I was no longer the only one sweating. Calix laid on his back with his forearm over his forehead, sweat drops rolling down his bare chest. The top sheet and duvet had long since fallen off the bed, and the mattress sheet had come loose from one corner when I grabbed it during a particularly intense moment.

Clamping my legs together to still the tiny pulsing aftershocks, I rolled to my side and stared at the male who had been relentless in his efforts to give me an orgasm. The only reason his tongue had not fallen off was because he was Fae. I was certain of it.

"Give me a moment," he said when he felt the bed shift.

I bit my bottom lip as I grinned. The situation I was in was quite serious, but hearing him so breathless sent a thrill through me. My eyes traveled to his obvious erection, and I debated asking again if I could do something about it. He would give me the same response he had the first six times. That he would take nothing from this night for himself.

Our last attempt had been the most fruitful, drawing me just over the edge so that pleasure mingled with the pain. Any other time, I would have called it a climax. Hell, before Lorcan finger fucked me in the dining room, it was the most I'd ever come with a man without a toy involved, but it wasn't enough. Not by any stretch.

Still... if he had to rest, I might as well make good use of the temporary relief and rest too. Heavy eyelids drifted lower, framing Calix in a slitted blur. I fought against the urge to shut my eyes entirely. The steady rise and fall of his chest soothed me, and I counted softly to myself as I watched. When reading my favorite romance novels, I thought my imagination had done justice to the gorgeous men described in the pages, but Calix had obliterated every fantasy man that came before him. He was the definition of masculine beauty. All powerful lines and grace and the darkest hair that felt like silk twined between my fingers.

Before tonight, only one man had ever gone down on me, and he had done it so begrudgingly, I almost told him no thank you. Though this was happening because of less than ideal circumstances, Calix had kissed my clit with reverence, like a man giving thanks before a meal. His hands slid up my thighs in a gentle caress before pressing them down to the bed, and then he consumed me.

First with flicking, persistent strokes of his tongue. Each time he struck the perfect spot, but like he warned, it only made my need worse, the pain more intense. I swallowed my discomfort, because through the agony, I found something to ground me—his starlight eyes, locked on my face the entire time he licked me.

Holding his gaze, I pinched my nipples, pulling and tugging on the sensitive peaks until, finally, I couldn't hold back. I screamed out—not in completion, but in frustration. Calix had growled, sending vibrations through me, and my whimpers cut off with a sharp gasp when he pushed two fingers into my center.

Again and again, he tried to make me come, only stopping when I begged or he needed to drink. Not once did he try to kiss me or make the experience more intimate. This was about one thing and thing only.

On the fourth attempt, he kept his fingers inside me, thrusting in a steady rhythm while he lavished attention to my breasts with his mouth, sucking and nipping until the first contraction broke through me, catching us both off guard as my pussy clamped down around his fingers.

"Fuck," he exclaimed, looking at me with wonder, his pupils growing so large they swallowed all but a silver ring of light.

That's where we were now. Rejoicing in a minor victory, both of us knowing it wouldn't be enough, but now I had hope. And desire... I pressed my face into the mattress and muffled a moan as the now familiar knot formed in my stomach. Maybe I shouldn't have spent the time resting, reliving everything because it had only rekindled the fire.

Strong hands gripped my hips and flipped me onto my stomach. I gasped and looked over my shoulder. Calix lifted my back end, pushing my head down when I tried to rise on all fours.

"I can smell you getting turned on."

"I'm sorry," I panted as he kneaded my ass.

"Hold on to the edge of the bed," he commanded. "We're going to try something new."

I did as I was told, curling my fingers around the mattress and biting down on a pillow when the palm of his hand made the first stinging contact. The smack echoed in the chamber and made my eyes water. Twice more he spanked me before soothing the hurt with his tongue, and I with a jolt, I realized I was so wet; it was rolling down my thighs.

"Please," I begged, wiggling my ass at him when he didn't strike me again.

"That's my naughty girl. Do you know how many nights I laid in this bed, my hand around my cock, while I imagined you in this exact position?" He gave a dark chuckle, pulling my cheeks apart to give him access to my back entrance. I tensed when his fingers brushed over it. "Sometimes, I was buried in your ass—the one I told myself no one had ever had before. Has anyone fucked your ass, little moon?"

"No."

Every nerve ending in my body was on fire. It was as if thousands of ants marched across my skin, driving me mad. Calix sucked in a sharp breath, and he wiggled the tip of a moistened fingertip into my asshole. I'd never been interested in trying anal before, but I thought I might let him do whatever he wanted if he could make me come.

"Calix," I sobbed, rocking against him, driving his finger further into me. It seemed when his mouth wasn't otherwise occupied, he was quite chatty in the bedroom.

"What do you want, little moon?" He curled over my body and cupped a breast. Through his pants, his erection pressed into me.

"I want you to shut up already and fuck me. Take that monster cock I can feel against my leg and put it inside me."

"No." He pulled away. "That wasn't the deal."

Limbs weak from constant pain, I struggled to face him. He caught me before I fell over and settled me back against the pillows. Taking a second to catch my breath, I fixed him with a heated stare.

"You said you would help me come, and what we've done already isn't working." He tugged his hair and opened his mouth to speak. I cut him off. "We didn't even get close until the last time, and it was because it felt like—"

"Felt like what, Luna?"

Making love. Like it was real. Instead, I said, "Not that I'm not enjoying your efforts, but I think this is going to take more. Otherwise, I'd ask you for a magical vibrator and be done with it."

My words shifted something in him, almost as if sparking a challenge. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his pants. I swallowed, eager and ready.

"There will be consequences to this."

And then he shoved his pants down, revealing the most perfect cock I'd ever seen. Renewed energy surged through me, and I reached out, taking him in my hand. There was at least two inches of space between my thumb and pointer finger when I tried to close my hand around him, and when I released him, it sprang upward; the tip rising just higher than his bellybutton.

"Oh," I muttered, understanding every book heroine now when they protested it wouldn't fit, but rather than be put off by it, I was aching to try.

I went to take him again, and Calix grabbed my wrist. His teeth ground together as he pushed me onto my back and fit himself between my thighs.

"I just spent the last three hours devouring your pussy without coming once. If you intend for me to last long enough to get inside of you, you can't touch me."

"Wait—" His cock glistened he ran it between my folds. My body shook—both in anticipation and with renewed pain. "What do the Fae use for protection? I'm not on birth control."

"It's fine," Calix promised. "I am."

Holding himself, he lined the tip up with my entrance. I held my legs under my knees, eyes glued to the place our bodies were joining. But Calix hesitated, his knuckles whitening around his cock as he shook with the effort to keep himself from thrusting all the way in. I dropped my legs and leaned up, cupping my hands around the back of his neck.

Pulling his head down was like trying to move a boulder, so I came to him, pressing my lips to his. Four heartbeats passed. Embarrassment creeped in, dousing me in ice, but just before I could pull away, he groaned against my mouth, deepening the kiss as his hips jutted forward.

We fell backward as one, remaining fused from head to hip, our bodies writhing together in an ancient rhythm shared across all dimensions. Earth. Faerie. The heavens.

Electricity rippled along his skin, infusing his every touch with a shock that made my toes curl. I held on, hands dropping to his ass, urging him to go deeper as he glided in and out, hitting every nerve, ratcheting up the tension coiling in my middle until I knew I had to risk everything and let go. Trust that Calix would keep me in one piece as I detonated.

"I'm so close," I panted, needing him to know his efforts were not wasted.

Sweat dripped from the end of a dark strand of hair hanging in his eyes as he pounded into me. My heels dug into the mattress, lifting my hips to change the angle, and Calix responded by rolling to his back in a smooth motion that kept us connected.

I stayed still for a moment, savoring the sense of fullness, but it didn't take long for instinct and need to drive my hips forward in a grinding motion. Calix gripped my waist, letting me control the pace but needing to touch me, his eyes half closed as he watched me move over him.

"Touch yourself," he demanded.

I put my hand between my legs, though I was afraid my clit would be raw and oversensitive from all the attention. Instead, the first touch sent a shot of pleasure straight through me, making my pussy flutter and clamp down.

Now Calix was the one who looked like he was in pain. He sat up, took a fistful of my hair, and kissed me hard before pulling out and pushing me onto my knees. I didn't have time to catch my breath before he entered me in one swift move. The pace he set had me gripping the headboard to remain upright, but I didn't complain.

Because once more the first flutters of a climax were there, growing stronger with every stroke. Closer. Almost in reach. If I could only hold on for another second, I could come. My heartbeat skipped and stuttered.

Calix draped his body around me, changing his thrusts to short and shallow. Each glide hit that magical spot, and when he pushed his hand between us, his fingers pressing into my clit, I screamed and came completely undone. I held onto awareness long enough to hear him roar and feel his warmth spread inside me. Then, everything faded to blessed black.