Of course, right after I published Chapter 13 inspiration struck and I figured out how to end this scene. Sorry that it took me so long to get to the final point with this. In the past two weeks I've moved and am now without internet until Tuesday (I'm publishing this from a coffee shop and attempting to keep the other patrons from seeing phrases like "heaving breasts").

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I'm sorry for the cliffhanger on the last chapter but I hope that the blatant sexiness is worth the wait.

Warning-this gets sexy fast. Light bondage but it's all in good fun.

Chapter 14

"Don't push me, Morgana," he said as evenly as possible. With her soft breasts against him, her hard nipples digging into his chest, he was surprised that he could manage speech at all.

"Why?" she breathed, her lips moving closer.

He pushed her back to arms' length and said, "Because when you play with fire, my lady, you're bound to get burned."

"Well maybe I want to get burned," she said, her eyes challenging. With her hair unbound, her robe loosened, she was already scorching hot. And he was a moth to the flame. He crashed his lips into hers.

This was no gentle kiss; it was too late that for that. His lips devoured hers, his tongue thrust deep into her mouth. She responded eagerly, her lips pressing harder against his, her tongue dueling for dominance.

Still entangled in a kiss, he shuffled them closer to the bed. Her back came up against the wooden bedpost at the end of the bed as his hands pushed the sagging robe off her shoulders. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt, her soft hands brushing against his taut stomach. Pulling away, he stilled her hands. .

"But I want.." she sputtered, her eyes still glazed with passion.

Gently, he moved her hands behind her to the clasp them behind the bedpost. "I thought you said you wanted to get burned," he said. His eyes flickered gold as he mumbled a spell which brought the discarded tie from the robe up to lightly weave around her wrists.

"Merlin," she said, half surprise, half arousal.

"We can stop anytime you want to," he whispered, his lips grazing the curve of her ear. "But it looks like you'll get your wish." And with that promise he gave her another kiss.

She was shocked. And incredibly aroused.

Merlin had tied her up, the daring of the man. She wiggled her hands experimentally; they were tied rather loosely, enough to retrain her but not enough to prevent her from escape if she wanted it.

But she didn't. As his lips trailed down her neck to her shoulder, escape was the last thing on her mind. While he had previously been nearly plastered to her body, he took a short step back. She could feel the heat of his body but nothing else. She strained her body forward, trying to get closer, but the restraints prevented her.

He pushed aside the strap on her nightgown and continued to kiss along the curve of her neck, her collars bones, and the top of her shoulder. Her breasts peaked in anticipation as the top nightgown slipped lower.

But rather than move lower along her chest, he began to kiss his way down her arm. His lips ghosted over upper arm and elbow, only to move inwards. His tongue darted out to lick skin on sensitive inside of her elbow. She let out a breathy moan at the new sensation.

His mouth continued its further assault as it made its way down the transparent skin of her forearm. When his lips met the silken restraints, he used his teeth to tug them down. Then he placed his warm mouth over her throbbing pulse and sucked.

"Merlin!" she gasped out, overwhelmed and intrigued by the new sensation. Who would've thought her arms would be so vulnerable to his touch?

She felt him straighten behind her and kneel on the bed. While the bedpost was still between them, she could feel the stubble of his chin against her exposed shoulder. Taking the shell between his teeth he breathed, ""Had enough yet, my lady?"

With her body was a quivering mess, words failed her. His palms were rubbing soft circles on her clothed belly while his thumbs kept brushing the undersides of her breasts. Almost touching but not. She felt her nipples tighten even further, begging for his touch.

"Never," she gasped out, still trying to keep the challenge in her voice.

"Good," he whispered, "because I'm not quite done with you yet."

He gently pushed off the remaining strap of her nightgown and moved it downwards. The nightgown caught on the generous swell of her breasts. She felt his fingers slide along the collar, but rather than remove it, he seized the cloth and teased her with the silk. The soft material swept back and forth against her sensitive nipples. The sensation was maddening, it was too soft, too brief. She craved his hands and whimpered in protest.

"Please, Merlin," she begged, "please touch me. I need your hands," she said.

And he gave her exactly what she wanted. His hands pushed the fabric down to pool at her waist, as his calloused hands seized her breasts. It was pure relief. Her tormented nipples relished the pinch and stroke of his agile fingers.

She didn't know how much more of this sweet torment she could take. Her body felt like liquid. Hot, heated, desperately needing the relief he provided.

As if reading her thoughts, he changed positions again and stood in front of her, his hands slowly bunching up the hem of her nightgown. She felt his fingertips graze her knees, her thighs…by the time he reached the apex of her body, she was shuddering with arousal.

And with the brush of his fingers against her center, she felt her entire body fill with heat. "Oh, God," she moaned out as her eyes closed of their own accord.

His lips hovered near hers, grazing her parted lips. "You're so wet," he choked out.

Embarrassed, she felt herself blush as she whispered an apology.

"No, it's a good thing," he said. Rubbing his hardness against her thigh, he continued, "Sort of like the female equivalent of this. It means you're aroused. Very aroused."

His fingers teased her aching flesh and when he hit a particularly sensitive spot, she gasped.

This was better than the closet. Much better. His hands were warm and gentle as they stroked her towards release. He softly thrust one finger inside of her while beginning to rock the heel of his hand against her mound. It was bliss.

She felt herself crashing towards that peak with very touch of his hand. She strained closer, lifting her hips to get more pressure. She felt herself falling, her body withering, begging for release.

She kept repeating his name between moans, her voice getting louder. She couldn't think beyond this moment, this man, this experience.

He quieted her with a kiss but her lips tore away as pleasure washed over every nerve. She gasped out, wheezing breaths escaping as white heat spread through her limbs. Her body quacked in the aftermath, her knees shaken by the effects of such an intense climax.

And yet it wasn't enough.

"Untie me," she whispered to a panting Merlin. It wasn't a request but a command.

She heard him mutter some incoherent words and the silken ties fell away from her wrists. He moved to back away but she didn't give him time.

Her hands captured the edge of his shirt and wretched it over his head. Then taking him by surprise, she pushed him down on the soft mattress and covered his body with hers.

They both gasped out at the initial contact of their bare torsos. While her position prevented a good view of his chest, she felt that he was very well developed.

Her hands tangled in his hair as she eagerly sough his lips. His hands ran up and down her naked back, then cupped her thinly covered bottom. Pulling her closer, he widened his thighs to cradle her body, as he rubbed upwards.

She moaned as the dying embers of her arousal were reignited. His hands guided her hips in circles which from his moans, were equally pleasurable.

Catching her by surprise, he flipped her to her back, his body hovering over her. His hands were tracing up her calves, trailing the nightgown higher and higher.

Not wanting to be idle, her hand stroked the center of his chest. She was surprised as the hair, but it was rather attractive. Her hand glided over the hard muscles of his stomach, lower and lower, until she slipped her hand beneath the layers of his pants.

She felt more hair (another nice discovery) before she grasped the pulsing shaft. His hand stilled on her knee as his eyes met hers in the darkness.

And in the space of that look she read it as plainly as if he had written it on his forehead; he loved her. He could deny it, he could try to hide it but he couldn't lie. The tenderness, the passion, the hope in his eyes said what his words could not.

There was only one thing to do. "Make love to me," she whispered. She wanted this. She wanted more. She wanted them together as one.

Her words sent a fresh bolt of lust to his already tense body. Then it was like a bucket of cold water washed over him.

This was all wrong. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't pleasure her. And he sure as hell couldn't make love to her.

Nearly jumping off the bed, he whispered, "I can't."

Grabbing his shirt, he tried to avoid both her scantily clad body and her hurt eyes. "What? Why not?" she demanded, her voice still husky as she put her clothes to rights.

"I just…can't. We can't do this. Nothing has changed," he said.

"Everything has changed," she said, moving to stand in front of him. " What are you so afraid of? Why are you running away from me? From us?"

"Because there is no us!" he said emphatically. "Don't you understand? What you're feeling is magic, the connection that's being forged between us is only temporary. An illusion. Tomorrow night that illusion will end."

"I know what I feel! And it's not just the damn holiday!" she said. Taking a deep breath, she looked into his eyes as she started, "I lov—

"No, stop. Don't say something you'll regret in twenty four hours," he said. Then continuing in a softened tone, "Let's not do something that can't be undone."

She was thoughtful for a moment and then said, "What will it take?"

Warily he asked, "What will it take to what?"

"What will it take to prove myself to you? To prove that my feelings are genuine and not just symptoms of the holiday?"

"Now, Morgana—" he continued in a patronizing voice.

Angry, she said, "What will it take, Merlin? You think me so fickle and easily persuaded. Give me the chance and I will prove you know nothing of my feelings."

This was madness. He didn't think her fickle at all. She was bold, forthright, honest…but this passion between them was an illusion. She would wake up in two days and find her feelings for him gone. As soon as her head cleared, she would be ashamed of tonight.

"Fine," he bit out. Damn her for being so….Morgana. "The holiday ends at midnight tomorrow night. If you still feel the same way, meet me at 1 o'clock in my room. Gaius told me he would be away for night."

"I will be there at 1 o'clock. But in return I want your promise. If I come to your chambers at 1 o'clock, you will make love to me."

Was she mad? Didn't she understand the consequences of those actions? She won't come, he thought, and I won't have to fulfill this promise. Once the spell is broken, she won't come. "Fine," he said, " I promise to make love to you on the off chance that you come to my chambers. But tomorrow we avoid each other. No seductions, no trysts, and definitely no touching."

"Fine," she said with a sniff.

He started to walk towards the door. The room still felt charged with sexual energy. And despite his will, he wasn't certain how much longer he could stay in that room and not give her exactly what she wanted.

As his hand reached for the door, he heard her whisper behind him, "Is it only an illusion for you?"

He could hear the uncertainty in her voice and desperately wanted to reassure her. He didn't need to look back to know that she was probably biting her lip. Of course it wasn't an illusion for him. His feelings for her were deep. Powerful. Unfaltering. But he had already shared too much. She knew about his magic. He didn't need to be more vulnerable. And while his feelings wouldn't end tomorrow night but hers would.

He didn't answer her question, instead he said, "I'll always be your friend. You can trust me," he said.

He heard her sigh as she said, "That's the problem with you, Merlin. Friendship isn't enough for me anymore. I want to trust you with more than just my magic."

FINIS

Done, done, done with this chapter. There's likely only two-three chapters left. Maybe one?

Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as much as I loved writing it.

I thought it was about time that Merlin became a little more…aggressive. Morgana always has the upper hand but it was about time that Merlin did. Who knew that our favorite man had such kinky ideas? I won't lie, I loved the sexy banter in this chapter. What did you think about their end conversation?

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