Page 10 of Edge of Stars

I nod at least eight times in succession, taking those cherished words in. Wanting to give him more than rote repetition now…but fighting to stay standing and sane as more of my body surrenders to his flamethrower fingers. The ferocity of their thrusts. The command of their caresses.

And then, before I can comprehend what he’s doing, the reach of a third finger…across the ridge of flesh that craves his strokes the most.

I’m detonating.

Disintegrating.

Aflame in the starfire he’s brought, a purity I can actually see now, white as heaven and golden as its gates.

A paradise only one man can fly me to.

The man I reach up to, cradling the edge of his face in my adoring grasp. The demigod I actually have words for now. Only three of them, yet so crucial. The most prized of my existence.

“Thank you…husband.”

Maximus rewards me for that at once, his smile a gorgeous outbreak in the middle of his beard. “I’d keep ordering you to say that again, but we might not ever make it out of here.”

As he speaks, I soften my gaze into sultry suggestiveness. Slide a hand down, searching for the clasp of his slacks. The task isn’t tough. I simply let my fingers follow his heat. “Well, we’re not going anywhere until you get some heaven too.”

A pout forms as soon as he sets me back by several inches. “I can’t, beautiful. And we both know why.” When I hit him with a flustered huff, he persists. “I can’t lose control. Well, not yet.” With his free hand, he squeezes my shoulder and then my elbow. “If that sunset light suddenly morphs into a David Fincher film, every god and demon in that sanctuary will start to wonder what you’ve gotten me up to—”

“Several mighty fine inches?” I jibe.

“—and then they’ll get curious about things.”

He pulls back a little more, letting that truth dig into my head as his perfect fingers slip out of my body. As he settles my dress back into position, I push out a grudging sigh.

“And with this crowd, curious leads to powers that can penetrate the walls.”

Starting with Kell and Jaden themselves…

Damn it.

I’m not finished with the thought before Maximus reads it across my face, responding with a tender smile on his own.

“It’s okay,” he offers. “I’m serious. This just gives me a better reason to get you alone again, after everything.”

“Everything.” I wish my echo were more than a tentative murmur. That I could render it to him with the same confidence he’s projecting. That I could look into a magic ball and see the future as boldly as he seems to. I’d even settle for a gander at the next hour.

But even after the man kisses me goodbye with toe-curling skill, my divination game stays fuzzy. I have no idea what to expect from any of this—there’s no user’s manual for gathering the main players of every realm and forcing them to talk to each other!—which means I feel as steady as a newborn foal once I make it back to the bridal dressing room.

Kell’s waiting inside but doesn’t glance up from her phone as I shut the door. “Wow. You and Professor Hunk have really perfected the quickie. Jaden sneaked me a glass of pinot, and I’m not even done.”

“Okay.” I draw the word out, inflecting enough to imply my question. But I iterate it anyway. “Compliment or complaint?”

“Hmmm. Both. But you’ll have to share the naughty deets later. Veronica’s been getting testier with the texts. She’s even citing some etiquette columns about proper delays on ceremony starts.”

I tighten my eyes. “And that concerns you now too?”

“The etiquette police?” She rolls her eyes. “Please. But if any of our elite guests do…”

“Good point.” But while my assurance is steady, my senses aren’t making the effort to back it up. My mind whirls twice as fast as before. I fight the temptation to feel so feeble about this. So unready…

“Hey. You okay?”

I push out a smile to answer her protective primp along one of my free-flowing curls. “Yeah. I—uh, I guess,” I softly stammer. “Just wondering why I feel all of ten again, when we had to walk that first red carpet.”

“I remember it too,” she murmurs. “For the night the Film Institute honored Gramps.”