She tasted like honeysuckle and dew, sunlight and laughter. Rump deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers as he pulled her in tight against his body.
He realised that, for a moment, she was too shocked to do anything, then her hands slid into his hair, gently pulling at the strands as she rocked her body against his.
Desire spiked through his veins, burning him up as she wiggled, moaning against him. He sucked the sound down deep inside him, and it fuelled his lust. He backed her up against a wall, slanting his lips one way, then another, in an effort to get even closer to her.
Then all of a sudden those enchanting hands delicately tugging in his hair pulled with a swift painful yank, and he jerked his head back.
Essie stared up at him, her cheeks glowing, her eyes sparkling. She was shimmering all over, just as he realised he was.
‘We shouldn’t do this,’ she whispered. ‘It’s not…’ her voice trailed off, as though she’d lost her train of thought.
‘Nice?’ He suggested, grinning as he winked at her. She tugged on his hair again, harder. ‘Ow.’
‘No, that wasn’t nice,’ she muttered as she shoved him back, putting a little bit of magical zing behind her hands for good measure.
He stepped aside to let her pass, and it wasn’t until she’d walked down the hall and out of sight that he rubbed his chest. Ouch.
He’d kissed her to distract her, but he’d been the one totally mesmerised. Despite the little burning sensation on his skin he smiled. She’d kissed him back. Despite her bluster, there was still a spark between them. That was good. He could work with that, breathe life into that spark, turn it into a blaze.
Or burn out trying.
For all his time in Confinement, two things had gotten him through it; memories of the fair Esmerelda – and plans for revenge. He just hoped getting both didn’t turn out to be one and the same. He didn’t want to hurt Esmerelda, but if she’d betrayed him…
***
Gabe gritted his teeth as Bella made him raise his arm again. He wasn’t holding a weight, but his arm trembled as though he was carrying a load of bricks.
‘Okay, that’s good,’ Bella crooned in a husky voice. ‘And down. Great. One more time.’
‘No.’
‘Yes.’
‘No.’
‘You can do it, Gabriel. Once more. I know it hurts, I know it’s uncomfortable, but you’re doing great. Just think, if you keep this up, you’ll build up that muscle, wake up those nerves, and you can be rid of us physios, once and for all.’
And so he did it again. This was the pattern of their days. She pushed him beyond his pain barrier, he protested, and she ignored him and pushed him some more. Admittedly, overall he felt he was getting a little stronger, but he still woke up in pain, and she still had to spend some time on warming his muscles and pushing them back to where they were supposed to be. Bella had a way of calming him down, though; her determination was just the form of encouragement he needed.
‘Great. Good work, Gabriel.’
Such a simple statement, but one that gave him a sense of pride he was too shy to show.
‘Okay, so let me go get a heat pack, and we’ll relax those muscles. We’ve done some good work today, and I don’t want your muscles to spasm before this afternoon’s massage.’
His favourite part of the day, that massage. He watched as she left the room with the wheat bag. He liked her touching his body. Well, when she wasn’t trying to play macramé with his tendons, that is. She had amazing strength in her fingers, and yet could be so gentle, so soothing.
So lust-inspiring.
She hurried back into the room, her long braid falling over her shoulder as she grabbed a towel from the pile she’d placed on the side table. A dust cloud arose, and for a moment he was entranced by the sun glinting on dust motes so that it looked like a glittering shower.
Bella sneezed. ‘Oh, sorry,’ she muttered. She crossed over to him, wrapping the heat pack in the towel. ‘Okay, so lie down, make yourself comfortable.’
He did as instructed, and she placed the warmed towel against his skin. There was a little crackle, a pop, and they stared at each other in surprise.
His senses sharpened, his vision bowing and flexing in on itself before snapping back into a sharp clarity. As the warmth spread through his shoulder, his pulse began to pound in his ears, and lethargy stole over him, like a sensual cloud of relaxed need unfurling through his body.
Bella’s gazed dropped to his shoulder, and her fingers trailed from where they held the pack to his frame, across his torso so that she clutched both of his arms. Her breasts rose and fell beneath the soft cotton of her t-shirt. He’d wanted to touch that shirt so much, to run his hand over the swelling flesh beneath.
He raised his hand, and it was as though he was watching a scene from a movie, or having an almost out-of-body experience. Then he touched the shirt, and sensation rippled through him at the contact. Bella’s eyes widened, the dark pools of her pupils expanding, and she leaned in.
He ran his hand up over the top of her shirt, up and around to the nape of her neck, where he grasped her braid and tugged her head down to his. He kissed her, openly, wetly, his tongue sliding in to meet with hers. Her hands smoothed down his sides in a caress that was like flicking a match into dry scrub, and he surrendered to the conflagration of need that swept over him.
He pulled her body over his, exactly the way he’d fantasised for so many days now, but his daydreams were nowhere near the ecstasy of the reality. Again and again, his lips widened, devouring hers in a kiss that went from hello to carnal in a heartbeat.
His senses were on high alert. Her scent as he inhaled her essence into his body, fogging his mind, the whisper of their mingling breaths, the liquid hot taste of her mouth against his, the heat of her body as she arched her back, surrendering to their mutual arousal – and the unexpected chill that made the goosebumps rise on his skin.
A mighty crack of thunder blasted through the room, and the lamp bulb shattered on the table next to them. The windows swung inwards, banging against the wall, shattering.
Bella jerked away, startled, her eyes wide with desire, with surprise, with a slow building of awareness.
Wind tore through the room, the curtains billowing inward, flapping as though reaching out with phantom fingers toward them. Bella slid off him, and he let her go, slowly, his hands gliding down her arms as his gaze held hers. She was breathing as though she’d run a race, and he realised he was panting in sync. He had to clench his fists to stop himself from reaching out to her and pulling her down for another kiss – and more.
He forced his attention to the window – or what was left of it. He frowned. What the hell? The sky outside was dark, and the wind had picked up, the trees lining the drive were bending under the force of the gale. This morning had been so sunny, so warm, and now it seemed the temperature had dropped by several degrees, the weather turning on itself. Funny, he hadn’t heard anything about a storm.
The door burst open, and both Ellie and Ramsey bolted in, concern on their faces.
‘What happened?’ Ellie asked, and Ramsey strode over to the window, glass crunching under his boots.
‘Uh, I’m not sure,’ Bella said, flicking her braid over her shoulder, avoiding Gabriel’s gaze. ‘Everything just seemed to explode.’ Did frustration grip her body as it seemed to grip his? He just wanted everyone to go away so that he and Bella could resume what they’d been doing before Mother Nature had effectively cleared her throat. He loved the feel of her body against his, wanted to experience more of it.
Ramsey turned to survey the room, taking in the massage table, the towels, and the wrapped heat pack Gabriel held in his hands. ‘I see.’
Ellie folded her arms as she stared at her partner. ‘It appears we need to do some housekeeping.’
Ramsey nodded. ‘It would appear so.’
Gabriel glanced between the two. Ellie seemed to be annoyed with Ramsey, for some reason. ‘It’s just the wind,’ he told the older woman. Ellie smiled, and for a moment something teased at his memory, and his brow wrinkled. She seemed so familiar.
‘It’s fine. Ramsey and I will clean up this mess. Why don’t you two go sit in the living room – I’ve just laid out some morning tea there.’
The doorbell rang, and all four of them stood still for a moment. Gabriel shook his head. This house stood on a promontory, it was at the end of a road, and the closest neighbour lived one kilometre away, yet he still seemed to get far too many visitors.
‘I’ll get it.’ He brushed past Bella, and if he had to be honest, it was a blatant attempt to maintain contact with her.
He strode down the hallway, pursing his lips. He’d need to replace the windows. Before the shooting it wouldn’t have been a challenge. He’d just ring his glazier mate and install the glass himself. Now, though, with a bung shoulder, he’d have to pay someone to do the repairs for him – and that chafed.
He swung open the door with a little extra force, a frown on his face, ready to grouch away at whoever was selling something on his verandah. He startled the little old lady standing on his doorstep.
Her green eyes widened as she gazed up at him uncertainly.
And now he felt bad for frightening a little old lady. ‘Can I help you?’ he asked as gently as possibly in an effort to make up for his rudeness.
She smiled. ‘Oh, I hope so, sonny.’ Her voice was wavery and thin, and she leaned heavily on the walking stick in her right hand. ‘I’m looking for…oh, what do they call themselves?’ She raised her left hand to her lips as she frowned. ‘Oh, let me think. Essie? Ram? Rum? Oh, now wouldn’t that be lovely, right about now. Foul weather, this. Something to warm your insides.’
‘Oh my,’ Ellie’s voice trailed down the hallway, and Gabe heard her approach. ‘Misty?’
The old lady’s green eyes sparkled. ‘Oh, there, you are.’
‘What are you doing here?’
‘Do you know this woman?’ Gabe enquired.
‘Uh, yes. This is Misty. She’s my…’
‘Supervisor,’ the old woman interjected.
‘Client,’ Ellie corrected.
The old woman frowned. ‘I prefer the term supervisor.’
Ellie mouthed the word ‘crazy’ to Gabe, and reached out to grasp the old woman’s arm. ‘You poor dear, you’ve travelled so far – I wasn’t expecting you.’
Gabe stood aside as Ellie guided the woman into the house and down the hall to the kitchen.
‘Ramsey, you’ll never guess who stopped by for a visit,’ Ellie called out.
Ramsey clomped up the hallway and halted when he saw the visitor. He blinked, then squinted.
‘Misty?’
‘Oh, hello…Ramsey.’
Gabe noticed the slight hesitation over the name. The poor dear. She obviously had trouble remembering details.
Ellie smiled brightly at Gabe over the top of the older woman’s head. ‘You and Bella go on now, go have your morning tea. I’ll look after Misty.’
He nodded, then trooped down the hall to the living room. He guessed he could sit and have a cup of tea with Bella. He’d far prefer kissing her behind closed doors, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to get any privacy in his home any time soon.
***
‘What are you doing here?’ Esmerelda hissed at Mistyweather as soon as she bundled the other fairy into the kitchen. Rump closed the door behind them and leaned against the wood, folding his arms. ‘And why are you looking like that?’ she gestured up and down at the glamour the fairy had donned to fool the humans. ‘You look like you’ve just stepped out as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother.’
Mistyweather beamed. ‘I look great, don’t I? This is so much fun! No wonder you love your job. Oh, I love what you’re wearing. Not doing the eccentric aunt look, I see. I guess that’s so Gabriel doesn’t recognise you?’
‘Of course. Now, what are you doing here?’
‘Oh, I’m here on duty.’
‘Duty?’ Rump repeated, hiding a smile behind his palm as he rubbed his chin.
‘Yes, I’m a cadet, now.’
Esmerelda’s jaw dropped. ‘When did that happen?’ And how? Mistyweather couldn’t paint dew without flooding the Enchanted Forest. How on earth was she going to make it as a F.G.E. cadet?
‘Oh, just recently. The G.F.C. approved me herself,’ Misty said proudly. ‘Look, she even gave me a badge.’ Misty’s glamour blurred, and Esmerelda gaped at the bright, shiny badge Misty wore on her green gown. She didn’t have a badge, how did Misty get one? Apparently she still had a considerable way to go in order to get back into Matilda’s good graces.
‘So why are you here? In this fairy tale?’
‘Oh, this is so exciting,’ Misty said, waving a hand, and Esmerelda choked at the puff of fairy dust that fluttered over them. Misty jumped up and sat on the bench, crossing her legs as she settled in for a good gossip.
Rump coughed, and Esmerelda glared at his shaking shoulders as he bit his lip. He was laughing, damn it.
‘There have been rumours flying round about a rebellion, and dark powers are rising.’
Rump’s shoulders stopped shaking.
Esmerelda frowned. ‘We’ve already had a rebellion, remember? Well, not really a rebellion, as such,’ she corrected herself. The Fairy Isle was once a kingdom, the crown passing down the male line, until Matilda had successfully challenged the crown as a princess. She’d then orchestrated a referendum into converting the Fairy Isle into a republic, to give the crown back to the people, only she’d been stunned when they’d voted her in as the Grand Fairy Coordinator. So, as a rebellion it had been really quite polite and civilised.
‘No, this is even bigger than the referendum,’ Misty said, her eyes wide. ‘The dwarfs have noticed stores of gold have been stolen, and the assumption is it’s to pay for an army. That, and the stench of dark powers is rising.’ Misty shuddered, and rubbed her arms, glancing around the kitchen. ‘This place has a chill,’ she remarked.
‘Why did you need to search us out?’ Rump asked, moving away from the door to grab a chair at the kitchen table. He pulled it out and straddled it, resting his arms along the back.
‘Oh, the G.F.C. thought you might need some help.’
There was silence in the small room for a moment.
Rump cocked an eyebrow. ‘And she sent you?’
Esmerelda folded her arms. She’d lost the trust of the G.F.C. Matilda had sent a rookie to help them.
‘Uh-huh.’
‘But this is just a babysitting assignment,’ Esmerelda said, shooting a dark look at Rump. ‘We’re only here to monitor, not engage.’
Misty shook her head. ‘Not anymore. The G.F.C. can sense something dark here, and I did, too, on approach.’
Esmerelda shot a quick glance at Rump. She’d sensed something, but…well, darn. He’d distracted her. His expression became shuttered, and a sharp pain bloomed inside her. He knew. He knew something was going on, and he’d hidden it from her. He’d betrayed her – again.
She turned back to Misty. ‘And what does the G.F.C. want us to do?’
Misty looked at her as though the answer was obvious. ‘She’s given us a Watch and Act alert.’
A headache bloomed behind Esmerelda’s right eye. A ‘Watch and Act’ alert was serious. Not a Watch and Learn alert. Or a Watch and Report. No, a Watch and Act meant that if Matilda’s suspicions proved correct, and dark forces were marshalling to take over the Republic, then she, Misty and Rump may very well have to take action against a dark army – and possibly start a war in the process.
And her backup in this mission was an accident-prone fairy and an imp she couldn’t trust.