Page 55 of Bargains with Benefits
His smile was huge when he saw me, his gaze running the length of me. “You look amazing.”
He didn’t look so bad himself, but he always looked good. He wore his favorite dark brown jacket and a plain white shirt beneath.
“You don’t want to chastise me for not wearing the black dress?”
The smile flattened. “I’ve told you multiple times, Luna”—he stepped into my space—“you are breathtaking the way you are. Others may expect the more traditional dress, but I regret the purchases in that dress shop every day. It’s a failing of the fae that you tame yourself for them.”
He was so close.
He smelled so good.
His lips were right there.
My body was moving before I could overthink it. I’d wanted to know what he tasted like since the day we met. Then, we’d been more whipping wind and quick judgments. Now, when my lips met his, wind swirled around us, blocking out everything else, like a safe harbor from the storm.
The rest of him took a moment to catch up to my snap decision.
His lips were firm, unyielding, as I’d caught him off guardwith my advance. It only took a moment for his hands to follow the wind’s path. Strong arms wrapped around me, and my own arms slipped around his neck to reach for the thick locks of hair that continually drew my attention.
I may have started this, but Vincent and his wind worked in tandem to escalate it. His lips turned searching as his tongue pressed against the seam of mine. The cyclone of his wind pressed us closer together. I didn’t mind, suddenly wanting nothing between us. My lips parted, granting him access and meeting him stroke for stroke. Our tongues tangled in a dance we’d waited too long to start. I didn’t know if it was his hand or his wind that slid up the length of my ribs, and I didn’t care. They were both him—both sending waves of want crashing through me.
Breathless, I pulled back. He stumbled forward, following, nipping my lip, unwilling to let me go.
“Luna,” he said in a gruff voice that had my insides melting.
“That was the perfect start to the evening,” I said. My gaze roamed my cozy cottage, flipping between the couch and the bedroom. He followed my gaze with interest. Then I sighed, resigned. “But should things escalate further, we will be late.”
“Right.” He tugged on his shirt sleeves and tried to compose himself. The plants were still swaying in a light breeze from his wind. I couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.
He cleared his throat and handed me a small box. “Happy name day.”
“Vincent, you didn’t need to get me anything. I can’t thank you enough for coming with me. This could prove to be an unfortunate evening.”
I opened the box. It was a necklace, a pendant in the shape of the moon’s phases. The pendant was silver, perfectly matching the color of my moon-stricken hair.
“You looked so fierce the first night we met, glaring at the full moon. It didn’t stand a chance against whatever youdemanded of it. That look—it was power and grace, beauty and strength in perfect harmony.”
I wasn’t sure I could speak. My throat was thick with emotion. I wanted to think I communicated everything I couldn’t say as our gazes held. “Will you help me put it on?” I asked, turning my back to him.
His fingers skimmed across the curve of my shoulders like a light breeze. It was even more satisfying than when his wind did it.Sometimes, it does things I lack the courage to.His response to my question had gooseflesh pebbling my skin. He and his wind working in tandem would put me in the eye of a storm. It was a thought that had me tingling with anticipation. As he fastened the clasp, I shook my head free of images and the desire to continue our kiss. His fingers lingered, his touch soft.
I needed us to reach Darius’s house before things got out of hand. The way we were headed, I’d have him in my bed in moments, and we wouldn’t leave the cottage for days.
I turned to face him. The heat in his eyes made my knees weak. As if he knew, his wind was there, steadying me.
“Perfect,” he said.
“Thank you, Vincent.” I attempted to compose myself.
“We should probably go.” He looked wistfully over my shoulder toward the bedroom. I laughed, knowing that our thoughts were aligned in this, too.
Vincent had procuredus a carriage for the ride to Pierce House. I sat beside him on the bench but didn’t touch him. Our kiss had left me more than a little flustered. I didn’t know what to do with my hands. They folded in my lap, then flopped uselessly at my sides as I searched for a place to put them. Should I reach for Vincent’s? Did he want to kiss me again? I knew it was silly to wonder as he snuck glances at me, too.Where might that kiss lead once we made it through this evening? I was abuzz with anticipation.
His wind blew the blond strands of hair from my face, growing frustrated when it realized the rest of my hair was braided. I laughed as I toyed with the charm he had given me. It was what I needed, something to keep my thoughts from the heavier ones—the reason I’d got us invited to Pierce House to begin with, fulfilling my end of our stupid bargain.
Part of me knew if I said I didn’t want to search Darius’s office tonight, Vincent would let me off the hook. He’d say it wasn’t necessary, even though I was sure he wanted to write features as much as I wanted to run Cliff House Inn. My hand fell to my skirt, smoothing it. That wasn’t the only reason we had to do it.
If Darius wanted to mend things between us—if he wanted some semblance of a relationship—I needed to know who he was. Maybe I could ask him instead of sneaking into his office? I dismissed the thought. Inviting me to the house did not mean he would openly confess his sins. I had to know if he was trying to stop half-fae from learning magic. I couldn’t be part of his family if he were doing that.
