by Gina Manis
I watch as she runs her hands along her throat and down into the water where I can’t see. Her arms come up and then her leg. I stroke myself harder, knowing I am already about to come and reach for a small towel on the table by the bed, letting myself release into it.
I lay back and cover my eyes with my arm. I hadn’t meant to do that. At least not with Jenna in the same room. I wanted us to have separate rooms because this is way too personal. On the trail, wide-open spaces is one thing, but being in an enclosed space brings everything I feel to a head—more than one of them.
I redo my pants, but I continue to watch her. She is so beautiful, and I have wanted her for so long. I can wait, I tell myself. For Jenna, I can. She is too important to me to mess this up.
I gave her my place today. I didn’t lie to her. I just left out that one detail. Sure, it had some back taxes to pay on it, but that was it. I paid them and signed the deed over to her. I took an extra fifty coins out, but it is only to buy her a ring. I want an amazing one for her and for it to be a surprise when I propose. Of course, I am not stupid enough to bear my heart to her now, but I hope I can within the cycle.
The money Thomas gave me for her, I had added about a hundred coins to. Just in case she had nothing to do with me, but as luck had it, she didn’t mind me so much. If she had said no, I still would not have given up. The mountains were vast, but I knew them well. I have flown over every inch of them. I would have found her, and even if it took me cycles, I wouldn’t give up.
Deep down, I know she is my soulmate. The first time I met her, she had only been fifteen to my twenty-five cycles, and way too young. She still is at eighteen. But Jenna is a woman now, on her own. I shouldn’t let myself feel guilty. Many women married around her age and sometimes men much older than them.
I hid my attraction to her for the longest time. Thomas finally caught on with the way I looked at her. I knew something was off as she would never look or speak to me. It wasn’t like I tried in the beginning. When he told me what happened to her and that she couldn’t stand being around men, I was floored. A cycle had passed, and there was no one left for me to kill. I settled on destroying my house, broke a few noses, and finally calmed down enough to see her again.
She gets out of the tub now, and I watch as she bends over and dries her hair. Jenna throws it back and reaches for something, and I watch as she wraps her body in the surrounding robe and ties it. She blows out the candles and I lose sight of her, closing my eyes, knowing she is about to come out.
“Arrow, I am done.” Her voice sounds relaxed, like warm honey. I open my eyes and sit up on the edge of the bed, as she moves to the table and rubs perfume she purchased on her wrist. I am about to get up when I see her dab the perfume behind her ears before letting it run across her chest. It is a fresh natural scent, and it suits her scent that I have to endure daily. The mixture of water from her bath clings heavily in the room, making it thick with my desire.
I am mesmerized as she picks up the brush and turns to me, walking towards the bed. The red robe clings to her damp skin even as it covers everything. I can’t help but think of the one tie holding it closed. As she floats closer, coming within reach, my hands itch to untie it.
“Are you not going to go for a bath?”
“Yes,” I shake my head and try to snap out of my daze. I get up moving for the bath area, her scent teasing me more. I don’t know what comes over me as I speak. “The scent of your perfume caught my notice.”
“Do you like it?” she asks, smelling her wrist and then holding it out to me. “I’ve never had perfume before.”
Her offering is too much for me, and I grab her hand, pulling her to me, burying my face in her neck. She gasps at my sudden movements but doesn’t pull away. Fuck, what am I doing? Don’t mess this up. I inhale her deeply, skimming my nose along her slender neck and around her ear, and breathe out, “I love it.”
Jenna shivers in my arms, and I release her quickly and move away and behind the screen. I look at the blasted candles in their large holder and want to throw the damn thing.
What the hell was I doing? I just inhaled and then used my breath on her skin. Am I so out of control with need that I am trying to seduce her now? I swore to myself I would never do that to Jenna. It just came out of me in a reflex.
What is she feeling now that I did? Have I frightened her? Maybe turned her on? I didn’t wait around to see her reaction. I took that too far.
I listen for a sound from the other side but hear nothing. Quickly, I undress and slide into the water. I wash my hair and self, all the while listening for any sound on the other side.
If I did break her walls and seduce her in the tiniest measure, would she be so bold to touch herself? No, she wouldn’t dare, not with a man in the room. I am letting my fantasies cloud my thinking. She had to be doing something like painting her nails or braiding her hair.
“What are you doing?” I finally have to ask.
“Why did you grab me like that?” She asks instead of answering me. It is something that we always seem to find ourselves doing.
Does she know I used my power? Maybe she did have a reaction to it. She has to know I have never used it on her before.
“I didn’t mean to. The aroma in the room and you… It has a powerful effect on me, being a Wind Element.” I try to make some excuse without sharing too much of my feelings. “I know we have never talked about my powers, but you should know I have never used them on you before.”
“I know.” She says softly. I must have affected her, but she seems to understand that I am telling her the truth. “Was it… desire you felt?”
I feel like she is testing me now to tell her the truth. “Yes, but I can control it.”
She is quiet for a minute before saying, “Beth told me you couldn’t control desire.”
“She is wrong.”
“You sort of proved her right.”
“Okay, I am an ass. Are you happy,” I tell her. “You are a beautiful woman, Jenna, you think I don’t notice? I do.”
“You have told me that before,” She says softly. “I wasn’t sure if I believed you but… I felt it this time.”
Her honesty is so refreshing and innocent. “You don’t have to fear my attraction. Nothing is going to happen if you don’t want it.”
“Thank you, Arrow. For understanding.”
We fall silent as I finish up my bath. The water is turning cold but I let it, my body still on fire from earlier. I try to push down my desire before I get out. But I think of her in that big bed. What is she doing that she remains so quiet? I can’t help myself from asking, “What are you doing, anyway?”
“I don’t think you want to know,” she tells me, and considering where her voice is coming from, she is on that bed. All I can picture is her lying upon it, touching herself. I can imagine her robe open, those breasts pointing up in the air as she runs…
“Are you brushing your hair?” I demand, needing any other image than that in my head.
“No, I’ve done that.”
“Doing your nails with the kits you bought?”
“Why do you want to know?” Her question seems so seductive to me with her low soft voice.
“Just tell me, all right?” I need something running through my head, other than her touching herself. It is all I can think of her doing in that bed.
“I am rubbing lotion on me.” Does she have to say it like she is tempting me? I groan loudly, not able to help it. She is doing exactly what I didn’t need to imagine. I inhale and smell it now. Coconut. “Told you, you didn’t want to know.”
“Then why did you tell me?” She knows how much I want her right now; she has to.
“Why did you ask?” I feel like she is almost teasing me. I should never have breathed on her neck. This is flirting with danger, but I seemed trapped in its web.
“You know why,” I tell her. I have admitted my attraction to her, but she hasn’t for me
. I have seen her look at me before, but it was more a curious glance than desire I saw in her. “Have you ever been attracted to a man before, Jenna?”
She answers with a simple, “No.”
I want to know if she is attracted to me. Is there a chance at all, she likes what she sees? I am out of the tub, wrapping a towel around my center moving around the screen.
Jenna gasps at seeing me and looks away. “Arrow, you're naked!”
“I have a towel around me. I am not naked,” I say, as Jenna covers her eyes. I know what other women think of me, but they don’t matter. There is only one person I want to be attracted to me, and that is the tiny woman in front of me. “Look at me, Jenna.”
“No,” she says.
“Dammit, woman, look at me,” I shout at her. She uncovers her face and does, her eyes sliding down until it reaches the towel, and she looks back up at me. “Do you find me attractive?”
“You’re…,” She swallows. “Handsome.”
“I know what I look like,” I tell her. “I want to know if you find me attractive.”
She takes a full minute before she finally whispers, “Yes.”
I feel relieved when I hear her answer. This seems to be one more bridge we are crossing and I can’t help but smile. It also makes me feel a little more brazen with her. “Thank you for telling me.”
I turn away from her and drop the towel, walking to the bench for my clothes. I hear her gasp, and it doesn’t surprise me. I am shocking her, but dammit, I felt I needed to at times like this.
I step into my pants and button them before I turn back to her. She is watching me now, and it is what I want. I walk over to the bed and sit down beside her and she doesn’t move away. “I’m sorry I push you at times.”
“Like now?” she asks, and I nod. “You confuse me at times. I may feel some attraction to you, but it isn’t desire. I don’t know if I can feel that anymore.”
“Attraction is the first step to feeling desire,” I say, not knowing what else to. “You have it in you to move on and I think you are each day.”
She is turning red from her shyness, but it gives her the most beautiful glow. I know she is starting to become more comfortable with me and that we have finally found trust in one another, but something is holding her back still. Her pain is so deep and has affected her extremely.
“Tonight, I want you to dress real pretty,” I tell her softly. “I will come to that door and knock. When you open that door, I will be blown away by how beautiful you are.”
“You will?”
“I already am,” I say, forcing myself not to touch her. “I’m going to take you out to dinner and then a show, and all the while I intend to hold your hand if you will let me.”
She takes a second before nodding in agreement. It makes me feel proud that she trusts me to do so.
“Tonight, I am courting you, Jenna,” I say softly. “Think of this as a practice run for the future.”
She blushes again but doesn’t object to it. I get up and move around the bed, slipping on my shoes. I grab my shirt and slide it on my arms as I go out and leave her alone.
I lean against the wall for a moment and breathe in deeply. I can’t believe I just challenged her like that. I have to make this night special because if it doesn’t go well, she could turn away from me.
Chapter Eighteen
Jenna
Arrow has been a perfect gentleman all night. He knocked on our door just as he said he would, and I opened it. His eyes scan down me and my new dress. I didn’t think it was provocative in the slightest, but he made me wonder with the way he looked at me.
He held out his hand, and with only a brief hesitation, I took it. He places it in the crook of his arm, and we walk down together. He said tonight he would be courting me. I have heard the other young women talk about it but had never desired to do so before. There is something about Arrow and how I am beginning to trust him more and more each day that gives me the will to do this. I know he will not push for anything I don’t want.
Katy and Charles are waiting on us at the bottom of the steps. Katy introduces me to Charles, and he holds out his hand to me. I don’t take it but smile as I say hello.
We walk to an eating establishment that is practically full tonight and eat a lovely lamb meal with some fresh bread and a bowl of vegetable soup. A piece of chocolate cake finishes off our dinner, and it is some of the best cake I have ever tasted.
Katy and Charles led the way to the stage for the evening show. I’ve never been to one before as there were too many who attended at Star Kingdom but here, it isn’t nearly as big, and I liked that.
I sit between Katy and Arrow, very aware of him beside me. He takes my hand about halfway through the show, and I pull away before thinking. He doesn’t try to retake it. Once it is over, though, I place my hand back on his arm as we all walk back into the village's central part.
“Hey, I know a place we can go for a drink,” Charles says to us. “How about we do before turning in for the night?”
“Jenna, would you like that?” Arrow asks me.
“I have never had a drink before,” I confess to him. They are all older than me, but I am not embarrassed by it. Beth and Thomas never drank, so there never was much opportunity before.
“Then join us,” Katy says, encouraging me.
“Okay,” I say to her and look at Arrow. He seems pleased also, and I am glad for that. I want to make him happy, and to celebrate my new place; it sounded like a thing to do.
We walk down to this open doorway on the boardwalk right down from the hotel we were staying at. On entering, I see it isn’t very busy and am relieved.
Music is playing, and there are several tables along with a bar and a dance floor. It isn’t as grand as the hotel, but it is nice and clean, at least.
We all take a table, and Charles orders a round of drinks for us all. The lady brings it back, and I give it a sniff. It is stronger than I expected, and it burns my nose.
“Just take it slow, Jenna,” Arrow says, taking a sip of his. “I don’t want to carry you back to the hotel.”
I sip at it, and it burns my throat. “After the first one, it is better, Jenna,” Katy says to me. She holds up her glass, and I watch as she drinks a big gulp of it.
“Shouldn’t you be taking it slow, also?” Arrow asks her. “Didn’t you just have a baby?”
“He is a season old already, Arrow,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Besides, I don’t have him tonight and would like to enjoy myself.”
“I am up for that,” Charles says, kissing his wife on the cheek. “How about a dance, love?”
“I thought you would never ask.” She smiles at him. They both finish their drinks off and leave us at the table alone. I pick my drink up again and sip once more. It doesn’t seem as bad this time.
“It takes a minute to get a taste for the stuff,” Arrow says as he finishes his and orders another round for us all. I finish my first off as the woman brings the others.
“It is making me warm,” I say, but don’t add that it feels like my heart is slowing down also.
“So why don’t you tell me what you plan on doing with Pineview cabin.” He asks, and we sit there and talk. It isn’t long before Katy and Charles come back and take their drinks. They are back out on the dance floor in no time.
I watch them sway together, she cuddled up in his arms. It is hard to picture her with another husband, also. Arrow told me that it isn’t that uncommon in Mountainside as mountain people grow closer in isolation over the long winter months. Brothers like Charles and Simon are just an example. He also told me that most likely, it is where the King of Star Kingdom got the idea for his new law.
“Would you like to dance?” Arrow asks, and I turn to him. I can see that he wants to, but I don’t think I can with strangers around. The little house of Brit and Rufus where we shared a dance before had felt safer and secluded. I feel more exposed here.
I shake my head. “Not here, Arrow.”
His smile falls somewhat, “Doesn’t feel like celebrating without a dance.”
He is right, I know. I can do this, I tell myself. “How about I finish this drink and maybe we will give it a shot.”
He smiles at me and nods his head. We sit there and watch more people enter and listen to the music. It is nice and different for me being in a place like this. I have never been in a bar before. There were always so many people back home, but here there is space to breathe and little chance for me to come in contact with others if I didn’t want to.
We have several more drinks, and I sway to the music in my chair. It reminds me of being back at the little cottage with Brit and Rufus. I think of how dancing with Arrow had been. A little awkward but kind of fun, too. He had held me close but not like Charles was with Katy.
I look to Arrow and wonder if he would hold me like Charles does his wife if we danced now. Could I let him hold me that close? I get dizzy just thinking about it.
“I think you are getting a little drunk,” he says, smiling at me.
“I feel a little sluggish. Don’t let me fall on my face when I get up.”
I won’t,” He gives a small laugh. “Maybe you shouldn’t drink any more. We have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Am I drunk?” I ask him.
“No, but you’re buzzing, I can tell.”
“Buzzing,” I drag it out with the z and nod my head. “Yep, I think I have a bee in my ear.”
He laughs again. The music picks up and Katy comes over and takes my hand. “Come with me to the privy, Jenna.”
“Of course,” I say and let her pull me away.
“So tell me, Jenna, are you and Arrow a couple or not?” she asks as we walk down a hall.
“No, we are just friends. He told you that earlier.” I wonder why she is asking me this again.
“I know,” she admits and smiles at me. “When all the men find out there is a beautiful single woman new in the village; they are going to be tripping over themselves.”