Page 88 of A Legacy of the Light

But he wants me. It’s written all over his face.

Do I want this?

YES! My body screams.

We’re alone, no one would know, the king would never find out.

So I tighten my hands on his waist, giving him my silent permission.

His grip at the back of my neck gets firmer and he angles my head further back. He’s centimeters from my lips and his heavy gaze never breaks from mine.

“WHAT IS THAT?!” I scream, throwing my arms and legs around Tavish. Something slimy has just wound through my legs and I cling to him like a koala in a tree.

He wraps his arms around my waist and laughs. “It’s just a fish, Elsie.”

“Oh.” My cheeks redden.

Tavish laughs and cups my cheek again, running his thumb over my wet skin, holding me while I calm myself.

“Do you want to let go of me now?” But he makes no move to release me.

My legs are firmly locked around his torso and one arm has a death grip across the back of his shoulders. I look back at Tavish and watch him observe how well we fit together.

My nipples tighten, and my blood thrums through my veins. I know he can hear how my body reacts to him. Part of me finds that horrifying. But another part, the horny one, is saying, “Yes, this is what you do to me.”

I clear my throat and try to disentangle myself from him. “Sorry about that,” I murmur.

His grip tightens around my waist. “Wouldn’t want those fish to get you.”

He walks toward the shore with me still wrapped around him, never taking his eyes off me.

“I can walk.”

Tavish ignores me and I rest my other hand on his shoulder. His skin is warm and soft underneath my palms. As the water gets shallower around us, the cold November air causes me to break out in goosebumps. I pull myself closer to Tavish, seeking his heat. A small smile tugs at one side of his mouth as I wrap both arms around his neck and press my chest into his.

He walks quickly to the fire, getting us close enough that I can feel the heat of the flames. He sets me down gently on my feet, bracing my waist with his hands, and squeezes once before letting me go and fetching me the blanket. I really try not to watch him as he walks the three feet to the log but I fail. Miserably. How can I not watch him after what just almost happened.

Tavish drapes the blanket around my shoulders and I pull it tighter.

“Thank you.”

He extends his hand and the white mist of his magic pours from his outstretched palm, creating what looks like a cloud floating a few feet off the ground.

“You’ll be warmer here,” he says and helps me onto the platform he created.

I can’t stop the small laugh from slipping past my lips.

“What?” he asks.

“I’m still getting used to the magic,” I tell him.

“It must be weird for you.”

“Yeah, it is. I kind of like it, though,” I reply, running my fingers through Tavish’s magic. “It feels like a cloud, but more solid. At least this is what I imagine a cloud to feel like,” I comment. It’s almost cold, in the way I imagine a cloud would be.

“I think that’s a compliment?”

“Is it?”