Page 20 of Magical Midlife Rescue (Leveling Up #11)

Fred looked at him blankly before glancing down at herself.

She shrugged absently. “I’ve never much cared about the construct of nudity.

Why should we feel embarrassed in our own skin?

And why, please tell me, should women go to extra lengths to hide our breasts when men don’t have to?

I’ve seen guys with bigger boobs than mine!

But because men have sexualized them—the instrument with which we feed our young—we’re forced to lock them down with uncomfortable bras and always cover them up to stop someone from feeling aroused.

How is a man’s arousal a woman’s problem?

What if I get turned on by a man’s boobs?

Should he then shackle them down like society tries to shackle ours?

Nah. I don’t want to sled the slippery slope of logic on that one. ”

A crooked smile had worked up Jasper’s face. “Free the breasts! I’m in.”

Fred nodded once, then took a deep breath. “I’m used to being thought of as very odd.”

“Ye are definitely very odd, make no mistake,” Niamh said in a drawl. “It’s not ’cause of yer thinkin’, though. It’s because ye dress like a whacko.”

Ulric spat out a laugh, then patted Fred’s forearm.

“The good news is some of us, including the vampire, are also very odd. And dress like whackos. And look, Niamh tells us you make magic on that computer! So, really, you fit right in. You’re just like us—you just don’t shift or zap people or suck blood. ”

“When it comes to that last one, be thankful,” Jasper muttered.

“No nudity in the house, please,” I said as we reached the end of the street and turned. “That goes for men as well as women.”

I did have to admit, aside from not being magical, Fred really was a great fit. Loose morals, weird as hell, outgoing, and not overly concerned with skin. If she could get past the magical thing, which still had her whole body tense and the blood drained from her face, we’d be rolling.

At the moment, that was a very big if .

We continued to talk about all things magical as we neared the bar.

Butterflies filled my stomach. I’d seen Austin just that morning, but it didn’t matter how much time had passed—I always looked forward to seeing him again.

Everyone said the obsession for each other would fade with time, that once our mating was settled, we wouldn’t have this never-ending craving for each other.

It hadn’t yet. If anything, I felt closer to him than ever and happier than I had a right to be.

He wasn’t perfect by far, but he was perfect for me.

My “bestie,” a guy I called Sasquatch because of his general hairiness, stood just outside the door, sucking on the end of a cigarette.

When he saw me, he scowled, as he always did.

His cigarette was only halfway finished, though, and he was cheap.

He wouldn’t finish in a hurry just to crowd in front of me and slow me down.

He loved to annoy me, but wasting half a cigarette was too high of a price.

“No life, huh? You’re starting to day-drink now?” he said in a taunting voice. “Lush.”

He was purposely trying to goad me—I knew that. He loved to push my buttons. But Lord help me, I just couldn’t seem to ignore him.

“Are you kidding me?” I demanded, stopping at the door. “ You beat me here! What are you even talking about right now?”

He smirked and took a draw from his cigarette.

“Is he one of them?” Fred asked quietly.

“Not one of ours, at any rate,” Jasper murmured. “Thank God.”

The bar wasn’t slammed at this time of day and in the middle of the week, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t busy.

Half the bar was lined with chatting, laughing patrons.

The tables were nearly full, and the crack of a pool cue hitting a ball echoed from down the stairs.

They only moved the pool table to the side in the evenings to make room for more people.

A few people stood around the walls. The middle of the space was mostly clear.

Austin stood behind the bar at the far end, one hand braced against the edge.

He’d been speaking to the two people in front of him, but they were forgotten when he noticed me.

I claimed his whole focus. His sparkling cobalt eyes entranced me, and I felt like I was walking on air as I approached him.

“Hey, baby,” he said, turning to me as I joined him behind the bar and sliding his hands across my hips. “How was training?”

“Complex. Hard.” I shrugged. “I think it’ll be a really good move in the long run. We’ll be a lot more cohesive.”

He bent to kiss my lips, and I felt hunger rise, partially from me, partially through the bonds from him. His growl tightened my core. He dug his fingers into my hips and opened my mouth with his before swiping his tongue through.

“Do you have a minute?” he asked. His hardness against my belly made it clear why he was asking.

Anticipation made my stomach dance. “Tristan is busy, so I have no one to monitor my schedule,” I said innocently. “It won’t be my fault if I run a little late.”

With a smirk, he grabbed my hand and tugged me after him. He pushed open the office door and pulled me inside before turning and capturing my lips again.

“I need you,” he whispered, pushing the door closed with one hand and me against it a moment later.

He needed a release to vent some of the mounting pressure plaguing us. I was only too happy to help.

I pushed up his shirt as he worked at my jeans, yanking the button free of its hole and unzipping. I ran my hands down his washboard abs before following suit, shoving his jeans down and freeing his length. His mouth was hot on mine, his kiss deep and insistent.

My lower half felt cool air before he spun me around, and then my palms hit the solid wood.

His fingers ran along my core, and he growled with the wetness he found there.

The pads of his finger circled at the top, dizzying me with pleasure.

His thrust made light and color dance behind my closed lids.

I dropped my head, pushing back into him. His deep groan matched my own as he started a fast rhythm. Pleasure mounted as his finger continued to circle, as his body plunged deeply into mine. I moved my hips and shoved back as he bore down, slamming against him.

“Yes,” I drew out softly, animalistic in my need, working hard to relieve a little stress. “Harder.”

The door wiggled against the frame with our effort. He increased the strength behind the thrusts, and my core wound up, tighter and tighter, until the pleasure crested and I blasted apart. I cried out with my release, and he moaned, long and low, shuddering against me.

With a few last strokes, he slowed until he had me wrapped in his arms, tightly held against him. “Hmm,” he murmured as he nuzzled into my neck. “That was what I needed.” He pulled back and kissed my cheek, his lips lingering. “I wish I had time to clean you up with my tongue.”

I was freshly sated, yet a flash of heat stole through me. He must’ve been stressed—he was getting dirty. I turned my head and found his lips, but I knew he was right. Time was a luxury we didn’t have.

“Tonight,” I replied, hoping we wouldn’t be too exhausted by then. I was in too short a supply of energy to do much healing.

He helped put me to rights before opening the door and letting me out first. His hand rested on the swell of my butt, and I could tell he didn’t want to let me walk away when we reached the bar.

“They’re at the other end,” he told me, glancing down to where Broken Sue and Aurora sat.

Yes, they were, and they looked like two statues. They were probably heavily engrossed in conversation.