“Yes, I’m freezing. I want a nice big fire.” I click my fingers and one roars up in the massive fireplace, warming me instantly. I take a moment to light the candles as well, happy to see that they are set in threes.
“You’re cold?” he asks curiously.
“Yes. I know it’s weird, right? Whatever happened to the fireplace in your bedroom?”
“Our bedroom,” he corrects me sternly. “It was where the bathroom is now.”
“I know, but you should have moved it.”
“I didn’t need it.”
“Humph.” I turn my back to the fire to warm that up. My Dragon flaps Her wings lazily and I can almost hear Her sigh as the heat spreads over my back. It seems that Dragons feel the cold. I never knew that. Poor devil, She must have been freezing Her tail off all these months.
“Well, I hope you are warm enough now because there is no way that this dress is staying on you a second longer.” He reaches up to unzip it, letting it fall gracefully to the floor.
“Put your arms around me,” I say to him over my shoulder. “That always sets a fire blazing inside me.”
“Happy to oblige. I am unable to keep my hands off you. Especially when you are naked by firelight.”
“Whatever happened to your willpower?” I tease and he snorts.
“Who am I kidding? I have none when it comes to you.”
I giggle and turn in his arms. “Same here and not ashamed to admit it.”
“Me either,” he says before he kisses me thoroughly, warming me through from the top of my head to my toes. I shed him of his jacket and shirt and hook my fingers into the waistband of his pants.
“Please say yes,” I murmur.
“Yes,” he says straightaway. “Oh yes.”
I don’t hesitate as I get rid of his pants with just a touch and drop to my knees to take him in my mouth. He pulls me back up after a few seconds and kisses me. “As much as I love your wanton mouth, my sweet. I need to be inside you. I need to be the one now.” He lowers us both to the rug in front of the fireplace and I hold my hand out to him. He looks blankly at it for a moment until I remind him that he has to slash my palm. He hesitates, not wanting to hurt me, but I tell him it’s all right and he quickly slices a gash and does the same to himself. We press our hands together.
“You remember the words?” I ask and he nods.
We start the chant together as we lace our fingers and he pushes me right back and enters me slowly, wrapping his free arm around me and pushing our linked hands above my head. We mutter the words against each other’s lips, desperate to kiss and when the candles and the fire roar up in response to the magick and we say the final words, he plunges his tongue against mine, crushing my hand even tighter as we both come together in shuddering waves of pleasure.
“I love you. I don’t ever want to let you go. Be with me, Aefre. I know that you want to. We can work something out. You can still be with him, just come to me. Please. I can’t bear to be apart from you.”
“I do want to be with you, but I can’t leave him,” I say sorrowfully.
“Then don’t leave him, bring him here,” he says, sitting up. “I don’t care anymore. If you will be here with me, sleep with me in our bedroom, I will share you with him. We will find a way to make it work, just say you will do it.” He takes my hands and I don’t know what to say. “You wanted a solution,” he adds as I remain silent. “I’m offering one.”
“One that doesn’t benefit him,” I say quietly.
“How do you know?” he asks almost childishly. “Ask him. No, tell him. Tell him this is what you want and if he doesn’t like it, he knows what to do.”
“Constantine, don’t, my love. Don’t pressure me. You said you wouldn’t.”
“But you want to be with me. I know you do. Just ask him.” He turns his back to me to stare into the fire. “I said I would listen to anything he had to say. He should do me the same courtesy.”
“But what will it achieve?”
“Us spending more time together, for a start.”
“And what about everyone else?” I must ask because he evidently hasn’t thought of that.
He turns his head to glare at me. “They aren’t my concern. My only concern is getting you here, with me.” He turns back to the fire while I chew my lip in consternation. He is being unreasonable. “I am losing patience, Aefre. We are perfect together. Why can’t you see that?”