Awaken the Elements (Elemental Trilogy) (19 page)

“Are you cold?” He whispered.

“No,” she said as his lips pressed against hers. His tongue coaxed her mouth open, and the fire engulfed them as they sunk into the kiss. It made everything in her center clench with need. Rowan’s hand slipped under her shirt, his warm hand moving up to touch a bare breast. She moaned into his mouth as he tweaked her nipple.

He adjusted himself,
and it felt right, his body over hers. Her body ached to be touched.  His soft lips kissed down her jaw as his hand and fingers kneaded her breast. She could tell he wanted her by the bulge rubbing against her shorts.

Something
inside cried out that this was wrong, but she pushed it away.

“Autumn,” his hot breath whispered along her sensitive skin.

“Please,” she whispered, and like magic, her shorts were ripped off.

             
She felt the night air whisper against her skin as he pushed up her shirt and attacked her bare breasts. His mouth sent electric chills down to her toes. She writhed, as he stroked his hand gently between her legs, as tongue, mouth, and teeth played with one nipple then the other.

A finger sunk into her wetness, and she nearly came on the spot. He moved slowly in and out of her. After a few times
, he pulled out and rubbing along her clit. So close, her skin felt like it would explode as an orgasm ripped through her.

“Please, Rowan,” she whispered hoarsely.

He kissed her, his tongue penetrating her mouth as his dick slipped inside her. He slowly pushed in, letting her stretch around him, filling her. Slowly, he pushed in and pulled out.

“Autumn, you feel so good,” he whispered as his hip
movements sped up.

Her hands gripped his back as she felt another orgasm start to roll over her. It exploded from her making her legs shake and her nails bit
e into his skin. Rowan’s breath started to increase, as he sped up faster. He cried out, coming, and collapsed upon her.

“Give me fifteen minutes
, and we can do it again,” he said, looking at her.

She smiled. “Someone might come looking for us,” she said
and ran her hand through his crazy dark hair.

He kissed her and rolled off of her. “I can’t wait to tell River about this.”

“Are you going to tell him?” she said, sitting up. Her content feeling replaced with guilt.

“Of course,” he said and laughed.

“Don’t. I don’t want anyone to know.” She said, looking for her shorts.

“Why not? Are you ashamed of me, this, us?”

“No. It’s just that my family won’t understand. Please, Rowan, don’t tell anyone right now.”

“Okay, but I want to do this again.”

She smiled and nodded. “Me too.”

“Soon.”

              They rode the elevator down, their arms touching. “Want me to walk you to your room?” She shook her head.

             
“Can you imagine the rumors we’ll start?”

             
He smiled and pushed some curls away from her eyes. “Eh, who cares?”

****

Summer was coming to a close. Autumn tried to avoid both Rowan and River, but her body betrayed her. Sometime
s she wished to hunt Rowan down and rip off his clothes. Other times he tried to get her alone, almost making it too obvious. But like always, she held herself together.

She found herself
alone in the funhouse. She slowly walked through the passages, stopped on a spinning portion of the ground, and spun herself a few times. There was a little nook that she liked to sit in in this passage. The mall was huge, but alone time was still hard to come by.

River’s voice echoed through there, “Marco!”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Polo! Past the mirrors.” Waiting, she scrunched up her nose in the funny mirror across from her. He walked into the archway.

“You alone?” he asked
, looking around.

She nodded. “Something wrong?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” He walked over to her. “Autumn, I know you have been avoiding me. I think others are noticing as well.”

She looked away. “I just need some time alone. I am feeling a little overwhelmed
.” She got up and walked through the passageway, hitting the moving floor planks. River followed, spinning.

“Sorry,” he said when they spun to face each other. He jumped to the next one, spinning. She laughed
, doing the same thing.

“It’s okay.” She jumped to the passage. Did a come-hither motion and disappeared into the blackout room.

She made it into the ball room and flattened herself along the wall. He ran into the room and looked down into the ball pit. She quietly moved, reaching out to push him in, but he turned on her, grabbing her arms. They crashed into the ball pit together, laughing.

She
rolled away and tossed a ball at him. Not ready for it, the ball bonked him on the head.

“Why you
!” he said and jumped at her. She rolled away. He grabbed a ball and hit her on the head.

“Hey!”

“Whatcha going to do?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She grabbed a ball in each hand
, but before she could throw them, he lunged, grabbing her hands. As the laughter died down she noticed how close his dark blue eyes were. His face was within kissing distance. Her hands dropped the balls, and he laced his fingers in hers. Startling her, he pressed his lush lips against hers. His kiss felt needy as he nipped her lip, trying to get her to open her mouth. She obliged.

He pulled her into his lap as the kiss deepened.
She squirmed on his bulge which made him moan. He gently kissed along her jaw and down her neck. His lips skimmed the top of her V-neck then worked their way back up to land on her lips. His lips were driving her mad. They made her sensitive skin tingle. His kisses and nips brought forth little noises from her.

Her hands slid under his shirt, and she made her way up his tight abs. He had
the best body she had ever felt and seen on the big screen. He had muscles but not like a bodybuilder. She wanted to see his perfect naked body, now in person.

“Off,” she said
, tugging his shirt.

He bunched his shirt up and slowly removed it
, tossing it out of the pit. Her hands moved over his chiseled chest and up to his perfect shoulders. Perfect.

“Off?” he asked
, giving her shirt a gentle tug. She pulled her shirt off. He looked at her with hungry eyes, stopping on her lacy bra. “Off?”

She nodded
, but his hands where already behind her, working on the clasp. He undid it like a pro and kissed each shoulder as he pulled it off. He tossed it out of the pit. A fire, a need, burned in her.

He looked at her. “You are amazing.” He bent down
, and his hot breath hardened her nipples. She gasped as his tongue flicked across one. He took it into his mouth, the sensation making her squirm on his hidden bulge. He started to work on the other, making her cry out.

He pulled away
, satisfied with his work, and kissed her hard. His hands gently caressed her bare back.

“Wrap your legs around me.”

She did as he said. He picked her up easily and walked them over to the edge. His hands skimmed her skin and ended at the clasp of her shorts. “Off?” he asked.

She swallowed. That little voice floated
in her head, telling her no. But she pushed it away. “Off,” she whispered.

She lay back as he removed her shorts and panties. Naked and vulnerable, she started to sit up
, but a hand gently pushed her back down. She raised her head, looking at him. The look on his face was dark primal need.

River moved his hand
, stroking her lips. He bent, breathing along her most sensitive spot. She propped up on her elbows just as his face disappeared between her legs. His tongue flicked her clit. She moaned as he started sucking on the little bud of nerves and pushed a finger into her wet hole. With each suck, his finger moved. A jolt of electricity pulsated to her center. Her toes curled, and her legs began to shake. She lay back, moaning, and gripped his hair as the orgasm crashed over her.

He straightened up. “More?” he asked.

“Yes, please,” she begged.

She heard him undo his belt and push down his pants. She looked at him, and that dark
smile promised bad things. He was perfect. Her eyes watched as he grabbed a condom, tear it open, and rolled it down his long shaft. He moved in close. The hardness of his dick rubbed along her sensitive clit, making her cry out. He placed the head against her wetness.

He moved
, sinking into her, stretching her as he moved. He was not gentle, but not too rough.  He pushed his way inside. He moved easily over her, his hands gripping her hips. As he sped up another orgasm tore a scream from her lips. A fire burned in her.

“Faster?” he asked.

“Faster,” she whispered, not trusting her voice. He obliged, fucking her hard. His balls slapped against her ass, pushing her close to the brink yet again.

“Your pussy feels so good,” he said
, thrusting deeply, ripping another orgasm from her. No one had talked dirty to her before. And she liked it.

His dick pound
ed inside her, and she heard flesh hit flesh. River’s breathing changed, and before he could come, she was caught off guard by another orgasm. So intense, it ripped another scream from her already raw throat. He moaned over her and grabbed the side of the ball pit, keeping himself steady.

He sank into the balls. When she regained feeling in her body
, she sat up and looked at him lying in the balls. His eyes were closed, and a satisfied smile spread over his face. River was so heartbreakingly handsome. She could see why directors wanted him in their movies.

His eye opened. “Come down here,” he said.

She sank into the balls with him, her body molding to his as he held her. His naked body warm and
  
hard?

“Again?” she whispered.

“Again,” he said, giving her that dark smile and pulling her on top of him. “Mmm. Fuck me, Autumn.”

****

During
dinner, River was telling Autumn secrets he learned while making movies.

“No!” Autumn gasped
, giggling into her hands.

“Hey guys,” Rowan said. “Autumn
, I have been looking for you most of the afternoon.”

That made
Autumn choke on her tea, and she coughed.

“Are you okay?” River asked.

“Wrong pipe,” she managed to say between breaths. She looked down at her food and them. “I gotta go.” She walked out of the food court and leaned against the wall.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” She whispered.

“I think you are being too hard on yourself,” Adair said.

“Are you kidding? They are going to tell each other.”

“You like them both?”

“Yes,” she said.

The monkey nodded. “There are worse things you could be doing. Sex is natural and magical. And from your feelings, you have never had better.”

She gave him a stern look. “You are a dirty monkey.”

“I’m just saying.”

“It isn’t right.”

“What isn’t?” River said, as he and Rowan turned the corner.

“I lost something. It’s okay.”

“We’re going to watch a movie,” Rowan said, grabbing one arm, and River grabbing the other. She liked being with each one, but together they felt right, which confused her.

Chapter 10

              River was walking aimlessly down the way when Autumn passed him. “Hey,” he said.

             
She stopped briefly. “Hey.” She looked around. “I have something to do.”

             
“Okay,” he said, watching her walk up the stairs, avoiding the elevator.

             
River walked over to the futons where Rowan sat reading. “I think she’s avoiding me.”

             
He put the book down. “Me too.”

             
River looked at him. “Really?”

             
Rowan nodded. “I haven’t been able to catch her alone.”

             
River sat there looking at the floor, mulling things over in his head. He took a deep breath and looked at his friend. “I like her.”

             
“So do I,” Rowan said.

             
“No. I really like her.”

             
“I know. So do I.”

             
“I kissed her.”

             
“So did I.”

“I
  
” River started to say.

“Don’t say anymore,” Rowan cut him off.

              They started at each other. “Well, what do we do now?” River asked.

             
“We need to talk to her and see which one she likes the most.”

             
“Okay,” they got up and went to find her.

             
Autumn was talking to Hazel about Halloween. She saw the guys coming and nudged her. Autumn turned and frowned. “Damn,” she muttered.

             
“Be strong,” Hazel whispered.

             
“Autumn,” Rowan said as they got to her. “We need to talk.”

             
“Sure. But my mom needs me,” she said and walked away quickly. They watched her disappear down the stairs.

             
“Her mom doesn’t need her. Try the bookstore,” Hazel said.

             
They nodded and took the elevator to the second story. “What if she does choose one of us?” River said.

             
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that yet.”

             
They walked in and to the back where Autumn sat, her back to them and ear buds in.  Rowan tapped her shoulder. She looked up at him. Her mouth formed an O, and her eyes slid to River. She took the buds from her ears.

             
“Autumn, we need to talk. No more excuses, please.”

             
“Can we not?” she finally said.

             
They shook their heads and sat down at the table. The guys looked at each other, not sure where to start. “We both really like you,” Rowan said.

             
“I know, and I shouldn’t have kissed either of you. I am so sorry.”

             
“We want to know which one of us you like the most?” River said.

             
She got up from the table. “I have been trying to choose. I really have. I like you both a lot. I have so much fun with both of you guys. Rowan, you taught me to ice skate, and River, you taught me how to play the drums, badly, but I am learning.” She looked away from them. “When I kissed you, both of you, I have never felt that with anyone else.”

             
“Why have you been avoiding us?” River asked.

             
“I thought that if I stayed away, maybe you guys would change your mind and stop.”

             
“But we like you,” Rowan said.

             
“It’s not fair to like both of you.”

             
River and Rowan looked at each other. River motioned to the front of the store with his head. Rowan nodded. “Autumn, excuse us for a few minutes,” Rowan said, and they went to the front of the store.

             
“Look, I don’t know about you, but I’m okay sharing her with you,” River finally said. “If not, we are going to lose her altogether. And I don’t want that to happen.”

             
Rowan looked away from him. “I don’t know, River.”

             
River looked at him. “We’ve shared personal things before and well, hear me out.”

             
Autumn sat at the table listening to them whisper. She didn’t want to lose their friendship. She liked them both a lot. More than she knew she should. She felt guilty when she was around them, and she was tired of feeling guilty. Her eyes fell on the book of elements Adair wanted her to read. He said she contained and could control the power of Earth; it explained so much.

             
They finally came back and sat down. Rowan looked at River, and River looked at Autumn. “Okay, hear us out,” River said, “We both like you. You like both of us. We decided
how about we share?”

             
Autumn blinked with surprise. “What?”

             
“Well, we both date you,” Rowan said.

             
She shook her head. “Those don’t work.”

             
“In what?”

             
“Movies and books.”

             
“But this is real. We all like hanging out together. So, sometimes you hang out with River, sometimes you hang out with me, and other times we all hang out together. We try and see how it works out.”

             
Stunned, she didn’t know how to feel.  She pinched her arm under the table to see if she was dreaming. Part of her loved the idea, but the other part kept thinking of all the ways this wasn’t right. She just looked from one to the other as she bit her bottom lip.

             
“Look, we can keep this all on the down low too,” River said.  “To others we’ll look like best friends, but alone we’ll be much more.”

             
“We can try. I just don’t want to lose your friendships if this ends badly,” she said.

             
“Why would it end?” Rowan said.

             
She shrugged. Just then Hazel walked in, followed by Richard. They paused, looking at the group.  Autumn plastered a friendly smile on her face. “Hey guys.”

             
“Autumn, we were going down to Playland; do you guys want to come?” Hazel asked.

             
“Sounds fun,” Rowan said, getting up.

             
“River, I owe you a rematch on that one racing game,” Richard said.

             
Later, when she had Hazel alone, she filled her in on everything. “And that is what they want.”

             
“You’re kidding?” Hazel asked in disbelief.

             
“No, it’s their idea. They want to do this.”

             
“I feel I should be jealous. I know you need to keep this under wraps because things could get blown out of proportion if this gets out.”

             
“Hey, are you talking about us?” Richard asked, walking over with Rowan and River.

             
“Maybe,” she said, her face warming up.

             
“Come on, ladies, let’s go watch a movie. Frank said he got the digital projector up and running in the theater,” Richard said.

             
“A movie sounds great,” Hazel said.

             
They ended up choosing a classic eighties comedy,
Caveman
. Autumn sat between River and Rowan.  They made her nervous. Her heart beat hard. She couldn’t focus on the movie, instead thinking of what could happen.

****

             
Halloween arrived with much anticipation. Anatha and Autumn did a small Samhain ritual without Hazel. Ever since the summer one, they really didn’t do much magic with Hazel. She wasn’t part of them. What they were, they weren’t sure of, but they knew they were different. Each was given magic lessons by their power animals. Adair wanted Autumn to grow plants, but when she thought of plants she thought of Ryan, and her guilt bubbled up.

             
Anatha was becoming increasingly agitated with her because of the time she was spending with River. Autumn tried to explain they were just friends, and they liked to hang out.

             
“All the fucking time?” Anatha asked angrily.

             
Autumn shrugged. “I don’t know what to say. We just like to talk and watch movies.”

             
“But it just seems fishy with it being just the two of you.”

             
“But it isn’t just the two of us. Rowan is with us, and sometimes Hazel and Richard.”

             
“Yeah, well, you know what? If you aren’t going to be a good cousin and help me with River, I will have to take things into my own hands.”

             
Autumn shrugged. “Okay. Do what you will. But if I feel any magic, I will throw a karma fastball that will feel like an eternity.”

             
“I don’t need magic,” she said and walked away. She walked over to Envy and Ivy Lee.

             
Autumn shook her head. Walking to the bookstore, Rowan caught her eye over at the Oddity Shop entrance. Curious, she went to see what he wanted. It was one shop she hadn’t examined much.

             
“Autumn, look,” he said, showing her a superhero cape. “They have props in boxes back there. I can make my own costume.”

             
Her eyes roamed over glass trinkets and role playing games. Funny posters were on the walls, along with shirts and music idol merchandise. There were books on odd things and collectibles, as well as DVDs. There was even a whole section on serial killers and cults.

             
“Why have I not been in this store?” she asked.

             
“It is very strange.”

             
“Oh my gods!” She went over to the display case, looking inside. “That is a mini cross-bow!” She read the box.  It shot plastic suction cup arrows.

             
Rowan was beside her. She turned to him, smiling. “You are so cute when you are excited.”

             
“Thanks, I guess.” She could already feel her face heating up.

             
Before she knew it, he pressed his lips against hers. She turned in his arms, and he easily lifted her on the display case. The kiss deepened, and she could feel his need as he pressed his body against hers. She felt her body tighten and tingle. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.

             
“I love how you react to me,” he whispered.

             
“Hmm,” was all she could say, making him laugh.

             
“Oh, hey, I have to finish my costume. What are you going to be?”

             
She shook her head. “Nothing. Me?”

             
“But you are going
   
” Screaming outside stopped him.

             
They rushed out of the store. Their eyes went up to the other floor, and Autumn could hear Envy throwing a fit.

             
“What is going on?” He asked.

             
“Envy being Envy. You get used to her outbursts. It’s been a while since she’s had one.”

****

             
“Are you really going to wear that?” River asked Rowan, looking over his skintight superhero costume.

             
“You like?” He asked.

             
“Dude, you are hiding nothing in that thing,” River said.

             
“So it’s too much,” Rowan said, looking down at the costume. He went into his curtained room and pulled on some boxers that matched the outfit. He came out. “Better?”

             
“Much,” River said as he attached the curly mustache to his face.

             
“You look great,” Rowan said.

             
River looked at his reflection, taking in the evil villain suit and top hat. The mustache and monocle were the best props he’d found, bringing the costume all together. “That store was awesome. I wonder what Autumn is going to be?”

             
“Whatever it is, she wouldn’t spill earlier.”