Combustion (9 page)

“These are beautiful.” Behind her, he ran his fingers down her spine, tracing the spiral of stars tattooed there.

“I thought it was appropriate. My name, and all that.” She opened the drawer, and he sat up to watch what she was doing.

Leaning over her, he peered into the mass of toys in the drawer. “A bit of a collector, are you?”

Astrid smiled. “I keep the originals.” A small decorative brass box in the back of the drawer held her pessary. As she lay back to slip the pessary inside herself, Eli began to poke around in the toy drawer. She let him. Even though he was clearly no stranger to a woman's body, felicitation devices were probably beyond his comfort zone.

When he continued to look through her toys, Astrid cleared her throat. “Are you almost finished?”

With a sheepish smile, he closed the drawer and rolled back over to her, making amends by kissing her again. She could kiss this man all day, and for the first time, felt a pang of regret that this was a one-night event. Where did that come from? Deliberately putting it out of her mind, she slid one hand down his back, guiding his body on top of hers. Without breaking their kiss, he settled himself between her open legs, rocking forward to rub against her.

Astrid gasped into his mouth. The hard grind of his shaft against her clit made her clench. She lifted her hips to him, wanting to feel that again. Eli broke the kiss to prop himself up on his elbows, holding his body above her, hesitating with his cock poised right at her entrance. Staring down into her eyes, he slid all the way inside.

They both groaned at the same time. He was just the right size, large enough that she felt stretched taut, the perfect length to bury himself completely to the hilt in her warmth. She could feel her muscles quivering around him, milking his cock, and he held himself all the way there for a moment, not moving, his breath coming short and fast as he rested his head against her neck. When he spoke, his rough voice broke. “I love the way you feel.”

His words made her spasm reflexively. After her recent orgasm, she felt so much more sensitive, and when he began to pull out of her, she could feel every inch of his hard cock moving inside her. She met him thrust for thrust, rocking her hips up, the angle pressing his body against her clit with each stroke. He didn't rush, fucking her as though they had all night, each push deep and hard and perfect.

Eli lowered his mouth to her breast and began to suck on her nipple, dragging it between his teeth as he pinched and pulled at the other nipple. Her body felt awash in pleasure. She could feel her pussy beginning to spasm erratically, her orgasm imminent, the heavy, throbbing anticipation turning her bones to liquid.

“Oh…. Oh, yes, right there…” He was hitting all the right spots, and she couldn't help crying out as he bit harder on her nipple. “Eli, I'm… I'm…”

When she came, her entire body convulsed so strongly that she arched up off the bed, both hands digging into his shoulders. Eli released her nipple with a gasp, her muscles clenching around him with a vise-like grip. He thrust hard, his hands tight on her hips, and exploded inside her with a groan. Through the haze, she could feel his entire body trembling as he emptied himself, flooding her with warmth. At last, he collapsed down on her, breathing heavily into her neck, his cock still buried inside her.

In the haze of afterglow, Astrid stroked Eli's hair, relishing his weight on top of her. He seemed in no hurry to move. She ran one hand down his back, feeling the strong muscles beneath the skin, and he shivered, dropping a light kiss on her neck. “Mmmmm. That feels nice.” With that, he rolled off her. Astrid sat up, her body feeling sluggish with pleasure. This part was always a little uncertain. To delay the awkwardness, she got out of bed to clean herself up.

When she returned, Eli had pulled his trousers back on and was lounging back on the bed, arms folded behind his head, looking sated. She sat down next to him. “That was fun.”

He smiled. “You know, it was. Maybe this was just the thing for us. Getting the tension out of our system and all that.”

“Of course.” Astrid looked past him at the wall, knowing exactly how counter-productive this night had been for her in that measure. Eli Rutledge was more firmly entrenched in her “system” than ever before. She wanted to lay him back down and fuck him again, wanted to hold him in her arms for the entire night. Putting those thoughts away, she turned instead to the question that had come up in her mind. “So who was she?”

Eli turned his head to look at her, eyebrows raised. “Who was who?”

Astrid settled down on her side next to him, propping herself up on her elbow. “The woman who taught you all that. You've never been to the Lahey Emporium, so it's probably not from a brothel, and nobody knows how to do those things without being taught.”

Eli looked away, all but confirming Astrid's suspicions. “I did see professional women, back when I was younger. Before I had a reputation to protect.”

Astrid was good at reading people, her line of work lending itself to observation. “That isn't everything, though.” When he continued to pause, she touched his arm. “You can tell me. It's all right.”

Eli stared up at the ceiling. “I was engaged once. To a woman named Mallory.”

The tangle of emotions inside Astrid was hard to tease apart. Curiosity, interest and a bit of jealousy, yes, but maybe something else, somewhere down inside. “What happened?”

“She ended it. I guess she never really wanted to marry me. Her family had been pushing her into the whole thing. They wanted the business connections and status that would come from marrying into Rutledge Handiworks.” He shrugged, the gesture awkward since he was lying on his back. “I thought she loved me. She loved parts of me, anyway.” He snorted in a self-deprecating way. “She never wanted to set a date for the wedding. Kept putting it off, putting it off, and finally, she told me she had no intention of marrying me.”

“So she led you on?” Astrid felt indignant on Eli's behalf. “What, did she fall in love with someone else?”

Eli continued to stare at the ceiling, arms folded behind his head, not answering. Had he not heard the question? Before she could ask again, though, he exhaled a long breath through his nose. “She said that no matter how well she taught me to fuck, I'd always be a stuck-up businessman like her father. And that's how it ended.” He looked over at her again. “It was a long time ago.”

“It still bothers you.” Astrid could see the tightness around his eyes.

Eli tipped his head to the side, noncommittal. “She was right, though. Mallory wanted a life full of adventure and excitement, and I'm none of those things. Women like that…” His voice trailed off as he searched for the right words, looking up to her ceiling again as he finished. “They don't want to be saddled down with watch salesmen.” His smile was self-deprecating, and he looked back into her eyes. “It's best for me that she left. At least I hadn't married her.”

Astrid hesitated, then leaned over and kissed him again. She wasn't sure why she was doing it, whether she needed to comfort him or herself. He kissed her back, tenderly, without heat. Pulling back, she absentmindedly ran a tongue over her bottom lip, and he watched her. Realizing what she was doing, she turned away and sat up.

Eli seemed to read her hesitation. “Do you want me to leave now?”

Astrid looked down at her own nakedness, self-conscious all of a sudden. “That was our deal, wasn't it?”

“Our deal was one night.” When he paused, Astrid looked over at him, and he was watching her. “I guess that's open to interpretation.”

Her heart fluttered with renewed hope, but that didn't have to mean anything. She just enjoyed fucking him. “I wouldn't mind if you stayed.”

Did he look so eager because he wanted sex again? Or was there something else in those eyes? “It
is
pretty late.”

“That's true.” Astrid paused, then lay back down beside him. His body was so firm and warm. Unable to resist, she slipped a hand down to his cock, which was already half-hard again.

Eli jumped. “What are you doing?”

She hesitated. “I thought if you were interested, I might want to get you out of my system again.”

When she met his eyes, he was smiling. Without answering, he pulled her on top of him and drew her mouth to his.

Josian's first letter arrived the following morning shortly after Eli left. She had been standing in the living room, staring at the closed door with a mixture of emotions, when a loud
thwump
behind her jolted her out of her reverie. Pulling the canister from its delivery tube, she noted the return address scrawled across the glass with a grease pencil. She unscrewed the canister and pulled out a piece of crisp lavender stationery.

My dearest Astrid—

I do hope you're doing well. We're all settled here in Mortonshire, at last. I always forget how gloomy it is until we're unpacked and the house is opened up, but now the sun is shining and I finally have a moment to write to you.

How are your plans for the World's Fair? Do you have an idea yet? The deadline is coming up so soon. I'm trying to convince Warren to return in time for opening night, but he has a cricket tournament scheduled for that same day and I doubt we will make it. Please don't be cross with me.

And speaking of being cross, please consider apologizing to Eli Rutledge. He has many connections in the business world, and it would not be advantageous to make him your adversary. I know you're proud, but the consequences could be far-reaching.

It's time for tea now, so I must go. Please write soon.

Yours, Josian

Astrid smiled at the paper before sitting down at the desk with her own plain stationery. She had to sweep aside some gears to make a place to write.

Dear Josian,

It's so nice to hear from you, as always. I hope you enjoy your time up at Mortonshire. Don't let Warren drag you to too many dull events, all right? It's your vacation as well.

I'm quite busy now with preparations for the World's Fair. I do have an idea, but I don't want to write much about it now. Let me just say that it's a much grander undertaking than I've ever anticipated.

Her pen hovered over the paper as she considered what to write regarding Eli Rutledge. Once upon a time, she would tell Josian everything. Now, though, with this stiffly formal method of communication, she felt a reluctance she wouldn't feel in person. Finally, she began writing again, keeping the subject of Eli brief.

Don't worry about Eli Rutledge. I've apologized.

Chapter Sixteen

They had arranged to meet just after noon on Sunday, but Eli arrived at their workshop an hour early with two large bags of supplies. He felt rested, finally, having caught up on the sleep he'd lost Friday night. Working in his shop on Saturday had been brutal, battling exhaustion while trying to look cheerful for customers after having gotten no sleep at all the previous night. He'd made himself go shopping late that night, though, wanting to surprise Astrid with the machinery they'd need to build their device.

Astrid. Eli paused in unpacking the supplies to think back on Friday night's encounter, reveling in the memory of her face as she came, the feel of her body beneath his. He had relived that night a dozen times in the intervening day since. What had he gotten himself into with her? He was sure one night had not been enough to dispel the tension between them. Previously, he had been able to put her from his mind, but now he couldn't stop thinking of her. Her scent was in his clothes and on his skin, his cock rising to attention at completely inopportune times during the workday. Despite his exhaustion, he had had to bring himself off when he got home in order to sleep.

He returned to unpacking supplies, smiling despite himself. Sleeping with Astrid may have been a bad decision, but he couldn't make himself regret it. At least he would have the memories, since he couldn't allow himself anything else. Girls like Astrid were adventurous, spirited, courageous, and eventually they would all grow tired of men like him.

“Hi.”

Her voice behind him made him jump, bumping the worktable where he'd arrayed all their equipment. Turning, he saw her standing in the doorway, looking hesitant. Had she spent the previous day questioning their night together? Regretting it? Did she wonder if
he
regretted it? He smiled, wanting to allay her fears. “I didn't even hear you come in.”

“I suppose the front door is pretty quiet.” She set her bags of tools down on the workbench. “What's all this?”

“I picked up a few things. Wanted to get here early and set up.”

“I guess we both had the same idea. Seems like you beat me.” Astrid began to poke through the gears Eli had set out on the table. “How did you know what to get?”

“I had to guess. I figure it's enough to get started.” Rubbing his beard, he wondered if he had been too presumptuous. “I thought it might be helpful.”

“I appreciate it.” She smiled up at him. “So where do we begin?”

He lost himself in the work at first. They'd decided to focus on the saddle, which involved so much labor that he could distract himself from her scent. Between the shaping, fastening and sanding, they worked well into the afternoon without making much discernible headway. They also worked in near silence. Was she feeling uncomfortable or just focusing on the work? Why was he even wondering? Their night was over. He wasn't going to bring it up again, and she certainly wouldn't.

When they took a break for lunch, Eli considered their progress. The saddle shape was coming together, albeit more slowly than he'd expected. Astrid was apparently thinking the same thing. “When do you think we'll get it finished?”

Eli leaned back on the worn sofa. “Later this week, maybe? We have enough time if we work diligently, I think. The Judges' Viewing is still almost three weeks away.”

Astrid tapped her fingertips against her lips in thought. Eli remembered the feeling of those lips against his and was overwhelmed by the urge to feel them against his again. What was wrong with him? He took a sip of water to hide the wave of emotions. Astrid seemed oblivious, staring off toward their workroom down the hall. “This is just the mock-up. Our final one is going to be made out of metal, not wood, so that might take even longer. All that soldering and welding. We should leave enough time for that.”

“But we'll have the mock-up to work from, so that will make things easier.” Eli imagined how it would look, picturing the finished design from their drawings. At the same time, he imagined her riding it the way she had ridden him their second time together, her head thrown back, crying out in pleasure.

Astrid finished her sandwich and tea. “Ready to get back to it?”

Eli nodded, setting his own trash aside, his pants uncomfortably tight. “Ready.”

By the time evening arrived, they had at least finished crafting the rough frame of the saddle. It was easy to lose track of time down there in the flat without windows. When he checked his watch at last, growing weary, he realized it was past six. He gestured to Astrid, who was working over the surface with a steam-powered sander, and asked if she was ready to wrap up for the evening.

“Almost. Let me finish this sanding.”

Eli ran a hand over the smooth surface. “We're covering it with leather, right? It doesn't need to be so smooth.”

Astrid brushed the hair out of her face and slid the goggles up her forehead into her hair. “I didn't think we'd cover it until it was finished. What with needing to drill holes in it and all that. I want it to be smooth before we start covering it, since we're going to need to test it for size.”

Eli cleared a spot on the worktable around the saddle and offered her his hand. “Climb up. Let's take a look.”

Astrid hesitated, then accepted his helping hand onto the workbench. After brushing the sawdust aside, she swung one leg over their base. Her skirt rode up on her thighs as she did so. Eli wondered if she was wearing any underthings.

Shifting slightly, Astrid frowned. “It's low.”

“You can sit down on it. You have to lower yourself down.”

She shook her head. “No, it should just fit when I kneel, I think. It would be even better if I couldn't quite reach, so my legs dangled a little. That way, all my weight would be on the device. Much better stimulation.”

That mental image was going to be the death of him. He swallowed and nodded, hoping she wouldn't notice.

Astrid swung her leg back over the saddle and climbed down. “We need to raise it up.”

“I suppose. You're the expert, after all.”

“It's going to be heavy.” She surveyed the device. “Maybe we should attach it to some kind of frame, so she doesn't have to put it on her table or her bed.” Astrid returned to their blueprints. “We don't want her to do the heavy lifting. It should be self-supporting.”

“All right.” Eli began to sketch legs on the drawing. “So she sits astride it?”

“Pads here and here.” Astrid took a pencil and drew them in. “That way she can let her legs hang or kneel on the pads, but either way, full penetration. The device does all the work.” She stifled a yawn. “I think you're right. Maybe we should wrap up for the evening.”

The night was cool but clear, and as they walked back to Astrid's flat, Eli admired the few stars visible above the glow of the city. She walked so close to him that he could feel the warmth of her body against his hip, and he wanted to wrap his arm around her waist but knew it was improper. These feelings were only because they'd been working so closely together that day. He hadn't been with a woman in too long, so Astrid was affecting him more than she normally would have.

At her door, Astrid extended her hand. “So Wednesday, then? Around ten a.m.?”

Eli kissed her hand, wishing again that he were going inside her flat. “Ten a.m.”