"Nope," he said, still kissing me.
I kissed him again, fingers entwined in his hair. Then I moved one hand lower, tickling down his side and squeezing between us to flick open the button on his jeans.
"That won't work, either," he said as his hands moved to my ass and he pushed me against a tree.
"Pinning me now?" I asked.
"Just getting prepared . . ." He hissed as my hand slid into his jeans, wrapping around him. "For that."
"I thought you didn't get distracted."
"Mmm."
I stroked him until his eyes slitted, those gold flecks glowing. I tightened my grip, and he swore under his breath. I leaned in to kiss him, his hands squeezing my ass as he pushed me against the tree and I stroked him.
"You might not . . . want to keep . . . doing that," he panted between kisses. "That chasing . . ."
"Shortened your fuse?"
He managed a laugh, entwined with a groan. "Yeah."
"Don't worry. I know exactly how far--"
His breathing hitched.
"That far," I said, and let go, throwing my weight to the side . . . and getting absolutely nowhere as his arm shot out to stop me. "Damn," I said.
He chuckled, the sound ragged now, his eyes barely opening. "You really think I'm going to let you go now?" He pushed me against the tree, kissing me, lifting me up to straddle him.
"What if I dodged in that direction?" I said, nodding toward the fairy-circle clearing.
"Thought you weren't going to tease me about it."
"Not teasing. Using every trick at my disposal."
"Ah. Well, that one"--he hitched me higher on his hips--"is not going to work now. Focus, remember? When I want something . . ." He turned, putting my back toward the clearing. ". . . nothing gets in my way."
He kissed me and took three steps, bringing us into the clearing. Then he lowered me down, on my back, in the middle of it, and I felt the fairy circle being crushed under my back.
"That's gotta be bad luck," I said as he shoved my jeans down my hips.
"Yep. I'm trapped now." He grabbed my hips. "And that's fine by me."
He pushed into me, so hard I reared up, gasping. He did, too, his eyes opening wide. I gripped the ground, the damp earth under my fingers, and caught a scent on the air. Horses. I smelled horses. My fingers dug into the ground and I could feel it vibrating, the shocks rippling through me as Ricky thrust.
Then he stopped suddenly. Arched there, his eyes wider now.
"Fuck, no," he said. "No, no, no."
He held himself still, face screwed up, fighting climax as he panted.
"Hold on," he said. "Fuck. Sorry. Just hold on."
The ground kept shaking, the smell of horses stronger now, and his eyes opened as if he'd caught a whiff. I took his hands and pressed them against the ground. "Do you feel that?"
He stretched out his hands, braced on them, eyes widening. "Fuck, yes." He shivered, pushing deeper into me, hands pressed to the ground. "No, no, no," he whispered. "Fuck, no. Not yet--"
I wriggled. His eyes snapped open.