“That’s my girl,” Dirk praises, winking at me.
Reticent, I allow him to pull me past Malik toward the front of Alkemi, but I can’t resist a glance over my shoulder to see if Malik opens all the boxes that arrived yesterday. It’s so much product, and he’ll have to put it all away himself. But?—
“Stop worrying over Malik,” Dirk whispers in my ear the moment we get outside the potions shop. “He had no helper at all before you, Louanna. He’ll be fine until tomorrow.”
I pull my fingers from his grip and cross my arms. “What is this proposition you’ve got for me?” I look way up into his bright eyes, trying not to get distracted by the flashes of lightning that spark over his skin.
“Yeh’re staring at my body, Louanna,” he murmurs. “Would you like tae touch it?”
Heat flares through me, my cheeks heating. Gods, they must be pink as shit. Whenever Dirk talks dirty to me, I blush, and then I resist the urge to tug at my collar. He’d just smirk and keep doing it.
We’re in a weird place. He’s always made his interest in me known. And gods know I’m attracted to him. But apart from the random touches and innuendo, he’s never actually attempted to kiss me. So I guess we’re super flirty friends? Maybe that’s fine.
Dirk jerks his head toward the treetops. “I’d like to take yeh flying, Louanna. How do yeh feel about that? I’ll take another date tomorrow, as well, now that we’re discussing it.”
I snort at his presumptiveness. “Why are all the men around me constantly trying to fly me places?”
His grin grows impossibly big until he looks like a shark. Pressing forward, he brings his lips to my ear and nuzzles the curved edge.
“Perhaps we all want to touch that beautiful body, love. To feel those thighs wrapped around us. To be close enough to scent yeh. I know that’s what I want.”
Without thinking, I reach up to place my palm on his shoulder. At the last minute, I worry about the lightning—it’s a deadly elemental weapon that can flatten buildings and flood towns—but when I touch his skin, it zips toward me and sunbursts away from my palm.
Fascinated, I remove my hand, and his lightning goes back to normal. I’ll admit I’ve stared at him long enough to know there’s actually a pattern to it, kind of like how Minnie’s fire runs underneath her fur in rivulets.
Curiosity gets the better of me, so I place my hand in a different spot on his trap muscle. Just like before, his lightning redirects to gather under my palm, then bursts outward, zipping its way over his skin.
“No shock.”
He straightens enough to look at me. “I would never shock yeh, Louanna.” He winks. “Unless yeh wanted me tae do it, o’ course, in a sexy way.”
I cock my head to the side. “If I wanted you to? So…you’re like a giant vibrator? Is that what you’re saying?
He laughs and slings an arm around my waist, pulling me close. Immediately, tiny tingles of electricity kiss my skin, pebbling my nipples as Dirk grins like the heathen he is.
“Exactly, Louanna,” he whispers. “Don’t tell me a little tingle doesn’t fascinate yeh.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him he has no idea what fascinates me, but that’s probably not true. Since the day I arrived, he’s been a steady, near constant presence by my side.
And, without meaning to, I’ve become accustomed to that.
I resist the urge to rub at my hard nipples. And I definitely ignore the wetness between my thighs. I’ve been reading up on sylphs at the historical society. Dirk likely has above-average senses of smell and sight, part of what makes him a great hunter for the monster world’s governing body, Hearth HQ. Most elementals are solitary, unfriendly and they can be dangerous.
I never could resist a red flag. Or a blue one, I suppose.
“Okay, I’ll go.”
Dirk’s hand slides up my back until he can grip my neck possessively, pulling my body tightly to his. “I’ve got some fun planned, Louanna. Are you ready?”
Yes.
No.
Sudden worry hits me like a lightning bolt. “You won’t drop me, right?” It’s an irrational fear—of course he won’t—but it still overwhelms me every time I think about flying. Malik’s vest has a handle on the back. That feels safe. I’ve seen Dirk become his element. There’s no corporeal body left. Nothing to hold on to.
Dirk presses a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ll never drop yeh, Louanna. I will never, ever let you fall.”
Joke’s on him though, because I’ve already fallen as far as a person can possibly go.
