Page 38 of Over and Above (Mount Hope #4)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Eric

By the time Magnus and I made it home, the house was quiet. Maren had texted that she, Diesel, and the baby had all gone to sleep early in their basement room. John and Wren had also left for their respective sleepovers, leaving Magnus, me, and all our loot from the fair.

“This bear truly is ridiculous.” Magnus stared down at the grinning stuffed bear he’d tucked into the crook of his arm.

“Which is why he’s going in the center of the table.” Finished making room in the fridge for the cake Wren had won, I plucked the bear from Magnus’s arms and set him on the breakfast nook table. “He’s the cheesiest valentine I’ve ever received.”

“You sound proud.” Magnus shook his head at my ridiculousness, but I kept right on smiling. I’d had other valentines, of course, but at the moment, I couldn’t remember one I’d liked more than my bear or the duck that I set next to it.

“I am.” There was something sweetly spontaneous as well about Magnus winning me the presents, being willing to risk failure in front of a crowd simply to win a prize for me. Further, with him, I could show exactly how much I liked the gesture. “I like that I can be silly around you, cheesy gifts, bad comedies, terrible jokes. All that.”

“Hey, I like your taste in movies.” He drew me to him, but before we could get too distracted, I wriggled free to pull a folded paper from my pocket.

“And I have a sort of cheesy valentine for you.” I handed him the paper.

“Your April duty calendar?” Tilting his head, he studied it more closely.

“Well, my first thought was to surprise you with a trip, but I figured you’d want to have a say in the where. However, I reserved eight consecutive days off in April. My first actual vacation days not tied to a family event in years.”

“Go you.” Magnus sounded decidedly bemused by my gesture.

“It’s after ski season and before summer tourism, so maybe you can get away from The Heist? The baby should hopefully be sleeping better by then too, but even if not, Rowan has agreed to come help that week.” I hadn’t wanted to leave Maren and Diesel without assistance, and luckily, Rowan was only too happy to come play uncle.

“I think I can arrange some time off.” Smiling, Magnus pulled me in for a fast kiss. “And ideas as to where you want to go? Do you have a passport?”

“Working on that.” I’d dropped off an application when I requested the days off, abs quivering at the thought of planning a getaway with Magnus, actually leaving the region for the first time in my life with the guy I loved. “And you can pick the beach. I’ve got years worth of untouched credit card miles for the airfare.”

“Any beach?” Magnus waggled his eyebrows at me. “This is going to be fun. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I met his grin and then let my gaze turn more serious. “I meant it earlier. I love you.”

I’d been caught up in the moment, and in retrospect, me too wasn’t my most romantic reply, so I tried to make these words more meaningful.

“I love you too.” Magnus gave me a lingering kiss, but the dogs interrupted us, brushing between us on their way to their nearby beds. Unimpressed with us, they flopped down.

I chuckled. “They look settled in for the night.”

“They do, but we can go back to the carriage house if you’d rather?” Magnus pursed his lips, giving me an easy out if I wasn’t ready to share my bed here.

“You’ve seen my shower enough. About time you spend the night.” I said the words lightly, but I’d given some thought to him sleeping over in the weeks since we’d gone public. Two years ago, when Sean had moved in, I’d been unable to picture ever inhabiting that room again, let alone contemplate sharing it.

Yet, as it turned out, it was simply a room, another space in the house my family had made a home. The bedroom had held great sadness but also great joy in welcoming Destiny. It had seen three friends launched into new chapters in their lives. And now it was my turn. I was ready to bring the man I loved home.

“Lead the way then before we start making out in the kitchen here.” Magnus winked, but not before I glimpsed the feelings brimming in him as well.

“Not in front of the bear!” I joked to diffuse some of those emotions. This was a special night, not a time for heaviness.

“Goof.” Magnus chased me the rest of the way to the bedroom, not stopping till we were both inside. “Lock the door.”

“On it.” I flipped the lock, checked it, and then laced my arms around his neck, going in for the sort of kiss we couldn’t get away with at the carnival. No kissing booth here. I smiled against his mouth, sighing happily as he deepened the kiss, the sort of aggression I’d come to love from him.

“Anything in particular you’re in the mood for?” He pulled back to ask, already unbuttoning his shirt.

“You were rather impressive tonight at pitching .” I tugged off my sweatshirt, sending it flying onto the chair in the corner.

“Very punny.” Rolling his eyes, Magnus leaned in for another quick kiss before removing his pants. I took a second to stare at his magnificent, muscled, tattooed form, and he made an impatient noise. “If you’re serious about getting fucked, get those pants off and get on the bed.”

A flutter of doubt chose that second to show up as I slowly doffed my jeans. “I showered before the carnival, but I can go?—”

“You can stay right here.” Growling low, Magnus manhandled me onto the bed until I was flat on my back with him looming over me, braced on his arms. He gave a maniacal grin. “Now I’ve got you.”

Any worries fled on a rush of lust. This was Magnus. He liked sex earthy and more than a little dirty and found everything from sweat to come sexy. With him, I truly could be myself.

“You do have quite the arms.” I stroked his forearms and biceps. “Lube’s in the nightstand.”

He turned to retrieve it but evidently dug a bit farther back than I’d intended because he made a crowing noise.

“And you own a toy.” He left my slim flared-base dildo in the drawer, but he wasn’t done teasing me. “You’ve been holding out on me. Better plan on packing that guy.”

“What about airport security?”

“You think they’ve never seen a plastic dick?” He scoffed. He tossed the lube and one of the washcloths I also had in the drawer next to me.

“Fair.”

“Have you gone hands-free with it?” The heat in his eyes said he wasn’t simply joking around. He seemed genuinely turned on, and his hard and bobbing cock reinforced that impression.

“A couple of times with the dildo and then that one time with you,” I admitted. I was in my forties. I’d owned multiple toys over the years but had never discussed one quite so openly.

“Sounds like a challenge if I wanna keep up with Mr. Slick’s record over there.” Magnus leaned back in for a deep kiss, tongue making a whole lot of filthy promises. When he had me panting and grabbing at his arms again, he stared down at me with clear satisfaction. “Toy or fingers for prep?”

I liked that he was offering a choice, but I also knew exactly what I wanted. “Your fingers. Don’t go slow.”

“Speed demon,” he said fondly. He slicked up the fingers on his right hand, holding up one, two, three slippery digits to earn a laugh from me.

“Come on,” I demanded as he moved between my legs. I helped by pulling my thighs up and back.

As promised, he didn’t fool around with a lot of teasing, going right for the stretch and burn I craved with two thick fingers.

“I’m going to add to your toy collection.” His gruff voice was as seductive as what he was doing to my ass.

“Are you?” I asked breathlessly.

“Fuck yeah.” He used his left hand to give his hard and ready cock a squeeze. “I’m dripping thinking about watching you take something bigger than that dainty little dildo.”

“You’re plenty thick yourself.” I dropped my gaze to his cock, which seemed to have grown simply from our conversation. “Which, feel free to remind me how good it feels. Anytime now.”

“We’ll get there.” Magnus worked me open with more of the knuckle action I loved, then added a third finger as he went deep with pressure against my prostate.

“Please.” I made a keening noise. This full and this good, I might not last until he was in me. “Now.”

Magnus’s cock bobbed even before he nodded. “Bare still good?”

“Can’t wait.” I watched him slick his cock. I meant it. Ever since he’d shared his test results and especially since I’d fucked him, I’d been desperate to feel him in me, to feel his come. And I no longer felt guilty for wanting such things. We both loved the come-play. There was no room for shame in what we shared.

I yanked my legs farther back, trying to take all of him at once as he slowly pressed in.

“Yes.” My head fell back as my body welcomed him home. My rim stretched around his blunt cockhead, making me moan, before he slid the rest of the way in. “God, you feel amazing. I missed this.”

“Me too.” He reached for the washcloth, wiping the lube from his hand before stroking my chest, resting his hand possessively against my neck. “And you can have it whenever you want, baby.”

“Good.” I nodded. We didn’t need a special occasion or the magic of Valentine’s Day to make love, and that was what we were doing. We’d said the words earlier, but even if we hadn’t, love shone brightly in Magnus’s eyes. Love warmed his touch on my skin. “I love you.”

“Same.” He groaned, eyes fluttering shut momentarily. “Love you too.”

“Go hard,” I urged, ever more comfortable with asking for exactly what I wanted.

“Yeah? Like this?” Magnus started a fast, deep rhythm, putting the weight of those powerful thighs into his strokes.

“More,” I demanded.

“Fuck. You are so perfect.” Magnus stared down at where our bodies joined. “Look at you, taking it.”

“Yes.” Close, I instinctively reached for my cock, but he batted my hand away.

“Oh hell no.” His rebuke was playful before he growled again. “You’re gonna come on my cock.”

Enjoying this game, I let myself whine like I didn’t absolutely love that idea.

“Work for it,” he demanded. I hooked my heels around his waist, pulling him harder against me as I rocked upward. “That’s it. Ride back on my dick.”

“More.” I reached for his closest hand like that might spur him into the rhythm I wanted and needed. Somehow, he got the message because his thrusts turned to a near-brutal hammering, perfectly targeted at my prostate. “That. God.”

“Right there?” Magnus worked that angle like a craftsman polishing a sculpture. Short, hard thrusts with a precision no toy could ever mimic.

“How the fuck are you so good at this?” I marveled as my body hurtled that much closer to orgasm.

“I just watch your face.” Magnus shook his head as he did exactly that, thrusting deep and then giving a satisfied nod as my eyes squished shut from the pleasure. “God. You’re fucking spectacular.”

“Come on.” I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to watch him watching me, and also wanting to lose myself in this fuck. I rocked with him, riding his rhythm, letting the tension in my muscles increase.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Magnus urged. “Get close.”

“I want you to come in me.” I opened my eyes to make the demand.

“I’m going to. Going to fill you up.” Magnus’s sexy words made me moan and buck that much harder against him. “You want that? My come? Maybe let me fuck a second load into you later?”

“Oh holy fuck.” Simply that image, that very filthy image, was enough to shove me over the edge into a flash flood of an orgasm, sudden, swift, and utterly devastating. I gasped and shook as I came all over my stomach.

“Jesus, Eric.” Magnus must have liked what he saw because he pounded hard and fast. His face was a mask of tortured pleasure. “Here it comes.”

“Yes, give it to me.” Even begging like this felt so damn natural and perfect with Magnus, exactly how his come felt, warm and slick inside me. A novel sensation, but one I liked. I smiled softly to myself, dopey with happy orgasm hormones, as Magnus carefully untangled our bodies.

“Oh.” I gasped, not because it pinched, but because I could feel the slide of his come even more now.

“Not too rough?” His forehead creased with concern.

“Not at all.” I made quick use of the washcloth before tugging him down next to me. “It was perfect. And so are you. Love you.”

“Love you.” He spooned himself around my body, gathering me close. “I’ve known for a while now, but words are hard.”

“They are.” I let my head fall back near his. “This is rather easy though.”

“Amazingly so.” He kissed my temple. “We’ve got a good thing here. I’m going to do everything in my power to keep it going.”

“Me too.” I yawned, but I didn’t miss the vow-like conviction in his tone. I breathed deeply, relaxing fully into his embrace. He might harbor a few remaining worries about his ability to keep a relationship going, but I had few such doubts. He was exactly the partner I needed, and I resolved to be the one he needed as well.

Whoosh. Whoosh. As sleep crept closer, I heard not the familiar roar of my white noise machine but an ocean, the promise that we’d take that trip, then others after it. In the distance, I heard a baby’s laugh and the chatter of family gatherings. Then, on that last conscious breath, wedding music tinkled in my ears. Keep it going indeed.