tight.”
She nodded, bit her lip, her back against his front, and he wrapped his
arms around her. His wings stretched out, and he lifted her straight off her feet.
The wind created chaos in her hair as they left the safety of land.
She shifted her legs to hold on to him as he flew even higher. Over
buildings, past giant sunflowers and toward the dome that protected the
kingdom. Brook held tight, couldn’t hide the enormous smile on her face.
This was so amazing, holding onto Carrick and flying through the sky.
His wings beat strongly, and he led them around his kingdom. There was a
park of sorts. Strange red flowers sprung wild with what looked like benches
around a water source. A small waterfall captured her gaze for a while. She
wanted to see it, all of it, his whole kingdom. She was almost disappointed
when he turned back, soared higher, gave her a precious view and an
overwhelming thrill at flying. He could do this all the time, whenever he
wanted, and she was grateful he gave her a chance to experience this.
She had no idea how many times they circled the kingdom. He would
ask her if she wanted to go again, and she’d screamed out yes. His wings had
to be tired, but he kept flying. He carried them over the buildings, past the
sunflowers, and swooped down toward the waterfall.
She giggled as water churned close to her bare legs. He finally slowed,
lowered until they reached one of the giant sunflowers she admired. Carrick
was getting really close; she could probably reach out and touch it. She bit her
lip and loosened her grip, reached out as he neared. Brook wanted to feel the
petals, smell the wonderful fragrance up close.
He actually landed on the thing. It didn’t buck or crash from her
weight or create a catastrophe as they landed smack in the middle. Pollen
swirled slightly and that sweet sunflower smell heated by the sun surrounded
them. The center sunk under her bare feet and she turned in his arms. “That
is…so…” She couldn’t even explain the gift he’d given her. “It was perfect.”
He smiled, placed his lips on her forehead. “Please sit.”
She looked down with eyebrow raised. It took some careful movements.
The flower was sturdy as a tree but the fact the center sunk in gave her a
distinct falling feeling. Of course, if she fell, he’d fly down and catch her. Talk
about a safety net.
“Breakfast.” He sat beside her.
Both Wick and Mord fluttered upward, carrying trays of savory
smelling food. They settled it on the flower before them and disappeared
before she could thank them. Well now, life didn’t get more romantic than this.
“Someone’s been reading romance books.” She grinned; reached out to grab a
piece of…well she didn’t know what it was. It looked an awful lot like a kiwi,
so she’d give it a try.
“Fairies are romantic by nature,” he spoke softly and directly into her
ear.
Time to eat before she said something she’d regret, like she’d stay and
sleep with two men every night. Her teeth sunk into the soft exterior of the
fruit, it tasted sweet and tangy like a mango.
“Do you like it?”
He picked up one himself. She watched his teeth break the soft outer
skin and a few drops scattered down his fingers. It made her body flush.
“Very much.” The way he munched on fruit spiked her pulse to a
dangerously high level. Now she watched his throat bob and his chest inhale.
Her eyes shifted lower as she took another juicy bite. Oh yeah, that loincloth
had a nice tent. She thanked whoever invented that tiny piece of cloth. It was
such a naughty idea.
“What else are you hungry for?” There was a wicked laughter in his
tone as she glanced upward.
Chapter Five
So, he’d seen that inspection of his body. “Well…” She placed the half-
eaten fruit on the tray, shifted toward him. It took no effort to push him to his
back. He gladly complied as he took a mouthful of the fruit. Brook grinned as
she straddled
William K. Klingaman, Nicholas P. Klingaman
John McEnroe;James Kaplan