Combustion (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cecily seemed to understand that something had changed, even though Astrid hadn't told her anything yet. From the moment she walked into the flat that Saturday morning, she'd been watching Astrid with curious intensity. Ostensibly, she was there to look at the new toys, and when Astrid brought them out, she couldn't praise them enough.

“Astrid, these are wonderful. Exactly what I was looking for.” She flicked the switches on each toy in turn, first the smaller one, then the larger one with the curve. Astrid could feel herself beaming. It had taken a long time to shape the brass properly, hours spent over the flame, molding the casing and polishing it by hand. Her friendship with Cecily aside, it was nice to hear positive words about her work.

After setting the toys aside, Cecily pulled Astrid into a hug. “You've done a lovely job. Thank you for all your hard work this week.” Pulling back slightly, she met Astrid's gaze, finally addressing the unspoken topic. “So what's happened between you and Eli?”

Astrid extricated herself from the hug, not sure how to explain what had changed, if anything. “I don't know. There was an incident.” What a strange way to describe their intense sex on the workroom sofa. “I'm not sure what to think. I don't think I really want to talk about it.”

Cecily's smile was almost pitying. “You know, dear, I'm here for you if you need anything. All right?”

“All right.” Relieved not to have to discuss him further, Astrid sank down on the sofa. “I'm glad you like the toys.”

Cecily responded immediately to the change of subject. “Yes, they're perfect. And that's something I'd like to talk with you about.” She sat down next to Astrid. “Would you be interested in a permanent contract position with the Lahey Emporium?”

Astrid's brows knit. What was Cecily asking her? “In what way?”

“Making toys. These, and others. I could pay you a hundred pounds per month, plus all cost for materials.”

Astrid felt a rush of adrenaline, her entire body suddenly hot. “A hundred pounds?” That was enough to pay her rent, plus many of her expenses. She barely made that from her existing contracts. “Cecily, that's brilliant. I don't know what to say.”

“So you'll accept? Say you'll accept.” Cecily took both Astrid's hands in hers, her eyes bright.

“Of course I'll accept.” She welcomed Cecily's hug, feeling both light and dizzy at once. A hundred pounds for one contract? Suddenly her financial concerns didn't seem so bad.

When Cecily drew back, her face was alight. She seemed every bit as happy with the arrangement as Astrid. “So maybe you don't need the World's Fair project anymore.”

Wait, what? Astrid felt her smile falter. She opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it again, not sure exactly what to say. Cecily was right. The World's Fair project with Eli was a desperate attempt to make money, money she no longer needed.

But what about Eli? They had a partnership. Except he already had a business. He didn't really need the World's Fair, either. If they ended things now, they could both walk away with no further entanglements.

So why was she so reluctant to agree with Cecily?

Reading Astrid's facial expression, Cecily nodded. “It's all right. Only a suggestion. The World's Fair will be over next month anyway, right?”

“Right.” Astrid sighed. “I guess none of this will matter in a few weeks.”

“Would you like to get started right away? I'll want one of everything for starters, and then ten more of each of these.” Cecily tapped the toys resting on the table. “I don't know how long that will take.”

“One of everything?” Astrid tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked over at the dozen or so items in her display case. These were all familiar builds to her, so it wouldn't take very long. “I imagine I can have that for you inside of about two weeks. The new ones, though, those will take longer. I imagine about a month, maybe three weeks, after I finish the first order.”

“That seems fine.” From her purse, Cecily produced a stack of ten-pound notes and counted them out into Astrid's hand. Each crisp bill made her heart beat faster. “You can invoice me for materials costs at the end of each month. One of everything first. All right?”

“All right.”

Cecily opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated. Finally, she said, “Astrid, do you want me to stay?”

Astrid looked at her lovely face, her kind eyes, her warm smile. This woman was her closest friend at the moment. With a word, she could have Cecily in her arms again, in her bed, making love to her with lips and tongue until neither of them could think. It was tempting, but something had changed inside her, and she knew she didn't want to be distracted tonight. She had a lot of thinking to do.

“I think I'd like to be alone. I'm sorry.”

Cecily smiled. “I thought you might say that.” She kissed Astrid, then stood. “When can I see you again?”

Astrid paused. “Maybe next week? I need some time to think.”

“Of course. Just drop me a line.” With a swirl of skirts, she was gone.

After she left, Astrid leaned her back against the door and closed her eyes.

A noise from the back of the flat made her open them. A glass canister rested in the delivery tube, bearing another letter from Josian. In the three weeks she'd been gone, Josian had written every few days. Each reply Astrid had sent was perfunctory, friendly without being intimate, leaving out most of the details of her life. She'd confessed to partnering up with Eli for the World's Fair, but not to the nature of their relationship, nor any information about Cecily. It had all happened so quickly; she could hardly believe this was her life now. How was she supposed to describe it to Josian when she couldn't make sense of it herself?

Different paths stretched out in front of her. Without worrying exactly about how she was going to pay her bills next month, she was faced with the far more difficult question she'd been avoiding all along. What did she really want?

Turning her back on the question, she went to read Josian's letter.

Chapter Twenty-Four

When Eli arrived at the workshop Sunday morning, he wasn't surprised to be the first one there. He had taken to arriving earlier and earlier each time they worked, wanting more time without Astrid's distracting presence. They were almost finished, and he couldn't afford to keep getting sidetracked. Lighting the lamps, he settled right in to work assembling the rest of the gear housing.

Morning stretched on, though, and Astrid didn't arrive. He didn't notice at first, focused entirely on his work. When he took a break for a drink, he realized he was still alone in the shop. A quick check of his pocket watch revealed that she was more than two hours late. Had something happened to her?

As if she knew he was beginning to worry, she finally appeared in the doorway, looking breathless. “'Lo. I'm sorry I'm late.”

Eli wiped sweat from his brow with a rolled-up shirtsleeve. He couldn't identify the emotion in her eyes. “What's wrong, Astrid?”

She looked down at the floor, then back up at him. “Maybe we should give up on this.”

“What?” Eli put down the spanner he was holding. “You're kidding, right? We've been working on this for weeks. The Judges' Viewing is less than a week away. You can't give up now.”

Walking into the workroom, she looked around as if seeing it all for the first time. She pushed herself up onto the worktable, her legs dangling. “Cecily offered me a permanent contract position making toys for the Lahey Emporium. I took it.”

Eli scratched his beard. “I don't understand. She said you had to stop working on this? Was that a condition of the offer?”

“No, it's just that… Well, I don't need the money anymore, and we've been having such a difficult time with each other lately. If we gave up now, I could save you the hassle of putting up with me.” Her smile didn't reach her eyes.

None of this made sense. This was her dream, winning the World's Fair, opening her shop. “How much is she paying you? If you don't mind me asking.”

“A hundred pounds a month.” She spread her hands, palm up, and gave a small shrug. “It's enough to pay my bills and a little extra, plus she's covering material costs.”

“That's not enough to open your shop, though. You'd need World's Fair winnings to do that.” Why was she giving up on her dream? Was he so unpleasant to work with?

“Maybe I don't really need a shop. Maybe I can just keep working from my house. This—you and me—this is all ridiculous, right? It's a pipe dream. The Ossy can't win the World's Fair.” She looked down at the floor again.

Watching her lose faith like this stirred something inside him, and before he knew it, he was sitting on the bench in front of her and looking up into her eyes. “Astrid, please don't give up. We're almost finished. Let's see this through.” He took her hands, noticing how small they felt in his, small but strong. “If this is about last week, I'm sorry. I can stay away from you if it helps. But the World's Fair is important to you. To us. Will you stick with it, for me? I think we have a chance.”

She met his gaze, and the vulnerability in her look surprised him. She always seemed so strong, and her weakness brought forth a tenderness in him that he didn't fully understand. If she were like this all the time, vulnerable and willing to confide in him, he knew he could fall in love with her. If she loved him back, he could risk it. The thought was dizzying, and he couldn't deal with it right then.

At last, she nodded. “All right. I suppose we can keep going.” With a deep breath, she pushed herself to her feet and began rolling up the sleeves on her blouse. “So what's next?”

For the next hours, they completed the final steps of assembling the Ossy. Working together had never seemed so effortless; they built in perfect complement to each other, motions nearly in sync, their one goal uniting them. He found himself wondering what it would be like to work with her like this all the time. She built with the same methodical precision he prized. Her attention to detail rivaled nothing. He watched her fasten each component with precise tensioning, bent over the control panel, her hair occasionally falling across her brow. When she caught him staring, she smiled, and he went back to work feeling disarmed.

Hours later, Eli soldered the final connection in place, attaching the control panel while Astrid screwed the shaft into its housing. They finished at about the same time, looked at each other, then back at the machine.

“I think that's it, then.” He stepped back to admire their creation.

The Ossy was beautiful, if he did say so himself. Brass piping supported the entire structure. The saddle was covered with sleek red leather and all the vibrating implements were in place. The machine was shining and polished and ready to be displayed at the World's Fair. He knew he was beaming, and when Astrid stepped back to look as well, he could see her face glow with pride.

“It's lovely.” She ran her hand across the saddle, touched the brass rivets holding the leather in place, grasped the shaft in a decidedly inappropriate way. With each twist of a dial, she tested the components, and when everything had passed muster, she turned to Eli and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you. I can't believe it's finished.”

He held her close against him, some emotion blocking his throat. Pride? Exhaustion? Tenderness? Something more? Whatever it was, she didn't seem to notice, and soon pulled away to begin making plans for transporting the Ossy to the Judges' Viewing the following weekend. He could still feel her warm body pressed against him even after she had walked away, and it took a moment to bring his mind back to the present and start planning with Astrid. With a task to complete, he was able to set his emotions aside, but still they lingered at the back of his mind.

Falling in love with Astrid was a terrible idea. Now he needed to find a way to stop it from happening.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The day dawned brightly, an auspicious omen if Astrid were the sort to believe in omens. With the sun shining on the back of her neck, she waited outside the train station for Eli to arrive with the Ossy. Feeling a bit self-conscious, she looked down at her traditional attire, her bustled skirt and short-waisted jacket. He might not even recognize her.

When she looked up, a giant wooden crate on a motorized dolly was making its way across the street toward her, a pair of feet barely visible behind it. Eli peered around the crate with a smile as he pulled up alongside her. The flutter in her chest was undoubtedly nerves about the Judges' Viewing, and not because she hadn't seen him in a week and had missed him. She was going to stick to that story.

He looked her up and down. “Look at you! You're like a proper woman.”

“Very nice, you bastard.” She felt too nervous to be upset by his sarcasm. “Are you ready for this?”

“Of course I'm ready. We're going to be brilliant.” He flashed her another smile.

Was he only trying to reassure her, or did he really believe that? His confidence made her more apprehensive, but the train roared into the station with a great screech of brakes and a billow of steam, and any comments she would have made were drowned in the sudden commotion. When Eli began guiding the dolly forward onto the train, she could do nothing but follow behind him, fear blossoming inside her.

The Judges' Viewing was being held at the fairgrounds, which she had yet to see. Outside the windows, the town whizzed past her, a blur of skyscrapers and tenements and distant skyline, and Eli's leg pressed against hers with a comforting warmth. They had squeezed the Ossy's crate into the storage space behind them and it loomed at the edges of her peripheral vision, a reminder of their train ride's purpose.

After a few minutes of silence, during which they both stared out the window, Astrid broached the thought that had been on her mind all day. “I think you should be ready for what we might face in there.”

Eli shrugged. “This is my third World's Fair. It's the Judges' Viewing. We'll have a closed booth, like all the other participants, and the judges will come in as a group. They'll ask us some questions and mark things down, and then they'll leave. When they finish, they'll tell me where my booth will be for the Fair.” He shrugged. “I'm not sure what else you mean.”

Of course that would have been his experience exhibiting his work to others. She almost pitied him. “The Fair judges are old-fashioned. I don't know how they're going to feel about the Ossy.”

“Oh, is that what you're worried about?” He patted her hand. “Astrid, I'm a member of the London Business Council. I have some influence in this community. I have a good reputation, and I'm sure that will be enough to overcome any reluctance on the judges' part.”

He seemed so sure; she didn't want to dissuade him. As the train roared on to their destination, though, she remained full of doubt.

The site of the fairgrounds was a ten-acre plot of land on the outskirts of Yorkdam, at the edge of the West Chester moors, one of the only places where so much free land could still be found in Brittania. Astrid rarely traveled this far from home, and when she stepped off the train car, the scent of the air was so different that she just stood, breathing, while Eli unloaded the Ossy. Shaking herself back to awareness, she helped him fire up the dolly's engine. As they stepped out behind the train station, she glimpsed the fairgrounds for the first time.

As far as she could see, booths and brightly colored banners stretched out across what had previously been open countryside. Giant flags of red and blue snapped in the wind. Over the arched entrance, an immense banner announced the Fair. She and Eli pushed the Ossy through that arch, Astrid unable to absorb all the sights at once. Steam engines whirred right inside the main gates, sending power through giant looping cables that ran out and along the paths, which were lined with old-fashioned wooden booths waiting for the businesses that would soon set up shop here. Two men were inflating a large balloon that could be a zeppelin or a dirigible, muscles straining against shirtsleeves as they turned cranks and hauled the support ropes into place. Many men were swinging sledgehammers, driving tent pegs into the earth, raising canvas monstrosities between the booths for central exhibits. Everywhere, young boys were running at full sprint between work stations, carrying armfuls of pipes, stakes, rope or fabric. And on all sides of them, accompanying them down the main path, were hundreds of other hopeful inventors pushing large crates or toting bundles wrapped in cloth.

The throng moved as one toward the administrative offices, hub of the Judges' Viewing area. A full-bearded official, who seemed mostly occupied by shouting instructions to the crowd at large, finally took a break from shouting to find their name on a master roster and thrust a ticket into Eli's hand. Astrid felt dizzy from the commotion as they were ushered down a narrow path to one of hundreds of tiny booths closed off with canvas hangings. Eli lifted the heavy front flap and pushed the Ossy inside.

The small booth was warm and smelled like hay. Astrid flicked a switch to the one lamp hanging in the corner, flooding the space with yellow light.

Eli read from the ticket they'd been given. “Shit.”

“What?”

He tapped the ticket. “So much for my council position getting us an advantage. We're not scheduled for our viewing for another hour and a half.”

Taking the ticket from him, she saw the time written clearly on the dotted line. She set it aside on top of the crate. “Well, it could be worse, right? There are some people who'll probably be here all day. Let's get the Ossy unpacked.”

Together, they unfastened the walls of their packing crate and began setting up the Ossy. It conveniently broke down into three parts, and assembling it took fifteen minutes of their hour and a half wait. Afterward, they had nothing to do but sit and be thankful that the Fair Committee had at least given them chairs.

In the dim, slightly cramped interior of the booth, Eli seemed to take up more than his share of space. Perhaps it was the fact that the Ossy took up half the room, but he still was so close she could smell his cologne, which reminded her of the smell of his naked skin.

This was not a path down which she should continue. The room was already too warm, and thinking about Eli's body against hers was making her hotter. If she began fanning herself, would it be too obvious? She unfastened the buttons of her jacket and hung the offending article over the back of the chair, noticing Eli's eyes travel to her breasts lifted by her underbust corset, pressing against the buttons of her blouse. When propriety dictated he should look away, he did not. His tongue barely brushed against his bottom lip as he ogled her.

“Can I help you?”

Eli nodded without apology, his eyes finally moving up to meet hers. “You know, Astrid, I think we've made a misstep.”

Unease washed over her. “What do you mean?”

Getting up, he patted the Ossy, his hand lingering on the saddle, where the shaft was hidden down out of sight. “We never tested the finished machine.”

Wait, was he suggesting what she thought he was suggesting?

Reading the expression on her face, he smiled, mischief sparkling in his eyes. He tugged her to her feet, pulling her against him, one large hand sliding to the center of her back. “We're all alone, Astrid. Are you feeling naughty?”

Was he serious? She thought back to the Eli from a few weeks ago, the one who had shied away from any contact with her. That Eli would never have suggested fooling around in this very public place. “Here? Eli, anyone could come in.”

“No they won't. I've done this before. We'll be in here for an hour, at least. Plenty of time.”

“They'll hear the machine.”

“Of course they will. It's a World's Fair, machines are running everywhere. What do you say?” Not waiting for a response, he dipped his mouth down to hers, and thinking became exponentially more difficult. He tasted good, like rich coffee. The languid precision of his kiss made her body feel boneless and unsteady, and she clung to him to keep her balance, returning the kiss with her own intensity. When she drew his lower lip between her teeth, he rewarded her with a low moan.

She bumped into the Ossy. He'd backed her right up to the machine. Pulling back, he looked down at her with heavy-lidded eyes. “I want to watch you come.”

Both hands went up to cup her breasts. She gasped, arousal rushing through her like fire. His thumbs against her nipples, even through the material of her blouse, teased them into taut peaks immediately. She could feel how wet she'd already become. The machine felt solid against her back, a delectable temptation of immediate, overwhelming pleasure. And to have Eli watching her the whole time? A shiver ran down her spine.

“They'll know.” Her protest sounded breathy and weak, but she was smiling now.

“No one will know.” He smiled back, and it was obvious that he knew he'd won. He kissed her lips again. “Come on.”

Her hands trembled as she folded down the knee rests they'd installed on each side of the saddle. Padded and covered with red leather, they would hold her at the perfect height above the Ossy. Eli nudged a low latch with his foot, and two steps folded down with a rattle and fell into place, like on a stagecoach. Holding Eli's hand for support, she stepped up and knelt over the saddle, settling into place. The leather felt cool against her overheated cleft.

“No underthings again? Even today?”

Astrid flashed him a cheeky smile. “Never.”

The control panel in front of her displayed a series of knobs and dials to control the various components of the Ossy. She licked her lips, adjusting the settings to her preference. Her skirts fell over the tops of her thighs, hiding the most intimate details from Eli, who was looking at her as if he wanted to devour her whole. He stepped right up to the front of the Ossy, his body mere inches from hers, and kissed her again.

With a start, she felt something give way. She pulled away from Eli and cried out in surprise as her body dropped harder onto the saddle, the knee pads suddenly a few inches lower than they had been. Eli was grinning at her, his eyes alight. “Can't have you getting away, can we?” He flipped the switches on the machine, and it whirred immediately into life.

A strangled gasp slipped from her mouth as the ridge beneath her clit began vibrating, the intensity rendering her speechless. Then, she felt the shaft parting her folds, penetrating her with ruthless consistency, delving deeper and deeper until she thought it was going to split her open, then withdrawing at the same torturously slow pace. Her hands fluttered down to her thighs, digging into the material of her skirt, needing to hold on to something.

“Faster?” Eli's voice was a low rumble in her ears.

She nodded, eyes closed to better enjoy the sensations. The dial clicked and the shaft speed doubled. She held back a whimper.

“Open your eyes, Astrid. I want to watch you.”

Eli stood in front of her, his eyes dark and hooded, watching her as she was relentlessly fucked by the machine. His eyes never leaving hers, he turned the intensity of the vibrator up higher on the dial. She gasped. Already she could feel the crescendo of arousal building, building, faster than it ever had before. It was too intense, and she tried to shift back away from the vibrations, but that only served to seat her more firmly on the shaft, which was filling her over and over again. There was no way to escape the pleasure rippling through her in ever-increasing waves.

“That's right. Give in to it.” Eli unfastened his trousers and freed his cock, already rock-hard and straining. She couldn't take her eyes away as he wrapped his hand around it and began to stroke. “Do you like to watch me too?”

The eroticism of the situation left her breathless. Was this how he felt watching her?

A sudden spasm wrung a low moan out of her, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. Eli smiled, continuing to stroke himself. “Quiet, now. Don't want anyone else to hear you. Can you do that? Can you come without making a sound?”

His low, husky voice made her shiver. Her pussy clenched involuntarily around the shaft, its firm, unyielding surface still thrusting into her. She could barely think, could focus on nothing but the sight of Eli rubbing his dick and the intensity building between her legs. Both hands went to her own breasts, cupping them, squeezing the nipples, desperate for the extra stimulation. Eli groaned low, breathless.

“Fuck, Astrid, you're going to kill me.” He sank into a chair, his hand moving faster over his erection, still watching her.

Astrid could feel herself reaching the point of no return, that inexorable climb toward orgasm. Tight spirals of pleasure built low inside her. She pressed her lips together, willing herself not to cry out as the vibrator teased her clit and the shaft plunged into her again and again. In the last moments before she came, she looked over at Eli, saw his eyes intent, mouth slightly agape, as his hand worked furiously over his cock.

And then she came, pleasure roaring through her body with such intensity that she thought she might pass out, and she held her breath, trying not to make a noise. The Ossy was merciless, the vibrator continuing to buzz away against her overly sensitive clit, the shaft still thrusting at its punishing pace. Before she could regain presence of mind to switch it off, she felt herself peaking again.

Eli gave a soft groan next to her, and she looked over just as he threw his head back and came, hips thrusting upward into thin air as he reached his own release. As she watched him ride out his own pleasure, her second climax came headlong on the heels of her first, making the world dissolve around her.

Coming back to herself, gasping from lack of oxygen, she swatted at the controls and brought the machine to a stop. She collapsed forward, panting, still throbbing. After a moment, Eli was there beside her, somehow already composed, lifting her off the machine as if she were weightless. He set her down gingerly in his chair and began cleaning the Ossy.