Page 87 of Our Radiant Embers

“I’m ready,” I told him, trying to pack more authority into it than I truly possessed.

Liam hummed, his mouth opening against the inside of my thigh. A gentle glow hung around him, warm lamplight and maybe a hint of his magic, made visible through our connection. I let my own magic wind around him, brighter than his, interspersed with sparks of gold.

“Come on,” I tried again.

He raised his head, a grin twitching around his lips. “What’s the rush? You got other plans later?”

“Nah. I think losing my virginity justifies clearing my calendar for the evening.”

“Yeah, about that…” Liam removed his hand and wiped it off on the sheets before he slid up my body, eyes serious as he studied me. “You’re sure?”

He’d asked me before, hadn’t he? Not that I didn’t appreciate his consideration, but I also wasn’t made of glass. “Yes. Do you need it in writing? Perhaps with sparkly hearts dotting the i’s?”

“I’m glad you’re treating this with the gravity it deserves.” Amusement glinted in his eyes before his voice dipped down. ”I’m just saying—we could also do it the other way around. I’m versatile.”

My mind tripped over that idea for a frayed second because oh, yes. Not tonight, though.

“Yes,” I said. “Also, yes. How about tomorrow?”

His smile started around his eyes and grew to take up his entire face. “Tomorrow’s good.”

“It’s a date.” I smiled back and wrapped a leg around his thighs to bring him closer. “Now, about the part where you’re going to fuck me—how soon is now?”

“Now’s good. Yeah.” He sounded a hint breathless, one of his hands trailing along the curve of my jaw. “Question, though. So, condom? Up to you. But I thought, since you’ve never done this and I got tested earlier this year—all clear. And I haven’t been with anyone since, so…”

“You haven’t been with anyone since?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He glanced away, and was that a faint flush on his cheeks? Fascinating. “I’ve been busy. And kind of fixated on you.”

Fixated on me?

So when he’d said it wasn’t casual for him either—he’d meant it. This wasn’t a spontaneous change of heart. When I’d picked him up two days ago, maybe as early as when he’d said yes to my invitation, he’d expected us to cross this line. He’d known he’d give up his principles.

For me.

“I…” Whatever words I’d had dried up, liquid gold pooling in my belly. Again, I wound a tendril of my magic around his wrist to mirror the bracelet on mine. “No condom.”

He nodded, and then we were kissing again, Liam’s weight pressing me down into sheets that were cool and crisp against my heated skin. A breeze wafted in through the open windows, the faintest trace of salt still on our lips and skin. The mattress shifted like the sea.

When Liam lined himself up, I focused on his eyes, steady on mine. One of his hands curved around my thigh as he pushed in slowly. Oh. Sweat glinted on his forehead, arms trembling just the slightest bit where he held himself up above me. Gorgeous. I inhaled, willing my body to relax.

“Okay?” he asked. The open roughness in his voice lit something in my belly—sparks of delight, my discomfort fading.

I pulled him down for a bruising kiss, tongues sliding together. When I released him, he dropped his forehead to mine, and we stayed like that for a second—tangled and joined, my magic twining around him like an affectionate cat.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Okay.” It was barely more than a sigh. His lips feathered over my cheek as he withdrew by a fraction, only to return. A ripple of pleasure radiated through me.

I drew a sharp breath. “Definitely okay.”

His smile burst like fireworks. “Yeah?”

I like you, oh God. So much, so fucking much.

I ignored the nervous quiver in my stomach and smiled back. “Do that again, and I’ll let you know.”

“Will there be a report at the end?”

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