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She rocked to his rhythm, moving her hips to his pace.
His face contorted with practiced control as he stilled. He cupped her face. “I love you. Always have, always will.”
“I’ve loved you forever, and I would’ve waited forever, too.”
He started moving again, a bit faster this time. “I want to stay inside you forever.”
“I need you,” she whispered.
“You’ve got me.” He kissed her again and again. He explored her mouth with leisurely strokes of his tongue while his body matched the rhythm.
Her orgasm built long and slow.
“I’m going—”
“Me, too.”
Their eyes remained locked while they both came, her release leaving her weak and shaky but satisfied like never before.
Lowering his head to her neck with a sigh, he showered her with soft kisses.
“Can I stay?” he finally asked. “I don’t want to intimidate Bob.”
She grinned. “You’re not going anywhere. I’m keeping you.”
“Are you, now?” He lifted up on his elbows. “Are you asking me to move in with you, Miss Jones?”
She wiped the hair from his forehead. “Only if you’ll be nice to Bob.”
“I was going to get you a cat.”
“You were?”
“Only if you were to reject me.”
“You thought I was going to reject you?”
“For a moment, I had my doubts. I wasn’t sure how much crazy you could handle.”
“A lot more than this.” She cupped his face and pulled him back down for another kiss.
From the door, Bob meowed his approval, his eyes taking on a coppery color.
Epilogue
It was still early when Alice woke in the room she shared with Ivan in the Josselin Castle. The Brittany sky was grey with clouds and a promise of fresh rain. In the garden below, the fairy lights on the fir tree they’d decorated for Christmas twinkled in the frosty air.
Next to her, Ivan’s place in the bed was empty. Strange. Since they’d arrived at Clelia and Joss’s home, Ivan hadn’t left her side. Usually, his heavy body was draped over hers in the morning, anchoring her to the bed with a solid, very real weight. She stretched and sat up, letting the sheet fall from her body. Thanks to the central heating system, the room was warm, even if the fire had burned out in the night.
She got dressed quickly and went down the hallway, passing Lann and Kat and Sean and Asia’s bedrooms. The castle was quiet. Clelia normally woke early to take her wolf dogs for a walk, and Joss took advantage of chopping wood in the backyard when it wasn’t raining. In the lounge, Maya and Tim sat on the carpet next to the Christmas tree, each with a toddler on their lap.
“Merry Christmas,” Alice said from the door.
Maya looked up with a glowing smile. “Merry Christmas, Alice.”
She padded over to them and held her arms out for Deon, who was on Maya’s lap. “Hey, little man. Do I get a hug?”
He gave an excited shriek when she lifted him and twirled him through the air.
When she’d put him back in Maya’s lap, she ruffled Zola’s hair. “How about you, young lady?”
Tim regarded his daughter with doting eyes. “She’s a lazy one, or maybe it’s just nicer in Daddy’s arms.” He got to his feet with Zola in his arms and kissed Alice’s cheek. “Merry Christmas, honey.”
The rattling of crockery made her look up. Cain entered through the door, a tray loaded with steaming bowls in his hands.
“Hot chocolate with cinnamon,” he announced as he left the tray on the high table, out of reach of the little ones. “Morning, darling.” He hugged Alice and kissed her forehead. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Dad.” Leading him to the corner, she asked, “What did you get the twins?”
“Smart watches.”
“You didn’t.”
“What?” Cain shrugged. “They’re never too young to learn.”
She waved a finger at him. “If Ivan and I have kids one day, you’re forbidden to buy them any electronic games until they’re at least ten.”
A smile tugged at Cain’s lips. “We’ll see. What did you get them?”
“Storybooks.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Othello?”
“Nothing as tragic as that. Pinocchio.”
“Oh, dear. Nothing is more tragic than Pinocchio.”
“Only in the beginning, until he repents and becomes a human boy.”
His expression shifted. “Alice… are you sure you’re fine with Ivan joining the team? If it’s not what you want—”
“We’re both happy that he’ll tour less.” Working with Cain was something Ivan seemed to need, too. It gave his life new purpose and meaning. “I don’t mind him working with you, as long as you make sure he’s always protected.”
“You know what they say about necromancists.”
“No, what?”
“They’re like cats. They have nine lives.”
“I thought you said that about quantumancists.”
“Quantumancists are the masters of energy and time. They have no physical boundaries or limits. They can have a hundred lives if they wish, all at the same time.” He scratched his chin. “Up to now, before Ivan came back, I thought their existence was a myth.”
