The familiar sight of his bedchamber awaited them, and this time Sarah's hands were far from idle, pushing into his thick hair, drawing him nearer as his mouth moved so wonderfully against her own. Their kisses felt healing, the heat of his mouth doing more to drive away her fears than any words could; that she had ever imagined possible. There was sanctity in his embrace – a growing certainty that somehow, all would be well. The heat of his hands upon her was one she never wanted to fade.

Those hands ran all the way down her back now, his palms making an enticingly slow journey over the contours of her ass, before moving higher again. His fingers combed through her hair, running softly over her scalp and the nape of her neck, kissing her deeply all the while. He used both hands to trace the long strands that framed her face, the backs of his thumbs caressing her cheeks, her neck, all the way down until they grazed the sides of her breasts. Sarah moaned into his mouth, arching her body into his touch, needing more.

Taking that as his cue, he finally released her hair, his hands cupping the weight of her breasts. The heat of him was palpable even through her clothing, and she could feel herself blushing at just how quickly his touch caused her nipples to tighten, knowing he would feel that hardness against his palms. On the contrary, the rest of her body seemed to be melting for him, bending to his will, letting him touch her however he wanted. There was something exhilarating in giving him that control, her body and mind for once in agreement as she gave him her surrender.

It would be the first time for either of them, laid wholly bare before the other's gaze, and just thinking it sent a warm blush stealing up through her skin. When his mouth finally released hers, and he simply looked at her with nothing but longing in his stare, she had to look away. Her eyes darted towards his bed, and she gave a little grin as she thought of lying together there, shyness and excitement duelling for dominance as the reality of it all sank in.

"Second thoughts?" he asked.

She was quick to reassure him, eyes returning to his at once. "No, of course not. I want this just as much as you, only …"

"Only …?"

"It's kinda silly, I guess. You've already seen me in the dreams … touched me …" Even the thought of it now tugged between her thighs in the most delicious way, leaving a noticeable pause in her words. She was only too aware of the weight of his gaze on her throughout it. "It's just … it's the first time you're going to … well, see me, and I guess I'm a little shy. That's not stupid, is it?" She risked a glance up at him and was thankful to see no ridicule, nothing but the deepest yearning etched in his gaze.

"Not at all, love," he told her. "I'm well aware that this will be the first true time, and I have every intention of making it last. Just remember, you can say yes, and then change your mind immediately after, if it feels wrong. I'll stop, and it will change nothing between us. I'll still love and hunger for you, just as much as I always have. This happens only if you're sure you want it, and if you trust me enough to give it to you."

Her need for him was overcoming that shyness, now, and she held his gaze as she spoke. "It's been three years since that first … since that first really hot dream – the first time you seduced me. Three years that I've known just what I wanted."

"And what is it you've wanted so long, Sarah?" Jareth asked, his voice low and heavy with his desire. The question was just as much for him as it was for her, Sarah knew – he had to hear it from her lips, had to have the power of her longing, too.

For all he spoke of stopping, Sarah knew that there would be no going back from this – not for her, at least. If she agreed to let him have her, she wouldn't stop until he had taken all of her. She swallowed hard; took the plunge. "I've wanted you for years. I've wanted you inside me all this time."

Her confession earned her a deep groan from him, and another kiss, this one harder, pressed against her willing mouth.

There could be no question of her readiness now, not with the passion that surged up within her chest and set her heart pounding; how every fibre of her being seemed to pulse with longing for him. She savoured the heat of his hands through her thin nightgown, no hesitation in his touch now as he stroked her breasts and hips; cupped her ass to pull her body flush against his. He knew exactly what he was doing – what both of them had dreamed of for so long – and was now free at last to take it. It didn't take him long to have her gasping and moaning, amazed at just how hot his hands and mouth had her before they'd even gotten undressed.

Her inexperience alongside that powerful desire made her hands a little clumsy, yet Jareth didn't seem to mind, helping her with the buttons on his shirt, and then shrugging out of the thing entirely. The amulet that hung around his neck tingled with the essence of magic, strangely cool to touch, but the chest beneath it was warm and firm, and she let her fingers splay across it, letting her palms explore him for the first time.

She groaned softly as she felt his hands slide down to her thighs, his fingers starting to inch up the hem of her gown. He broke their kiss only long enough to remove the garment entirely, a slip of satin over her head and then it was gone, and she was in his arms again. He began to kiss his way down her neck, and she tipped her head back in pleasure, letting him, sighing her pleasure as he moved lower.

His tongue traced a hot line along her collarbone, both his hands sliding up over the curves of her ass and along her spine until they reached the clasp of her bra. He peeled it from her body slowly, sliding first one, and then the other strap along her bare arms, and chasing them with his hot mouth. When he at last cast her bra to the floor, Jareth pulled her against him again, hands tracing the side of each breast as they pressed into his chest. He spent a long time just holding her that way, letting her body mould to his, kissing her deeply as his hands explored her.

His thumbs teased at her stiff nipples, sending the most divine fire licking its way between her parted thighs, and Sarah couldn't help but grind her hips into his, as though seeking something to quench that flame. She found only more heat – the hard length of his cock pushing back against her – and how her body welcomed it. That heat only grew when he bent his head to kiss at the slope of her breast, setting the tender skin his mouth touched tingling, before taking one firm pink nipple into his mouth. He sucked and lightly grazed her with his teeth until he had her moaning for him, drawing his tongue roughly along the hardened bud as his hands lifted and squeezed.

As Jareth lavished attention on her breasts, she had been content so far to run her hands over his naked back, revelling in the hot ripple of muscle beneath her fingers, but now she grew bolder. She let her hands slip lower down to cup his ass, squeezing him and driving her hips forward at the same time to increase that contact between them. The move caused him to push deep into the crux of her thighs, the hard shape of him running the length of her slit through her panties.

Instantly, he pulled free of their kiss, and Sarah heard his sharp intake of breath. His eyes met hers, and they flashed with dark desire. "Oh, you've done it now," he told her, in a low growl. "Always pushing me, aren't you? My little minx."

To know she was having such an effect on him was thrill enough, but she had to push harder, moulding that heat between her thighs to him, a wicked smile upon her lips as they brushed his. "Hmm. But what are you going to do?"

"You," he said, and then his strong hands were gripping her ass, lifting her, capturing her squeal of surprise in a fierce and ravenous kiss.

Sarah wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms firmly around his neck, returning that kiss as best she could as he carried her over to his bed. When she thought he would set her down, he only held her body against him as he began to nip at one bare breast, thrilling her with just how easily his arms took her weight; the light sting of teeth against her sensitive skin. How could she hope to deny his power when every display of it only made her blood pump hotter? As he suckled at her tender flesh, her eyes drifted back towards the bed again, and the sudden, scorching-hot thought was: we're going to lie on that – he's going to fuck me on that.

"Stay with me, precious," Jareth urged, drawing her gaze back to him at once.

"I am, I'm just …"

"Impatient?" There was just a flash of that smirk as he bent to her neck again.

"God, yes."

"Mmm. Then who am I to keep you waiting?"

True to his word, he lay her down on the bed, and immediately set to work on baring her completely. He pulled off her boots, casting them aside without a second thought, before bending to wrench off his own. He wasted no time in covering her body with his own, his mouth retaking hers, but not for long. He moved his kisses down her neck, over her breasts, and blazed a hot trail all the way down along her stomach, stopping to dip his tongue into her navel, making her writhe upon his bedsheets. Through it all, she could feel her body stretching for him, pulling taut with the anticipation as his hot mouth finally reached the thin barrier of her panties.

She remembered her underwear, then – just plain white cotton – and began to blush; began to apologise. "Sorry, they're not exactly-"

He leaned in and hushed her with a firm kiss against her left calf. "I've never seen you so beautiful. You're far lovelier than any dream." Sure enough, he looked upon her as if she was the goddess he had proclaimed her to be, reverent as he peeled away her panties, unwrapping his virgin offering. His voice was deeper than usual – rough, as though once more he was struggling to rein in his lust. "Far wetter than I could have ever imagined. Gods, you have no idea how much I want you." The look in his eyes as he knelt before her told her enough; the hard shape of his cock stretching his trousers only confirmed it.

The naked lust in those eyes made her blush hotter, and as he lowered himself so that he was half-lying between her thighs, she knew exactly what he had in mind, and it set her skin positively burning for him. The screaming ecstasy she had found in her dreams – the ones where he had brought her to orgasm again and again with no more than his mouth – almost overwhelmed her, sending a shockwave of pleasure through the pit of her stomach. She sat up, blushing.

"Oh, you … you don't have to …"

He stopped her with a glance. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to feel you, ripe and wet and wild against my face? How much I long to drive my tongue deep inside you as you come, feeling you pulse around me in your pleasure?"

His words reassured her enough to lay back again, but they only worsened that pulsing ache between her thighs. She looked down at him, her king, positioning himself to lie between her thighs so that he could worship her with his mouth. The sight sent more of her wetness pooling between her legs in readiness for him, her body trembling with the sweetest expectation she had ever known.

There was time for her to see the smile on his lips, and then his mouth was buried between her thighs. Sarah cried out, clutching at the sheets beneath her with both hands. His tongue pressed her open, sending hot jolts of pleasure through her core as he explored, probing between the slick and swollen lips of her sex. Even through her own cries, she heard his moans of contentment; felt them echoing through her skin. He sounded hungry, intent on devouring as much of her as he possibly could. His hands came to press her thighs wider, holding her that way as he took his own pleasure from her, his hot tongue stroking her, teasing her.

She was entirely at his mercy, naked but for his necklace at her throat, wet and wide open, arching into his expert mouth. It seemed as though every muscle was tightening, clenching, the tension mounting deep down in her belly until she could hardly stand it. Her body pulled taut beneath him, her head tossing helplessly back and forth against the pillows, as though she could hope to deny such perfect pleasure. Her moans were high and cracked with emotion as his mouth continued its ministrations, circling the swollen bud of her clit with zeal, driving her swiftly toward delirium.

Through it all, she felt his eyes on her face, and when she dared at last to look down, the heat in his stare made her breathless. It was the knowledge that he was watching her, those dark, lustful eyes urging her on, that sent her over the edge. Her orgasm swept through her body like wildfire, and at the pinnacle of its heat, when she cried out and began to shudder for him, her right hand splayed flat against the sheets, and she felt his own close around it at once. He held onto her, squeezing her hand tightly, guiding her through those incredible flames as he drank from her, drowning himself in her ecstasy.

When her sobs had quieted, lessened to the occasional hitch in her breathing, she realised some time must have escaped her, lost in that dizzying high and the blissful haze that followed. When she came back to herself, Jareth was soothing her down, soft kisses against her sensitive lips between each deep shudder, his tongue lapping gently at her juices. She became aware of a low-pitched humming, and realise that it was coming from her own throat as she rode out the aftershocks. It was so much more than anything she had felt alone. She squeezed his hand, thinking that there might be no heaven closer than the one she had been brought to – the one he had helped her find.

On her own, when she had brought herself to orgasm, there was normally a calm after the storm, followed by reluctant rest, and sometimes guilt. Now, there was only delight and fresh longing for him. Jareth had retreated some by then, avoiding those most sensitive parts to trail his mouth along her thighs instead. He looked in his element, stroking and kissing her bare skin, but the lust in his eyes only made her want more. He was looking back at her even now, bathing in her pleasure – waiting. When she whispered his name, he came to join her at once, kissing his way back up along her body, belly, breasts, and finally her mouth.

Their kiss burned slowly, the solid warmth of his body atop her own only adding to its heat, but soon, she needed more. There was no shyness now as she reached down between them, cupping the stiff length of him through his trousers, and moaning when she felt that such delicious endeavours had only made him harder. He gave a deep groan and knelt up at once, eager to remove that last barrier of clothing between their bodies. It made Sarah flush to see that he was bare beneath them. She couldn't resist reaching out to touch him, finding him hard as steel, yet smooth as velvet beneath her hand. She circled him, stroked him, only relinquishing her grip when he was kneeling between her legs once more.

His fingertips trailed delicious fire along her inner thigh as he positioned himself, his cock rubbing along her moist slit, parting her lips just enough to be accepted between them.

"Oh, Sarah." His moan stirred one of her own, coaxing her hips to move along with him as he slid up and down; up and down. "I've wanted this for so very long."

The tip of him nudged her still-throbbing clit, and she gasped loudly, reaching for him, gripping at his shoulders. "Me too," came her hoarse whisper.

He was teasing them both now, drawing out that moment where he would claim her at last. "You're quite certain this is what you want?" he asked, and it was satisfying to hear the roughness in his voice. "We can still stop. Refuse me. Deny me now – you've only to say the word."

"I don't ever want you to stop," she said, tangling her fingers in his hair and urging his mouth down to cover hers.

He leaned down to oblige her, covering her body with his own once more as he possessed her mouth in a deep, hungry kiss, his hips keeping up that luscious friction between them all the while. Her entire body burned for something more, grinding into his every thrust to encourage him. Still, he remained in charge, keeping that luxuriously slow pace; keeping that needful flame burning hot for him. His soft mouth captured her moans, his free hand sliding around her hip to cup her ass, drawing her body more tightly against his. Finally, she was forced to break the kiss, flushed, breathless; growing desperate.

"Jareth …"

"Tell me what you need, love. Ask it, and it's yours."

"You," she said at once. "Inside me." Then, looking into his face, so alluring and open in his pleasure, feeling a wave of longing so powerful and pure wash over her: "Make me yours."

His groan was music to her ears, her own name whispered hotly against her neck. Gracing her with one last kiss, he shifted his hips to obey, guiding himself inside her. Sarah gasped as her body opened to him, accepted the thick head of his cock as it sank into her. She cried out for him as, at last, he lay all the way inside her – as, at last, she was his.

It was nothing she had ever felt before, and yet the feeling was one she thought she recognised. She had woken so many mornings empty and alone, and now, finally, what she was feeling was whole. The warmth that knowledge stirred inside her was like no other. She looked up at her lover, wanting to say something, express in some way just how she felt, but she couldn't find the words. Right then, it seemed she could only lie there and take him; remain joined with him. When Jareth smiled down at her, she knew that it was enough.

He supported himself with one arm rested across the pillows above her, cocooning her, using his free hand to stroke her cheek as he began to move, drawing back only to push further into her. There was pain as he sank deeper still, and she couldn't help but whimper softly, tensing beneath him. He stilled at once, stopping to kiss her deeply. It was both soothing and stirring, making her body long for more, ready for that friction. Ever so slowly she began to arch her hips upward for him, urging him on.

Encouraged, he began to move again, filling her in slow, sure strokes that seemed to set some new fire burning deep inside her. The flames were sweet, and soon the pain was lost to them, her pleasure rising anew. As he moved, he laid hot kisses on her mouth, her neck, her breasts, and soon she couldn't hold back the sighs and groans of delight that tumbled from her lips.

"Talk to me, love," Jareth urged.

"It feels so … I … I don't kn- oh … oh." Something seemed to shift into place inside her, and she loosed an incoherent cry of pleasure, louder than the last, and she saw him grin.

"Getting better?"

"Oh, yes," she moaned.

"Mmm. Good."

When she rocked her hips up to meet him again, harder now, it was good, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, urging him deeper. Together, they found a steady rhythm, and it grew faster as her body learned to accept it – to accept him – learning to love that exquisite sensation of fullness. As their lovemaking grew more heated, she saw her own pleasure reflected in his mismatched eyes, and his excitement only made her need him more. Her hands gripped his ass tightly, driving him to the hilt inside her, squeezing down around his cock and savouring the way his whole body seemed to jerk in response.

"Oh, Sarah," he groaned. "My Sarah – mine at last."

He took possession of her lips before she could reply, kissing her with real fire as he drove them both higher, toward some impossible peak. Their bodies rose and fell together, moving harder, faster, taking and giving, breathing with one breath, fucking with one pure intent. This was sex – this was what she had dreamed of, longed for all these years. The connection between them was more powerful than she could have ever imagined, and when she tipped her head back against the pillows to savour it, Jareth bent to kiss her neck, only adding to that blissful fire inside her.

Her hips began to lose their rhythm, growing desperate as she arched beneath him, burning for her release. She watched him as he, too, started to come undone above her, his eyes dark and wild with passion, leaning down to take hard, hungry kisses from her between his groans. When she could no longer stand it, her body drawing taut under his, Jareth seemed to sense it, those incredible eyes filled with need and awe, holding her own.

"Soon, love, soon. Come with me," he said, and kissed her again.

Sarah moaned into his mouth as she finally gave to him, her hips arching up to take him deep as her climax took hold, rocking through her whole body. She tore her lips away from his to cry out, clutching tightly to his back as the pleasure overwhelmed her, burying her face against his trembling shoulder. As she called out to him, urging him to join her, she heard her king moan into her hair; felt his body stiffen atop hers as he came along with her, burying himself deep inside her, filling her at last.

When he had recovered enough to kiss her, it was more gentle this time, sealing their passion as their bodies still trembled with that ecstasy – trembled together.

Sarah smiled up at him, feeling starry-eyed, almost drunk on that pleasure. Never had he left her feeling so incredible – so much a woman. There was a deep ache between her thighs where he still filled her, but it was a good ache – one that only grew when she squeezed gently around him. The light she saw in his eyes was one she thought she might never tire of seeing. She leaned up to kiss him again, content right now to lie with him forever.

"How are you feeling, precious?" Jareth asked, and the huskiness of his voice, raw from their sex, sent goosebumps rippling up Sarah's arms. There was a confidence in his smile that said he already knew the answer.

"Amazing," she heard herself say, and knew at once it was true. She felt like she was flying.

He murmured his agreement, before leaning down to mouth at her neck. "Worth the wait," he said against her skin, speaking for them both. "I love watching you – feeling you – as you come. I could get used to this."

There was a surge of warmth inside her chest – a happiness both that he would say such a thing, and in knowing she felt the same way. Nothing else mattered, cloaked in the safety and warmth of his body, the hands that stroked her face and hair doing as much to please her as the wild lust of their sex had. There was love there, in his every caress, and it would be so easy to live and die within his smile, reaching out to him in kind. She could forget everything but that desire and adoration he had awoken in her, everything that lay outside of his kingdom … his labyrinth …

The labyrinth.

There had been no real agreement between them this time – no reassurance from him that the trials outside would wait for them. He had told her atop the cliff that there was still at least an hour remaining, but that seemed a lifetime ago, now – long before their dancing, and the peach, and the new bliss they had found together. There was no telling how much time they had passed in his bed.

She had been so lost in his kiss and in his arms, so overwhelmed by the incredible heat of him inside her that all else had ceased to matter. Through the warm afterglow of their love, she felt the first stirrings of worry, drawing tightly around her body. She had wanted his love – taken it gladly – but had she really yielded everything in return to him for it?

"Sarah, sweet one, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked her.

There was concern in his voice, but she hardly registered it in light of her own. "Did the time run out yet?" she asked him. "Is it over?"

His eyes searched hers for a long time before he replied. "No, love," he said, at last. The words were spoken softly, but there was a chill to them that pulled at her heart. "No, I don't believe it is."