He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm down. “Get the fuck out of here, Asher,” Magnus told him without opening his eyes. “Or I might do something I’d regret later.”

“Like punching a buddy?” Asher said caustically, but from the sound of it, he was getting up.

“I said something I’d regret later,” Magnus told him in a cold voice. “I don’t regret that.” Edie’s hand continued to pet his arm, his only anchor to sanity.

“Fuck you,” Asher said.

The gardens grew silent. When Magnus calmed and finally opened his eyes, Asher was gone. He looked over his shoulder and saw Asher retreating with his lady friend. Edie was still at his side, petting his arm, and the look on her face was one of concern.

He glanced down at where she was touching him. “How come you’re stroking my arm?”

Her hands snatched away. “Seems to work for cats.” Her tone sounded a little embarrassed, though it was too dark to see if she was blushing or not. “Are you all right?”

He was, and he wasn’t. He was because she was here now, at his side, and he was still pissed that she had to hear Asher’s bitter words and assume the worst, that he was taking one for the team. Because wasn’t that what he was doing for Bianca and Levi when they wanted to get together? Sacrificing his own free time so Levi could flirt? He hated himself a little for going along with it. Edie would be devastated if she found out the truth. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“I’m not,” she said, her voice light. “It’s not every day I see a man get punched because he called me a gimp.”

“Asher has . . . issues.”

“No shit.” Her voice was full of amusement.

Her laughing voice made him feel a little better. “You’re not a gimp.”

“I know,” Edie said.

“I’m also not taking one for the team.”

“I know that, too. I saw the blonde you were with.”

He shook his head. “I’m not with her. I don’t want her. Not in the slightest.” As he gazed down at her vulnerable face, it struck him that the only one he really wanted was . . . Edie. And it had nothing to do with Levi or Bianca or anyone else. He wanted Edie because he wanted to kiss her for his own reasons. He wanted to grab her and strip her naked and touch her all over because he wanted to see her reactions, to hear her soft sighs, to kiss her demanding mouth because it was Edie, not because anyone was making him.

And at that realization, he grinned to himself. Fuck Levi. He wouldn’t play his games anymore because now, for Magnus? It wasn’t a game. It was all about Edie. “I’m not taking one for the team,” he stated again.

Her look grew amused. “So why did you punch him, Magnus?”

“Because I don’t like the thought of someone hurting you.”

Edie’s expression changed. She gazed up at him thoughtfully, as if considering something.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I’ve decided to say ‘fuck it’ to the rules.” With that, she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him down to her for a kiss.

Chapter Ten

Magnus was more than a little stunned at Edie’s kiss. He was unmoving, shocked as her sweet, full lips pressed against his for a moment. Then his brain—and okay, his dick—kicked in. His arms went around her and his mouth parted against hers, and he kissed her back, like he’d been wanting to for what felt like forever. He took control of the kiss, demanding that Edie’s lips part under his. When they did, he gave her the full-court press, using tongue and technique to show her just how good kissing him could be. He could feel her tremble against him, and his arms tightened around her, wanting to protect her from the world.

She was his, goddamn it. Let anyone just try and fucking hurt her again.

His mouth devoured hers, his tongue stroking against her tongue before moving to skim along those sinful lips of hers. God, he loved her fucking mouth. Sweet and full and pouty from his kisses. He pulled away for a moment, just so he could admire the wet gleam of moonlight on those lips, and she gave him a dazed expression.

“W-why are we stopping?”

He leaned down and kissed her again, hard, fierce. Then, he forced himself to pull away. “Because there’s a party,” he said softly, unable to help himself from touching her. His hand went to her face and he rubbed his thumb along her full, wet lower lip. His cock surged in response, imagining how she’d look with those lips wrapped around it. And fuck, he was regretting the tight pants of his damn costume, because everyone was going to see every inch of how he felt about Edie. “And you probably want to go back to it, right?”

She gave her head a little shake. “Fuck the party. I want you.” And she nipped at his thumb with her teeth, a sultry look in her eyes.

He groaned at that, unable to look away. “I’m about two seconds away from dragging you behind a bush and fucking the daylights out of you.”

She nipped his thumb again. “One. Two.”

Goddamn. This woman would be the death of him. “I don’t have a condom on me.”

“Then pull out before you come.” Her tongue swiped at the pad of his thumb. “Just make it good for me first.”

“Oh, I’ll make it good for you,” he whispered, leaning close. His hand left her waist and moved to her ass, clenching it hard. “I’m going to lick your pussy so hard you’re not going to be able to walk straight.”

“That’s not much of a threat for a girl like me, Magnus,” she teased. Her hand moved down the front of his chest, then landed at his waist.

“Then I’ll lick your pussy so hard that I won’t be able to walk straight,” he told her.

She trembled in his arms. “Where should we go? I need you now. Right now.” Her hand squeezed his ass. “God, your butt is amazing. I want this naked and on top of me.”

He groaned and captured her mouth again. “Farther into the bushes. Come on.”

Taking her hand in his, he pulled her forward, need surging through him. More than anything, he wanted to toss her to the ground and start rutting on her like an animal, because his adrenaline was pumping so fiercely and he suspected that Edie would get off on that roughness. After all, she’d kissed him right after he’d punched a man for her. But the ground was damp and cold, and the last thing he wanted to do was to get Edie wet. He wanted this to be all about her pleasure. He thought about being the one on the ground and Edie above him, riding him, and forced himself to discard the delicious idea. He didn’t know how her knee would handle that. This first time, it needed to be incredible for both of them. So he kept stalking farther into the gardens, farther away from the party, until he found just what he wanted.

There, up ahead, there was a large solitary flat-topped rock that was about waist-high for Edie, slightly lower for him. As he approached it, he saw a big bronze sundial was set atop the rock as a decoration. Releasing Edie’s hand, Magnus grabbed it and hefted. It was heavy, but not attached to the rock itself. With a fierce toss, he threw it aside onto the ground, swept the rock with his palm, and then turned to Edie.

“That was . . . impressive,” she murmured, her voice all breathless and sweet. She moved toward the rock and then looked at it uncertainly, so he took her by the waist and hefted her up on it. She weighed almost nothing, and for a moment, he was acutely aware of her fragility. She didn’t seem fragile usually, because she was too busy spitting fire at him. But here in the dark, with her silent? He was aware of the delicacy of her bones, her small form.

He vowed to make this the best damn sex she’d ever had. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, baby.”

Edie chuckled, the sound throaty and sweet. “Are we alone here?” Her feet swung atop the rock and for a moment, she looked uncertain.