Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

T he air between Max and Amelia was charged with anticipation. Every detail of the room faded into the background as his focus centered solely on the woman in front of him.

Her presence was a force to be reckoned with, and he found himself utterly captivated by the way her eyes sparkled with their hidden depths of passion and intelligence. The delicate curve of her neck, the soft rise and fall of her chest with each breath – all of it seemed to call out to him in a way that was impossible to resist.

He had tried to deny her and their chemistry, but after how they had opened up to one another tonight, he finally decided that he had no choice but to give in. It seemed that forces were going to pull them together one way or another, so they might as well enjoy it.

As he pulled her closer, a surge of desire unlike anything Max had ever known pulsed through his entire body. The weight of responsibility that usually burdened his shoulders fell away in that moment, replaced by an intense longing for something more primal, more real than anything he had thought was possible.

Their lips met in the age-old dance, each movement echoing the unspoken words that passed between them. Max savored the taste of her skin as his hands explored the curves of her body with reverence, silently promising her protection and desire with his every touch. The room seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly light, casting their entwined forms in a halo of shadows and whispered secrets.

Amelia's gasp melted into the kiss, her fingers clutching at his shirt as if grounding herself.

Max moved deliberately yet achingly gently, almost fearing she might disappear if he held her too tightly. His heart thundered in his chest as he deepened the kiss, pouring all his longing and need into it.

Her hands roamed over his broad shoulders, and he had never felt as strong as he did beneath her touch. She traced the lines of his back as if committing him to her very soul.

Max wove his fingers through her unbound hair, tugging gently to expose her neck to his kisses. His breath was ragged against her skin, and she arched into his touch with a soft whimper. He slowly unfastened each button on the back of her dress, somehow finding calm within his storm of emotion as he completed each one capably.

“Max,” she murmured, and when he looked down at her body beneath his, he nearly choked. Her fingers were colored in what appeared to be paint, and as he watched, she almost glowed before the colors began to become unattached from her fingers, flowing off their tips like cascading colorful waterfalls.

“Amelia, you are… incandescent,” he said with a swift intake of breath. Her eyes were closed, her head thrown back, and he wasn’t even sure if she was aware of just what her body was doing.

Not that it mattered.

When he tried to remove her arms from her sleeves gently, she surprised him by shrugging out of the garment with grace, the rainbow trails of her fingers reaching out and wrapping him in their warmth before practically plucking his own jacket off of his body.

Even the way she undressed him was an art form. As soon as all of his garments were on the floor at their feet, her dress, stays, and chemise followed suit.

Max had seen – and even owned – many works of art in his life, but he had never seen anything nearly as breathtaking as an undressed Amelia.

“Amelia, you are a masterpiece,” he breathed, and she answered by running her arms down his chest until she wrapped them around his waist.

“I want to paint you,” she said in response, her fingers trailing over the muscles of his chest. “Would you let me?”

“I have a few other things I need to do at this moment,” he said in a low, throaty voice. “But I will give you anything you ask for.”

She captured his lips again, her hands coming around his head to hold him close and steady as she kissed him with more passion than he was aware could be contained within a woman.

He could do nothing but return it in equal measure before he leaned down and placed his arm beneath her knees, lifting her and carrying her over to the bed without breaking their kiss.

He set her down on top of the blankets, but she was anything but demure.

Instead, she placed her hands on his chest and used her legs to flip them over so that she straddled him. She crawled up his body, running her fingers over every bit of him, leaving colorful streaks in her wake. Every time they touched, it was like a new miniature explosion, and he was fearful for a moment about what would happen when they actually came together.

But not fearful enough to stop.

She trailed her fingers down his chest, over his hips and thighs, and then when she leaned down and took him fully in her mouth, he nearly fell over the edge right there. He threw his head back as he opened himself up to her, ready to grant her anything she asked for.

“Amelia,” he groaned. “You have to stop. We need—I need—I want you fully. Beneath me.”

His need to claim her was stronger than any emotion he had felt before as he lifted her in his arms and laid her on the bed. Her eyes glazed over as he reached down, slipped a finger inside her to make sure she was ready for him, and then slid inside her, finding home.

After his initial thrust, he had to pause for a moment, for he was nearly overcome by the greatest sensation of righteousness he had ever felt.

She gripped him tightly, clutching him close to her, until he finally had the wherewithal to begin moving.

Every thrust was more exquisite than the last, their bodies intertwining in perfect harmony. They moved, in accord and perfectly in tune, the world falling away around them.

Gone was any thought of a curse, of the future, of the fact that they came from completely different worlds that could never become one.

Their bodies didn’t care—nor did their souls, which had merged together until Max didn’t know where he ended and Amelia began.

Their lips locked, passion-filled and desperate, the sounds of their moans mingling with the creaking of the bed beneath them.

Amelia's fingers dug into Max's back as their bodies moved together, each kiss and touch sparking new life into the flames of their desire. Her green eyes, now dark with passion, never left his face, and he was absolutely spellbound by her and the way they had come together. Max felt as if he were drifting, his senses heightened to the point of transcendence.

“Touch me, Max,” she breathed, her voice husky with longing. “Show me what you can do.”

Her words sent a shiver down Max's spine, and this was one challenge he most certainly would not back away from. He complied with her wish, gently cupping her, his thumbs brushing against delicate flesh while his fingers danced across her in a hypnotizing rhythm.

Amelia's breaths quickened, telling Max that his touch was eliciting the desired response. She arched her back, inviting him closer. Through their locked gaze, her eyes, wide and full of emotion, pleaded with him to take her further.

Max's eyes narrowed as he took in her request, his own desire beginning to peak. With a breathless growl, he increased his pace, his hips moving in a powerful, possessive rhythm. Her moans echoed through the room, mingling with the sound of their own panting and the creaking of the bed, as if they were the only two souls left in the world.

Amelia's fingers dug deeper into his back, urging him on, her voice strident with need and longing. “Harder, Max. More. Please.”

Max, unrelenting, gave her what she wanted, his thrusts becoming more forceful and intense. The air was thick with the scent of their arousal, their bodies slick with sweat as they moved together. Amelia wrapped her legs around him, her toes curling with pleasure, her nails digging into his back as she cried out his name, her voice echoing through the room.

As they reached the crest of their desire, Max could feel the magic within him begin to surge, the energy of their connection becoming more profound with each passing moment. There was no control left as he let go of everything, giving it all to her. He knew there was danger in unleashing his power in such a vulnerable moment, but the desire to claim her completely was too strong to resist.

With a roar, Max released the magic within him, power coursing through his body and mingling with Amelia's. The room was filled with a brilliant light as their bodies intertwined, the energy between them creating untold power. For a moment, they were suspended in time, their souls connecting, transcending space and dimension.

As the energy dissipated, they lay there, panting and spent, their bodies still entwined. Amelia's emerald eyes met Max's gaze, and he saw the same hunger and passion he felt reflected back at him. There was no need for words, for they both knew that what had just happened was more than mere physical pleasure.

It was a bond, a connection that neither of them could have foreseen. One that Max didn’t see any way of breaking out of. Nor did he want to.

Perhaps he had been right in trying to avoid this – for now that they had come together, there was certainly no going back.

Slowly, Max pulled away from Amelia, though his eyes never left hers.

"We should get some rest," he said softly as he tenderly cupped her face.

“We should,” she agreed before a cheeky smile crossed her face. “We’ll need our energy to do that again.”

He groaned as he lay back and flung an arm over his face. “I can hardly wait, but I’m going to need some time.”

When he set his arm back down, he blinked as he suddenly noticed his surroundings for the first time since they had come together.

Gone was the faded black and chipping gold that he so hated. In its place was a kaleidoscope of color, but, strangely enough, not the bright rainbow that had trailed from Amelia’s fingers, but instead, strong, rich colors, those which would have suited his own palette. They were painted in a mural of color that he realized was the very grounds from beyond the manor, brought in to adorn the room.

“Amelia,” he murmured. “Look around.”

She lifted her head lazily, blinking when she saw what surrounded them.

“My goodness,” she said with a swift inhale. “Where did this come from?”

“From you,” he said in amazement, but she shook her head.

“Not from me alone,” she said. “I have never done anything like this before. This comes from both of us together. A merging of our abilities. Don’t you see? It is a painting, yes, but of all the elements that matter to you.”

She lay back against him as they stared at the room around them, the air between them charged with a comfortable sense of magical calm.

“Max?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think that perhaps… this is what is needed to break the curse?” She flipped over and stared at him, her chin resting on her fists. “That it’s not just one person’s magical ability, but a coming together of two – of the two of us ?”

Max had thought that he was supposed to spend the rest of his life alone. He had always known that the curse would end with him, but maybe… just maybe, it would end with him in a different way.

“It could be,” he finally agreed. “But how?”

“That is what we have to discover,” she said with a grin. “Why don’t we start tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes,” she said confidently. “Because we have much more to do tonight.”