He tucked two fingers under her chin and lifted her face until their eyes met again.
“You can’t think like that.”
“It’d be easier to accept if the whole thing weren’t my fault.”
Dane’s eyes flashed wide at this. “Your fault?”
“Yeah. If I had known I was supposed to be more hands-on with the witness, maybe Mr. Abernathy would still be alive right now. Maybe that scummy thief wouldn’t be out walking the streets if I had done a better job.”
“You can’t think like that.”
“What other way is there?” She looked into his face, desperately wanting a genuine answer. And, for the moment, Dane looked stumped. “At the very least, if I hadn’t let myself get so distracted by kissing you, maybe I could have kept Mr. Abernathy alive long enough to find out who did that to him.”
“Playing the ‘if’ game never does anybody any good. Besides, none of this is your fault. That’s the truth.” The authority in his voice kindled something in her chest.
“Really?”
“Of course.” He looked surprised that it wasn’t plain to her. “How could you know anything about how to manage Abernathy if your boss never told you?”
“That’s true.”
“In fact, if it weren’t for your amazing powers, they would never have found the body. Thanks to you, the Abernathy family gets to have closure instead of spending their lives wondering what happened to him. Not only that, but now we know there’s something bigger to all of this than some simple burglary.” He leaned back, and looked at her with immense pride. “I’d say you’re actually the hero in this story.”
“You know something, Dane? You’re really good at this.”
And he was. In the space of less than a minute, he’d managed to throw light on all of the monsters in her mind and proven them to be nothing but shadows. There was still the residual uneasiness of it all, but the worst of her fears were gone.
“What can I say? I just look at the facts. It’s my job.”
“But what if I decide to keep feeling bad? What if this is one of those instances where the bad guy gets away?”
“Not gonna happen. You’re too smart for that. Plus, we’re both working for the same side.” There was a bright, almost tongue-in-cheek feeling to his confidence that she couldn’t help but giggle at.
“Oh, are we?”
“Yup, and now that there’s no case for us to tiptoe around…”
In a gentle but firm move, he cupped her face in his palms and kissed her. It wasn’t a showstopper that could raise the dead like the one after their jump, but it sent her heart reeling in just the same way.
When his lips left hers, she leaned forward ever so slightly, as if to call them back. She opened her eyes, and found his own reflection. His face was still very close, and a hunger in his look rode beside the deep care he clearly had for her.
“Is this alright? I wouldn’t want to—”
He didn’t get any further. Aurora leapt up and pushed her mouth to his in the first act of abandon she’d ever allowed herself. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him with everything she had. It was the first time her tongue had ever touched someone else’s, and she went mad with it.
Dane met her every step of the way. She could feel the desire coursing through him, but he was letting her take the lead, which only made her want him more.
“Okay. Um. Hang on.” She pushed herself off him, and Dane immediately ducked his head.
“No, you’re right. I’m sorry. If this is too much…”
She cut him off again. This time, she welled up her powers and cast an invisibility spell around them. The act of it surprised even her. She meant business.
You know what? Eff it.
With another quick spell, she manifested a plush, seaside cabana. The thatched roof cast an inviting shade over the king-sized mattress, and pure white curtains billowed in the warm air. She wanted this more than anything, and judging from the way Dane scooped her onto the bed, he felt the same way.
Their mouths found each other again, and busy fingers tugged at buttons. Each brush of newly exposed skin fueled the fury of their passion. Once Dane was shirtless, Aurora’s greedy hands searched over his body, cataloguing the perfection of it. His own hands were gentle, and she felt herself being savored.
“Dane,” she whispered as his fingers traced along the lace of her bra. “Please.”
Arching her back so she could open the clasp, she exposed her breasts to him. A shudder of something very near weakness came over him, and then he ducked low to take one tip between his lips.
His tongue worked her to a tingling point, the sensation of it plunging her into delirium. She gasped as he set her free, only to feel her body go taut as his mouth discovered the other peak. For once in her life, Aurora’s mind was blissfully quiet. It was filled with only one thing.
“Dane.”
His name was hot on her lips. Her fingers inched down the band of her panties over her full hips. Following the lead in her heart, he freed her breast from the tender assault of his tongue, and slid down over her to strip the fabric past her ankles. Then, before she knew what to do with herself, she felt the heat of his breath where she was most tender.
“Fuck,” she hissed through her teeth, heedless of chastising herself. This was no moment to be polite.
The point of his tongue parted her with a single, firm lick, and a cataclysm broke out under her skin. He barely had to linger at the swelling nub of her desire before a raging climax tore through her, erupting from her lips in a piercing cry.
He held her hips firmly, keeping his mouth glued to her and helping her ride out the storm. When she could see again, she realized he had managed to strip himself as naked as she was. Everything she had missed that first night in the yard was on full display and it was more than she ever let herself dream about.
“Be gentle with me,” she whispered as he climbed over her.
“Could you doubt it?” He took her face in his palms and gazed deeply into her eyes. “You are perfect, Aurora.”
Her heart caught at the words, and then her breath locked in her chest as he nudged his hardness against her. Still sensitive to the point of shuddering, she parted her legs more to receive him.
“You’re sure this is okay?” he asked, the sincerity in his voice quivering slightly.
In answer, she angled her hips up to him, pressing him in just a little further. His eyelids flickered and he breathed out a husky breath.
“God, Aurora.”
With that, his hips began a slow descent, easing into her. He was careful, and she reeled as he stretched her to fit him. When he was fully sheathed at last, the full, firm pressure of him ran deeper than she could have imagined. On instinct, her legs locked around him, squeezing his hips and pulling at him.
“I need you,” she whispered. “God, Dane, I need you.”
“You have me. All of me. I’m yours.”
As if lightning cracked down her spine, she began to rock her hips to meet his. He met her rhythm, gently pushing as he rode her close. The friction of his body at the top of her cleft sent another low shudder spinning in her core.
“Dane.” She reached up and gripped his shoulders. “It’s going to happen again.”