Page 88 of The Hocus Pocus Handbook

“No,” he says at once. “Only you.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

I’ve ached with wanting him, and I’m done with the aching and the waiting. I need him like air, and while I haven’t had a ton of lovers, I enjoy driving someone else beyond control, taking them until they’re spent and boneless and gazing with shining, wonder-filled eyes.

“What about dinner?” Kerboros gestures at the table.

I give him what must be the wickedest smile. “We’ll need the energy more after.”

“I see your point.” Without another word, he follows me into the sleeping chamber, where he’d been lounging when I arrived.

Another gorgeous space, this one is dominated by a four-poster bed draped in red silk curtains. The linens are a gentle gold, while the coverlet is a copper brocade. More matching sconces add a warm glaze to the jasper tables on either side of the bed. There’s no wardrobe, but one of the walls has drawers and shelves, all gilded to the point that it’s an excess of opulence. And the drawers each have hand-painted frescoes, different pastoral scenes that might interest me if I wasn’t already slipping out of my top.

Kerboros watches me with twin fires blazing in his intent gaze. “You’re so beautiful. Are you certain about this?”

“I don’t know what will happen after tonight,” I admit. “And I’m not sure there’s a path where we’re allowed to be together. But if I can be with you like this, even once, just for tonight—”

“It’s worth it,” he finishes. “And I agree. I will relive this moment for the rest of my life, however short it proves to be.”

The ache in my body intensifies in my heart.

We both know the truth. Our failure to meet Lord Liskaal’s terms means that Kerboros is marked for death and me for banishment. This might be our last chance. I won’t waste this moment, as it may never come again. When we meet at the end of the imposing bed and he pulls me to him, the shock of pleasure is edged with a bittersweet bite. In that moment, I resolve to focus only on the sweetness, the delight of melting my beloved, who has known only endless winter.

But here in the heart of Autumn, he burns for me.

“I need you so.” His voice is rough and deep with desire, his tone reverent.

“Yet you’re still wearing too many clothes.”

He disrobes swiftly, leaving me to admire his body. But when I wrap my arms around him, I feel ridged tissue instead of smooth skin. Scars? Punishment, perhaps. I don’t ask because those questions will ruin the mood. But after? I’ll hear everything.

He reaches out, grazing my cheek with a tender touch before trailing down my throat, tracing the line of my collarbone. I raise up on tiptoe, and his lips claim mine. The stern line is all heat now. A nibble, a taste, and then his tongue tangles with mine. I moan, pressing even closer. He shudders at the sound and lifts me so easily that it feels like flying.

With a little growl, he drops me on the bed, hard enough that I bounce. Now I’m the one shivering in anticipation. He kisses a worshipful path down my body, and I arch, barely able to breathe for the gorgeous sight of his hair spilling across my bare belly.

I melt for him utterly, giving him everything. He drinks everything up, insatiable as I’ve only dared to imagine. And then I take him as mine, leaving him trembling in my arms. Finally, we collapse together, sweaty and smiling.

Stroking his damp hair, I smile. “No regrets?”

“Never,” he vows, curling into my arms. “It was… That was…”

“What?”

“Beautiful.” But he’s frowning.

I don’t believe that’s what he intended to say at all. “Tell me the truth, Ori.” The name is a test. I’m not sure if I should call him that, if it’ll remind him of the fact that he can’t remember his mother.

But his eyes sparkle. “Only in private, please. That nickname is for us.”

I grin because his expression is both charming and infectious. “A pillow secret? I love that. But seriously, what were you about to say?”

“That was my first time,” he whispers, hiding his face in my shoulder.

I open my mouth, then close it, unsure what to say. “How?” I finally ask.

He lifts one shoulder, trying to make light of his prior isolation. “Liskaal allowed me no friends, and he made me murder those who regarded me with affection. When would I have had the opportunity?”

“I want to strangle him with my bare hands,” I snarl.