elemental 01 - whirlwind (10 page)
Read elemental 01 - whirlwind Online
Authors: larissa ladd
Aira looked in the direction he had pointed and saw that, just like the door, it was smoldering wreckage. She nodded, satisfied.
“We could have handled ourselves, you know.” She said tartly, not wanting to admit Aiden’s presence had been helpful, or that he had been right about her safety. If Dylan hadn’t been there, if Aiden hadn’t been on their heels, she would have been in trouble. Her pride didn’t allow her to admit to them she might not have been able to get out of the situation.
Aiden snorted. “You could, you know, thank me.”
Aira rolled her eyes. “Please. We’d have figured it out without you blowing everything up.”
Dylan chuckled, his arms shaking as they held her. He got her into the passenger seat and climbed into the back while Aiden climbed into the driver’s side. Aira shifted in the seat and shuddered at the pain still affecting her from the iron that held her ankles. She also felt intensely embarrassed at kissing Aiden the way she had. What had come over her?
“Yes.” Aiden said sarcastically, starting the car. “I’m sure my brother would have been able to carry you all the way to civilization and you’d have found a welder or something to cut those things off of you.”
Aira crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at Aiden. “I didn’t say WHAT we would have done, just that we would have figured it out. You could have taken the actual shackles
off
of me, you know.” Aira couldn’t take her mind off of the kiss she and Aiden had shared; it was seared into her memory, as it were. His hands had glided along the curves of her body with ease, his touch hot even through her clothes, his lips and tongue intense, awakening a sudden lust inside of her Aira knew she would have easily given in to if Dylan hadn’t interrupted them. She wondered what Aiden thought about what had happened—if he was even thinking about it at all.
Aiden drove them quickly off of the property. Aira tried to get comfortable in spite of the iron ankle bands and settled for sulking, trying to push the memory of Aiden’s kiss out of her mind. Instead of losing the thought of it, she found she was taking the kiss to its inevitable conclusion in her mind, thinking of what would have come next. In spite of her distaste for him as a person, Aira was consumed with curiosity as to what Aiden would look like naked, and how the sex would be. She snorted privately to herself as her mind supplied the most obvious adjective: fiery and hot.
Chapter 8
Aiden lay in his bed staring at the ceiling, trying unsuccessfully to seduce sleep. He couldn’t get the kiss with Aira out of his mind. He had driven the three of them back to Aira’s apartment and removed the shackles, throwing them into a dumpster outside when Aira vehemently declared she never wanted to see them again. He came back to find Aira seated at a desk in the living room of her apartment, hard at work with a cup of a restorative tea in hand. Dylan had turned on a football game, and for a while there was peace in the apartment.
But Aiden hadn’t been able to really focus on the game. Instead he was remembering the way Aira had felt underneath him, how her kiss had lit something incandescent inside of him, a response he had never experienced with another woman. He had completely forgotten about the situation, about his brother standing a few feet away, about Aira’s would-be fiancé knocked out next to them. For that moment, Aira had been the center of Aiden’s universe and all he could think about was bringing her pleasure, hearing her moan, feeling her writhe beneath him and finding out if her body was as gorgeous as he had suspected. He had wanted to burn the clothes off of her and take her right there on the floor, with no more concern for propriety than if he had been an animal himself. When Dylan interrupted them, Aiden had fought the urge to blast his own brother away, his intense emotion driving him to a possessive madness.
Aiden turned over in his bed, knowing there was only more danger to come. He knew Philip Sall was not the only person who would have a vested interest in Aira’s inheritance as an elemental, and there was very little the elders in the elemental community would do about the situation. In their point of view, Aira was up for grabs, particularly as an unstable elemental whose best qualities would be better kept under firm control. He shook his head, burying his face in the pillow that smelled too much like Aira for his peace of mind. He had to make sure nothing ever happened between them. He knew he had to discipline himself. Even his brother would be a better partner for Aira than he would, Aiden thought with a slight sadness. The thought of anyone having the woman who was sleeping only yards away from where he tossed and turned was repugnant, but he would have to stand for it—have to encourage it. Aira needed to ally herself with someone as powerful as she was.
Aiden made a resolution to himself to push her away as thoroughly as possible. If she ever tried to kiss him again, he would prevent it. If she pursued him, he would make himself utterly repulsive to her. They were bad for each other, and they would be even worse for each other when Aira came into her full abilities. Both of them unstable, neither of them willing to compromise or give in. It was a recipe for disaster. Maybe he should court some elementals, form his own attachment and encourage Aira to do the same. Aiden thought about it, turning over once more and pulling his face free from the sweet-smelling pillow case. He took a deep breath and told himself he would broach the topic with his brother the next day. Aira would take the suggestion better from Dylan than she would from him.
Aiden finally fell into a light sleep, plagued by dreams of the woman he knew he couldn’t have. Images of rescuing her again and again and again fluttered through his mind; instead of kissing him and then berating him, however, in his dreams Aira didn’t stop kissing him. She spurred him on, the flames of Aiden’s desire consuming them both until they were completely and utterly satisfied.
He awoke in the middle of the night, covered in sweat from a particularly vivid dream. Deciding he wasn’t likely going to get back to sleep any time soon, Aiden headed downstairs for a midnight snack and maybe to get some reading done. He stopped on the stairs between floors when he heard voices.
“You were a lot more important than you realize.” Aira was saying, her voice softened. “I should have kissed you, not your jerk of a brother.” Aiden heard the familiar sound of his brother’s chuckle.
“I can’t say I would have minded if you did. Considering how you two were going at it, you must be a good kisser.” Aiden felt bile rising up in his throat and barely contained his instinctive anger at his brother. He told himself if Dylan managed to attract and hold onto Aira, it would be good for both of them.
“How is it the two of you grew up in the same household, but you’re a joy to be around, and he’s a constant pain in my ass?” Aiden was certain that Aira was flirting with Dylan.
“He’s the older brother, he’s always been that way. But he’s really a good guy, Aira. I know you don’t see it, but he is.” Aiden forced himself to turn around and move back up the stairs, his heart burning and his head aching as he realized the two people downstairs were establishing a rapport he could never manage. He turned on a bedside table lamp and decided to read in bed until he was too exhausted to stay awake. He was more determined than ever to make sure Aira would find someone worth attaching herself to. And Aiden decided out of pride, and just a little spite, that he would find someone himself. He would never let Aira know how intensely attracted he had been to her in that one moment—how easily he could have given himself to her. He knew it was better that way.
To Be Continued
Aria's story continues in BLAZE: Book 2.
Get your copy here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OSP07EM
As Aira’s birthday gets closer, her change accelerates with power surges. Still unstable, she needs her protectors, Dylan and Aiden, more than ever. Lately, she can’t stop thinking about the way her body goes crazy at Aiden’s slightest touch. It seems her libido is accelerating right along with her change. Lust and sensuality can cloud the senses and she realizes she must be careful, especially after the kidnapping. Knowing she has enemies willing to force her into marriage to harness her powers has been a reality check. Defiantly, Aira decides she can have her cake and eat it too when she meets Alex, another elemental. But her sexy new friend has his own agenda and it could be her downfall as much as her pleasure!
Other Books by Larissa
ALPHA HYBRID: CAVERN OF LIGHT SERIES
THE WITCH’S LOVE SPELL SERIES
The Witch’s Love Spell: Novella 1
The Witch’s Love Spell: Novella 2
The Witch’s Love Spell: Novella 3
ABDUCTION: A PSYCHIC ROMANCE SERIES
EYE OF THE COVEN SERIES
STAND ALONE NOVELLAS
About the Author
Larissa Ladd is a dreamer with insights fresh as the frost newly formed on the twig whose snap echoes through the moonlit forest. Since as a child she discovered the storybook world of ghouls and goblins, she's been a devotee of the eerie, the supernatural, and all that raises the hairs on the back of the neck. Her spine still shivers with delight when she huddles fearfully in a darkling corner, enthralled in suspenseful tales from her favorite authors Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and John Saul. Feast your eyes on the scintillating flashes of garish color dabbed forth from her pen.
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