Magical Midlife Meeting (Leveling Up #5)(64)

Arousal wound through me. The craving for him intensified—sated a moment ago, it now felt like we’d been apart for a solid year.

“Ah crap, no.” Niamh stood up in a hurry. “If I want to be happy and relaxed, I’ll drink a cider and take the piss out of Mr. Tom , thank ye very much,” she said, rolling her shoulders.

“Fantastic,” Mr. Tom said dryly.

“Jessie’s affecting everyone’s mood now, not just the gargoyles,” Ulric said, heaving a sigh. “This is a nice one.”

“Speak for yerself. I don’t need some purple-shedding past Jane to force her feelings on me,” Niamh said.

“Watch what you say about my mate,” Austin growled, his power pulsing in the room, most everyone snapping to attention, including Niamh (before she scowled and swore). A shiver arrested me.

“Do not play with fire right now, Niamh,” Kace said out of the side of his mouth.

I laughed, of all things. I was as Froot Loops as Edgar, high on this feeling. Sore and languid and coiled and desperate.

As soon as Austin was within reach, I grabbed him and forced him back into the room, no embarrassment at this (pretty extreme) display of hunger. I slammed the door and ripped down his sweats before grabbing his neck. His kiss was aggressive and bruising and sexy as hell. He pushed up my muumuu and hiked my leg onto his hip, bent, and thrust upward, stealing my breath.

“Yes ,” I groaned, throwing my other leg over his hip and wrapping around him. “Hard. Really, really hard.”

He spun me and rammed my back into the wall before hammering into me, his body crashing into mine, his tongue in my mouth, his hands on my breasts. I gyrated to his rhythm, felt the wall quiver around us, the light fixture shake in its casing.

I yanked his hair, straining against him, already so high but wanting more. Wanting his body harder. More aggressively.

He tore me away from the wall, not bothering with the short trip to the bed, and sank onto the floor. Hands on my shoulders, he pulled me down on top of him as he thrust upward, filling me completely, erasing my thoughts. Control spun away.

I yanked his hair again as I fell on top of him, claiming his lips. He growled into my mouth, still thrusting like a demon, deliciously bruising. Hitting all the right spots, as hard as I could handle.

I slammed my body repeatedly on top of him as he thrust upward, then arched back and cried out my orgasm, almost inhuman, all-encompassing, the best high I’d ever had—and that was saying something, because I’d had a lot of bests last night. He shook beneath me, growling out his release.

Breathing heavily, I laughed like a madwoman.

“I’m losing my mind, I think,” I said afterward, lying on top of him, not at all caring that we were on the floor.

He wrapped his arms around my back and heaved a sigh of contentment. “Mating. Best just to go with it. This is why we’d usually head out into the woods for the week and just…be together.”

“Yes, but if you’re in the woods away from people, you can’t fight. I feel like kicking some ass and then screwing you into oblivion as the victory lap.”

A smile spread across his face. “Quite the change from when we first got here. The battling, I mean.”

“I know. I’m sure it’ll wear off, but…you said to go with it.”

“Yes, I did.” He squeezed me a little tighter. “Damn it, I’m turned on again. You are a literal dream come true. Yes. Let’s battle. First a quickie against each other until one of us submits, and then against the enemy with our pack.”





*



Take two.

“Okay.” I gave a thumbs-up to nobody as I again walked out and leaned against the wall.

“Feel any surlier?” Niamh asked, now back by the kitchen.

“A little happy magic might do you good, ye olde crone ,” Mr. Tom said.

“Is that supposed to be my accent?” Niamh turned to him as he filled another glass of water.

“Mine was less shrill, I know. I’ll work on it.” He sniffed.

“No, Mr. Tom, coffee this time. Time to get my game face on.” I held out my finger as Austin exited the room, silently telling him to get away. His proximity got me every time.

“Ah, good, she’s seeing some sense.” Niamh wandered my way, in her sweats like everyone else. They were all ready and waiting, eyes on me, faces blank.

“So.” I took a deep breath and noticed all the younger gargoyles shivered. “What?”

“Time for battle,” Nathanial said gruffly.

Excitement rolled through me. A smile blossomed on my face and anticipation flowered in my middle.

“Yes, it is.” I accepted a steaming mug from Mr. Tom. “Here’s the thing: that low magical ceiling isn’t fair to the gargoyles. I’m going to try to break it.”

“No need,” the basajaun said, munching on a banana. “The mountain will help.”

“What, by doing a little rumble?” Mr. Tom asked.

“It was just warming up,” the basajaun replied.

I remembered that rumble. The vibrations beneath my feet had been subdued but unmistakable. I also remembered what Elliot Graves had said after I hit the wall of a tunnel with my magic. He’d seemed genuinely nervous about the prospect of bringing the ceiling down.