He thrust once, hard, deep, and she gasped, she arched.

“Yes. Again. Again.”

So he rode her, fast, hard. Just let himself take.

She felt that ending that wasn’t an ending with him rise up in her again. As it flooded her, she threw her arms back, hooked her legs around his waist, moved with him, mated with him, flew along the wave, then the next.

Then what rose in her was more, more than pleasure and joy, more than all she’d ever known. She shuddered with it, and he shuddered with her.

When the true end came, it swept her into another world, one beyond beauty.

Even when he caught his breath, and that took a while, his heartbeat sang in his ears. When he rolled off her, she rolled with him, nuzzled up beside him.

And that felt exactly right.

“You’re pleased with me?”

“Anni, there isn’t a word big enough for what I am with you right now.”

“I’m the same for you. Making sex with legs is different. And with you, it’s more. You have a very good penis.”

He choked out a laugh. “Thanks. I’m . . . fond of it.”

“I am, too. Will you put it inside me again?”

No one like her, he thought, in this world. In any world. “I’d say that’s a sure bet after this.”

“And was this time awfully quick?”

He took her hand from his heart, kissed it. “I guess the first part was—you know, the foreplay. The before the . . .” Jeez. “Mating.”

“Ah, you mean the touching and kissing. I like that very much. It’s better to have that longer?”

“Depends. But there’s more stuff people like to do sometimes before the big guns.”

“More? What more?”

She wasn’t innocent, he told himself. But she was unschooled in certain areas. “You know, maybe you should talk about some of this with Sasha and Riley.”

“I did. That’s how I knew to come here and take off my dress and wear just the shoes.”

“You . . . Really?”

“You liked the shoes. I’ll tell them.”

He just closed his eyes. “I bet you will.”

Slowly, she circled a finger over his heart, trailed it lightly down his chest. “Will you do the more stuff to me? You’ll teach me so I can do more stuff to you.”

“Annika, you kill me.”

“That’s an expression. I would never hurt you.”

“I know.” As he turned his head to kiss her, a thought struck him like a bolt from a crossbow. “I didn’t protect you.”

“There was no danger.”

“No, I mean . . . ” He pushed up, drawing her with him. “Can you get pregnant?”

“Oh, no. I can’t have young with you. We’re from different worlds, not enough the same. I’m sorry.”

“No.” Relieved, he pressed his lips to her forehead. “It’s better that way. We’ve got a war going on for one thing. And you only have a couple more months—”

Quickly, she laid a finger over his lips. “Don’t speak of the end. Please. We have now.”

“You’re right. If you worry too much about tomorrow, you miss appreciating what is. I appreciate what is, with you.”

She laid her head on his shoulder. “I want to stay with you tonight.”

“I want you to stay. The bed’s a little small, but we’ll manage.”

“Yes.” She snuggled down with him again. “Is it true it can be more than once?”

“Yeah. It’s getting pretty close to being true right now.”

“Then before we sleep, you could show me one of the more stuff.”

“I could do that.” As he angled down to kiss her, he slid his hand down her body, between her legs.

“Oh! I like this stuff!”

He laughed, even as he made her come again.

In the morning, Sawyer headed outside for calisthenics feeling like a man who could run twenty miles—all uphill—without getting winded, then polish that off by eating the equivalent of a team of horses.

He found Doyle leaning against the outdoor table, drinking coffee while the sky went pale and pink.

“The others should be right along,” Sawyer said.

“Mmm-hmm. You got lucky. It’s all over you, brother,” Doyle added. “And if it wasn’t, I’m next door. Your mermaid’s enthusiastically vocal.”

“Oh.” Sawyer studied his water bottle, then looked over at Doyle. “Sorry?”

“No, you’re not, and can’t blame you. But you owe me.”

“How you figure?”

“She used me to get you worked up—classic strategy. She’d owe me, too, but she taught me a couple of solid moves, so she and I are even.”

Sawyer thought of the damn handsprings, and the jealousy crawling over his skin. “Didn’t see it coming.”

“They never do. So, payback? Take it up to her room, then I don’t have to think about how I’m not getting laid.”

“Done. I was pissed at you.”

“Yeah.” With one of his rare smiles, Doyle lifted his coffee. “Can’t blame you there either. You’re a lucky man, Sawyer. She’s like no other.”