Page 54 of Wickedly Ever After (A Fairy Tale Romp, #1)

Ida

The very best part about a breakup is the makeup.

Magic and Mischief—A Thousand Years of Happily-Ever-After: A Memoir

Ida North

It had been more than eight centuries since Ida had been in bed with anyone.

She’d not forgotten the man’s face, or the way he thought he was the Gods’ gift to women.

She’d not forgiven the way he handled himself, expecting his body would be enough to pleasure any manner of woman, any shape, any configuration—one cock to fill them all. She remembered him very well.

Hector was nothing like him.

He fumbled his way through sex, clearly trying so hard, until she pushed him over on his back and took over. He seemed delighted by the change of position, and the warm glow filled his eyes, already alight with candle flame.

“Thank you,” he said. “I was wondering when you’d punch me.”

She laughed and bent over him, forehead to his lips. “You were trying. Believe me, trying goes a long way to making any woman happy.”

“I don’t want to make any woman happy. I want to make you happy.”

“You great flatterer. Are you sure you haven’t done this before?

” His heart pounded in her chest as much for her as him.

She flexed her hips, feeling the slight ache from that riding accident long ago.

She’d be sore from a different kind of ride tonight, but Hector’s trembling hands rested on the small of her back, and Gods help her, he was so involved, so intensely passionate, even in his clumsy attempts to do everything by the book.

“Hector, touch me here.” She guided his hands to her breasts.

“Like what you did in the inn, where you—”

A happy gasp escaped her as he gently massaged. With a sly smile, he wet his fingers in his mouth, and touched her nipples. “Like this?”

“Gods.” She leaned back, sitting on him, feeling him harden underneath her as she moved against him. She raised up, moved forward, and slid down on him. He gasped, his hands stopped moving for a moment, and his eyes closed.

She bent forward, sliding down on her elbows, hair trailing over his shoulders, rocking against him gently. “Is this good?”

His voice was a bare whisper. “Ida, I don’t know how long I can hold back. I—I feel close. Very close.”

She settled down against him, slowing down.

Warmth burned in all the right places, softly simmering, like the candle flickering on the table near the bed.

She tangled one hand in his hair. “I’m close too.

” He might feel his heart inside her chest, but she couldn’t pull away from him.

She imagined making love to him in his castle, with the black roses dropping a shower of petals on top of them both. She could smell the fragrance.

“Oh, Gods.” His voice broke. He gasped. Pushed upward, panting.

He shifted, and oh—oh, that had never been touched like he touched it, and she gasped, pressing down as he pushed up, pulling her down against himself, rocking her hips down as if he’d take as much as she’d give him, give as much as he could.

“Hector.” She collapsed on top of him.

He jerked and quivered, but refused to let up, like he’d stay inside her as long as he could.

She’d never made love to a fellow witch before.

Their magic passed between them like fluid, but if this was Hector’s wicked magic, it felt delightful—a deep, wonderful, softening warmth that melted into her the way she melted into him.

“Ida.” He breathed a kiss on her cheek.

She didn’t want to move either. She wanted to stay with him, nestled in his arms, glad for his warmth, glad for his body, glad for the soft light in his green eyes when he stroked her hair. “Are you happy?” she asked.

“So happy, but…but, Ida, I thought once would be enough. It’s not. I want you again. Over and over again, every night, every morning.”

She laughed softly. “Oh, Hector. You know we can’t.” She rolled off him, curled up next to his side, and snuggled into his arm when he embraced her.

“Well…not now.” He curled his fingers in her hair. His voice took on a quietly contemplative tone. “Maybe…maybe when we’re both retired, you can visit me. No one is going to care about one grumpy old witch in the woods entertaining another grumpy old witch, are they?”

“Who said I had to come visit you? You should visit me sometimes. We’ll sit out on my front porch in our rockers and eat gingerbread and talk about how the kingdom has all gone to rot and ruin.

I’ll ask you in for dinner, and you’ll just happen to lose track of time, and then it will be dark, and you’ll stay over… ”

“And by some strange coincidence, you’ll only have the one bed, and neither of us will have any nightclothes. We’ll snuggle close for warmth, won’t we?” Hector chuckled.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a nicer laugh, Hector West.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier smile, Ida North.”

She kissed him.

“We’ll just have to wait,” he said softly. He wrapped his arms around her. “Until then.”

“Until then,” she murmured. His mustache and his beard scratched, but it wasn’t unpleasant, although she worried what she’d look like tomorrow morning.

Hari would almost certainly notice, even if he didn’t ask her what kind of walk would put her back at the dragon cave after dark.

But she didn’t stop, and she didn’t say they needed to get up and get dressed, although the urgency of it was pressing.

He was right. Once was never going to be enough.

How long had she wanted this? Maybe since the first day she’d met him, standing at that punch bowl, so nervous, completely overwhelmed by the enormous honor of being the youngest ever Cardinal Witch but trying so hard to look the part.

And he did . The memory sent her burrowing against him again, hungry for his body, his touch.

She’d thought him unbelievably arrogant that day, but over the centuries, he’d proved he was worthy of that honor.

There was no one who cared more about the world on the Council.

Whatever happened, she would not let him take the blame for Happily-Ever-After.

All along—he’d been this man, the man who would go to any length to save what he loved, including her.

A door creaked.

Tinbit and Hari stood in the doorway. Hari’s face wore an expression of shock, but Tinbit looked like he’d swallowed molten lead.

Hector sat up. “This…this isn’t what it looks like.” He yanked half the blanket over himself.

Tinbit snorted. “I think it’s exactly what it looks like. You hypocrite.”

“What are you doing here?” Ida asked Hari, frantically reaching for the sheets and pulling them up around her neck.

Hari blushed crimson, staring at the floor. “I came out to find you and saw the pony trotting up the hill. I went to grab it, then Tinbit came out and asked if I’d seen Hector, and—”

Ida rose and grabbed her robe. “The pony is safe?”

“I guess you’d be interested in that. I suppose you might like some clothes?” Tinbit sneered.

“Hari will help me, Tinbit. You take care of Hector’s needs, not mine.”

“I’d say you’ve already taken care of Hector’s needs .”

“That’s uncalled for,” Hector said, standing.

“Yeah, remember who I’m talking to,” Tinbit scoffed.

“Yeah,” Hari said quietly. “Remember who you’re talking to. That’s my Witch.”

Tinbit rounded on him. “She’s been trying to keep you away from me. You know that!”

“Ida has nothing to do with it! I’ve been trying to keep me away from you, and it’s been the hardest thing of my life to do! Now, I’m thinking it might have been worth the effort.”

Tinbit went white under his brown. “Hari, you don’t mean that.”

Hari squared up to Tinbit. “Back at the castle, you asked me to leave her for you! Up until now, I wanted to. But now I see how you really are. If I’m not exactly who you want or need when you expect it, you’ll do to me what you do to Hector and Ida.

Mock me. Hold me to standards I can’t possibly meet.

They can’t help being in love! It’s the damned Happily-Ever-After spell. ”

Tinbit visibly shrank with every word, cringing under them. “Hari, that’s not true. I’m only angry because they tried to keep us apart—because they didn’t want us to love each other.”

“I’m going to feed the pony,” Hari said. “And when this is over, I’m going home with Ida. Find some other gnome to dress up and play doll with. I’m not your toy.”

He turned on his heel and stomped out.

“Hari—” Tinbit’s wild plea came out as a gasp. He bolted out the door.

Ida glanced at Hector, shakily pulling on his robe.

“I need to get to him before he does something foolish,” Hector said. “Keep Hari with you. Tell him not to go after Tinbit.”

“What’s going on?”

“A crisis of necomancy.” Without explaining further, he left the room.