Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
AUGUST
Fire rises from Quinn’s skin as if she were a piece of kindling. Only she’s the source of the flames. They trickle over her, dancing and moving with a silent rhythm. The edges of her tantalizing red dress blacken and smolder to ash.
Too shocked by the sudden appearance, I forget to remove my hands from her shoulders. Then, when the sparks meet my flesh, I’m too mesmerized by the sensation to retreat.
By all rights, I should be shouting in pain, my hands on fire. Instead, the living heat makes contact with my natural frost, and a hiss echoes through the shop. Steam rises from where we’re in contact, and a decadent warmth races down my arms to fill every hidden corner of my body.
My eyes threaten to roll back in my head, and Quinn lets out a satisfied hum.
“You can’t hurt me, August. You can only make me feel good.”
The finger she was sucking on a moment ago trails down the front of my apron, leaving scorched fabric in its wake. Her own dress is half gone at this point, the fire eating it as eagerly as I want to consume her.
Letting her go is more painful than holding on, but I do it. Some of the confident swagger leaves Quinn’s posture. I’m sorry to see it disappear, but I’m on a mission.
My steps hit the ground heavy and leave icy prints behind.
“Stop, August. I’m sorry. You don’t have to leave. I will.”
When I reach the front door, I glance over my shoulder to see the Fire Elemental clutching the singed edges of fabric together to keep the material from crumbling off her body.
“Too late,” I inform her, flipping the lock and switching off the Open sign. “If you wanted out, you shouldn’t have shown up wearing that dress.”
This time, I’m the one stalking her, prowling through my shop to approach my now-grinning quarry.
“So, you’re going to stop being noble?” Quinn’s hair crackles with live flames.
I fist the strands, smothering the heat with my frigid palms, and tug her head back until she has no choice but to stare into my eyes.
“The things I’m going to do to you will have me burning in hell. But as long as the fire is your doing, I have no complaints.”
Then I brave the inferno of her gaze and press my lips against hers. Heat spills through my body, burning my throat in painful pleasure that has me dragging in a deeper breath. Quinn is a hot spring I want to soak in for the rest of my life.
She gasps and groans as I pull us closer together. When I press my hand into her lower back, I realize the dress is completely gone. I don’t have time to mourn its loss when there’s a naked Quinn in my arms.
Cupping her bare ass, I lift her until she can wrap her legs around my waist. With just a few steps, I have Quinn perched on the surface of one of the heavy wooden tables. Plenty of my ice cream creations have graced this surface, but I doubt any of them have tasted as delicious as this woman.
The thought has me breaking our kiss and drawing back enough to glance at her hand. What was once a perfectly formed cone is now a crumble of fractured waffle pieces, stuck to her palm with traces of melted Fiery Queen.
“I have a strong grip.” Quinn grins up at me, and I smirk in return.
“I’ll be wanting to test that out at some point.”
She gasps out a delighted chuckle that melts into a moan when I grab her arm and drag my tongue over her ice cream–coated skin.
Perfection. I thought the specialty flavor was decadent on its own, but paired with Quinn, the concoction morphs into ambrosia.
Maybe it’s animalistic, but I don’t let her go until I’ve consumed every drop of Fiery Queen she let spill over her. By the time I’m done, she’s writhing and panting, leaving scorch marks on the heavy wooden tabletop.
Still hungry, I release Quinn’s arm to place my hand on her chest, resting my palm between her heaving breasts and pressing until she lies back, completely on display before me.
Then I pause, worry flickering through my mind, dimming my arousal as I realize Quinn is shivering. I go to remove my hand, spotting frosty marks on her freckled skin.
“I’m sorry—” I move to step back.
“No!” My retreat fails when she wraps her scalding palms around my wrist, pulling my frigid hand to its previous position. “More. I love the chill.”
“You don’t …” I trail off as Quinn lifts her head to glare into my eyes in aroused defiance.
She drags my hand over her own naked body. Crystals scatter along her bare skin as I watch, fascinated. When the side of my finger brushes her puckered nipple, a groan spills from her throat as her head drops back and her spine bows off the table.
“Fuck, Quinn,” I all but growl, now fully convinced her shivering arose from pleasure.
“Yes. That. Do that.” She gasps out the command.
I’m tempted, but my hunger still demands a taste of her essence.
Tugging my hand from her clutches, I grip her thighs, pushing them wide as I kneel down to glimpse the glistening core of her, surrounded by beautiful, fiery curls.
My tongue sweeps across her folds, just as I would lick a scoop of ice cream. I vow to use her as my cone one day. But for now, I savor and tease pure Quinn.
The original Fiery Queen.
Soon, I find myself gripping her hips with a steel hold so I can continue my ministrations as she twists and writhes. I press her to the table with one forearm while I suck on her little nub of pleasure and push a finger past her entrance.
Nails dig into my scalp, and my name spills out of her lips on a shout. The smooth, slick walls of her pulsate around my finger.
As she gasps out pants, lying loose-limbed on the table, I stand and strip off the apron and shirt Quinn burned holes in during her seduction. My pants, still intact, get shoved down only as far as my thighs, and I fist my throbbing cock.
Despite the pleasure and need muddling my brain, one rational thought intrudes, and I let out a curse.
Quinn rises up on her elbows, a single eyebrow curving in question.
“I don’t have any condoms,” I explain. Not a product I thought I’d need to supply at my ice cream shop.
The naughty Fire Elemental smirks at me as she bends one of her knees to prop a foot on the table, putting her pussy on full display. The red heels are gone, either burned up or discarded.
“This is about to get to volcanic levels of hot, and I doubt Trojan makes Elemental condoms.” Quinn licks her bottom lip. “I’m on the pill, and I have a clean bill of health.”
I grin. “Thank the gods. Me too.” Realizing how those words might fit together, I scramble to clarify. “I mean the health. Not the pill. When they make one of those for men, I’ll pop them every day for you.”
Her laugh rings out, as mesmerizing as staring into a campfire. The sound dances around the empty shop, and my chest tightens at the idea of hearing the joyous declaration every day.
Placing the head of my cock at her entrance, I hold Quinn’s smoky gaze with my unforgiving one. “To be clear, this is in no way a one-and-done situation.”
It’s not a question, but I still wait for her response. She sits up straighter, bringing her sweet cinnamon scent with her. Hot hands cup my shoulders, fingers pressing into my muscles, nails digging into my skin. Marking me. Claiming me.
“I’m not letting you go.” Her whisper is fierce, and I respond by sliding into her warm embrace.
We move together, slow at first, steam rising from all the places we touch. As I pump inside my Pyro, I grip her neck, pulling her in for more burning kisses. She rakes trails of fire down my back with her nails, spurring me on faster.
Sparks fly from the ends of her ruby hair, and the frost that gathers in my gut continues to melt and spill into her.
I reach between us, pinching her nipples to elicit more beautiful noises from her. She groans into me, our mouths melded together. My hips rock, my fingers knead, and my balls tighten.
I’m torn between reaching my climax and spending hours buried in her.
Should have known the demanding witch would steal the decision from me.
Quinn breaks our kiss to lean down and drag her teeth along the pulsing vein in my neck. Meanwhile, her scorching hand reaches between my legs to gently cup my balls. In her warm palm, she strokes them before giving just a light tug.
My last bit of control shatters. With a shuddering groan, I push as deep into her glorious heat as I can go and ride out my climax with my nose buried in her silky, sweet-smelling hair.
I come back to myself with the caress of her fingers tracing random designs over my back. Her cushion-soft lips press into the hollow of my throat.
“August?” My name in her husky, scorched voice has me wondering how long before I can get my dick hard again.
“Mmhmm?” Apparently, my voice hasn’t fully returned. I cup the back of Quinn’s head and tilt mine to meet her eyes.
She stares up at me, mischievous smile playing over her kiss-swollen lips. “You wouldn’t happen to have some spare clothes lying around, would you? I seem to have misplaced my dress.”