Page 59 of Ozma

The first prick of the stitching needle stopped him from saying so. It was best not to anger the fae already stabbing him with a pointy object.

After the brownie had attended both their wounds, stitching his leg and redressing Ozma’s eye, he gave them both vials of medication to take. The pain lessened shortly after and they were shown to Tik-Tok’s private bathing chamber. It was small and held only the essentials, but they were clean. Andstarving.

“Come on, Jack,” Ozma said gently.

He followed her to the captain’s quarters and, when she locked the door behind them, lights flickered to life as if sensing their presence. The warm cinnamon scent reminded Jack of the farm—of pumpkin pies and cakes and cookies. A large desk took up the center of the room with two chairs in front and one behind. The dark wooden seats were partially covered in red velvet with gold studs. Trapped beneath a piece of glass on the desk was a map, and more hung on the walls. A white, half-dead flower sat in a vase on the windowsill, and the other side of the room was made of cupboards that stretched into the back of the space. There, white gauze curtains swept over a large corner bed.

Jack went to the cupboards first and opened them until he found what he wanted—a glass decanter and two glasses. He poured them each a decent amount. “A celebratory drink,” he told Ozma when she joined him. He really just wanted to slow his racing thoughts enough to dull the adrenaline rush.

Ozma opened a few cupboards until she found a wedge of cheese and bread. “This is probably the best meal we’ll find for now.”

Jack’s stomach growled loudly and he chuckled. “It seems you brought me back with a real appetite.”

She stepped closer, holding the food in her hands, and stretched up to kiss him. Jack kissed her back, set the glasses down, and pulled her to his chest in one fluid movement. Their lips came frantically together, gliding, their tongues colliding. It almost felt like another battle—though this one promised a pleasurable ending. Jack groaned into Ozma’s mouth, hunger forgotten, or rather, a new one taking shape.

The bread and cheese thumped to the ground as Ozma tugged at his clothes. “I need you inside me. And I know the position I want. Don’t be sweet about it.” She released him and slid her dress over her head, exposing her perfect breasts and every other inch of her.

“You don’t have to tell me twice, Blossom.” He didn’t think he had it in him to besweetat the moment anyway. Hell, he didn’t even have the patience to remove his own damn clothing.

Jack spun her around and bent her over the desk. The twitch of his cock reminded him how desperately he needed the release. He gripped her naked hips, his fingertips digging into her soft flesh.

“I love you,” he rasped.

“Show me how much.” She panted, looking at him over her shoulder with a lust-filled eye.

Jack grinned and quickly released his cock. In one motion, he slid inside her, and could have come right then. But he held back and began thrusting at a fervent pace. She pushed against him, matching his rhythm, her tight ass slapping him, her firm breasts bouncing. The desk scraped back and forth across the floor with each push.

“You feel so good.” Jack leaned down so his chest was against her warm back, and he nipped at her ear. A moan escaped her as he let go of one hip to circle her clit with his fingers. Again and again, he stroked. “Fuck.”

Without warning, her core contracted around him and she gasped his name, still moving rhythmically along with him. The sensation built and built until it pulled him completely over the edge and he groaned, “Demand this any time you want, Blossom. Any time.” Jack collapsed over her and kissed her neck.

“Do you think they heard us?” Ozma asked.

Jack chuckled into her hair. “They definitely did.”

Ozma arched back as if she wanted to stand, so Jack slid away. She threw her head back and laughed.

“Care to share the joke?” Jack asked, already smiling over the infectious sound.

Ozma pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “We’re alive.”

“Indeed.”

Ozma reached around him and grabbed the drinks. “To the Land of Oz.”

“Tous,” Jack corrected, clinking his glass against hers.

“To us.” She grinned and yanked at his shirt with her free hand. “Now let’s get out of these clothes.”

When Jack stirred awake a few hours later, his stomach queasy but full of bread and cheese, he focused on the female in his arms. Ozma’s long lashes swept across her cheekbones as she slept, and her lips parted ever-so-slightly. He brushed a stray piece of hair from her forehead and replaced it with a kiss.I love you.He didn’t speak the words, not wanting to wake her just yet, but his heart swelled at the mere sight of her. There wasn’t a day over the last two years that he hadn’t wished to have his beloved back. Now that she’d returned to him, he would make up for each moment they’d spent apart.

With a quick flick of his magic, Jack called the dry, vine-like leaves of the dead flower toward him. They moved slowly, almost painfully, and Jack felt what very little life was left in them. He sent a silent apology through the bond and coaxed them into a twisted, three-ring circle.

Ozma stirred. “What’s going on?”

Jack snatched the ring from the air and hid it in his palm. “Nothing. Why?”

“I can feel you using your magic,” she mumbled against his bare chest.

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