She swallowed around a dry throat, wishing for a glass of water, but refused to leave the sight of Aerolus Storm stripping down to nothing.
Long fingers reached for the snap of his jeans, his hands graceful and sure as they unzipped the denim, allowing a brief thatch of dark hair to appear.
Mother of all that was holy.
She stopped breathing, anticipation making her almost dizzy. Come on, Aerolus. Drop them, already. I’m dying here!
Jeans slid slowly to his knees before he kicked them off, giving her an uninhibited view of sizzling male perfection. Golden skin rippled as he moved under the sunlight streaming through his room, casting beautiful shadows of a warrior in his prime. A sprinkling of dark, silky hair covered his upper chest, tapering over a taut abdomen packed with clearly delineated muscle. The hair trailed lightly down his belly to frame a thick, mouth-wateringly large shaft that whispered yours the longer she stared at it.
Shadows, how she wanted to touch that part of him.
She swallowed loudly, her heart hammering like a ringing alarm clock that refused to turn off. Trying to rein in her boiling needs, she took a deep breath, then released. Repeating the process several more times, she finally admitted she was hopelessly in lust with the god-like image before her.
Aerolus was so beautiful, so very desirable, and so utterly slow.
Her hands gripped the base of the telescope as she watched him stretch and rub his chest, a motion she could have been performing had the stubborn man answered her summons.
Instead, Aerolus Storm, both warrior and sorcerer, Storm Lord and Wind Mage, acted as if he had nothing to fear, as if she hadn’t rescued both him and his brothers from sure death just a few short weeks ago.
She huffed, perturbed that apparently she’d been so easy to forget, all the while her eyes remained glued to the naked mage rotating his neck and shoulders, which only emphasised the abundant physical strength he possessed in spades.
Aerolus appealed to her on more than a visual level, regrettably making her attraction all that harder to shake. The man’s extraordinary grasp of sorcery, especially considering he was really just a novice, and his potential for power thrilled the heart of her that pulsed with magic.
She itched to be near him, to stroke his warm skin and feel the energy that coursed in his blood. Scowling, she cursed the day Aerolus had sealed his house from all but the Light Bringers. Now, as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t simply phase into his home. Despite her pixie-like size when observing, she couldn’t pass the spelled shield he’d erected around the house. Even in the guise of an ant, she’d be expelled from the premises.
Thus her masquerade as Trudy Warner, the nosy neighbour.
Aerolus finished his stretch, capturing her attention once more. He did the oddest thing. Staring down at his shaft, he grasped it in a firm hand, then began rubbing it and closed his eyes. The action seemed at first clinical, but then his face changed, became charged with a raw intensity that caused an instant throbbing between her legs.
His fingers stretched his flesh, pulling almost viciously as his breathing quickened. Sweat beaded on her brow, and she licked her dry lips, wishing he were here with her, thrusting not into his hand, but inside her with that massive cock. Into her body and out of her system, ending this annoying craving she had for his touch.
His biceps clenched, and his forearm strained. She could see his nipples standing erect, as much from arousal as from the breeze that lifted his hair. Her breath caught as she saw his elemental nature freeing itself from its usual constriction.
Wind whipped at the sheets on his bed, at the papers lying atop his dresser, at the curtains framing his window, interrupting her scrutiny as dark fabric swirled against the panes. Glimpses of Aerolus showed him building towards climax, his neck muscles prominent, straining as he gritted his teeth and pumped faster.
Then suddenly the curtains dropped, the wind ceased, and Aerolus turned his head, blinking directly at the hidden telescope, at her. He should have been embarrassed. Shadows knew she would have been. But Aerolus stood uninhibited, still gripping his cock, his face an almost expressionless mask, unless one knew where to look.
She did. And the slight tightening around his eyes showed a muted frown. He released himself—a damned waste, in her opinion—and took a step towards the window, his eyes glowing with unfettered anger.
With a curse she flew back, knowing he couldn’t possibly have seen her, yet he had. She felt both annoyed and embarrassed to be caught peeping and sank heavily onto the bed. Well, really, it wasn’t as if he was around to cure her of this insatiable desire.
She shook her head, muttering under her breath and returned to the telescope. “Damn.” He’d disappeared, and the bathroom door had closed.
Alandra toyed with the idea of marching over there and asking for a cup of sugar, an egg, anything just to get inside that house again, a step closer to the man who, for reasons unknown, filled her every waking thought. Her growing obsession with Aerolus was irritating, alarming, and disturbingly arousing.
The last she’d seen, only Aerolus, his brother Cadmus, and that unpredictable sorcerer of Tanselm, Arim, were in residence. None of them would recognise her in this guise.
But did she want to take the chance she might be wrong?
Walking to the dresser mirror, she stared at the likeness of Dr. Trudy Warner, a nice, if boring, forty-nine year old woman currently on sabbatical in Europe. House-sitting for Professor Warner had been a no-brainer, a fortuitous circumstance she’d been hoping for when she’d first begun observing Aerolus a year ago.
To Trudy, she’d looked like an eager, naïve college student needing some extra cash. But to the Storm Lords, she remained Trudy Warner, an average neighbour who never attracted attention, the same dull professor day in and day out.
The month she’d been here had been hell, but so worth it if only to see Aerolus naked. Her lips quirked. This job had definite perks. And a killer downside. With the source of her attraction so close, it should have been easy to fulfil her needs.
Unfortunately, Aerolus felt no compunction about ignoring both her and the dire situation encroaching steadily nearer.
The doorbell rang, halting her indignation, and she hurriedly adjusted her attitude and mindset to match Trudy’s. As she slowly trudged down the steps, Alandra focused on recalling Trudy’s monotonous voice. Appearances were easy to assume, but voices and mannerisms took skill and practice—both of which she was working to improve.
She reached the front door and drew in a deep breath. She exhaled evenly as she opened the door with a pleasant if dim smile on her face. “Yes? Marcus, isn’t it?”
Aerolus frowned, his silver eyes glinting with suspicion. Oh, yes, he’d definitely noticed her watching him. “Actually, I’m his brother, Aerolus. We’ve never met.”
Thank the shadows. Now, how to play this to her advantage… If Arim weren’t in residence, she would have knocked on Aerolus’ door and demanded his cooperation weeks ago. But with the formidable Light Bringer at the house, maybe even spying on Aerolus as they spoke, she didn’t want to chance being recognised. Who knew what repercussions she’d suffer at his hands? And if word got back to the Aellei of what she’d been doing before she was ready to face them, she’d be better off dead.
Aerolus stared down at her curiously, and she realised she’d been staring as she thought. She flushed and tried to act intimidated, as Trudy would have.