by ERIN BEDFORD
Except this time, it didn't. There were a few gasps around me and I opened my eyes.
With a grin and a small squeal, I realized I'd done it. The broom hovered beneath my hand like it was being held up by strings. My head turned to the side to see how the others were doing and saw a few of them had gotten it as well. My heart swelled with delight, and I searched out Aidan, who hadn't left after handing out the brooms. His arms were crossed over his chest, those delicious biceps bulging and visible through his tank. His eyes, a swirling whirlpool of ocean blue, were locked on me, and that steady gaze made me shift in place.
After a bit, the others finally managed to catch on, and once the classes’ brooms were stable, Coach Heathers bit out, “Mount your brooms.” He paused and narrowed his eyes on us, pointing a finger at each of us. “But don’t you dare lift off the ground. Those feet better stay on the ground, or I’ll pull your bollocks off!”
I did as he instructed, my eyes still on Aidan. The feel of the wood between my legs, barely separated from my core by my shorts and panties, made my mouth part with a small sound. I swallowed and licked my lips as I tried not to be the weirdo getting turned on by the broom. Well, not just the broom. Aidan’s heated gaze shared at least half the blame.
Why did just a single look from Aidan get me going? It was as if every vessel in my blood was on fire and the only thing that could put out those flames was his hands. His large, powerful hands. Fuck! I wasn't sixteen anymore. I'd had sex, with several people for that matter.
“But not Aidan,” a little voice whispered in my head.
I was turning into a sex-driven ball of hormones like Coach Heathers had claimed because Aidan was the only one of my boyfriends I hadn't slept with yet. I hadn't had those hands on my hips as he thrust into me or felt his mouth trailing along my chest. My eyes dipped to the front of his gym shorts and widened at the obvious evidence of his arousal.
My face flushed and my eyes darted up to Aidan's once more. His lips curled up wickedly at the corners in a feral sort of smile that made me lightheaded. All I wanted to do was melt into a puddle under that heat.
"Ey!" Coach Heathers shouted at me, his eyes glaring up at me.
Wait, what?
It was then that I noticed my feet were no longer on the ground and neither was I. My fingers gripped my broomstick tightly, my knuckles turning white as I tried not to panic.
I was flying. In the air. On a broom. I'm okay. It's alright. That's what I came here for right?
Of course, my useless guardian light wasn’t doing its job. It just bobbed there like it was having a dandy old day, while I feared for my life.
"Mancaster, get down, you stupid ninny!” Coach Heathers shouted and pointed at the ground as his face quickly turned red. “I said no going above three feet."
"I didn't do it on purpose!" I shook my head and tried to talk with my hands but then gripped my broom when I realized that letting go wasn't a smart idea. "How do I get down?"
"The same way you got up there, you dummy," Coach Heathers griped, while the others watched on with a mixture of curiosity, horror, and amusement. It didn't matter though. I was getting higher and higher, and I didn't know how to get down, let alone how I got up in the first place.
Why the heck I thought I needed to know how to ride a broom was beyond me? I'd been perfectly fine with walking and driving. I didn't need to ride a broom. What was I thinking? When I wrote my resume up to get a job, where would I put it? Under extracurricular? Yeah, right next to transfiguration.
"Mancaster, you get your arse down here now!"
I rolled my eyes and snorted at Coach Heathers. Like that was going to make a difference. All it did was make my broom wobble beneath my hands which made my heart start to race. I swallowed thickly and tried to find Aidan, but my eyes landed on the ground instead.
This was really high. I was really high up. When did I become afraid of heights? I've never been afraid of them before. At amusement parks, I was the first one to get in line for the roller coasters, higher, faster, more turns. That had been me, every single time.
Except that had been in a harness with certified workers controlling how fast and high I went. Now it was just me and my magic keeping me from falling face first into the ground.
"Calm down, Mancaster." Coach Heathers yelled at me, now upon his own broom. During my moments of panic, he had flown close enough to me to touch. "You have to keep calm or you're going to hurt yourself."
"I'm trying." I gritted my teeth and gripped my broom tighter. If I held it any tighter, I'd break the damn thing in half and then where would I be? Flat as a pancake on the ground that's where.
"I can't get you down. Mancaster. You have to do it." Coach Heathers growled, letting go of his broom like it was easy as pie and adjusting his baseball cap. "Just focus. You got up here, you can get down."
"Coach." Aidan's voice, like a deep, broody angel, floated up to where we sat in the air. "Let me try."
Coach Heathers glanced down at the ground and then rolled his eyes before he descended back to the ground. I peeked over the side of my broom and watched as Aidan spoke to the coach for a moment before preparing to get on his broom. I didn't get the chance to see him get off the ground because my world tipped over at that moment, and I was falling.
I let out a scream that hurt my ears as my hands grabbed for something, anything to hold onto. Thankfully, they grabbed the broom. The wood bit into my palms, and I managed to find every splinter on the shaft in the process. To top it all off, not only was I stuck in the air, but now I was hanging from my broomstick with twenty feet between me and the ground.
Now Aris decided to scream its tinkling sound at me as my legs kicked frantically in midair. I tried to get back up on my broom while it went crazy dancing in the air around me. Aidan was speaking again but I couldn't hear him through the rush of blood in my ears. My panic had overtaken my good sense, and I knew either my magic or my hands were going to give out soon. That was not going to be pretty.
"Max, let go." Aidan commanded, breaking through my inner turmoil. "Just let go. I'll catch you."
My eyes shot down to where Aidan stood beneath me his arms out in front of him. I shook my head. "I can't."
"Yes. You can." His gaze softened and he urged me down with his hands. "I've got you. Let go."
I closed my eyes and swallowed hard before taking a deep breath. When I let it out, I uncurled my hands from the broom and prayed to Merlin that I didn't end up on the nine o'clock news. I could just see it now. Half Breed Dies From Broom Mishap - Her Four Boyfriends and Family Mourn.
There was a moment of weightlessness as I fell through the air, and a little yelp escaped my lips in the rush. I prepared myself for impact, my hands going over my head as if it would save me from splattering my brains all over the field. When I stopped falling as the warm arms of Aidan surrounded me, it took me far longer to realize it than I liked to admit.
"I've got you," Aidan murmured in my ear, kissing the side of my head.
My eyes shot open and my hands went around his neck, holding on tight as I realized I hadn't died. Aidan caught me. I was okay. I was okay.
I locked eyes with Aidan, those gorgeous blues that mesmerized me from day one, and smiled. "You caught me," I breathed out, not quite recovered from my fall.
"Always," he responded, holding me to his chest as if he would never let me go. A part of me hoped he wouldn't.
"Eh, well, you look alright." Coach Heathers pulled off his baseball cap and scratched his head before gesturing it toward the school. "Templar, take her to the medics to be checked out just to be sure. And Mancaster..." Aidan paused to turn me to the coach. "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but next time, you're out of here."
I pressed my lips into a tight line and nodded. "Got it."
Chapter 5
Aidan and I entered the medical center with me still wrapped up in his arms. The head healer took one look at me and Aidan and arched a brow.
"Broom class," I murmured as my face heated up.
"Put her over there." The healer was a large dark-skinned woman with puffy lips. She seemed to permanently purse them as if she wasn't impressed with anyone or anything. Her name tag read Viola.
Aidan sat me on one of the many beds but didn't leave. Viola gave him a look but didn't say anything as he took a seat in one of the metal chairs next to the bed. I gave him a small smile, thankful to have him here with me.
"Where does it hurt?" Viola asked as she held up her hand. It started to glow a faint yellow light along the surface of her skin. She held it toward me, and I braced myself for... something. I didn't really know what. I'd never been to the healers before. Sure, I'd helped the Headmaster’s daughter, but that had been different. It'd been me healing her not the other way around. For all I knew, healing magic would tickle.
Strangely enough, it didn't tickle... or hurt, for that matter. It was actually pleasant, like taking a warm bath to soothe your aching muscles. In my case, I had plenty of aches that needed to be soothed, but none of them were physical.
"I'm actually fine," I tried to tell her as my mouth twisted into a grimace. "I just had a little fall, but Aidan caught me." I flashed a smile toward the gamer and took his hand. Squeezing it lovingly, I turned back to Viola. "I don't hurt anywhere I swear."
Viola clicked her tongue and zipped those sharp eyes across Aidan and me. "Fine, but I don't want Coach Heathers in here, yelling and carrying on in my office because I didn't do my due diligence. So, you're going to let me check you over and then you can be on your way."
I huffed and let her get to it.
While Viola scanned her palm over every inch of me... and I mean every inch, inches that not even my parents had gotten close to since I was in diapers... I watched Aidan. His brows were drawn close together, his lips pinched tight as he watched Viola work. He was either having a dude moment where it looked like he was interested in something while really thinking about his car or whatnot, or Aidan was genuinely interested in Viola's work.
"Hey." I grasped his hand a bit tighter, pulling his attention to me "You never told me what you plan on doing after graduation. It's not that far off, you know."
Aidan blinked at me for a moment and then answered, as he did everything, in as few words as possible, "An apothecary."
"Huh?" My nose scrunched up. "You mean like a pharmacist?"
"Not quite.” Viola snorted. “An apothecary does a lot more than those human pill pushers do. They not only mix their own medication but they can also treat those who are ill." She met Aidan's gaze as she finished up with me. "It takes patience and a deft hand to be an apothecary. Think you're up to it?"
Aidan's chest puffed out as he leveled a confident look at Viola. "Yes."
Viola nodded. "Good. We could use a few more good ones." With that, she looked toward me, then jerked her head toward the door. "You're done. Nothing broken. No internal injuries. You're lucky this one was here to catch you, or we'd be having a very different conversation."
My nose wrinkled at the thought. I knew exactly what she meant. The image of me flat as a pancake on the field was still very clear in my mind. I didn't know if I could get back on that broom any time soon. Except if I didn’t then I would fail the class. Was my sanity really worth it?
"Thank you." Aidan stood and, still holding my hand, urged me to my feet. He slid one large palm along my lower back to support me. His simple touch made my skin feel tight, and suddenly, I was back on the field, wanting those hands touching me in all the right places.
Viola made a noncommittal sound before spinning on her heel to attend to the others in the center. Aidan ushered us out of the office and back toward the way we came. I dug in my heels after a few moments, giving him the choice of stopping or forcing me to move. When he stopped and gave me a worried frown, I shifted so that I faced him.
"I don't want to go back to class." I swallowed, and my eyes flicked toward the way we came and then back to him. "Not today." I let out a nervous laugh and tugged on my ponytail. "I think I've had enough flying lessons today."
Aidan didn't argue. He simply nodded as his eyes softened.
We stood there for a moment, not quite awkwardly but not quite knowing what to do next. My stomach thankfully answered that question for me as it growled and demanded food. I gave an embarrassed grin as Aidan's lip tipped up at the edges.
"Guess that means it's time for food." I shifted from one foot to the other, chewing on my lower lip. "Do you want to come get something with me? I mean, you don't have to go back and help Coach Heathers do you?"
Shaking his head, Aidan said in that low, spine warming voice of his, "No, I had a free period and volunteered. He won't miss me."
"Really?" I gaped and then clamped my mouth shut. "I mean, good. Uh. Well, let's go?"
I slid my hand into his large one and we walked down the hallway together. It was a companionable silence, one that was neither weird or uncomfortable. I didn't feel the need to fill the air between us with words, but at the same time, I decided to make more of an effort to get to know Aidan, and that was what I was going to do.
"What's your favorite color?"
Aidan arched a brow and I flushed.
"I mean," I stumbled over my words and wet my lips, "I want to know more about you."
Amusement filled Aidan's blue eyes before they turned back toward the cafeteria. "And you'll know this by knowing my favorite color?"
I winced. "Well, when you say it that way, it does sound silly, but I stand by my choice. One step at a time." I took an exaggerated step forward to prove my point and grinned back at him as he stopped behind me. Aidan gave me one of his rare smiles that had my knees threatening to collapse beneath me before he reached out with his empty hand to stroke the side of my face.
"Blue," he said as he stared into my eyes.
My whole body lit on fire at that one word and I feel a bit more in love with him. Wait, love? When did that happen? Not that I didn’t care for Aidan, I cared about all of them, but love wasn’t something I’d thought about since my ex. Aidan was leagues ahead of Jerron though. They weren’t even on the same planet of each other.
"Fuck." I shook my head and then grinned up at him. "You just had to be a romantic, didn't you?"
Aidan's brows lifted at my words but didn't respond.
Still grinning like an idiot, I tugged on his hand. "Come on, let's get some food before I end up molesting you right here. I already got in trouble for it once this week, and twice is probably pushing it."
"Twice?" Aidan drew out as we continued on toward the cafeteria.
I flushed hotly as I cleared my throat. "Uh, yeah. With Dale. Don't ask."
I shook my head and sighed happily when we finally made it to the cafeteria doors. Since it was in between meals, there weren't a ton of students in line so Aidan and I breezed through. I grabbed an apple and carton of milk while Aidan piled a plate full of leftover spaghetti from lunch.
"Geez, hungry?" I asked with a grin.
Aidan glanced down at his plate and then over to me before gesturing to his large form.
"I could see how you need to eat.” I nodded. “You're a growing boy after all." I teased and barely got away before his searching fingers jabbed my side. "I'm just saying." I paused to pay for my food and waited for him to do the same. "I don't know where you pack it all away. If I ate like you, I'd be big as a house."
Aidan snorted and led me to a table.
"I'm serious." I poked his bulging bicep. "You're packing some serious heat in these guns, and I have to say I'm a bit envious. I want to be all hard and muscley."
Pausing mid-bite, Aidan let his eyes drift over my form. The heat in that gaze made my mouth go dry, so I quickly took a drink of my milk.
"No."
"No?" I raised a brow. "No what?"
Swallowing the food in his mouth, Aidan reached out quick as lightning and pulled me into his lap. He held me close as one hand trailed up and down m
y thigh.
"You're perfect," he proclaimed.
I blushed and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thanks... I think. And I was just teasing. I wouldn't want to be this hard." I shifted in his lap as something beneath me twitched and thickened. I gasped and met his hooded eyes. "I mean, it just wouldn't work," I continued, my mouth moving faster than my brain. "If we were both all muscle and bones, it wouldn't be very comfortable to..." I trailed off and swallowed hard. "... you know."
Aidan cupped the back of my neck as the side of his lips pulled up into a grin. "Tell me."
Fuck. Gah, he wanted me to say it. We were in the middle of the cafeteria, I was sitting in Aidan's lap where he was very happy to have me by the way, and about two seconds away from foreplay. Of course, no one around us even cared what we were doing. They were too busy trying to study or socialize to pay much mind to the couple being too touchy in public.
I took a deep breath to try to calm myself. Big mistake, it only caused me to inhale Aidan’s wonderfully masculine scent which in turn made my panties become increasingly uncomfortable. I opened my mouth to say that one word, three letters, that I'd had more than enough of lately to be able to talk about, let alone just say the damn word, but before I could get it out a commotion from the courtyard had the whole cafeteria looking.
"What was that?" I perked up, taking any chance of distraction from the embarrassingly hot conversation. Aidan didn't answer in words, but he did slide me off his lap, depositing my feet on the floor before standing himself. We followed the few dozen students out into the courtyard greenery to see what had drawn our attention.
Several buses, not big yellow school buses but full-sized charter buses, filled the u-shaped driveway. Why they were parking here and not across the way where the rest of us had to park our cars, I didn't know, but the side of each bus had a different school's emblem on it which increased my interest ten-fold.
The first bus, the color of freshly poured cream, had a crest made up of pale blue bonnets and a large cauldron. The doors to the bus opened and out came a gaggle... or maybe a giggle?... of women. They were of college age, ranging from eighteen to almost thirty, but they weren't dressed like the rest of us here at Winchester Academy.