And then everything did unravel, and I was shuddering, shaking, and screaming in pleasure as his body stiffened against mine and his essence filled me, body and soul.
For several minutes afterward, neither of us moved. When I could finally breathe—think—I cleared my throat and said, "Well, I'm kind of glad you could only make love to me as a reaper in human form."
He shifted enough to transfer his weight from me onto his elbows, and stared down at me with an odd sort of half smile. "Why is that?"
"Because if that's an indication of what it would be like to have sex with you in reaper form, I don't actually think I could survive it."
He laughed softly, then bent and kissed my lips. It was soft and gentle, but nevertheless the connection between us stirred to life, shivering through me like a curtain of silver. Part of me wanted to step through it and see what lay on the other side, but most of me simply wasn't willing to take that risk. So I just kept on kissing him. Hunger stirred between us, gathering speed and strength.
"You know what else I think?" I said after a while. Then I scowled. "Well, of course you do."
He smiled. "No, I don't. I was occupied with your lips, not your thoughts."
I raised an eyebrow. "So to stop your following every thought, I simply have to kiss you?"
"It does raise interesting possibilities."
"That," I murmured, as I tensed myself around his erection, "is certainly true."
His smile grew as he began to move inside me. "And this thought you had?"
"Ah yes," I said, running my fingers down his back, enjoying the reaction of his body, the slight hitching of his breath. "I was thinking that the woman you used to catch your friend's killer was a very fine teacher when it came to the art of lovemaking."
"As I said, it was very enlightening."
I snorted softly. "Enlightening? That really doesn't seem an adequate word."
"For this, it isn't," he agreed.