FLAME AND FURY (Merlin's Legacy Book 1) Excerpt

Excerpt from Chapter 3

Maya had him right where she wanted him. If he was the one she was searching for, it would be pretty obvious soon enough. If not? Well, she was having a hell of a good time. Honestly, she hoped it wasn't him. There was something so sweet and innocent about the guy. The Elementals were supposed to be calcu- lating and hardened, trained from birth just like her. She knew they could be really good actors, but her being duped like that would make Aedan Sparks Johnny freaking Depp.

And he was a very good kisser.

She could feel he was holding back. Of course, they were in the middle of the library parking lot in the 100-degree heat. And she had just been kind of bitchy. Still, she knew her guys, and by now they were usually groping her clumsily.

Everything about this was hot. His mouth, his hands, his body pressed against hers. It was all very intense and real, and she was losing herself in his scent, like a campfire in the woods. Full of earth and spice.

She pulled away. It was too much, and she was panting. She wiped at the sweat on her forehead and sucked in her bottom lip. He was breathing hard too, his chest looking mighty good beneath his tight black T. She liked the way his hair was sun-kissed on top, but got darker and darker the further down you looked, until the bottom was black as coal. And his eyes, they were almost golden, they were such a light brown.

You're not allowed to fall for him. Not unless he's cleared. And even then it can't last. It was okay though, purely physical. She didn't even really know him. At most she could say she was curious. Yes. That was it.

"Why do you look like you just ate a dirty sock?" she asked finally registering his expression.

"I - I'm not looking for a relationship," he said. What an unusual thing for a guy to say. Could he be gay? Not the way he was getting into that kiss...

"Good. Cause neither am I." She flicked the curl lying in the center of his forehead and straightened her tank, well aware of how much cleavage was now visible. If he was an eighteen-year-old Elemental, this was the easiest way to get him to give himself away. And the most fun.

And if it was him she'd been searching for, she knew exactly which of the four Elementals he was. They were all dangerous, but even the unenlightened humans had a saying about playing with fire. And that was exactly why she'd wanted this assignment. The adrenaline rush. She was well equipped to deal with her target once she found him.

She stepped forward until she was back in his personal space. She could feel the heat coming off him in waves, but his shirt was probably soaking up the sun like a miniature black hole. He stayed very still as she ran a finger down his arm. He shivered at her touch, and she wondered what would happen if she jumped him right there in the parking lot.

"Maya, I really have to go now. The hour's almost up anyway." "You owe me fifteen more minutes," she teased.

He looked away over her head, and his eyes hardened for a minute.

"I can't do this."

"You already did, and unless I'm missing something, it wasn't that bad." She flipped her hair back.

"I told you, I'm not looking-"

"For a relationship. And I told you I'm not either. Just some fun during the summer in this stinking town. I mean, you can't even be outdoors around here in the summer. It sucks."

"Where are you from?" Aedan asked.

"Minnesota. Now that's a place you can really enjoy the summer."

Aedan made a face. "Yeah, because the other eight months of the year you're barricaded behind twelve feet of snow and ice."

"Don't like winter, huh? That's so shocking coming from a desert dweller."

"You really hate it here that much?" he asked, softening. He seemed really curious.

"I haven't found anything worth the heat, the snakes, and the scorpions. At least not yet. But I can be open-minded," she said, pressing against him again. He took a step back and looked around like he was hoping for an extraction team to swoop in and rescue him. "How about you convince me otherwise? You have exactly three hours a week for ten weeks. What do you say?"