Page 7 of Princess of Air

He stands near enough for me to see every shade of blue in his eyes. Holding his eye contact is more sensual than it deserves to be, and pinpricks tickle every inch of my skin in a wave from my neck to my toes.

“I’m sure the wind relishes the freedom to caress you as it pleases.”

Warmth blooms in my cheeks. “What would you do with such freedom?”

“If I were the wind, I’d brush along the most delicate areas of your skin to get your attention. You’d be attending court, and I’d slip under your skirt then slowly coil up your leg to see if I can crack that regal facade while some aging regent makes small talk with you.” His words trace that imagined path up my leg, winding me up like a spring. “And if you should manage to continue speaking, when I got to the top—”

My mouth covers his. Silky hair slides between my fingers as I tug at the roots. His hands press into my back as our bodies mold against each other. The way his tongue caresses mine gives me the distinct impression he’s showing me the end of that sentence.

I can’t believe he did it again. Every time I tell myself next time I’ll hold out. I tell myself I’ll keep my hands and everything else to myself until he touches me. But that has yet to happen. He leaves no doubt of his desire, but it’s always me who has to close the gap. My anger over it fades as he eagerly makes up for every moment his skin wasn’t on mine. I keep expecting it to feel less exciting than the first time, but that hasn’t happened either.

***

Last summer on the coast was different from all the years before. What had been a family tradition became an annual escape for our generation when we were deemed old enough. The Valnora estate—Father’s seat—is a perfect spot for it, only a couple days’ ride from the capital and settled on a stretch of glittering shore. For one week we got to relax, away from the scrutinizing eyes of our parents and the expectations that come with our ranks, to have fun with our siblings and friends.

This time, though, Tomas didn’t feel like he was simply Rylan’s friend or my friend’s brother. The months spent in Lambridge with his mother’s family did him good. He appeared to have grown up. And he certainly didn’t look at me like the irritating sister figure he’d always known. The group dynamic remained, but I’d feel his eyes trailing me whenever I walked away. At night, he wouldn’t retire to his chamber in Etherlee House until after I did, and I was sure he was trying to get me alone. The thought of it was dangerous and intoxicating.

Ry probably wouldn’t approve, and I could imagine Josslyn’s mock-disgust at me finding her brother attractive. It was impossible to ignore, though. I’d had stolen kisses before—all meaningless. Those already seemed trivial compared to whatever was brewing, and nothing had even happened.

I found myself watching Tomas too. Had his chest and shoulders broadened since last I saw him? Was his jaw always so defined? The sweep of stubble across it wasn’t new, but the urge to brush my hand over it was.

One morning when I took my daily tonic, gratefulness for Mother’s insistence sprang up in me. She’d put me on it years ago, and somehow, it made me want to avoid sexual intimacy rather than giving me the freedom to explore. Perhaps because it felt like she would know. Regardless, contraception had never seemed necessary, and it couldn’t be necessary now. I was getting well ahead of myself.

On the last night of our stay, I waited up as everyone else trickled off to bed. When Tomas and I were alone at last, the glaring issue of me having no idea what I was doing hit me like a sudden storm. My stomach tumbled. “I’m going for a walk.”

“Do you think it safe to walk along the shore alone at night?”

The prior year, I’d have rolled my eyes at such a suggestion. Here and at home, my siblings and I had been freed from watchful guards when we got old enough and had ample control over our magic to defend ourselves. Granted, we were within very secure borders in both places. Tomas knew that as well as I did. Which was why, rather than annoy me, his question bolstered my belief that he wanted to be near me.

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “It’s perfectly safe for me. I can’t guarantee the same for whoever might follow me.”

“What if it’s someone you know?” His voice vibrated through my bones now. Everything with Tomas felt new, even without anything occurring.

I shrugged and turned on my heel. It worked; he followed me out past the tall grasses of the sand dunes and toward the southern edge of the property, away from the ocean view bedrooms. When I walked straight to the water’s edge, he said, “I thought you were going for a walk, not a swim.”

A wall of air pressed ahead of me, holding back the water as I stepped onto the seafloor. When I was far enough for the water level to reach my shoulders, I turned to enjoy the impressed look on Tomas’ face. “I thought you were escorting me?”

He walked down the aisle I left in my wake. I pulled the wall in behind him, encircling us in water, and continued farther. When the water was above both our heads, I stopped. Tomas eyed my work then let his gaze rest on me. “I didn’t know you could do all this with air.”

“It can’t be seen, so it’s underestimated. Like me.”

“You can certainly be seen.”

I quirked a brow. “Yet, I’m underestimated.”

“You shouldn’t be.” He gestured to the water held up around us. “This is impressive.”

“I am quite talented.”

His grin sent a shiver down my spine. “What other talents do you have?” He closed most of the distance between us. Those few steps transcended years of playful camaraderie. We were somewhere new, and the slightest move now would make it impossible for us to go back to how we’d been before.

I didn’t want to go back.

The walls of air twitched as my heart raced. I tipped my face up to look at him—our lips dangerously close. “Shall I tell you?”

“Show me.”

His invitation formed as a demand heated my blood. There weren’t a lot of opportunities to truly misbehave in my life. As royalty, we had to be mindful of our reputations and cautious of anyone who may want to misuse us. For unnamable reasons, this always seemed more pressing for me. Because I was the first second child in our family in so many generations? Because my element was seen as breezy and gentle, so I had to be as well? Whatever it was, I was the good girl. And Tomas seemed to feel my desire to relinquish that. Letting me incite it, choose this little rebellion, was exactly what I hadn’t realized I’d wanted.

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