nipple until it ached—which, for her, took all of two seconds. He watched the little hardness darken, then looked back at her.
"You won't let me have my traditional masculine advantage?"
"No," she said very firmly. "You and I are going to give as good as we get."
His expression lifted in a wicked grin. "I should warn you I know a lot of tricks."
"Yeah, but I'm a quick learner."
He laughed and kissed her, more warmth than finesse in it. Grabbing his head, Zoe flicked and sucked his tongue until a hungry sound broke in his throat. He must have guessed what she was pretending she was sucking. His hips ground reflexively against her before he tore away.
"All right," he said breathlessly. "I'm ready to give you what you've asked for."
For all his braggadocio, his hands were shaking as he parted her folds. She immediately saw another advantage to his smooth fey skin. One big finger slid inside her sheath like a sexy dream.
"Just to be sure," he rasped when she whimpered. "I want you to be wet enough for me."
She was more than wet, she was soaking, her juices running down his finger as it eased into her. Her body arched without her controlling it, her spine stretching as it tried to pull the luscious feelings he was creating all the way in.
Her reaction siderailed his good intentions.
"Hellfire," he cursed. "I'm sorry, Zoe. I know I promised to take you, but I have to give you one kiss first."
He moved down her with the easy grace he seemed to have brought with him out of Fairy. His mouth settled over her clitoris with unerring aim. She could feel the little organ swelling, growing more sensitive as he sucked it voluptuously. His tongue licked slow and hard up the tiny rod. Despite her desire to come with him inside her, her hands clutched his thick, dark hair. She was so close she was panting. Once more he licked her, bottom to top, the finger he'd pushed inside her giving her a dangerously sweet hardness to squeeze around.
Then he lifted his head and released her.
"Now?" he asked harshly.
Zoe could only nod and loll her legs wider.
His flush of anticipation was unmistakable, and the gleam of his hot, green eyes. He took his cock in hand, the thing standing so high he had to tilt it down for the right angle. Heat radiated outward from her pussy, like an oven door opening. He touched her with the head of him, parting hot, lust-slicked lips. The broad upper curve lodged just inside her, too big to slip free. His mooring secure, he propped himself over her on his arms. His head dropped so he could see the place they would join. She guessed he liked the visual. His chest went in and out, and then his eyes rose to hers.
"I love you," he said. "I hope I get the chance to love you forever, but however our lives unfold, you'll always be the dearest partner I ever had."
Her throat choked with tears as she clasped his handsome face in her hands. "Magnus, I'd trust you with my forever. I'd trust you with my soul."
They both knew what she was saying, maybe better than any other two people would.
"Love," he said, his voice as husky as hers. "You honor me."
She smiled and slid her hands down his solid chest. "Why don't you honor me with your body?"
His erection leaped like an eager horse at a starting gate. His breath rushed into his lungs, and then he cocked his hips and pushed—one slow, silky glide that filled her and filled her until she moaned and had to lift her knees to give him room. His thickness, his heat, the sense that he was truly claiming her, was heaven come to earth for her. With him, she only had to be herself. No hiding, no apologies. Given how important that was to her, seeing how much this act meant to him brought her to the stinging edge of tears.
Neither of them would ever forget this.
He shuddered with pleasure, the involuntary motion shaking her hands as she rubbed his back.
"Oh, God," he gasped, catching one of her knees to urge it even higher. "You feel better than you did for—"
He cut himself off, but Zoe guesseed what he'd been about to say. "Better than I did for Bryan?"
"Yes," he admitted, the shudder wracking him again.
"You're bigger than he is," she suggested, unable to resist teasing. "Maybe you like a closer fit."
Magnus groaned and swelled impossibly thicker. "Fairies nerves are different." He reset his knees and gave an actual, grunting shove. "We feel things more."
"I feel you more."
"My energy might—" He shoved again and gained a millimeter. "It might be sensitizing you."
If it was, it felt fabulous. Her entire body tingled with pleasure, from her fingertips to her toes. She wrapped her legs around his waist and tightened their muscles. "You'll have to teach me how to do that."
"You feel so good already, you'd probably kill me if you learned." With another pull, she almost took all of him. His hand clamped her buttock to lift her to him, his breath coming quick and rough. "It's a good thing you like the first stroke slow. I don't think we could—"
And then he was there, fully surrounded, fully home. He closed his eyes and sighed, positively beatific. Zoe couldn't have asked for a better gift than to have put that look on his face. Add that to the pleasure she herself was feeling, and it was no wonder they moaned and squirmed at the same time.
"Three weeks in bed," he panted, "and maybe time out for meals."
She was laughing when he began to stroke, which effectively transformed her laughter to a pleasured cry. At once, she realized Bryan wasn't the only man of her acquaintance with superior aim. Magnus knew just how to roll his hips into her, just where to linger and press harder—and the size he put behind the pressure sent her into the stratosphere. His thrusts were strong and steady: deep, long motions that surged in and out. In spite of the delight they brought, they weren't altogether what she wanted—nor what he did, to judge by the tension he was fighting.
She didn't want him to fight anything, not when they'd both been waiting so long.
"More," she pleaded, pushing up at him from her hips. "Please, Magnus, take me the way you want."
He panted down at her. "Zoe, I want to ravage you."
"Then do it," she urged with her body as well as her voice. "That's what I want, too."
"Okay then." His expression hardened. "I will."
When he let go, it was like trying to hold a tornado within her arms. He had so much power, so much control, and under that a wildness no mere human could have contained. He didn't just have sex, he embodied it, like the gods of folklore must have done. He didn't hurt her, he simply sent her up in flames. She had an instant to wonder if Alex had learned to do this while he was in Fairy, and then the funnel sucked her up, her orgasm an incredible, squeezing pressure that exploded from her in a helpless wail.
"Again." Magnus breathed in ragged bursts against her hair. "Go up for me again."
She went up even harder and felt his hardness twitch inside her tugging contractions.
"No," he gritted out, maybe to himself. "I'm not going yet."
He sank onto his elbows, one corded forearm shoving under her neck. "Is this all right?" he asked, his hips working more emphatically into her, as if he couldn't help but go harder. "I don't want to hurt you."
His thrusts did hurt now, just a little, but she was groaning over yet another stupendous orgasm and couldn't really complain. When she came out of it, the ache of his pounding felt even better.
"Magnus," she gasped, her nails digging into his big shoulders. "Please, don't stop what you're doing."
She heard his teeth grind together, felt his muscles bunch for more power. He shoved her into another climax so quickly she didn't have time to prepare herself for how good it was. She wasn't even sure it was one climax. It seemed more like a chain of throbbing peaks, each pulsing with violent sweetness until the next one seized and shook her.
She knew he reveled in doing this to her, but Magnus could only stand feeling her clench around him for so long.
"That's it," he said, his thrusts utterly savage now. "Grab it. I can't—Oh, God—"
He slammed into her, hard and deep, his eyes blind with pleasure, his mouth slack as he went over. She felt him come inside her, a jet of force that was more than seed—though there was plenty of that. It felt as if his soul were bursting through its barriers, joining hers, loving hers. Ecstasy sang through her body and melted it away. She was light and joy in a humming silence bigger than the world.
Best of all, he was there, with the same tender, awestruck emotions beating in him.
She didn't have to give him her heart. He was her heart, and she was his. In this shining moment, there were no differences between them: no regret, no fear, just a love that loved for the pleasure of letting that delicious energy run through their consciousness. They would never lose each other, because they would always know this was the truth within each of them.
She felt him sigh a thought that might have been her name. There was wonder in it, and she knew that however many women he'd shared pleasure with, he'd never reached this pinnacle with them. The place they dwelt was so lovely, its peace so profound, that it almost didn't matter if he had.
Still, it was nice to know she was the only one.
She found herself back in her body a blink later. He had collapsed on top of her, but now he rolled to the side, pulling her with him to snuggle close.
She was almost afraid to speak. Instead, she pressed her lips to his pounding heart and stroked her hand down his side. He was summer-warm, like a big, cuddly radiator. It seemed magic to be lying here in the open, totally comfortable, with the stars wheeling over them.
"Sleep," he said, his hand gentle on her curls. "I'm going to see if I can remember a healing spell."
Zoe slung her leg over his thigh and hummed happily. She hoped he could remember. Pummeled though her pussy was, she was looking forward to trying that again.
Zoe had always wondered what it would be like to go all night with Magnus.
They did make it into the house before she found out, the noise of their entry sending Corky scurrying under her bed. Fortunately, the kitten wasn't permanently traumatized. When they finally quieted again, he crawled out and mewed for Magnus to pick him up. Magnus petted him no more than half a dozen times, and Corky collapsed into kitty dreamland, actually purring a bit in his sleep.
If Zoe's heart hadn't belonged to Magnus already, it would have then.
"You are a true friend to kittens," she joked.
"This pussy certainly seems to think so."
Zoe smiled. A brand new day was dawning outside. The sliver of orangey-pink sun looked pretty nice seen over his shoulder.
"I have something to ask you," she said, "which seems a little silly now. What is your name really?"
"Oh," he said, then chuckled. "It's really Magnus Monroe. I was able to steal the identity of someone with the same name—which seemed a lucky break at the time. I knew I'd have to keep secrets if I stayed, and I wanted my name to feel like me."
"And Bryan couldn't see through your falsified records because he's not psychic?"
Magnus shifted higher on his elbow, his face serious. He seemed to hear the words she didn't say. "I didn't force him to want you, Zoe. My spell only broke down his hesitation to pursuing you."
Zoe stroked his strong forearm. "I'm not sure that makes me more comfortable. You saw me with him and Alex."
"Are you upset because I intruded on your privacy?"
"I don't know. I—" She stopped, not wanting to spoil their morning, not when their night had been perfect.
"Whatever it is, Zoe, you can tell me. I know more about the twists and turns desire can take than most people."
She knew he did, and it was one of the qualities she loved most. Start the way you mean to go on, she thought. If it's important to you, you need to talk it out.
"I know Alex loves Bryan," she said, "and I'm glad for them. The thing is, there was something in Alex's eyes last night when he looked at me, even after he came back from Fairy." She hesitated, but Magnus's look was land. "I don't think he's completely over me, or at least not completely over needing more than one lover. I want him and Bryan to make it."
Magnus stroked a tumbled curl out of her face. "You want your old love to be happy… and maybe you'd like a little of his happiness to come from you."
He was so perceptive he scared her. "I love you, Magnus," she said, wanting to be very clear. "You are my choice, completely. I know it's not my responsibility, or even my business, but I can't help wanting him to be content."
Magnus was silent for a moment, his gaze thoughtful. He ran one finger gently down Corky's tail. "Suppose we help them out?"
Zoe blinked at him. "How do you mean?" she asked care-folly.
"Well, you're right that Alex probably isn't ready to be monogamous. If he develops like the average fairy, he has a decade or so before his heart, and his body, can really settle on one person. We could, if you wanted, provide him the variety his fairy constitution needs without endangering his bond with Bryan. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I doubt Bryan or Alex would kick me out of bed any sooner than they'd kick you."
Zoe hadn't been this surprised when she found out he was a fairy. "You'd do that for them? For me?"
"I would do anything to bring you pleasure. But perhaps you'd find it easier not to see Alex with his new lover?"
Zoe took a couple swallows to find her voice. "I think… I have to admit, I liked seeming them together. I found it… exciting."
Magnus's smile was sly. "You aren't the first woman to like watching men."
"Did you, um, like being in Bryan's head when he took Alex?"
His laugh was low and wicked. "I'm fey, Zoe. We like almost everything."
"Oh, my." Zoe's hand pressed her breast. "Just hearing you say that makes me wet again."
He leaned over Corky to kiss her lips deep and soft. When he pulled away, despite how vigorously they'd attempted to sate themselves, an ember of carnal interest glowed in his eyes. She had to press her thighs together at the new flutter that inspired.
"I want you to know you'd be enough for me," he said.
"I feel the same," she responded shyly. "But if we could have more, now and then…"
"Now and then would be lovely—as long as the rest of the time you're mine."
He'd cupped her breast in his hand, a physical claiming to match his verbal one. His possessiveness pleased her in a deep and feminine way. She grinned to camouflage how much. "I like your idea of compromise."
"I won't compromise on your marrying me," he warned. "As soon as you're ready, I'm calling the priest."
He took her breath away and made her laugh at the same time. She hadn't been thinking of marriage, but—boy—did she discover she wanted it!
"Oh, what female tears will fall in Fairyville," she cried, "the day Magnus Monroe walks d
own the aisle with me!"
"And I hope you enjoy every one," he said, "for my pride's sake, if nothing else." He smiled at her, his eyes so radiant with love her own grew hot. "There's one last thing I should tell you. When fairies are particularly happy, good fortune has a way of… magnetizing itself to them. If you and I get married, I can't predict what stroke of luck might burst into our lives."
"Hm," said Zoe, giving in to temptation to cruise her hand slowly down his chest. "I guess we'll have to make the best of that."
Alex and Bryan drove back to Phoenix the next morning. Oscar and his mother were staying another day, because, as Mrs. Pruitt put it, "My son has a lot of stories to tell me before we go home."
Bryan and Alex could have stayed as well. They were both a bit bleary-eyed, having fucked like bunnies the whole night through. Despite their sensual exhaustion, both had wanted to get on the road early, as if what had developed between them wouldn't be official until they got home.
It was a beautiful—and predictably—sunny Arizona day, with a sky like a window straight into heaven. Bryan felt like a different person, or maybe like the same person, simply living in a different world. He couldn't stop looking at Alex while he drove, trying to measure how much his friend had changed in his year away.
Had he learned things from the fairies besides a touch of psychicness? Last night they'd just gone at it like they were starved, but might Alex have new bed tricks he'd want to try?
That titillating thought led him inexplicably to one of Magnus. Bryan didn't know why, but ever since Zoe had slept with him and Alex, he'd felt connected to the man, as if seducing Zoe had somehow been the same as seducing him. He could imagine Magnus sucking him off so clearly it seemed like it had happened, like Bryan knew how those gorgeous lips of his would feel around his cock. If Bryan tried, he could even picture a seedy men's room where it would take place.
He shifted on the seat at his rising hard-on, half hoping it would go away but suspecting not. It wasn't really wrong to lust after another man, as long as he didn't act on it. And Alex, of all people, would understand.