16. Adam

Iwasn't brave.

I was the guy who ticked boxes, who strove to follow a script written by family expectations. In that sense, Liam was my opposite—out and proud in a society that pretended there was no spectrum, redefining magic as we knew it. If people didn't like him, he considered it their problem.

London seemed so far away here. Walking along the darkening beach beside him, the sky cast in dramatic streaks of orange and purple where the sun cut through a layer of clouds, it was easy to pretend that I got to be this person.

We weren't alone, the beach far from deserted. Houses lined the road to our right until we reached the part where grassy slopes made civilisation recede further. In the dimming light, I let our hands bump as if by accident, my gaze on where sea melted into sky. A thin, cautious thread of my magic reached for Liam. It brushed the hollow of his throat and skimmed down his chest, danced over his stomach and teased along the waistband of his jeans.

He sucked in a breath. "Jesus, Adam."

I shot him an innocent look as I sent another tendril out to caress the side of his throat. "Something the matter?"

"You're cheating." It came out thick, an edge of breathlessness to the words. I was painfully aware that he had far more experience than me—but if I could make him sound like that? Maybe it didn't matter quite so much.

‘I wouldn't get bored with you.'

Or would he?

Stop.

"Cheating?" I asked primly. "I have no idea what you mean."

Our eyes met, the open want on Liam's face enough to make my breath dry up for a moment. He smiled as though he could tell. "You know I don't back down from a challenge."

"What challenge?" I let another thread of magic run down the length of his spine, and he bit his lip and exhaled before he started moving again. An explosion of colours in the sky guided our steps.

I wasn't prepared for Liam to suddenly draw me away from the water with a firm grip on my elbow, into the gap between two wooden beach huts. I came easily. My back bumped against a wall but I barely noticed, angling myself into a kiss that was rough and open, Liam pressing into me as though he intended to make a statement. Shadows twined around us. Waves and the taste of salt on his lips, fingertips sliding over my wrist, tugging on the leather bracelet. I clung to him. One of his hands gripped my waist, then cupped my arse to pull me in. I tilted my hips to get closer, and his harsh exhalation, lips skidding over my cheek, filled me up with bright courage.

"Just so you know…" I parted my legs so he could get a thigh between them, lost my train of thought, and found it again. "Just so you know, this isn't casual for me."

He went still for a beat, simply holding onto me. "Me neither," he said then, voice pitched low like it was meant to be a secret.

No words, none that I could hold in my grasp, all slipping away as I tried to reach for them. So I turned into another bruising kiss, the sunset painting the backs of my lids a radiant orange.

Nearby voices startled us apart. I'd never been that teenager caught snogging in a dark alley although I suspected Liam might have been—not as a teenager, perhaps, but in his early twenties. It was strange, this blend of exhilaration and mild embarrassment, trying to act casual as we emerged from the shadows. The fading daylight hid us from overly close scrutiny.

We kept moving, the pebbled ground giving under my steps, unsteady like the waves that rolled in. An incoming tide—how fitting. When I shared the thought, Liam laughed softly, our elbows nudging together.

"Didn't realise you had a taste for cliches."

"I have a taste for all sorts of things," I countered, and it pulled another laugh from him.

"Come on, you can come up with a better line than that."

A challenge? Fine.

I sent my magic out to twine around Liam's wrist like a duplicate bracelet and glanced at the cut of his profile for just a second. Then I faced forward again. "You have no idea how many times I got off to the memory of us in my office. The sounds you made, just…fuck. And I pretended to hate you, you know? But God, it was so hot, Liam. Like, the way you tasted and smelled—I'm sure that hasn't changed."

"You got yourself off to that?" The question carried dark intrigue, and I caught a glimpse of movement when Liam touched his own wrist where my magic lingered.

"I did." It was easier to be brave with night falling and the sea a steady backdrop to my words. "In the shower, in my bed…Got some lube and shoved a couple of fingers into me too."

"Bloody hell." An unguarded murmur, then Liam quickened his steps. I hurried to keep up.

"What's the rush?" I asked brightly, and he slid me a glare that lacked any heat.

"I want you horizontal. Spread you out, get my hands and mouth on you. Possibly…" His voice took on a note of hesitation. "Possibly get inside of you. If you want."

My gut clenched, anticipation mixed with a hint of nerves. Christ, yes. "Please? I don't—I didn't bring any stuff, though. When I invited you here, it wasn't about changing your mind."

"I know." Liam paused. "And I did bring stuff."

I inhaled sharply. "You did?"

"I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away from you."

I wasn't sure what this meant—luminous pressure behind my ribs, something big and heavy in my stomach that said I wouldn't get to keep this. I could pretend, though.

Since no answer came to mind, nothing that wouldn't sound trite, I let my magic run up the inside of Liam's arm and back down to his wrist, renewing its gentle hold.

Mine. Even if it's just for now.

* * *

The beach housewasn't much further up a slope, the smell of sandy grass and dried seaweed lingering in the air as we climbed the steps. As soon as we found ourselves in the relative privacy of the porch, Liam slotted up against my back, arms winding around my chest while I unlocked the door. I reached back to draw him into the house with me.

Dim, golden light spilled into the living room as the door fell shut. My magic traced a path up the insides of Liam's thighs. He retaliated by dragging his teeth over the nape of my neck, and I let my chin dip down for better access, the world swaying behind my lids. Everything awash in light.

I turned my head, and Liam caught my lips for a sweet brush of our mouths. My bones ached with how much I wanted him.

We stumbled up the stairs, somehow didn't trip even as we kept kissing. "Shower?" I managed, squeezed into the nonexistent space between us, and Liam nodded, walked me backwards down the hallway, breathtaking in the fading haze of light. I pulled at his jumper, knocking into the doorframe.

We pressed together under the spray to wash the day and salt off our bodies, our clothes left scattered on the chequerboard pattern of the tiles. Blinded by him, our tongues sliding together, a hundred kisses deep, or a thousand.

Towels and warm skin, my hand around Liam"s wrist as I pulled him towards my bedroom. He turned me around once we crossed the threshold, pulled me into him, and then my thighs hit the bed and I went down, down, down. Holding onto him as I did, trusting the mattress to catch me as I fell.

Breathe. My arms around his back, his weight on top of me. I reached up to trace the curve of his bottom lip, and it tilted up into a smile.

"Hi," he whispered.

For some reason, it made me squint against the last reflections of daylight as I swallowed. "Hi."

"Have we met?"

It was silly and sweet. I lost a moment staring at the laugh lines around his eyes before I managed an inexplicably wobbly grin. "Not sure. A full-body inspection may refresh my memory."

"Is that so?" He shaped the words against my lips, and then we were kissing again—slow and thorough as I learned the contours of his mouth, the catch of his breath as my hands slid down to pull him against me. Minutes lost while night seeped into the room, me lost in him. My fingers tripped along the curve of his spine as my magic wound around him once more. For a few beats, we didn't move, simply listening to the sounds of the sea, the distant calls of seabirds, and a car passing somewhere, a laugh floating up from the beach.

Then Liam pressed another kiss to my lips. I sought to deepen it and he allowed it briefly before he moved down my body. Gentle bites and wet, open-mouthed kisses marked his path.

I grappled for the bedside lamp just as he settled between my legs. Brightness washed over us, his back a beautiful relief as he blinked up at me and into light, his voice wry. "Warn a guy."

"Sorry." I reached down to pat the side of his head, the leather bracelet sliding along my wrist. "Didn't want to miss this view. Please keep doing what you're doing."

"As you wish," he said with an impish smile, and I sighed even as I fought to keep the amusement off my face.

"You're not going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Never." It was said with utmost confidence. Before I could think to respond, his mouth opened around the tip of my cock, and words slipped away. Heat and darkness, his tongue painting a path along the length of my erection as one finger probed at my entrance. I spread my thighs wider.

"Okay?" he asked, a husky edge to his voice, and I needed a moment before it made sense.

"Yeah. Stuff, though?"

He glanced up at me, a flush to his cheeks, hair a mess. A brief sense of vertigo gripped me, my centre of gravity suspended. It passed in just a blink of an eye.

"I'll get it." He pressed a lingering kiss to my hip before he rolled off the bed. At the foot, he paused for a bright look. "Don't go anywhere."

"Nowhere else I'd rather be."

Another slow scan of my body, like he simply couldn't help himself. Then he dashed out of the room. It was an old house, so I could hear the creak of wood as he moved along the hallway. I wondered whether I should feel nervous. This was a big deal, right?

But it was Liam.

I trusted him. I?—

No.

I wrapped a loose hand around myself, no real intent behind it—let my thumb swipe over the head of my cock, fingers lightly tracing the vein along the underside as Liam's steps returned. He stopped on the threshold, body outlined against the darker hallway, all lean muscle rather than the heavier build I often saw at my gym.

"Jesus, Adam." His voice was low and steady. "You are so fucking beautiful—you have no idea."

I didn't know why it damn near had me blinking back tears. I didn't usually set up camp this close to the water, had mostly learned to tie a decorative bow around my emotions and pack them away as needed. "No need to butter me up," I managed, perhaps a tad wobbly. "I'm a sure thing."

Liam drew closer on quiet feet, his smile nearly hidden by the shadows. "You're not very good at accepting compliments, are you?"

"I'm just not used to them." My breath hitched as he covered me up, skin to skin, one of his thighs between my legs.

"Maybe," he said, words shaped against the corner of my mouth, "I should work on changing that."

I caught his mouth for a soft, tentative brush. "Promises, promises."

"I tend to keep mine."

He would. Liam was the kind of guy who made up his mind, and once he had, he could be trusted to follow through. Me? I didn't really know what kind of guy I was anymore.

I brought both arms up to pull him down on top of me, freefalling again, control slipping through my fingers like sand. Our kiss deepened in increments, shadow and light dancing through my mind.

When he moved down my body once more, I closed my eyes and hooked a finger under the leather bracelet, something to anchor me as his breath, hot and quick between my legs, sent ripples of warmth up my spine. I'd fingered myself before, had tested out toys as well, but God, it didn't come close to the gentle yet firm pressure of Liam's touch, how patiently he prepared me until I was shifting back against him at the slightest crook of his fingers.

"I'm ready," I told him, trying to pack more authority into it than I truly possessed.

Liam hummed, his mouth opening against the inside of my thigh. A gentle glow hung around him, warm lamplight and maybe a hint of his magic, made visible through our connection. I let my own magic wind around him, brighter than his, interspersed with sparks of gold.

"Come on," I tried again.

He raised his head, a grin twitching around his lips. "What's the rush? You got other plans later?"

"Nah. I think losing my virginity justifies clearing my calendar for the evening."

"Yeah, about that…" Liam removed his hand and wiped it off on the sheets before he slid up my body, eyes serious as he studied me. "You're sure?"

He'd asked me before, hadn't he? Not that I didn't appreciate his consideration, but I also wasn't made of glass. "Yes. Do you need it in writing? Perhaps with sparkly hearts dotting the i's?"

"I'm glad you're treating this with the gravity it deserves." Amusement glinted in his eyes before his voice dipped down. "I'm just saying—we could also do it the other way around. I'm versatile."

My mind tripped over that idea for a frayed second because oh, yes. Not tonight, though.

"Yes," I said. "Also, yes. How about tomorrow?"

His smile started around his eyes and grew to take up his entire face. "Tomorrow's good."

"It's a date." I smiled back and wrapped a leg around his thighs to bring him closer. "Now, about the part where you're going to fuck me—how soon is now?"

"Now's good. Yeah." He sounded a hint breathless, one of his hands trailing along the curve of my jaw. "Question, though. So, condom? Up to you. But I thought, since you've never done this and I got tested earlier this year—all clear. And I haven't been with anyone since, so…"

"You haven't been with anyone since?" I asked.

"Yeah." He glanced away, and was that a faint flush on his cheeks? Fascinating. "I've been busy. And kind of fixated on you."

Fixated on me?

So when he'd said it wasn't casual for him either—he'd meant it. This wasn't a spontaneous change of heart. When I'd picked him up two days ago, maybe as early as when he'd said yes to my invitation, he'd expected us to cross this line. He'd known he'd give up his principles.

For me.

"I…" Whatever words I'd had dried up, liquid gold pooling in my belly. Again, I wound a tendril of my magic around his wrist to mirror the bracelet on mine. "No condom."

He nodded, and then we were kissing again, Liam's weight pressing me down into sheets that were cool and crisp against my heated skin. A breeze wafted in through the open windows, the faintest trace of salt still on our lips and skin. The mattress shifted like the sea.

When Liam lined himself up, I focused on his eyes, steady on mine. One of his hands curved around my thigh as he pushed in slowly. Oh. Sweat glinted on his forehead, arms trembling just the slightest bit where he held himself up above me. Gorgeous. I inhaled, willing my body to relax.

"Okay?" he asked. The open roughness in his voice lit something in my belly—sparks of delight, my discomfort fading.

I pulled him down for a bruising kiss, tongues sliding together. When I released him, he dropped his forehead to mine, and we stayed like that for a second—tangled and joined, my magic twining around him like an affectionate cat.

"Okay," I whispered.

"Okay." It was barely more than a sigh. His lips feathered over my cheek as he withdrew by a fraction, only to return. A ripple of pleasure radiated through me.

I drew a sharp breath. "Definitely okay."

His smile burst like fireworks. "Yeah?"

I like you, oh God. So much, so fucking much.

I ignored the nervous quiver in my stomach and smiled back. "Do that again, and I'll let you know."

"Will there be a report at the end?"

"Don't worry, I'm a lenient judge."

"Is that so?" The question was textured like dark velvet. Before I could respond, he pulled out and pushed back in with a slight twist of his hips that made me gasp.

"Never one to back down from a challenge, are you?" I managed.

His chuckle ghosted across my chin. "Just trying to make this good for you."

Brief insecurity washed through me. He'd been with plenty of guys while my experience was limited to hasty fumbling with a couple of strangers—and him. Then our eyes met, lamplight tinting the ocean blue of his irises with a hint of teal, immeasurable warmth in the way he watched me. I fought to hold his gaze even as my lungs seemed to widen with a deep intake of air.

"It's not a one-way street," I told him.

He opened his mouth to respond. I beat him to the point—tightening around him right as I sent a thread of magic zagging down his back. He sucked in a harsh gasp, lids fluttering. When he focused on me once more, he looked like forming words took conscious effort.

"Never said it was. You're—God. This is already the hottest thing, okay? I'm…" He paused to shake his head. "It's you. And if this weekend is all we have…"

"I want more than that." I felt brave for saying it, for putting myself out there and giving him the power to reject me even though I didn't think he would.

We couldn't last. But I wasn't ready to give him up after just one night either.

He drew a breath. "Yeah. Me too."

"Good." It was enough for now—we'd said enough.

I tilted my hips up. He read my invitation, lamplight playing over our bodies as he set a careful rhythm. Push and pull. My hands fisted in the sheets, threads of golden heat coalescing in my belly, Liam's fingers pressing half moons into my hip dips. Watching me as I watched him. His breath came in short, sharp staccato bursts. Now that my body had caught up, every thrust sent a surge of pleasure through me.

When I reached up to comb his hair away from his forehead, he leaned into the contact, lids sliding half-shut. While his movements slowed, each roll of his hips took him deeper now—withdrawing nearly all the way only to push back in with a measured, steady slide that had me seeing stars. I bit my lip to stifle my moans.

"Hey." Liam curved down, his nose dragging along my cheek. "It's just us here."

I needed a moment to make sense of it, my thoughts spinning in hypnotic circles. Just us. Then it clicked. I caught his lips for an open-mouthed kiss, sharing breath more than anything else. When another ripple of warmth washed over me, I didn't attempt to hold back my gasp.

"That's it," Liam whispered, as though I'd done something that deserved praise.

I sucked air into my lungs and let our mouths brush for another kiss. "Is this part of your quest to get me used to compliments?"

"Is it working?"

"Too soon to tell."

"I'll have to work"—a pointed thrust—"harder then."

Something between a moan and a groan escaped me. I brought one leg up onto his shoulder, opening myself up further. "Maybe try working on your pun game first," I told him, a grin stealing its way into my voice.

I sucked in a breath. "Thought you're a lenient judge?"

"Consider it friendly yet constructive criticism."

His airy chuckle feathered over my chin. "You know, it's considered poor bedside manner to criticise a guy while he's fucking you. Anyone ever tell you that?"

"As a matter of fact—no." I moved back against him, something hot and heavy trembling in my stomach. "But then, you are my first and only."

"I am, aren't I?" A pleased murmur. "Guess this is my chance to set a standard."

"It's your chance to ruin me for everyone else." I weighed my next words, resisting the impulse to look away from the light in his eyes. "Or maybe you already have."

"Good." He sounded reverent more than smug, something soft in the curve of his mouth. We'd come a long way since that first night at the pub, hadn't we? Back then, we'd barely even talked once our argument turned physical, once we'd started kissing like we had something to prove because we did.

Another thrust, more urgent now. I arched my back to meet it as my vision narrowed, heat and tension pulling at me. Each breath was thick and sweet in my lungs, shadows gathering where we didn't exist. God, yes.

I wedged a hand between us. Glorious friction as I closed my fingers around my cock, the leather bracelet sliding against the sensitive skin of my wrist.

Liam's rhythm grew choppier, circling his hips to press into me, exhalations ragged. "Please tell me you're close?"

"Yes." I let my eyes slide shut, electricity shuddering through my veins. "So close."

"Good boy." Even though it carried humour, his voice was rougher than usual, breathless around the edges. I grappled for words.

"More praise?"

"Always." His lips brushed a damp kiss against my ankle before he shifted his weight. Propped up above me on one arm, his free hand joined mine right as he drove into me, the angle slightly different, his fingers slick with lube—and that was it, God, I was done. A wave of pleasure pulled me up and under.

Spinning through the fall. I was dimly aware of Liam giving a couple of final, hard thrusts, groaning as my legs clenched around him. My magic danced down the line of his back.

Seconds lost between us. Everything was bright and radiant.

The ebb and swell of the sea. Rustling leaves outside my window. Our breathing and tangled bodies, my arms around his back.

"You all right?" he mumbled against my collarbone, lips tickling my skin.

"I'm brilliant."

He raised his head for a smile, face flushed and beautiful. I knew I'd have to let him go eventually. But for now, I smiled back and kept holding on to him, to this moment.

* * *

I'd never thoughtI'd be waking up next to someone.

Hazy morning light filtered through the shutters as I drifted awake. I wasn't sure what registered first—the warmth and weight of another body or the calm, gentle pattern of Liam's breathing. When I opened my eyes, it was to find him watching me.

"Creep," I mumbled, soft like an endearment.

His eyes crinkled at the corners. "Got to enjoy this while I can."

I didn't want to think about time limits, wasn't ready to face reality. So I leaned into him for an unhurried kiss, warm and familiar already, closed mouths in tribute to morning breath.

We brushed our teeth side by side in the bathroom closest to my room, hips bumping, before we moved into the kitchen. I made coffee for us, just like I'd done the other mornings here—but now Liam hugged me from behind, nosing at the nape of my neck. Wrapped up in jackets, we took our mugs outside, not really talking as we gazed at the charcoal sea.

After a proper breakfast that I helped cook, the omelette ending up on the crisp side, we fell back into bed. Liam talked me through working him open, and when I finally pushed into him, it was…God. It was the best thing. Other than last night, perhaps.

Packing up the car felt like reality slowly seeping in through the cracks of our beautiful lie. The trunk closed with a thud that echoed along my spine. When Liam leaned against the hood of the car and took a moment to simply look at me, I held his eyes, words intangible, slipping from my grasp as I tried to reach for them.

"This doesn't end here, does it?" His voice mirrored the misty day.

I waited for the dizzy tug in my stomach to fade, then stepped into his space. "No. It doesn't."

"How do we do this?"

"I don't know." I fitted my chin into the crook of his shoulder. "I just know I don't want it to end."

His arm slid around me, one hand tucked into the back pocket of my jeans. "Then we'll figure it out."

I nodded and brought my own arms up around him, hugging him as I closed my eyes and told myself that yes, we would.

The trip back started with meandering country views and bored sheep. Although I drove more slowly than I usually would, we inevitably hit a major road and then the motorway. We stopped at a petrol station even though the tank was half full, grabbed awful coffee and some nuts. When Liam took a toilet break, I snagged a napkin, scribbled a message onto thin paper that nearly tore under my pen, and tucked the note into his bag.

London loomed, thickening traffic its harbinger. My lungs seemed to constrict as the city crowded closer. Yesterday, I'd ignored all birthday messages other than those from Cassandra and Gale, but now reality washed over me again. This was my life. Not beach runs and playful bickering over coffee, nor falling asleep with Liam slotted up behind me and waking up to him still there.

He was quiet in the passenger seat, the line of his mouth drawn tight. I couldn't read his thoughts. Did he regret me already?

I slowed down as I turned into Liam's road, snailing along single-family homes that had become familiar to me over the past weeks. Next to me, Liam stirred. "You know, I don't remember my magic feeling quite so heavy." His voice held a hollow, tired note.

Restless, wasn't that how he'd described it before?

We were in public, yet I reached across the gap between us to touch him, my fingers light on the back of his hand. Another small thing that felt daring to me—tiny acts of rebellion that wouldn't lead me anywhere. The road was clear, so I softened my gaze and glanced over at Liam.

In the grey afternoon light, he was blazing.

Holy shit.

The colours of his magic twined together, much brighter than before, so bright it was hard to believe I hadn't seen it before. I withdrew my hand, and the glow faded until all that remained were white spots behind my lids.

Hands on the wheel. Eyes on the road.

Stop. Breathe. Focus.

"When you wondered whether you might be growing stronger?" I looked straight ahead. "You were right."

Liam inhaled sharply. He didn't respond until I drew to a halt outside the Morgans' home, its gate opening for us without any obvious prompting.

"But," he said, hardly loud enough for me to catch it, "that's not possible."

"That's what I thought, yeah." I slid him another glance. "I also thought that it wasn't possible to control more than two elements, though. So…"

Usually, Liam possessed a natural confidence that I admired and envied—that I found hellishly attractive, too. It was probably the reason why, when he'd walked into that pub over a year ago, I'd sat up and paid attention.

Now, though? He looked young and uncertain.

I drove into the compound, shut off the car, and stretched across our seats before the gate had even fully closed, pulling him into a tight embrace. Yes, his family might see—but they were safe; Liam and I were safe here. Except he was strung tight, thrumming with tension that echoed in my bones.

"Hey," I said softly. "Hey. This is…unusual, yes. But if you're growing stronger—that's a good thing, isn't it?"

He turned into me, and for once, it felt like he was the smaller of us. His intake of air seemed shaky. "I guess. It's just…stifling? I'm not sure that's the right word. God, Adam. How do you not buckle under the weight of it?"

After three nights away, I knew exactly what he meant. By the sea, my magic had felt calm and light. Now it tugged me in all directions, awake and demanding attention. London was my anchor. My family had been here for generations, our magic deeply connected to the city. It was part of why it was rare for powerful families to move places—it could take decades to adapt to a new environment, for magic to grow new roots.

"I'm used to it," I told Liam. "Honestly, I don't really remember it ever being different. You'll get used to it too."

He folded further into me, breathing. Lila the Drone hovered outside the car in what appeared to be concern.

"Let me ask Gale." I brought my arms and magic up around him. "If there's any record of people developing stronger magic later in life, he'll know. I won't tell him what it's about, just ask in general, okay? But he'll know."

A second passed in silence, then Liam straightened. It seemed to take significant effort. "Yeah, all right. Ask him."

"I will."

We sat staring at each other, the air heavy between us. I needed to get going. Cassandra expected me to pick her up so we could put up a pretty front at a delayed birthday dinner hosted at my family's manor. The guest list read like a who's who of powerful people and our most important business partners. I hadn't even considered inviting Liam—it wasn't his scene and I wanted him far away from my father and Eleanor lest they decided to elevate him to a person of increased interest.

"Do you want to come in with me?" Liam's tone implied he already knew my answer.

"Can't." I shook my head and looked away. My ribcage felt too narrow. "I need to go home. Birthday dinner."

"Right." It came out impassive, yet I caught an underlying thread of vulnerability. I grasped his hand and waited until our eyes met.

"I'd much rather stay. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." A quiet exhalation. "Yeah, I know. But I'll see you tomorrow?"

We were meant to do a round of the three sites. By now, the ground should have cooled and settled, so construction would officially start. My role was to show my face, thank everyone for being there, and mostly get out of the way once the actual work began. Liam, though? He'd be more involved, his innovations unfamiliar, so he'd need to be around to help with installations. Which—well. I knew them nearly as well as he did, so maybe I could make myself useful after all.

"Tomorrow," I told him.

It felt like a promise I desperately wanted to keep.

* * *

I collectedCassandra at Amit's place. He was a nice guy with velvet eyes and a great smile, and if I had to venture a guess, I'd wager he knew I was gay. He'd never asked, though, and I hadn't volunteered.

We threw Cassandra's bag into my car so I could drive her home. As expected, she turned to fix me with an expectant stare as soon as we pulled away from the kerb.

"So." The word carried great weight.

I glanced into the rear view mirror. "Well, now that's generic."

Honestly, I should have known better than inviting her to rise to the challenge. She snorted. "Did you fuck him?"

Well.

"You could say it was mutual."

"Oooh, bring on the details." She whistled softly, then leaned over to flick my ear. "How was it?"

"It was nice."

"I will skin you alive," she said calmly, "if you don't start talking in the next five seconds."

"Wow, so much violence. I thought you spent the last three days reaching for your inner zen."

"Adam." Just that—my name, stated in a pointedly patient tone. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye before focusing back on the road. Nerves were buzzing in my fingertips, and each time I blinked, I saw Liam in the passenger seat, bright as the sun.

His magic is growing stronger, and I've never seen anything like it. Also, I really, really like him.

"We cooked," I said slowly. "And we saw some seals. Then we shagged." It didn't even begin to capture the messy tangle of bones and blood and soft feelings that sat in my stomach, my chest light and my head heavy.

Morning coffees. Liam's lips damp against my cheekbones. The ever-changing pattern of the waves.

It took a long second before Cassandra responded, the weight of her focus clinging to my profile. "You like him," she said, her voice gentle.

I puffed out a sad laugh, sighed, and followed it up with a shrug. "It's irrelevant."

"Honey, it's not." She brushed her fingers down my shoulder. "It's the very opposite of irrelevant."

"It's impossible," I amended. "Sheer, utter madness."

She was quiet for a beat before she said, quiet but firm, "Feelings don't listen to reason, babe. They just are."

I couldn't think of a single thing to say in response, so I stayed silent.