Page 73 of A Spot of Tea and Sorcery: Vol. 6

“Do you, um, do you happen to know anything about all . . . that?”

“I do. And I could tell you about it, if you like. Describe the finer points and details. Or . . .”

“Or?”

“Or I could give you a demonstration.”

“Um. Yes. Do.”

“Come to the edge of the bed, my dear. Now lie back. And breathe.”

“What are you doing down there? Isn’t the floor a bit hard on your knees?”

“Just breathe, Luna. Close your eyes.”

“Luna?”

“Yes, Nigel?”

“If Ward the Damned Wardsman walks in on us right now, I will blast him to smithereens.”

In the end, Nigel was very thankful that Tealeaf Cottage was so remotely situated. Though a part of him wouldn’t have minded the whole of Greater Snoring hearing and recognizing his prowess as a lover, for Luna’s sake, he felt a little privacy was in order. This way, she could feel free to unleash the depths of everything she felt.

And unleash she certainly did.

He might have even heard his name in there, somewhere.

Afterwards, as she lay panting and dazed on the bed, he climbed up beside her, stretching his still mostly-clad body out alongside her lovely self, and stroked her hair and face and everything else within reach. Which was plenty.

Luna closed her eyes, dragging in deep breaths before finally blinking up at him. “Well,thatcertainly was unexpected!” she declared with a dreamy smile. “I mean, I thought it had to besomethingpretty wonderful, you know? For all the songs and movies and novels that seem so fixated on the subject. But I had noidea!”She rolled onto her side, propped her head up on one hand. “Does it only feel like that the first time?”

“Not at all, my dear.” Nigel grinned, running his finger along the soft line of her cheek. “In fact, it will get better with practice.”

“Better thanthat?”

“Much, if I have any say in the matter.”

“No kidding?” She lay back on her pillow again, blinking up at the ceiling, her eyes a bit glazed over as she considered the implications of his words. Then suddenly she giggled, and though he had now watched her whole body flush many different shades of pink over the course of their interlude, Nigel saw a new, subtle shade staining her cheeks. “Do you know what I really like?” she asked, turning her head slightly to look at him again.

“Tell me, my dear.”

“That!”She gave a delightful little shiver followed by a small moan. “When you call me ‘my dear’ in that posh-as-pie voice of yours. Gods, but it does something to me! It’s a simple endearment, I suppose, but when you say it, it makes me feel like I must be ratherit, mustn’t I?”

“You areit,”Nigel answered promptly. “The one and onlyit,as far as I’m concerned.”

“See? You even make the Silly Young Things’ slang sound good!” She rolled toward him again, her expression suddenly earnest. “I need a pet name for you too, I should think.”

“I’m happy hearing you call me Nigel.”

“Oh, no, we can definitely get more creative than that. How about . . .” She puckered her lips in a little moue of thought. “How about, ‘O Godlike Lover, Sole Reason for My Very Heartbeat?’”

“Might be a bit of a mouthful at home.”

“‘Honey Bunny?’”

“And the search continues.”

“‘Captain Cuddle Pants.’”