Episode 185 Where I Want to Be
Where I Want to Be
Be bold, Rominy.
That’s what he keeps telling himself.
Whether or not he’s succeeding, he’s doing something right with how Elowyn has turned into a puddle in his arms.
A puddle of fire. Stars above, it’s warm with her wall of flames surrounding them. It seems to have taken the burden off her fire magic, though. At least, he hopes so.
He kisses her again and plays with her ear some more. As he holds her against him, she weakens until he’s supporting most of her weight, and her circle of fire grows taller.
“You’re so warm,” he breathes against her lips. Her very warm lips. “You’d be cooler with fewer layers.”
“I highly doubt that.” She leans her head back, and he trails kisses along her throat.
“You’re probably right.” He reaches for the fastenings on her leather tunic anyway, and she doesn’t stop him.
At least he knows how to work them now.
“Rominy,” she whispers as he presses his lips to the soft skin at the base of her neck. “I’m going to set you on fire.”
“I’m counting on it. But if you need water, you know where to find it.” He doesn’t stop his gentle exploration with his lips across her skin as he slides the leather over her shoulder. “I’m a little busy at the moment.”
A groan fills her as he tugs the leather free and lets it fall to the ground. “You are cruel.”
That gives him pause, and he looks into her eyes. “Is this too much? Do you want me to back off?”
Her heart is racing, and her breath comes heavily against him. She’s warm, but her ring of fire does seem to be helping slow the heat building within her.
“No. I don’t...I don’t think so. But...”
“But what, El? You can tell me anything.”
“Can we stand in the water? Please?”
He should have thought of that. “Of course. I’m sorry—”
“No apologies. Just understanding?”
He nods and then looks around at her ring of fire. It’s grown taller than they are. “Is the fire helping?”
She follows his gaze. “I believe so. A little, at any rate.”
“How do we get out of it?”
Light laughter fills her, and she waves her hand, creating an opening they can pass through. He lets her go, and she twines her fingers with his, tugging him along. It’s noticeably cooler on the other side of her wall of fire.
Before she can say anything, he kneels in front of her and reaches for her boots. First one and then the other. Then, with a gentle touch, he rolls the cuffs of her trousers up as his hands linger. He would have helped her out of the leather altogether, but they’re taking this slowly tonight.
Reluctantly, he lets her go and discards his own boots before lacing his fingers with hers and leading her into the creek. It’s not warm like their island pool, but it’s not unbearably cold.
It will probably warm up the longer she stands in it.
“Better?” he asks as he pulls her close again.
“Much better. Thank—”
He cuts her off with a kiss, which she eagerly returns. The water must be helping her.
“Make it rain, love,” he whispers against her.
When the first drop of water falls on his head, he tightens his hold on her.
It’s not a drizzle or a soft mist, but water falls over them as she directs its path.
“You shouldn’t be wearing these in the rain.” She unfastens his jacket before tossing it away from the water, and he doesn’t stop her. “Over there.” She points and gives him a bit of a shove onto the grass, and soon the trousers follow the jacket.
When she pulls him into the water again, she wraps her arms around his neck and looks up at him.
“What is it, love?” he asks.
“Can we speed this up a little? I believe that would help my magic.”
“Going faster would help? I was trying to go slowly.”
“I believe faster would be better. I don’t know how long my water magic can keep up.”
He can definitely go faster.
“I will be right back.” He jogs toward the blanket and plucks it off the ground before dunking it in the creek. Who knows if it will help. It certainly won’t hurt.
“I need you to get out of your head, my love,” Elowyn says as he lays the blanket beside the creek.
“You what?” He looks up at her standing there with the water streaming down from above and soaking her small clothes until they cling to her.
He needs to get her out of those trousers. And everything else.
“You’re thinking so much about helping me. I don’t want our first time in the real world to be like that.”
Is he doing that?
“I want you to let go, my love,” she whispers.
That’s what he told her the first time they did this.
He brushes his wet hair out of his eyes as her water streams down on him.
Then the water comes to life against his skin, and he hisses through his teeth.
“Let go, Rominy,” she says as she steps toward him.
“Promise you’ll tell me if it’s too much?” He pushes out the words. Stars above, she knows exactly what to do with that water to light his own fire.
“I promise.”
“There’s no pressure. We can stop whenever you need to.”
“Stop talking now.” Her water magic on his skin makes it hard to breathe.
Stop talking.
He’s done talking.
He just wants her.
He draws her to the blanket, making quick work of her clothes, and she doesn’t complain. When her toes stretch toward the creek, he scoots her closer until her feet are submerged.
“Thank you,” she whispers, her gray eyes locking with his.
“Always, love.” He kisses her again before letting his hands slide along her skin, and her eyes close as she gasps.
She’s warm, but not too warm. Hopefully, that won’t change.
She sends out another fire wall, but he lets her handle it while he focuses on her. Her softness. Her strength. Every perfect part of her.
“Rominy,” she whimpers. “I don’t know how long I can do this.”
He pauses to look into her eyes. “Say the word, and we’ll be done, love.”
She shakes her head as her breath comes heavily. “Keep going. Please. But faster.”
He drops his head against her shoulder and tries not to laugh. “I thought I was going faster.”
“More faster.”
More faster. He does chuckle at that. Her Nunian seems to be struggling.
“Can we skip to the end?” she pleads.
His mirth fades as he finds her eyes again. “We’ve never done this in the real world, love. I’m not sure rushing to the finish line is wise. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Oh.”
She must not have considered that.
She looks away. “I don’t believe I can do this. My fire magic is fighting to break free and consume us both.”
He breathes out slowly and nods. “Then we’ll be done. We have the rest of our lives to figure this out. There’s no rush.”
It’s hard to tell with the water still streaming down on them, but it looks like a tear just escaped her.
He kisses it away.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“I’m not. Every moment I spend with you is exactly where I want to be. It’s a journey, love. Not a destination.”
“Every inch of me is screaming for the destination, though,” she says under her breath.
He gazes thoughtfully at her for a few moments.
Perhaps he can keep going without hurting her. Get her past this first time and make it easier to try again next time.
“I can fix that,” he whispers. He doesn’t give her time to respond before he goes back to setting her on fire.
“What are you doing?” she groans, but he doesn’t answer, and she doesn’t ask him to stop. Her water magic gives out as she digs her fingers in his hair and whimpers his name again. “My fire. I can’t—”
Her voice cuts off in a gasp, and her chest heaves as she struggles to catch her breath.
Stars above. She’s almost too hot to touch, and her fire wall has grown as tall as some of the smallest trees.
But it didn’t consume them.
Now, she’s a puddle on the blanket as her rain washes over them again, cooling them both.
“Rominy,” she whispers between halting breaths.
“I’ve been told the first time in the real world is the hardest on your magic. I hope that will make it easier for you the next time we try this. We’ll get there, love.” He lies beside her and holds her close as she clings to him.
She can’t hide the drowsiness overtaking her, and the rain slows before stopping altogether. Her walls of fire burn lower and eventually flicker out.
Rominy waits a while to move her, letting her feet soak up as much water as possible to refill her magic stores.
When his own eyelids grow heavy, he gently lifts her out of the water before drawing her close on the damp blanket as sleep finds them both.