She dove into the water and sighed as if it brought her comfort she sorely needed, and he dismounted and made camp to the sounds of her splashing. But once he'd finished he could not deny the need to clean his p.r.i.c.kly clothes, and after removing his sword belt, walked straight into the river himself, washing the mud from the fabric. Trying not to glance her way when the flash of pale skin caught his attention.

"Giles."

He turned. Moonlight shimmered across the waves, danced in her enormous blue eyes, played along the soft curve of her shoulders. It seemed that being in her element had revived her strength, for the exhaustion that had dogged her steps throughout the day had faded to be replaced by...

He had not mistaken the invitation in her voice.

Giles leaped from the river, and with a speed that surely surpa.s.sed an elven's natural abilities, he undressed and tossed the soggy garments over the root of a tree. He flung his boots next to his breeches and strode back into the water. It licked at his naked skin, the chill of it unable to douse the fire that burned in his blood as he watched Cecily swim closer to him.

She stood, water sluicing down her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, down her taut belly. And held out her arms to him.

Giles caught her up in an embrace, his mouth seeking hers with a need that frightened him. She wrapped her arms about his neck as he nearly devoured her, the darling woman opening her mouth beneath the onslaught, taking all he offered without hesitation.

At last he released her, holding her face close to his pounding heart. "I love you."

She pulled slightly away from him, looked up into his eyes, studying his face with a frown that confused him. "And I have always loved you. No matter what happens, Giles, I will never stop loving you."

Ah. She worried about their future. About her dream for a cottage by the sea, and his desire for adventure. "As long as we are together, we will work it out."

She nodded, stepped away from him with a sudden wicked gleam in her eyes. "I see the cold water doesn't bother you."

Giles glanced down at the obvious proof of it, looked back up with a grin on his lips. "Apparently not."

She took his hand. "Then come." And led him deeper into the river, until it enfolded over both of their heads, shafts of moonlight penetrating the depths.

Giles did not start when the bubble appeared around his head this time, just eagerly awaited her kiss to pierce it. But it did surprise him for a moment when he felt the water seem to thicken around him, slither against his body in undulating ribbons. Ah, he'd never felt anything like it before. A soft caress twirling about his chest, around his legs. Silky pressure along the skin of his thighs, between his legs, beneath his hair and along the back of his neck.

Cecily made the water come alive. And it sought to touch him with an erotic slide across every inch of his skin.

When it curled and tightened about his shaft, he gasped, the bubble making the sound loud to his ears, and reached out for her.

Cecily led him a merry dance. He would grasp her slick skin to have her slip away from his fingers. Giles would feel her b.r.e.a.s.t.s slide across his back, turn to grasp nothing but swirling water. Her hair tickled his feet and he reached down, only to tumble over in vain, his feet toward the surface and his own ghostly looking hair swirling around the bubble that surrounded his face.

Her magic astounded him yet again. For the bubble continued to surround his head.

He would die of frustration sooner than he would by drowning.

And then he felt her warm palms against his cheeks, the smooth glide of her hands as she penetrated the bubble, a sheen of water sliding up her face. When her lips met his he no longer knew which way was up, a thrill coursing through him that he'd never known before.

He clasped her in his arms, triumphant he'd caught his flirtatious mermaid.

Cecily's hands replaced the teasing of the current, roaming the contours of his back, smoothing over the rounds of his bottom. He could not help pressing his shaft tightly against the warmth of her legs.

Cecily drew her mouth away from his, trailing kisses across his cheek, down his chin. She lightly bit his neck and Giles growled, soft and low.

"Release me, Giles. I promise I will not go far."

It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to loosen his hold.

She slid down his body, until the crisp hair at the junction of her legs stroked his engorged shaft.

Giles panted. Another bubble replaced the air he'd managed to use up so quickly, and he wondered how she knew he needed it. For her own head had withdrawn back into the water, her dark hair swirling around that lovely face, rays of moonlight highlighting a soft cheek, the curve of her full lips.

He felt the blood leave his head as they slowly drifted upright again, Cecily curling around his body akin to the mermaid he'd likened her to. She twirled about him as she'd done with her water, but the heat of her skin brushing his brought another dimension to the pleasure. When he felt her hair tickle between his legs, and looked down to see her face rising upward, trailing kisses along his shaft, he could bear no more.

He caught her arms and dragged her up. Saw the gleam of her teeth as she smiled and drew up her legs, wrapping them around him, slowly floating toward the tip of his erection, until her moist warmth kissed it with a softness that made him groan.

Giles resisted the impulse to buck against her. He ruled on dry land, but here and now she had control of this game, and he did not wish to argue the point. It felt too d.a.m.n good.

She pressed forward so slowly he had to grit his teeth. She encased only the tip of him with her warmth, her water-magic still circling his shaft in ever-tightening spirals. He became aware again of the strokes still circling the rest of his body, curving around his arms and chest. Smoothing around his legs and pushing up between them, creating a pressure that made him throb even harder.

The silky water pushed and prodded in places that he hadn't known could feel so tantalizing.

When Cecily tightened the grip of her legs, her heels digging into his backside, and fully encased him inside her, the contrast of her hot sheath from the cold water nearly made him come undone.

Thank heaven for experience. Otherwise he might have lost his control.

Cecily relaxed her legs and pulled slightly away from him. The pressure of the water that had circled his shaft now roiled between them, a vibration that surely touched her nub.

Ah, clever woman. She had learned so quickly.

Cecily abruptly clenched her legs and pushed against him again. Clutched his shoulders and repeated the movement. Giles placed his big hands under the smooth mounds of her bottom, but only to caress, not to guide. He threw back his head and allowed her to control the rhythm, allowed himself to become lost in the myriad sensations this lady and her magic created for him.

The world tilted upside down.

Blood flowed to his head again.

Giles climaxed with a furious pleasure he'd never, ever experienced before. Felt the tremors of Cecily's own pleasure course through her warm body.

And they both held on to one another as if they could never let go while they slowly drifted upright, back to the surface of the lake.

Giles watched as her head slowly broke the surface, now some beautiful naiad brought to earth for his private pleasure. Water dripped down the curve of her nose, saturated her eyelashes to form a dark circle around her eyes, making them appear even larger and more crystalline. Her hair curved about her face like ribbons of midnight, and her lips captured droplets in the curve of her smile.

The urge to say something meaningful enough to bring tears to his eyes made him take refuge in a c.o.c.ky smile. "Where have you been all my life?"

"Right under your nose."

"Aye, and me too stupid to do anything about it."

She laughed, as he'd hoped she would, and swam back to sh.o.r.e. Giles did not have a prayer of meeting her stride in her element, and truth be told, his muscles felt like jelly, so he lazily swam after her, admiring the sight of her wiggling bottom as she emerged from the water and walked across the riverbank.

They shared their meal that night with laughter and old memories of the village. And if Giles noticed a hint of sadness creep back into her eyes, he quickly teased her until wicked merriment replaced it. And when they both crawled beneath the blankets to sleep, nothing could stop the both of them from falling into complete oblivion.

Giles awoke with his hand on his sword and her hair against his lips. He breathed in the faintly floral scent of it, kissed the black strands for good measure, and rose.

He felt as if he ruled the world.

With a self-mocking smile, he stoked up the fire, spitted the fish they'd caught last night after they'd made love, remembering the laughter as Cecily tossed him one squiggling catch after another. She could be a wicked wanton one moment and a funny companion the next, with a healthy dose of proper lady betwixt and between.

Giles never thought to marry. Because he'd never thought to fall in love with a woman like Cecily. And now he could not wait for her to wake, to find the nearest village and make their bond legal. It would be done before they returned to London, and even the fire lord himself could not gainsay it. Giles would give the elven lord the ring, and Sir Robert the secret of the Seven Corners of h.e.l.l and a crystal flute containing an enchanted tune.

And Giles would take Cecily. A prize worth all the rest, and then some.

He sat near the blankets and watched her sleep, feeling like a fool but unable to help himself. The birds twittered so loudly amongst the trees that he couldn't believe she slept through the racket. A soft breeze blew off the river, tickling the hair tumbling across her cheeks until he could resist the impulse no longer, and carefully smoothed back the errant strands.

Her eyes fluttered open to stare at his face, and she sat up with a start.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, an unfamiliar heat rushing to his face. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Cecily gave him a hesitant smile, her gaze wandering across his features for a time, until her smile slowly firmed and warmth flooded those faceted blue irises. She reached up and placed her hand over his left cheek, and he turned his face and kissed her palm.

Her sigh was all the invitation Giles needed.

In one lithe movement he threw back the blanket and crouched over her, his hands flat on the ground beside her head, his knees next to her thighs. His hair flowed over his shoulders to surround her face, her black locks a strong contrast against his white.

She had worn nothing but her chemise to sleep in, her nipples outlined clearly beneath the thin fabric. He let his gaze wander over them for a moment before he lowered his head and kissed each peak.

Cecily arched toward him.

Giles drew back and smiled at her. "Last night I allowed you control, but now we are on dry land and it is my turn."

Before she could reply, he dipped his head and kissed her lips, a long lingering caress that stole her breath. He trailed a path along her check to the tips of her pointed ears, whispering what he planned to do to her, until she started to pant and squirm.

"I have no magic but my love for you, lady."

She wound her fingers in his hair, making his scalp tingle. "That is all I need, Giles. More than I had ever thought to have."

He kissed her again, long and slow, while he gently tugged up her chemise, exposing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She shivered, and he did not think the gentle breeze caused her reaction. He trailed kisses down to her neck this time, suckled gently at the skin there, smiling at her startled gasp.

Apollo snorted off in the distance, an answering wicker from Belle, comforting sounds that told Giles they would have no interruptions.

His mouth lazily wandered to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. They were beautiful, firm and full, with rosy peaks that begged his attention. He licked first one, and then the other, circling them with his tongue for good measure. She tasted divine.

"Giles," she whispered, her hands wandering over his bare back, making his flesh tingle in response.

He lowered his body, leaning on one elbow, leaving one hand free to explore while his tongue continued to play with her now-taut pink buds. When he trailed his fingers over her thighs she opened her legs without a single prompt from him.

Giles hid his wicked smile against her bare flesh.

He explored her moist folds, ran his fingers through her silky stiff hair, lifting his head for a moment to gaze at the sheer perfection of her body. Flawless, luminescent elven skin, pale as milk without a single blemish to interrupt the smooth expanse of it.

He had never seen a more beautiful woman. The thought that she was truly his, after so many years of wanting her and knowing he could never have her, made his heart leap inside his chest.

Giles glanced into her face and those blue faceted eyes drew him in.

"You are mine," he said, surprised at the huskiness of his voice. "I will always be your protector."

She did not answer. They stared at each other for a timeless moment, until the earth seemed to pause, and the birds ceased their raucous calls, and the very wind hushed to witness the love between them.

Giles slipped a finger inside her moist heat.

"You are mine," he repeated.

She arched her back.

Fie, she felt tight and wet and utterly magnificent. He slipped in another finger. She trembled. He hesitated to slip in another; she felt so small. How had she managed to take him all in?

But she had, and was a virgin no longer.

With one quick movement he pushed his fingers deep inside her and smiled when she gasped, bucking against his hand.

"Tell me," he growled, penetrating her deeply again.

"I... I am yours. I have always been... Giles, I need more."

He mounted her in one smooth movement, gritting his teeth for control. She felt so right. So perfect. He kept one hand between her legs to stroke her nub while he copied the rhythm with slow, deep thrusts, watching as her lids drifted closed, her lips parting on a sigh.

He'd had s.e.x with many women. He'd made love to none but her. His heart and soul gave her as much as his body offered, if not more.

Cecily dug her nails into his back, grasped his bottom in urgent demand.

But he would not hurry toward that peak. He continued his gentle movements, loving her with each stroke, making her pant and cry out his name. Time and again she neared the precipice and he froze inside of her, arms trembling with the willpower it required.

And then he would resume his loving, her desire more easily stroked, building to an even greater height than before.

Until finally, with a groan of sheer delight, she fell.

Giles quickly followed, gathering her close against him until he could feel the pounding of her heart echo the throbbing of his own release.

When the world managed to right itself he kissed her tenderly, smoothed the silky hair off her moist forehead.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I know," she replied. "I felt it. I did not know it could be so... wondrous."

He could not help but smile. Precious lady.

Cecily took a deep breath, released it on a sigh, and took another. "I smell roasted fish." Her stomach grumbled.

Giles laughed. "Indeed, my lady. Let me fetch you some... although I fear it may be burnt by now."

He quickly put words to action and handed her the fish. She took the stick from his hand and carefully peeled away the charred outer part, picking off pieces of white meat and popping them in her mouth, watching him break camp as she chewed.

"We will find the nearest village," said Giles as he rolled their dingy clothing from yesterday into a tight ball, "and find the parsonage straight away. I won't wait for you to change costume, mind you, so you'll have to be married in whatever clean gown you have left." He turned and threw her a wink to soften the command in his words, but he meant every bit of it.

"I think... I think it would be best if we made straightway to Oxford, Giles."