Chapter 12
TWELVE
AUGUST
I must have misheard Quinn. Not a huge surprise, what with her long, hot legs wrapped around my waist. Skin against skin, she’s lucky I’ve maintained any brain function at all.
Still, I correct her, “Um, no. Unicorns aren’t real.”
“I didn’t think Ice Elementals were real, but here you are.” She gazes down at me like I’m the Holy Grail.
Her admiration is addictive. I want to sprawl out in a lounge chair with Quinn spread over me like a warm blanket, her eyes on me with this same expression for hours.
Instead, I remember that we’re at a party full of people, including my impressionable young employee. And while Quinn knows my secret, I’ve yet to fully identify hers.
My arm practically groans in protest when I loosen the instinctual clutch I wrapped around her waist when she first tried to retreat.
But while I want her pressed against me, spicy, sweet scent filling my nose, if I keep her in my arms much longer, a particular part of my body is going to make itself known.
Hiding a boner in a swimsuit is a near-impossible task.
The moment I release my hold, Quinn blinks rapidly, glances down at her vine-like grip on my body, and relaxes her legs. Still, she doesn’t jump away from me or stutter out apologies. Quinn keeps her hands on my shoulders until her toes touch the ground, slowly sliding down my chest.
It’s all I can do not to grunt like an animal.
“What an interesting business relationship you have. Is this how you treat all your clients, Quinn? Because, if so, I think I need someone to check over my books.” Damien’s eyes flash with barely suppressed laughter.
I’m tempted to shove him into the pool turned hot tub.
Speaking of hot, that display Cat just put on gives me a good idea as to why Quinn is at this party.
When I heard my name and turned to find her staring up at me, I was ready to pummel Damien for not only inviting a human to this gathering, but this human. The one who’s been tormenting my dreams and fantasies for the past two weeks.
But if my suspicions are correct, Quinn isn’t a human at all.
“Sorry, Damien. My schedule is full. You’ll just have to handle your own books. I’m sure you’ve had plenty of practice with that.”
Quinn smirks over her shoulder, Marisol gags, and I cover a laugh with a cough.
Then she turns her attention back to me. “You’re an ice god named August? You sure you’re from Alaska and not Australia?”
I can’t keep from staring at Quinn as I register her odd question.
She looks adorably sexy today with her ruby tresses pulled into a high ponytail and another pair of cutoff jean shorts hugging her round ass.
A white tank top hints at a bathing suit underneath, and from what I can tell, it’s black and stringy.
Shaking my head, I try to coherently answer her, “First off, my great-great-a-few-more-greats-grandfather is the ice god, not me. Secondly, Australia?”
She tilts her head to the side. “Their winters are during our summers. Here, August equals hot. And while you are extremely steam-worthy in the looks department, you’d think your mom would’ve given you a chillier name. Like February.”
“People aren’t named February.” I fight a smile.
“Why not? We’ve got Aprils and Junes. I’m sure there’s a May wandering around somewhere. And then there’s August. Why not a February?”
“August is a nickname. My actual name is Augustus. Does that set your mind at ease?” My hand still sits on her waist, my thumb tracing the edge of her shirt, wanting to explore underneath the fabric.
“Augustus Nord, the Ice Elemental. Nice to meet the real you.” Quinn grins up at me, the freckles coating her cheeks condensing all the more.
One of her hands moves to shade her eyes against the bright midday sun as she continues to stare into my face, eagerly studying me as if I were a grand prize she’d won.
The idea that this sexy, warm woman could be so fascinated with me has me stumbling over my next words. “So. You. Fire, huh?”
Shit. I sound like a caveman.
Quinn only smiles wider. “Yes. Me fire.”
“And me water. What’s the big deal?” Marisol snaps.
I glance over to see her glaring at the back of Quinn’s head.
Maybe the guys weren’t too far off about the whole crush thing.
“Come on, Merry Berry. Let’s chat with some other guests. Be good hosts, you know?” Damien slings an arm around his sister’s neck and turns her away.
“But August—”
My friend cuts Marisol off as he drags her along beside him, “Now, you know how much I hate cursing in front of you, but today, I think I need to expand your vocabulary. Ever heard of the term cockblock?”
Thankfully, the siblings move far enough away that I don’t catch any more of his educational talk.
I’m not sure how things will go during Marisol’s next shift at the shop, but I hope Damien can convince the high schooler that crushing on a man close to fifteen years older than her will not end well.
“Who’s running the shop right now?” Quinn’s question pulls all my attention back to her stunning face.
The sunbeams absorb into her skin, which then gives off its own heated radiance. Standing so close to her, I can finally experience the warmth of the sun. Or more accurately, the warmth of her.
“One of my other employees, Denise. She usually handles most of Sunday on her own. I figure I need at least one day off a week.” The fact that I can form a coherent answer is impressive with Quinn’s hot hand resting on my forearm and the fingers of her other twiddling with the end of her ponytail.
“Mmhmm. That’s nice. Means you can attend the occasional party. Meet some more people like you.”
She hasn’t stopped grinning, and I’m finding the expression catching.
“Are Fire Elementals like me? Have to admit, never really spent time with one before.” But, hell, do I want to.
She’s like me. She knows my secret and is perfectly fine with it.
“Well, some people say we have quicker tempers.” Quinn flicks her eyes over to her younger sister, who’s heaving herself out of the pool in a soggy sundress. From the way steam rises off of the fabric, I’m betting Cat will be dry soon.
“I think I can deal with that.” The jean material of Quinn’s shorts is rough against the pad of my finger. I want something smoother, like the pliable flesh of her lower back. To reach, I just need to slide my hand up ever so slightly.
Giving in to temptation, I sneak my hand further under her shirt, finding the scorching satin of her skin.
The moment my thumb makes contact, a visible shiver traverses Quinn’s entire body.
The sight shocks me out of my lust-induced disregard of her safety. I drop my hand and step away, silently berating myself for being so careless.
“August?” Quinn’s joyous expression flickers into a frown.
She reaches for me again, but I evade her touch, for both our preservation.
“I’m sorry. This can’t happen.”
“Can’t happen?” Quinn’s shocked words come out as a whisper that I easily hear despite the party noises.
Around us, people drink, laugh, and converse with the steady beat of music in the background.
“For me, relationships, they don’t work.” I’m fucking this explanation up.
Quinn wrinkles her nose, gaze confused. “What do you mean?”
“My powers. If we … when I …” The idea of telling Quinn my ice is all tied up in my arousal freezes the words on my tongue.
How do I say this? Quinn, I’ll lose my mind with pleasure when I’m inside you, but you’ll feel like you’re being fucked by an iceberg.
Shame forces me to move farther from her. “I’m going to hurt you.”
“We’re both Elementals.” Her scowl has turned fierce now as she crosses her arms over her chest. Even pissed off at me, she’s glorious.
But that’s because she’s all heat and passion. Quinn is fire, and the frost inside me will just snuff her out.
“We’re fire and ice. We don’t go together.” The words hurt, saying them out loud. But I suffer through.
When she opens her mouth, readying another argument, I move past her, making sure not to let even an inch of me touch any part of her glowing, freckled skin. She needs to see the danger I am to her, the risk she’d be taking, getting close to me.
“August—”
“No, Quinn. Just watch.” I crouch down by the edge of the pool and plunge my hand into the water.
Since one of the guys started serving burgers from the grill a minute ago, most everyone has gotten out to grab food. Sammy is the only one left, climbing a ladder out of the deep end.
The second Quinn wrapped herself around me, my powers took notice, building in my gut and pricking at my skin. Now I fix my stare on Quinn’s beautiful, annoyed form, imagining peeling each piece of clothing off her until I get her down to that black bikini and then removing that too. With my teeth.
The ice spiderwebs from the palm of my hand, freezing the entire pool solid in a frosty wave. My cousin yelps and jumps out at the last second, narrowly avoiding having his leg encased in ice.
“Quit being an asshole, Auggie!” Sammy flips me the bird from across the pool. “This’d better be back to normal by the time I’m done eating!”
I ignore his glare to return my attention to Quinn. Her shocked eyes trace over a surface as solid and smooth as the one we skated on for our first—and only—date.
With an intense amount of effort and only after ducking my head to cut off my view of her, I’m able to pull most of the chill back into my skin. I blink and peer over the water. A few basketball-sized icebergs still float in the pool, but with the hot day, I doubt they’ll last long.
Standing up, I meet Quinn’s eyes for the last time. “You’re fire. I’m ice. We don’t mix.”