Page 40 of Magic Touch
"You learn very quickly. In three weeks, you have managed fire, water, air, and earth spells." She blows out the candle then fans herself. "It's hot. I'm going for a walk by the pond. Perhaps there's a breeze to be had somewhere."
Doubting there is, I fall into step beside her. "Summer in the country is more pleasant than the city, but it's still hot."
"Indeed." She lifts the curls at the back of her neck and turns her back to the slight breeze from the south. "It's better out here."
"The stillroom is quite close. Do you think it's safe to move our work to the parlor, or perhaps we should wake earlier and do magics before the heat of the day?" The pond ripples, and while the breeze is fine, I long to jump into the water.
Simon runs across the grass to the edge of the pond and laps the water.
Kneeling next to him, I don't care that my knees are getting wet and probably muddy. I cup some water and drink. Scooping a handful, I rise and offer it to Esme.
She stares a moment. The fire returns to her eyes like green flames. Dipping her head, but not taking her gaze from mine, she sips from my hand. "Thank you."
My heart is pounding, and blood rushes through my ears. Blood rushes to lower regions as well. I pull back. "I'm thinking a swim might be the only way to cool off."
"A swim?" Her pretty mouth drops open.
"Can't you swim?" I ask.
She grips her elbows and steps back. "Whether or not I can swim is not the issue. We cannot swim together."
Moving so close only a sliver of light separates us, I whisper. "Esme, if I don't cool off, I'm going to ravage you right here on this slope of grass." I draw back. "I'll teach you to swim."
"I have nothing to swim in." She's in a light blue day dress and still wearing an apron.
"Just take off the apron and your shoes and wade in." I pull off my boots, stockings, and coat. "If it were night, we could strip down and just jump in as God intended."
"William!"
Amused, I offer my hand. "You should learn to swim."
"I never said I can't swim." She cocks her head and stares at me.
Hadn't she? "I heard you. I asked if you can swim, and I heard no."
"I never said that." She takes a step away from me.
I'm revisiting the exact conversation. "No. You didn't say it, yet I heard it loudly in my head. I heard you, and I felt the fear you have of the water. No. Not of the water, but of drowning."
Information poured out of her head and flooded into mine. Now her fear shifts to me. She's afraid of me? Afraid of what I might become and that it would be her fault.
"Stop it!" She pushes the center of my chest so hard I stumble back.
Shaking my head, I brush aside the flow of emotions not my own. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. All of a sudden, I could hear you, and it was difficult not to listen. It was rude. I realize that. I'm sorry to have made you uncomfortable."
Esme stares at me for a long moment. "You are never to invade another person’s thoughts without permission unless it's an emergency.”
"It was not something I made an effort at. It was more like a door opened, and I loitered in quite by accident. I apologize." This magic has put a wall up between us, and I want to take every second of the past few minutes back.
Sweat drenches my shirt, running in rivulets down my back, and my desire for her has made me uncomfortably hard. "I'm still going in the pond. Join me?" I hold out my hand.
She shakes her head and sits in the grass where she removes her shoes and stockings.
The sight of her bare calves is too much. Turning, I jump into the pond. It's nice and deep, and within a couple of feet, I can no longer touch the bottom. The cool water is heavenly in the unbearable heat. I swim to the opposite side and let my feet touch the soft bottom.
When I turn, Esme is standing with her feet in the water. She has wrapped her skirt around her arm, so her legs are visible to the knee. She's shapely and beautiful and there is no way for me to stop this burning attraction. Honestly, I don't want to stop.
"Have you changed your mind about a swimming lesson?" I roll to my back and slowly float in her direction.
