And the rain outside poured in a deluge, unleashed, as wildly loosed from control as her wizard.

“Gabriel,” she murmured, and he grunted, unmoving. She wriggled, not able to do much, his muscled body so dense, so much larger than hers. Besides, with him still buried deep inside her, quite hard despite his recent climax, the movement sent aftershocks of enervating arousal through her. Her breasts were crushed against the desk, erotically aching, her taut nipples compressed, and she wanted nothing more than to stay exactly as she was, pinned and utterly vanquished, even her heart obediently synchronizing to the rhythm of his.

But there were other considerations, and apparently it fell to her to remind him of them. She unlaced her fingers from his, pinching the back of his hand. “Gabriel!” she said more sharply.

He tensed, then nearly leapt off of her, withdrawing from her body so abruptly she cried out for the loss of him. “Nic! I hurt you.” His hands settled warm on her, pulling her skirts down again and bodily lifting her, though she’d already begun to stand on her own. Gabriel sat her on the desk, running firm hands over her as if checking for bone breaks, then he cupped her face in his big hands, thumb traveling over her cheek where it had been pressed against the wood, no doubt leaving a mark. He searched her eyes, his own flat black with despair. “You’ll never forgive me,” he informed her.

“Is that so?” she asked with deliberate archness. “Will you also instruct me on exactly what it is I’m supposed to never forgive?”

His expression darkened, thunderous, echoed by the storm outside. “Don’t toy with me, Nic. We both know what just happened here.”

“Really excellent sex,” she agreed, wriggling a bit, as her sensitive sex still throbbed and tingled from his passionate assault. “But,” she said as his hands tightened on her and a growl rumbled through him, “no fair seducing me again. Not when—”

“Seducing you?” he nearly shouted in incredulity. “I ravaged you just now.” He released her as if she’d burned him, so abruptly she swayed a little before recapturing her balance, and he—seeming to realize his disarray—tucked his cock back in his pants and fastened them firmly. “I don’t know what came over me that I practically raped you.”

“It’s not rape if I consent,” she pointed out. “It’s just rough sex, and I think I’ve made it clear I’m an enthusiastic participant there.”

“You didn’t consent,” he bit out.

“Did you hear me say no?”

“No, but you wouldn’t—”

She stopped him, winding her fingers in his shirt and tugging him close. Seated on the desk like this, she could reach his mouth easily, so she kissed him, hard at first, then softer as he melted under her touch. “I would say so. Give me credit for knowing my own mind and body. And I know what came over you. That was a major emotional storm, resulting in pressure from a number of truly aggravating sources, fueled in part by an escalation in your magic. You needed an outlet, and I wasn’t at all surprised at the one you chose. In fact, I’m glad you trusted me that much.”