Page 56 of Evergreen

“I know,” he said, and I could hear the understanding in his voice. “But that’s exactly why we’re going to fight this with everything we’ve got.”

I turned around to face him, needing to see his eyes, needing that physical reassurance. He was already watching me, those green eyes soft with concern and love in equal measure. I reached up and cupped his face in my hands, drawing him down for a kiss.

It started gentle, almost tender, but quickly deepened into something more desperate. I needed him. Needed to feel grounded in something real while everything else felt like it was falling apart. His hands came up to grip my waist, pulling me closer until I was practically straddling him.

“We should probably sleep,” Cass said against my lips, though he made no move to actually let me go. “Big day tomorrow.”

“I can’t sleep,” I admitted. “Every time I close my eyes, I see those trees falling. I feel them dying.”

“Then let me take your mind off it,” he said, his lips pressing against mine once more. “Fuck me and forget about all of this, even if it’s just for a little while.”

I didn’t argue with him. Couldn’t, really, when he was looking at me like that. We’d both been floating in uncertainty for three days, and maybe what we needed was this. Something physical and real to anchor us back in reality.

I let him pull my shirt over my head, let his hands map the planes of my chest like he was memorizing me all over again. His touch was gentle despite the urgency I could feel thrumming through him, and I appreciated that. Even in his need to distract us both, Cass was careful with me.

“I love you,” I murmured against his collarbone, needing to say it again, needing to ground myself in that truth when everything else felt uncertain.

“I know,” he replied, his fingers already working at the waistband of my pants. “I love you too. Now shut up and let me help you forget about this for a while.”

I wasn’t sure I could actually forget. The weight of what was coming tomorrow was too heavy. But as Cass stripped away the rest of my clothing and began to plant kisses down my neck and chest, the thoughts became quieter. For now, at least, I could just focus on him and the feeling of his lips pressing against my skin.

I stared down at him, watching his tongue trail down my abdomen, through the dark hair above my cock, and then finally back up the underside of my cock. I let out a soft groan, savoring the way my magic flared under my skin, filling me from head to toe with pleasure.

“Fuck,” I breathed, my hips already beginning to thrust upward even as I tried to maintain some semblance of control. “Cass, that’s⁠—”

He pulled back just enough to look up at me, that cocky smile playing at his lips. “That’s what?” he asked, his hand stroking the base of my cock while his mouth worked the sensitive head. “Too much? Not enough?”

“Perfect,” I managed, threading my fingers through his dark hair. “It’s perfect.”

He took me deeper, and I felt my magic respond instinctively, golden light dancing across my skin in those familiar patterns. The air around us grew warmer, more humid, and I could hear the faint sound of wind picking up outside my window. Our magic was already intertwining, responding to each other the way it always did.

I wanted to let him continue, wanted to lose myself completely in the sensation of his mouth on me. But after three days of sitting in that infirmary room, after three days of anxiety and uncertainty, I needed more than this. I needed to be inside him. Needed to feel our connection on every level.

“Come here,” I said, gently tugging him upward. “And sit on my face.”

He didn’t protest, just grinned and crawled up my body, straddling my head as I pulled him down. The moment my tongue licked a long stripe over his hole, I heard him moan, his head thrown back in ecstasy. His cock was rock hard, leaking against my forehead as I worked him open with my tongue. He tasted musky and incredible, his own unique flavor that I’d come to love over the past few weeks. My hands gripped his thighs, holding him steady as I pushed deeper, feeling him relax around me with each deliberate lick.

“Oh fuck, Linden,” he gasped, his hips rolling slightly as he put his full weight on me. “That’s so fucking good.”

I hummed against him, the vibration making him shudder. His magic was crackling around us now, responding to the pleasure I was giving him. I could feel it dancing across my skin, mixing with my own golden light until the room seemed to glow from within. Either that, or it was about to start raining above my bed. Either way, I didn’t care. I just wanted more.

After a few more minutes of this exquisite torture, I felt him shift, felt him trying to move away. “No,” I murmured against his skin. “I want you to cum like this. Then I’ll fuck you.”

“Linden—” he started to protest, but I was already intensifying my efforts, my tongue working him with single-minded focus. His hands gripped the headboard, his knuckles turning white as he fought against his own pleasure.

“Cum for me,” I urged him. “Cum all over my face, Sparks.”

It didn’t take much longer. His entire body went rigid, and just before he came, I backed up, sticking my tongue out. His cock pulsed against my tongue, his sweet liquid filling my mouth. For one brief second I wondered if I looked ridiculous, like some guy in a porno. But then I realized I didn’t care. All I cared about was him, about making him feel as good as he made me feel.

When he finally collapsed beside me, his breathing ragged and his body trembling with the aftershocks, I pulled him close. He nestled against my chest, his fingers tracing lazy patterns across my pecs.

“So,” he murmured after a moment, already shifting to position himself on his back. “Are you going to fuck me or what?”

I didn’t need to be asked twice. My cock was already hard, straining with need after two days of forced celibacy in that infirmary. I reached out, drawing on my magic to summon up the lube that we both liked so much.

“What is that stuff made of?” he asked. “I keep forgetting to ask.”

“Mostly aloe,” I said, smearing it between my fingers. “Pretty handy, huh?”