In Which Ash Exhibits Remarkably Poor Judgment in Post-Coital Conversation Topics

We spent several minutes in silence, wrapped in each other as our pulses began to slow. Ash tried to shift his weight off of me, but I made a small growl of protest. I liked him there, pressing down on me and wrapping me in warmth. He sighed instead, his head falling against my shoulder, lips nuzzling my neck. After another long pause, he tried to withdraw, but we found I was still too tightly clasping him for him to do so without hurting me. Ah, the joys of being a witch.

"Evie?" he said softly, giving a little tug.

"Mmm. Sorry, I don't know how long it will take. It's the first time I've..." I shut up, not wanting to have admitted that to him of all people.

Ash lifted his head and stared at me in surprise. "Seriously? But you've been with men before, I can tell."

I didn't even want to know how he knew that. "Yeah. Are you kidding? After you told me...well, it was one of the first things I corrected once I could walk again."

Ash grunted appreciatively. He loved hearing of all the myriad ways his actions had shaped my life, for better or worse. "But you did not enjoy yourself," he purred happily, kissing my neck again.

"How do you know?" I snapped. "It was fine!"

"Fine. Fine? I am the first to make you scream, I can tell," he said again, smugly, giving another little tug. I tried not to wince, cursing my treacherous witchy bits that were giving me away. Ash was practically melting on me, he was so pleased. "And now you will think of me, every time you make love to another. You will yearn for my touch, burn for my magic..." I could tell how much he liked that idea, as he stirred inside me. I caught my breath at the sensation, and I felt his answering surge again.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, gloat all you want," I said dryly. Drat him, he was absolutely right. How could any human or witch top that? Perhaps I should consider dating vampires. Nah. "Now will you take this damned bracelet off of me?"

"I cannot imagine why I would want to do that, Evie," he said, his tongue darting out to lick a slow line up my neck, and I shivered. "Not when your desperate pleas are such music to my ears. It was almost worth all the waiting, all the trouble you've caused me, just to hear you begging me for it." He was fully aroused again, and my muscles had released enough for him to begin to move again, sliding teasingly slowly. I was impressed at the speed of his recovery. The joys of being a demon?

"I have a sneaking suspicion that there's an ulterior motive here, Ash," I said.

"Hmm, such a suspicious nature you have," he said innocently. He increased his pace a little, and I tried hard to ignore the wonderful sensations it created. "One might think you didn't trust me, Evie."

"Should I?" I asked equally innocently. "You don't trust me, after all."

"I don't need to trust you, as long as you're wearing that bracelet," he said, as if that explained everything.

"I feel a pout coming on," I said, glaring at him. "Are you at least going to let me up?"

"Why?" he purred into my ear. I nearly melted as he reached down to massage my clitoris with a gentle finger.

"Because...aah!" My cool exterior cracked a little, much to his amusement. "Because I want a turn, damnit!"

Ash chuckled. "It's been such a long time since I've taken a willing witch, I've almost forgotten-"

He froze, glanced at me quickly with an Oh shit expression.