“I went for livable this time instead of ‘weird but impressive,’” he agreed. “I think I actually prefer it. Go figure.”
“Go figure,” she said with a laugh. “Can I see the bedroom?”
“Of course. I’m guessing that’s where everyone’s hiding. Though sometimes Lady D likes the windowsill in the office because of the sunlight. We can check there first.”
Magnus’s new office was set up in one of the bedrooms facing the back of the flat. A large window looked out on the tiny patio, and sure enough, on a window seat, the fluffy form of Lady D was curled up. She lifted her head as they entered, her nostrils flaring at the scents, but didn’t get up from her perch.
“She looks good,” Edie said, not moving forward toward the blind cat. She didn’t want to startle her. “Is Lady C giving her any trouble?”
“Not at all,” Magnus said, moving to stand behind her. His hands went to her breasts and casually cupped them over her clothing, his chin resting on her shoulder. “I think Lady C treats her like another kitten. I catch her grooming D all the time.”
Edie smiled. She looked around the rest of the small office. Between cat furniture and a nearby treadmill, Magnus had a heavy oak desk set up along one wall. Another wall was bare of furniture, and instead, it was covered with world maps of different time periods, pushpins and strings and Post-it notes slapped all over the maps. “Still working on, um, The World ?” It was getting harder to concentrate with those big, warm hands just casually cupping her breasts. She wished he’d play with her nipples, but he seemed content to hold her.
“Yeah. I was derailed over the last few weeks by a different project.” He nuzzled her neck, pressing his mouth against her skin. “I missed my original deadline so I rescheduled my pitches for spring of next year.”
“Oh, no.” Guilt flared through her. “Because of me?”
“What if it is?” His thumbs brushed over her nipples at the very moment that his tongue swept over her neck. “So what? All that matters to me is getting you back. The game will always be there. It can wait. Some things are more important than making money.”
Tears blurred her eyes again. Damn it. She was always weeping lately, it seemed. “You think I’m more important?”
“Edie, babe. To me, you are everything.” He nipped at her throat. “My world’s incomplete without you in it.”
He really was the sweetest man. “I love you,” she said around the knot in her throat. “So much.”
“I love you, too. Now come see my other cat. She’s in the bedroom.”
She chuckled. “You just want to get me into bed.”
“Actually, I’m going to take you back to the couch,” he told her, tongue swiping at her throat again. “I’m not about to fuck you with a bunch of cats staring me down. I don’t want an audience.”
Edie giggled. “Really?”
“Really.” He grinned. “So let’s make this quick.”
With his hands still on her breasts, he hauled her into the bedroom. She couldn’t stop laughing, and it felt so damn good to just be wild and free and utterly ridiculous with Magnus. They always had so much fun together. She’d forgotten how much until they’d broken up.
And he’d done so much to win her back. So very much that it made her heart ache with the wonder of it.
Sure enough, Magnus’s bed was stripped of blankets. A corner of one blanket was sticking out from under the bed, and Edie caught sight of a flicking tail.
“You want me to get her out for you, babe? I don’t want you kneeling on the floor with that knee,” Magnus said, squeezing her breasts again.
“No, I’m good,” Edie said, feeling a bit breathless. “I think I want my couch time now.”
“Mmm, that so?”
She turned in his arms and laced her fingers behind his neck, holding him close. “I do.” She leaned in and brushed her mouth against his. “I’m feeling more in the mood for you than for your cats. I can always see them later. I need you now.”
In response, he kissed her again. Soft. Sweet. “I wish I had something better to give you than a shitty sofa. I should have gotten a hotel room. I—”
“A shitty sofa is wonderful,” Edie said, burying her face against his neck. “Because it’s yours and it’s right here. I don’t want to wait to go all the way across town. I want you now.”
He groaned and held her tight. “Fuck, I need you.”
“Then take me.”
Magnus’s mouth captured hers, and this time the kiss wasn’t gentle. His tongue swept against hers, possessive, demanding, and urgent. She moaned against him, entranced by the feel of his lips on her, and barely noticed he was pulling her backward until he shut the bedroom door behind them. Then he was tugging her down the hall, and his hands were pulling at her T-shirt, untucking it from the band of her jeans. “I want you naked, Edie. Naked and laid out for me. I’m going to kiss every inch of your skin and then lick you all over right before I fuck the hell out of you.”
She trembled at his words. “Promises, promises.”
“Not promises,” he murmured. “Truth. Now, get these clothes off. I need those tight little nipples on my tongue.”
She wanted them there, too. Her hands tugged at her shirt, pulling it over her head. Then she was in her bra, and he ran his fingers over the curves of her breasts before moving to her back. He had her bra unsnapped in a matter of moments.