Still kissing her, he pushed her to the ground. Pages rustled under her back and thighs. She made a muffled sound of protest, arcing her spine in a futile attempt to avoid crushing any of the books, but his hard body trapped hers, bearing her down.
“It doesn’t matter,” he growled into her mouth. He shoved her dress up, pushing her thighs apart. “I need you. I need all of you, Cathy. Now.”
She was already wet and aching for him. His searching fingers plunged straight into her heat, and she gasped, clutching at his back as pleasure rocked through her.
“Yes.” Aodhan hooked his free hand into the neckline of her dress, ripping the silk down to expose her breasts. His fingers clamped around her hard nipple, rolling and teasing, even as he found the place inside her that had her arcing up, seeing stars. “Goddess, yes. Beautiful. More.”
With hands and mouth, he dragged wave after wave of ecstasy from her body. Only when she was limp and shuddering did he withdraw his hand. Never breaking eye contact, he put his fingers in his mouth, sucking them clean with a growl of appreciation.
“Yours,” he said hoarsely. “I’m yours. Always.”
She kissed him, fumbling for his belt even as her heart broke. She’d barely managed to get it unbuckled before Aodhan’s patience snapped. He barked out a few grinding syllables, and the leather dissolved under her fingertips, along with the rest of his clothes. A breath later, and he was in her, thrusting so hard and so deep she had to bite down on his shoulder to stifle a scream.
Aodhan’s breath hissed between clenched teeth. He gripped her hips, pounding into her with such force that her whole body rocked with each desperate thrust. Pages ripped underneath her. Cathy wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding onto him with all her strength as he strained. He cried her name, spilling into her on the wreckage of his old life.
Afterward, he drew her close, murmuring a word. Torn pages softened, knitting together into a patchwork of blurred, meaningless print. Without a word, he drew the book-blanket up over her shoulders, and enfolded her in his arms. She held him in return, face hidden against his chest, eyes tight closed to stop the tears.
“It won’t be so bad,” he said eventually. His thumb stroked across her shoulder, back and forth, feather-light. “Cuan managed to adjust to your world, after all. I’m sure I can do the same.”
“Aodhan,” she started.
He pulled her a little closer against his bare skin, silencing the half-formed words. “Don’t worry. I can still teach Kevin how to control his power, though it’ll be harder without my library. I have enough memorized to be able to provide some guidance, at least. And there will be plenty of new books to read. Herne’s balls, I’ll finally be able to get my hands on the final volume of Animorphs. I can’t tell you how much of a torment it’s been, not knowing how the series ends.”
“Aodhan.” She pulled back to look into his eyes, but they were hidden in darkness. “This is where you belong. Not in my world.”
His lips brushed her forehead in a soft, light kiss. “I belong with you.”