Page 101 of Wickedly Ever After
A happy gasp escaped her as he gently massaged. With a sly smile, he wet his fingers in his mouth, and touched her nipples. “Like this?”
“Gods.” She leaned back, sitting on him, feeling him harden underneath her as she moved against him. She raised up, moved forward, and slid down on him. He gasped, his hands stopped moving for a moment, and his eyes closed.
She bent forward, sliding down on her elbows, hair trailing over his shoulders, rocking against him gently. “Is this good?”
His voice was a bare whisper. “Ida, I don’t know how long I can hold back. I—I feel close. Very close.”
She settled down against him, slowing down. Warmth burned in all the right places, softly simmering, like the candle flickering on the table near the bed. She tangled one hand in his hair. “I’m close too.” He might feel his heart inside her chest, but she couldn’t pull away from him. She imagined making love to him in his castle, with the black roses dropping a shower of petals on top of them both. She could smell thefragrance.
“Oh, Gods.” His voice broke. He gasped. Pushed upward, panting. He shifted, and oh—oh,thathad never been touched like he touched it, and she gasped, pressing down as he pushed up, pulling her down against himself, rocking her hips down as if he’d take as much as she’d give him, give as much as he could.
“Hector.” She collapsed on top of him.
He jerked and quivered, but refused to let up, like he’d stay inside her as long as he could. She’d never made love to a fellow witch before. Their magic passed between them like fluid, but if this was Hector’s wicked magic, it felt delightful—a deep, wonderful, softening warmth that melted into her the way she melted into him.
“Ida.” He breathed a kiss on her cheek.
She didn’t want to move either. She wanted to stay with him, nestled in his arms, glad for his warmth, glad for his body, glad for the soft light in his green eyes when he stroked her hair. “Are you happy?” she asked.
“So happy, but…but, Ida, I thought once would be enough. It’s not. I want you again. Over and over again, every night, every morning.”
She laughed softly. “Oh, Hector. You know we can’t.” She rolled off him, curled up next to his side, and snuggled into his arm when he embraced her.
“Well…not now.” He curled his fingers in her hair. His voice took on a quietly contemplative tone. “Maybe…maybe when we’re both retired, you can visit me. No one is going to care about one grumpy old witch in the woods entertaining another grumpy old witch, are they?”
“Who said I had to come visit you? You should visit mesometimes. We’ll sit out on my front porch in our rockers and eat gingerbread and talk about how the kingdom has all gone to rot and ruin. I’ll ask you in for dinner, and you’ll just happen to lose track of time, and then it will be dark, and you’ll stay over…”
“And by some strange coincidence, you’ll only have the one bed, and neither of us will have any nightclothes. We’ll snuggle close for warmth, won’t we?” Hector chuckled.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a nicer laugh, Hector West.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier smile, Ida North.”
She kissed him.
“We’ll just have to wait,” he said softly. He wrapped his arms around her. “Until then.”
“Until then,” she murmured. His mustache and his beard scratched, but it wasn’t unpleasant, although she worried what she’d look like tomorrow morning. Hari would almost certainly notice, even if he didn’t ask her what kind of walk would put her back at the dragon cave after dark. But she didn’t stop, and she didn’t say they needed to get up and get dressed, although the urgency of it was pressing.
He was right. Once was never going to be enough.
How long had she wanted this? Maybe since the first day she’d met him, standing at that punch bowl, so nervous, completely overwhelmed by the enormous honor of being the youngest ever Cardinal Witch but trying so hard to look the part. And hedid. The memory sent her burrowing against him again, hungry for his body, his touch. She’d thought him unbelievably arrogant that day, but over the centuries, he’d proved he was worthy of that honor. There was no one who cared more about the world on the Council. Whatever happened, she wouldnotlethim take the blame for Happily-Ever-After. All along—he’d been this man, the man who would go to any length to save what he loved, including her.
A door creaked.
Tinbit and Hari stood in the doorway. Hari’s face wore an expression of shock, but Tinbit looked like he’d swallowed molten lead.
Hector sat up. “This…this isn’t what it looks like.” He yanked half the blanket over himself.
Tinbit snorted. “I think it’s exactly what it looks like. You hypocrite.”
“What are you doing here?” Ida asked Hari, frantically reaching for the sheets and pulling them up around her neck.
Hari blushed crimson, staring at the floor. “I came out to find you and saw the pony trotting up the hill. I went to grab it, then Tinbit came out and asked if I’d seen Hector, and—”
Ida rose and grabbed her robe. “The pony is safe?”
“I guess you’d be interested in that. I suppose you might like some clothes?” Tinbit sneered.
