Page 48 of Body By Mage

We coulduseour powers without sexual activity, but actuallyrechargingorgrowingour power without sex? That seemed…

Orion’s forehead rested against mine. Except for where he avoided contact with the bandage on my head and the wound under it. I still felt his stare.

Dangerous. Re-establishing our power without sexual contact seemed dangerous.

I’d never been very good at resisting temptation. Especially with Rob Jr. involved. But this time, if my heart were involved too, it might not just be dangerous but downright fatal.

This whole thing was supposed to end soon. Feelings were a bad idea.Don’t you do it, Rob. Don’t give in… but he seems so concerned about me.

"So,” I said. “Sex demons in long term arrangements can feed and share energy, even without sex?"

Orion made a noise of agreement. “There are many ways to connect.”

"Including emotionally? Which means sex demons aren’t all no strings attached. They’re capable of commitment."

Orion nodded somewhat reluctantly.

"That isn’t what you said before."

"Because I don’t commit,” he said. “So it wasn’t relevant."

"Right."

One of these days I would learn to stop pushing my fucking luck.

Who was I kidding? I never learned.

We were strong enough and in sync enough to do magic even with him not present. Orion didn’t need to feed and engage in sex to get the magic flowing between us either, any intimacy worked.

But we weren’t close enough to be permanent. We weren’t close enough for this to last. Or for him to want more. We were close but not close enough. Not for me.

“Don’t be upset,” he said next.

At least I knew what to do now. Deny everything.

“I’m not upset. Gross, who’d wanna be stuck with your sunny disposition all the time? No wait, that’s a rhetorical question. Don’t start making a list.”

I pushed myself up from the bar, trying to get some distance. I made it a few steps but still felt his presence behind me.

“Don’t be upset, Rob. It’s that thing.”

"What, what thing?"

When he failed to answer, I forced myself to face him. Orion’s strong, confident face rarely showed weakness, but it almost looked like he waspouting.

“Don’t make me say it,” he begged.

"Say what?” No hints followed. “Come on, man. Don’t say it but act it out, draw a picture, whatever, just give me a friggin’ clue here."

Orion inhaled deeply, summoning his strength. “Do you remember the first time I apologized to you, what you said?”

"Uh…” I thought back. “That I’m right and you’re wrong?"

He nodded gravely. "This might be one of those cases."

"Yeah?" I asked with a smile, trying not to fist pump or leap onto him and never let go.

"It’s certainly possible."