He wasn’t waiting for her to change her mind. Whether or not he was half-asleep, Nathan knew his way around her body. He’d already shoved the covers impatiently down to his thighs, using those long, strong arms to lift her into a straddle. She could only hang on as he found his way under her skirt. She’d pulled on a silky pair of panties, but he simply caught his forefinger in the crotch panel, moved it aside, and pushed that thick hardness inside her. She was sore from last night, and he knew just how gentle and rough to be, inexorable in his demand, but tender in his care of her.“I love you,” she whispered, realizing how many aspects of their relationship had experienced that special, magical combination.His eyes opened then, the blue color full of emotion and that morning languidness that was a pleasure all its own. Bringing her down for another kiss, he constricted his other arm around her waist so she was full hilt on him. He allowed her very little movement, instead working hi

“Then I guess you’ll be the one carrying me up those stairs. ”She must have said it aloud. She wet her lips, stared up at him. “Don’t do this. ”“It’s happening. Deal with it. You promised to marry me. You’re not going to get out of it so easily. ”“Yeah, well, I promised you coffee and doughnuts this morning. See how that turned out?” Her voice was fainter. His brow creased and the pressure of his hand on her chest increased.“Be still, baby. Just close your eyes and let it happen. ”He built the power in that circle so fast and strong, it was overwhelming. This was what he knew how to do, what came as easily to him as breathing. It didn’t matter that he was hurt, that he’d lost blood. Nothing disrupted his focus. She had to open her eyes to watch him, because as a magic user she couldn’t not watch him pull off one of the most awe-inspiring pieces of magic there was. She’d had to do it with complicated potions, chants, working with elemental energies and dipping into the Dark well o