Page 52 of Total Eclipse of the Moon
"Maddy…" He breathed against her skin as he kissed along her cheek and neck. "It’s a terrible idea."
"It’s an awful, dreadful, and terrifying idea. You and me, beyond now, can’t be. Neither of us is a user. This step is serious for me, and I think it is for you too. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about dancing in the rain. Tell me you don’t want me. Be strong for both of us and somehow, I’ll stop touching you. I promise. But I need to hear the words from you. Otherwise, it's time for us to dance in the rain." She traced the globes of his ass. She went on tiptoe and kissed the column of his throat down to his collarbone. On a hoarse whisper she said, "You alone fully clothed is almost too much for me to deny, but you naked…the magic in me amplifies temptation. Can’t you feel me shaking?"
Oh God, he was weakening. Who was he kidding? He’d been lost the second she shed all her clothes.
He threw up as a flimsy excuse, "I don’t have condoms."
"Not a worry for me."
"What do you mean?" He shut off the water, which had turned cold, and used the single towel to dry them both. "Pregnancy would be bad on many levels."
She said so quiet that he almost didn’t hear, "Children are no longer an option for me."
What exactly did that mean? In human terms, she’d advanced way beyond her reproductive years, but for a witch she was young. Had she been injured in a way that left her sterile?
He scooped her up to carry her to the bedroom. Nope. Not putting her on the bed. It was unmade and stank of unclean male human.
"What do you mean they’re not an option? Did something physical happen to you?"
"I think biologically I could have kids, but I…" She looked away and chewed her lip. "I have an expiration date that makes them impossible."
"Explain." He hadn’t released her yet.
"Things are now set in motion to guarantee I won’t be here for much longer." She rested her palm on his face. "There’s only this moment, Shane. Don’t get caught up in what that means. There may only be right now."
He lay her on the only sofa. "Are you sure about this? Your stomach is torn up."
"Positive. It’ll heal both of us. It’ll heal the damage. I swear." She scooted to position herself beneath him. "Kiss me."
He caught her mouth, their instant connection drowning out the hum of everything external. With a shattering intensity the kiss deepened, and their tongues glided against each other. She wiggled beneath him to tempt him into rushing, but he didn’t take the bait. He began kissing down her, wanting to taste all of her.
She caught him. "This can’t wait, Shane. I need the connection now. Later we can go slow. Later you can drive me nuts before you let me come and kiss me everywhere…wherever you want."
"Don’t rush me," he growled.
"Please. Trust me on this. I’m not trying to trick you into anything. We need the explosion of energy. Its magic will cleanse us."
"Is there another way to do this cleanse?"
"It involves a potion, but I don’t have the ingredients to make it. I’m also crap at potion making."
He moved his hand gently over the damage on her stomach. "I don’t want you hurt."
"I already said this will heal me. It’s magic."
A foreign fury lacerated his brain. "Do you do this any time you need a healing boostafter some injury? Find some random guy to screw?"
"That was crude. Totally uncalled for." She cupped his face with both of her hands, scowled for a minute and then broke into a grin. "This is you jealous. I get that because I can’t stand the thought of you with anyone else. I’m a highly possessive witch. It’s a character flaw." She nibbled on her lower lip. "I’ve never done this before for my gain. I usually put up with injuries until they heal. Sometimes I go to a human hospital for help." She moved her hands from his face, down his shoulders, to his chest. "The thought that someone else might have all of you now or in the future…" On a barely audible whisper she said, "I can’t stand thinking it."
His fury ramped down. He’d never experienced these extremes of emotion over a woman. Never been this invested. In the past, both he and his partners enjoyed each other but he didn’t care about their other lovers.
"Then we’re doing this my way." His eyes stayed on hers as his hands moved between her thighs. "You will not deny me the pleasure of seeing you come against my mouth."
* * *
Oh.
Dear.
