The Wind and the Sun

by Vivian Arend

  She needed him, he needed her. Soon they would be together. Forever, if he had his way.

  Zephyr stepped into the water and shivered briefly. Not too cold, my ass. A spark lit around him and the water warmed to the perfect temperature for wading. He grinned as realised Sunshine had planned it so well she cared for him even when she was out of sight. His heart was going to break through his chest if it expanded anymore.

  The warm water also helped restore a little life to a certain extremity and that was a very good thing, all things considered.

  He ducked under the curtain of water at the cave’s entrance, astonished by how completely hidden they were. A faint path led to the right and Zephyr paced slowly, trying to take in everything around him. The walls of the passage shimmered with light, glittering rocks guiding his steps. It was one of the most incredible sights he’d seen, but he was distracted by need.

  “Sunshine, are you there?” The hint of a larger room and more light appeared around the corner.

  He slowed to a snail’s pace, enjoying the anticipation. This was what he had waited for, for so long, the chance to be with Sunshine. He rounded the corner where the pale light revealed a beautifully decorated room lit with hundreds of small twinkling candles. The centrepiece of the space was a king-sized bed with Sunshine right in the middle.

  She wasn’t alone.

  Zephyr’s heart shrivelled. The Cumulus twins, Cirrus and Claude, sat on either side of the bed. Their hands stroked her arms and legs which were outstretched and tied to the corner posts.

  “Damn it, what are you doing here? Get out, now,” Zephyr roared as he rushed at the men.

  “Hey, hold onto your pressure tank. We were invited.” Claude lifted his arms to block himself from Zephyr’s attack but none came.

  Zephyr froze in mid-stride halfway to the bed, Sunshine’s words echoing in his head.

  The grove is accessible by invitation only.

  I have everything planned…

  You need to slip in behind the waterfall to find the rest of the surprises.

  Let me go first and get things ready.

  Heartache hit him, hard and deep. She had planned this all along, even after he’d warned her didn’t want anyone else joining in. If this was what she thought was going to happen, she was very much mistaken.

  “Sunshine, what is going on? Because if this is your idea of a joke—”

  “You really are a stupid thing, aren’t you, mate?” Claude chortled, his finger slowly tracing the thigh beside him. “She looks like she’s ready for us to give her a little loving. I’d think any man with half a dick would get the picture,” Claude stage-whispered over Sunshine’s body to his brother. “Frankly, I think he should only get to watch. Don’t know if he’s intelligent—”

  “Stop!” Zephyr slammed his fists into his thighs. He stared into Sunshine’s eyes, trying to see the woman he’d spent the past day with. The woman he’d fallen in love with over the past days and years.

  No matter how annoying she had gotten, she’d never been cruel.

  There was nothing there in her eyes. It was like she’d turned off her heart and Sunshine was gone, hidden behind a mist. His stomach fell.

  “You have nothing to say? Is this what you want, Sunshine? These clowns in your bed, or do you have the sense to see you want me? Because, damn it, those are your choices.” There was no response. The only thing Sunshine did was to look up at the Cumulus brothers, pleading in her eyes.

  Zephyr gasped at the shot of pain that raced through him. She’d chosen.

  It wasn’t him.

  He took a half step back, struggling to stay on his feet. He turned to go, pausing for a second. There was something…he could almost remember. Then it was gone. He stared intently at the brothers where they remained, separating him from Sunshine. Stealing his warmth forever.

  He glared at them hard, his fists tight to his sides. The tone of his voice carried all the emotion he felt and sounded like a hurricane hitting landfall. “If I find out you’ve hurt her, either of you, I will take you apart with my bare hands. You know I can do it, and I will. Understand?”

  Claude’s expression grew a whole lot less cocky. Cirrus gulped and opened his mouth to speak. His brother cut him off. “Yeah, we hear you. Now go, so we can give the little lady what she needs.”

  Zephyr stumbled out of the room before flashing himself home, his broken heart making the journey a thousand times lonelier than ever before.

  Chapter Six

  Zephyr dragged himself to his couch and flicked on the widescreen television. Over twelve hundred channels and the first thing that popped up was a couple in a hot embrace, mouths locked together.

  Of course they were on a beach.

  Fuck.

  He threw a pillow at the screen and stomped off to the kitchen. What a horrible twist of fate. He was sure something had happened, some connection made between the two of them. Instead it seemed he was an idiot and Sunshine really did want the Cumulus brothers between them.

  He flicked open the fridge and the light didn’t come on. Distracted, he closed the door and opened it again. Nothing. He still couldn’t see to the back where he knew there was some ice-cold beer.

  Yeah, he could ‘poof’ one up, but it tasted better out of the fridge. He planned on taking all the ‘better’ pleasures he could find. He leaned over and checked the sensor that signalled the light to come on. It was cloudy, covered with spilled milk or cream. He wiped the lens clean and instantly the bulb lit, shining brightly.

  He grabbed his beer and plopped down again. Monster Trucks and the Monster Men that Drive Them was on and he tried to get into it. Bigfoot in a High Toy. What would they think of next? He couldn’t stop imaging the scene from earlier all over again and again. Sunshine hadn’t spoken. She’d just lain there. Barely moving. She hadn’t lit up…like she usually…

  Zephyr roared in anger. Damn it, why didn’t he see it? Of course she couldn’t speak; of course she couldn’t make an impact. The Cumulus boys had been between them. Creating a barrier between Sunshine and him.

  Heads were going to roll.

  * * * *

  “Get off me this instant, you watery masses of… ooohhhh! Don’t make me lose my temper. Right now. Untie me and let me go.”

  Once Zephyr flashed out, Sunshine could finally speak. Her anger burned hotter than she could ever remember it. She’d walked into the hideaway to set up the candles, all the while dreaming about Zephyr. Then, out of nowhere, these jerks appeared and manhandled her to the bed.

  She had managed to hit Claude in the bollocks, but obviously not hard enough.

  “Hey, FYI, not our fault he got the wrong idea. Guess he’s not the one for you, is he, if a little thing like getting tied up by two very nice young men is going to make him walk away.” Claude touched a finger to her wrist and slowly dragged it towards her body. The sensation made Sunshine hiss in anger. He’d always had been an asshole, even back in school.

  “Claude, lay off,” Cirrus said quietly. He began untying Sunshine. She struggled to sit as he released one wrist.

  “What are you doing?” Claude gave his brother a push. “This is the chance we’ve been waiting for!”

  Cirrus’ face filled with disgust and Sunshine hoped she had an ally. That this wasn’t a ‘good–cop/bad-cop’ thing, because while they were here, she couldn’t flash out of the room to safety. Whoever had come up with the whole idea of the Clouds messing with the Bright family’s abilities should be shot.

  “If your idea of a good opportunity is hitting on Sunshine right now, you’re a bigger wet head than I thought.” Cirrus helped her up. “Sunshine, I’m sorry. This was supposed to be some kind of joke. I never realised Zephyr and you were getting along so well. I mean, I heard Blaze asked Claude to keep an eye on you—”

  “He what?” Sunshine flared. It was her father’s brilliant idea to interfere with her date with Zephyr?

  Claude retreated to the back of the room, right up against
the wall. “Yeah, I think he only wanted you to be safe. I overheard you teasing ZeeMan about having a ménage with us and I figured this would make things interesting. Funny. Ha-ha?”

  Sunshine might not be able to flash out, but she could get rid of the jerks. She turned to Cirrus. He, at least, had shown some brains in the end.

  “Apology accepted, Cirrus. Dissipate in three seconds or I’ll—”

  And the room exploded around her. The candles blew out, bed sheets flew into walls and a hot harsh wind whipped her hair around her body.

  Zephyr had returned.

  And Sunshine couldn’t speak. Again. This was getting really old, really fast. The room lit up as Zephyr flicked on the lights. Claude and Cirrus huddled against opposite walls.

  Zephyr’s gaze raked her body. “You okay?”

  She nodded and rushed into his arms. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cirrus creep out the doorway. Claude had the whole perimeter of the room to travel. A flash of hot satisfaction thrilled her at the knowledge there was no way he was getting out of the room unscathed.

  Zephyr lifted her chin and gave her a quick kiss. “Let me throw out the trash, sweetheart, and we’ll be able to talk, right?”

  She nodded quickly and stepped back to let him do his magic.

  Wind had such a way about him. The Claude that left the room was still intact but a little more ‘compact’. A little thinner around the edges. He would need some serious R&R to be able to do anything but float gently for a while. And even that was going to hurt.

  Zephyr brushed off his hands and turned towards her. “You really okay?”

  “I am.” Her body relaxed and she let out a big breath of relief. “That was so scary, to be frozen behind them, unable to speak. I never want to feel like that again.”

  Zephyr pulled her tight against him. “You never will. I’m going to speak to the council and make sure they change the rules. I mean, a cloud stopping your light from hitting the earth is one thing, but them being able to make you vulnerable like that? I won’t allow it.”

  He swept her into his arms. “You can call me a brute and a chauvinist and all those things, but I’m taking over. We’re not staying here where everyone can get at us. You’re coming to the only place that I know is completely safe.”

  Sunshine’s heart began to beat wildly with hope. “Where are we going?”

  Zephyr kissed her. “Home.”

  Chapter Seven

  He flashed them to the front porch of a beautiful log cabin. She looked around in awe at the mountains, the tall spruce trees and the lush forest for a minute, taking slow deep breaths of the crisp air.

  “You live here? Where are we?” It was the most beautiful setting she’d ever seen. And she’d seen pretty much everything.

  “Rocky Mountain High, baby. No neighbours. Well, except for old Shoethief the Black Bear.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Never leave your slippers on the porch or he’ll be wearing them before the night is out.”

  Sunshine giggled and shifted in his embrace. “Umm, Zephyr? I can walk,”

  “Nope. Mine. My toy and I’m not done playing with it yet.” She laughed at him, snuggling in tight.

  He blew at the front door and it swung wide open. A beautiful stone fireplace with a mantle cut from a solid cedar log, hardwood floors and a glistening modern kitchen were the first things she noticed. The second was she was being carried into the cabin and slowly lowered against his body, the view of his dark eyes more incredible than the craftsmanship in the house.

  It felt so right to be there. In his house. In his arms.

  “I didn’t invite them there,” she said, her fingers brushing over his cheek. “Cirrus told me Blaze asked them to follow us. It must have been him who invited them. I’ve never asked either of them to the falls and I’ve never…”

  Zephyr’s hands were tight on her body, his anger still simmering under the surface. “Blaze. I should have figured. Your dad likes to be in control a little too much. Especially when it comes to you.” He kissed her softly, but before it got really interesting, he pulled away.

  “Come on, I’ll show you around. I’m proud of my house. Did most of the work myself.”

  Sunshine linked their hands together again and wandered through the comfortable home with great interest. He’d used soft colours to decorate throughout, pale pastels in the living room including stained glass covering one upper window completely. When it was daylight it would reflect all the colours into the room filling it with a rainbow of jewels.

  As gorgeous as the house was, the man was better. Her heart pounded. Would he believe that she never meant to hurt him? There was so much that she wanted to say to him she didn’t know where to start.

  “Zephyr, I need to tell you. I’ve never been with the Cumulus… I mean, I would never…” Sunshine wasn’t sure what she could say that would make this better.

  “Hush,” Zephyr said, kissing her fingers. “I know. I’m sorry I didn’t realise what was going on sooner, why you didn’t speak to me. It happened before, in grade school, remember? Before they transferred the Cloud boys? I should have remembered. I should have been there for you a whole lot faster. I’m glad they didn’t try anything.”

  Sunshine shivered. “I was pretty safe. Once you left, my ability to heat returned. When you showed up, they were seconds away from being evaporated.”

  Zephyr laughed, the deep tones stroking over her skin like butter. “It’s done and past, other than a little talk I plan to have with your father. Go look around and I’ll join you in a minute. I need to get a couple of things together.” He kissed her again. Sweet manna on her lips, the feel of his mouth brushing hers.

  He patted her on the bottom and guided her towards the back of the house as he headed to the kitchen.

  Sunshine walked down the hallway, opening side doors and happily peeking her head into rooms. Finally she found the door to the master bedroom.

  It was amazing. She’d never seen anything like it. The enormous room was divided into three spaces. The first was a sitting area around a fireplace, small bookshelves built into the walls. It was cosy and comfortable and she imaged relaxing here in the evening after a day’s work.

  The bed itself was raised on a platform. His sheets and pillows were all dark shades of burgundy and her skin tingled. She was going to be in the bed. Soon. With Zephyr. Anticipation made her heart skip a beat.

  A beautiful bathroom was tucked around the corner. Jacuzzi tub, side shower stall, granite counter tops and everywhere the rich colour and scent of cedar. He’d done a wonderful job building his home.

  French doors opened onto a private section of deck. Heat waves shimmered above the hot tub and Sunshine smiled.

  Zephyr had good taste in pleasure.

  She went into the bathroom and slipped off her things, reaching for the robe on the back of the door. Sunshine hesitated when she saw there were two robes, one too small to be Zephyr’s. It was also a pretty yellow she didn’t think was Zephyr’s colour.

  She picked it up tentatively. Hopefully he’d flashed it here for her. She didn’t want to know if another woman was in his house regularly enough to have a spare robe. Not that she had any right to be jealous. None. The soft texture of the robe teased her fingers. She lifted it cautiously, sniffing to see if any perfume lingered on it.

  “You can put it on, if you have to. I like the view very much without it, but you might be chilly on the deck. It’s yours. The robe, I mean.”

  Zephyr stood in the doorframe, his gaze roaming over her appreciatively before he walked up and flipped the robe over. Her name was embroidered on the breast.

  “Wow, you thought of everything, didn’t you? I’m touched.” Sunshine said. He helped her put on the robe, smoothing his hands down the silky fabric, over her shoulders, her breasts, around her waist. She dropped her head back on his shoulder for a minute, his touch so good she could barely think. And that was over material.

  He grabbed the other robe and gest
ured to the main part of the room. “If you’d like, I’ve lit the fire. Or we can pop into the hot tub.”

  Sunshine wandered out. The fire crackled, and a tray with snacks and two glasses of red wine sat nearby on the low table.

  “I think the fire, please. Hot tub later?”

  He sat on the soft sheepskin rug and leaned against the couch, patting the space next to him. Instead, Sunshine crawled into his lap. She was too eager to go slow. As they nestled together in front of the fire, the heat built higher in her body.

  Zephyr traced a finger over her cheek, down her neck, to the vee of the robe. He cleared his throat a few times.

  “Do you know what it does to me knowing you’re naked under that robe? That you’re naked and in this house? Naked and sitting in my lap.” He stared at her for a long moment. “I want you, Sunshine. Completely.”

  She answered by slipping the robe off her shoulders and letting it fall into a puddle in his lap, the sheer fabric pooling around her hips. His gaze traced her body and her nipples responded. Just the thought of him staring made the tips pucker, tingles of need shooting to her core. She slipped her hands through the opening of his robe and stroked her hands over his warm chest. He was as solid as she imagined, the slight dusting of hair on his chest tangling under her fingers. She leant in, swept her arms around his neck and pressed their bare torsos together as their lips met.

  Zephyr took control of the kiss, feathering her mouth, pulling her body tight to him, crushing her breasts against his firm chest. Sunshine bit his lips while his tongue explored, his hands possessively running down her body. He stroked her shoulder blades before grasping her gently around the neck. He tugged his fingers through her long curls to splay her hair over them both like a curtain of white silk.

  He kissed her ear, her jaw, her neck. He dragged his teeth over her skin then licked the sting away. There was not a whisper of air between their bodies, not a speck of light passing between. Skin to skin, hands touching, nails dragging, hot caresses that left no inch lonely for contact.