“How?” he asked at once.

Allie shrugged. “There was a copse of woods at the back of our property. My father used to send me out there to collect smaller branches and whatnot for starting fires for the cookstove and for heat when the weather turned cold. One day when I was about ten, I was sent out and I heard children laughing. I was curious so I followed the sound to the back of the copse, and there were these kids back there, playing. Their farm backed onto ours. Half the copse belonged to their farm and they were playing hide-and-seek in the woods.”

She flicked his nipple, sending a ping of excitement through him that roused his fading erection, and then continued, “When they saw me they gave up their game and came running. They were nice, and invited me to play. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but they were laughing and . . .” She shrugged. “I played with them.

“After that, every time I was sent out to get wood, I’d look for them. Sometimes they were there and sometimes they weren’t, but if they were, we played together. There were four of them, all brothers and sisters. The youngest was Bethany. She was my age, and we became good friends. We had a blast in those woods,” she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

“And your parents never knew?” Magnus asked.

“No. We didn’t play that long. Not like hours or anything, maybe one hour. And the kids always helped me gather wood afterward so I wouldn’t get in trouble.” She shrugged against his chest. “Anyway, I don’t remember how it happened, but one day I ended up following them back to their house. I remember it was summer and hot, so probably we went in search of drinks. But what I got was an eye-opening,” she said dryly. “Their farmhouse looked a lot like ours on the outside, an old Victorian house. But the inside had been completely renovated. It was like a palace to me, and a marvel too. They had air-conditioning, and running water, and lights that turned on by electricity instead of oil lanterns. And they had television, and radio and computers.” She gave a short laugh. “I thought it was heaven.”

Magnus smiled faintly at the claim, not surprised by it.

“I think you’re shrinking again,” Allie said suddenly.

Magnus frowned as he realized it was true. He’d got so invested in her story that his desire had fizzled out and he was now at dire risk of slipping out of her.

“What do we do to—” Her words ended on a surprised gasp as he urged her to sit up on him and reached down between them to caress her just above where they were joined. He saw her eyes widen and her head drop back on a moan, just before her pleasure hit him, and he squeezed his own eyes closed.