It was easy to lift his gaze and put his hand on Avery’s shoulder, easier still to pull himself up and murmur, close to Avery’s pink lips, “Yet all I brought here was myself.”
“A royal gift, indeed,” Avery said, his mouth turning up in a smile. Then they were kissing, lips clinging and catching, and it was the sweetest thing Laurence had ever tasted, delight shivering through him as Avery laughed brightly and pulled him closer.
They stumbled upstairs, candles flaring up around them to light their way. Avery’s door swung open before they even reached it, although Avery’s hands were busy pushing up Laurence’s shirt, and Laurence heard the swish and rattle of the curtains closing before Avery’s mouth on his throat distracted him and he threw his head back, clenching his hands on Avery’s hips.
Avery’s bedroom warmed with every step they took across it, filling with light as fireplace, lamp, candles all came alight, glowing as golden as Avery himself—gold in his eyes, reflecting in his hair, dancing across his pale skin as his shirt fell away, the buttons somehow working themselves out of their holes. Laurence’s belt undid itself and slithered to the floor.
“Still set against magic?” Avery murmured, nosing aside the open front of Laurence’s shirt to lay kisses along the line of his shoulder.
“It’s growing on me,” Laurence admitted, as he ran his hands down the long warm length of Avery’s bare back, pressing kisses to Avery’s hairline. Everything felt magical right now, as if all that golden light was sinking into him, warming his skin and heart with bubbling, uncomplicated happiness.
Avery’s clothes had all slid off now, and he was naked and beautiful in Laurence’s arms, wrapping around Laurence in a hot embrace. Then he pulled away, taking two steps back until he was falling onto the bed, spreading himself out across the sheets with the unconscious ease of someone who knew he was beautiful. For a moment Laurence was stunned by him, barely able to breathe as he gazed down at the man laid out before him—his broad shoulders, his mouth swollen from kisses, his long lean thighs spread open to display his plump cock rising eagerly.
Then Avery held out his hand and murmured, “Laurence, please.”
And Laurence went to him, kicking the last of his own clothes off and crawling onto the bed. Avery watched him without moving, his eyes hot, until Laurence lowered himself down, fitting his body against Avery’s with care, groin to groin, belly to belly, chest to chest, until only his forearms propped him up, his face just above Avery’s.
“Such beauty,” Avery murmured, finally lifting his hand to trace through Laurence’s hair. “You shine like gold against me.”
Laurence’s heart, already pounding, leaped again, and all he could do was lean down to meet Avery’s kiss. Avery’s arms came up around him, and they were moving against each other, and maybe it was magic or maybe it was just the simple joy of body against body with a man he genuinely liked, but Laurence felt more giddy and alight with joy with every touch, every kiss, every thrust.
He closed his eyes in the end, when every glimpse of Avery’s flushed cheeks and bright eyes made him gasp until he wasn’t sure how he could keep breathing. In the darkness behind his eyelids, every touch felt like fire, and he imagined Avery’s roaming hands leaving trails of gold across his skin, transforming him into something bright and glorious.
“Oh, Laurence,” Avery sighed in his ear, voice rough and breathy. “Look at you.”
“I can’t,” Laurence gasped, throwing his head back as Avery’s hand closed around his cock and stroked him so tenderly his heart ached even as fire danced under his skin. “Oh, God. Avery, Avery—”
Avery hushed him, voice warm and amused, and his hand slowed. “Not yet, my beauty. Not yet. Hold it back for me, yes?”
“Yes.” And then Avery’s fingers were sliding down the crack of Laurence’s arse to stroke the edge of his hole, slick and so gentle it sent sparks flying up his spine.
“Let me?” Avery whispered against his mouth.
“Yes,” Laurence breathed again and sank into another kiss as Avery worked him open, slow and tender as Laurence writhed against him. When he finally pulled his fingers away and replaced them with the broad press of his cock, Laurence broke the kiss, breathing too hard to keep his mouth pressed against Avery’s. He pushed down, feeling every jolt go through him as he stretched around Avery. He’d missed this so much, but at the same time he knew it had never felt like this before.
Avery’s hand spread across his back, lowering them both down against the pillows as he thrust deeper, his hips starting to rock as he rolled Laurence beneath him. Laurence strained against him, torn between the need to be filled—to be fucked—and the desperate longing to come. He groped blindly for his own cock, but Avery caught his hand and breathed, “Not yet.”
Laurence groaned and opened his eyes.
Avery was brighter than gold above him. Laurence couldn’t tell if it was pleasure or something more, but it looked like all the light in the room had gathered to pool in Avery’s eyes and outline him in shimmering webs of golden fire. The sight made his balls throb and his cock leap, and he whimpered.
“I have you,” Avery murmured and leaned in to lay his mouth against Laurence’s. At the same time, mercifully, he reached down to wrap his warm palm around Laurence’s cock.
And Laurence came apart in a blaze of light and glory, with Avery inside him and above him, burning to his own conclusion as Laurence shook and melted around him.
Chapter Four
IT WAS a long time before he could think clearly again, especially with Avery curled up behind him, his hand spread over Laurence’s heart and his voice murmuring antiquated endearments. By the time Laurence had summoned his scattered wits back together, they had heard the distant church bells ring in the turning of the year.
“So,” Laurence said at last, “that was magic.”
“And more,” Avery said. He sounded somewhere between smug and bewildered. “Even with a little enchantment, it’s not usually so….”
Laurence hummed, curling back against him. He had never had the luxury of staying in a man’s bed before—there was always discretion to be considered. He liked it. “Even so, I feel I should apologize for my earlier skepticism.”
“Apology accepted,” Avery said, sounding amused. He kissed the nape of Laurence’s neck.
Laurence hummed with pleasure. He still felt loose and languid, but oddly alert with it. Magic, huh.
Avery kissed him again, lips lingering, and slid his hand sideways a little to brush Laurence’s nipple.
“Oh, yes, please.” It felt good to be this shameless, to seize Avery’s hand and pull it down to his swelling cock, to turn his head and meet Avery’s kiss.
It was slower the second time, but no less magical.
WHEN LAURENCE woke the next morning, he ached, the low pleasant throb of a well-used body. It was cozy under the blankets, with Avery’s arm slung over his waist and Avery snuffling in his sleep against his shoulder.
Laurence could get used to this, though he knew perfectly well that it could not last. Eventually they would both have to go back to their normal lives—though quite what the normal life of a self-proclaimed Elizabethan wizard looked like, he couldn’t imagine.
But they could steal a few more days.
In the gray light of a rainy winter morning, there was none of the gold and glory of last night. Laurence found he didn’t mind. He certainly wouldn’t turn down another chance of that, but this was good too. It felt a little more real, especially when he turned around enough to see Avery’s face and saw that his hair was on end, his chin was stubbled, and there were slight bags under his eyes that Laurence had never noticed before—did he hide them with magic?
He lay there until Avery blinked his way awake.
“Good morning,” Laurence said.