A little to the left. No. Stop. Don’t move. Okay, two more steps. Ah,…there. Now, slowly, one button at a time. Yes, yes, that’s right.
Magically disguised as a plain, middle-aged human woman named Trudy Warner, I stared through the telescope carefully positioned in the bedroom’s corner, obscured from view by shuttered blinds and a large, potted fern should the male under scrutiny suddenly give my window a second glance.
I felt ridiculous having the fern near with closed blinds, but I knew better than to underestimate a Storm Lord.
“Oh yeah, baby,” I uttered on breath and a prayer. “I love that chest.”
Helplessly fascinated, I watched my tall, strapping neighbor lose his shirt as he readied, I assumed, for a bath. The light in his adjoining bathroom was on, and steam fogged the bathroom mirror.
I swallowed around a dry throat, wishing for a glass of water. But I 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.
I stopped breathing, anticipation making me dizzy. Come on, Aerolus. Drop them, already. I’m dying here!
Jeans slid slowly to his knees before he kicked them off, giving me an uninhibited view of sizzling male perfection. The royal prince didn’t like underwear, apparently.
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 long, thick shaft that whispered Mine the longer I stared at it.
Shadows, how I wanted to touch him.
My heart hammered like a ringing alarm clock that refused to turn off. Getting control of my wayward thoughts wasn’t easy. I took deep breaths, tried to think unsexy thoughts, and took more deep breaths. Repeating the process several more times, I finally admitted I was hopelessly in lust with the Wind Mage.
Aerolus was so beautiful, so very desirable, and so utterly slow.
I gripped the base of the telescope and watched him stretch and rub his chest, a motion I could have been performing had the stubborn man answered my summons.
Instead, Aerolus Storm, warrior and sorcerer, Storm Lord and Wind Mage, acted as if he had nothing to fear, as if I hadn’t rescued both him and his brothers from sure death just a few short weeks ago.
I huffed, annoyed. Had I been so easy to forget? Really? Meanwhile, I couldn’t stop watching the naked mage rotating his neck and shoulders, which only emphasized his abundant physical strength.
Aerolus appealed to me on more than a visual level. His extraordinary grasp of sorcery, especially considering he was just a novice, and his potential for power thrilled the heart of me that pulsed with magic.
I itched to be near him, to stroke his warm skin and feel the energy that coursed through his blood.
But I couldn’t get near him now because Mr. Clever had sealed his house from all but the Light Bringers. Now, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t simply phase into his home. Despite my pixie-like size when observing, I couldn’t pass the enchanted shield he’d erected around the house.
Even in the guise of an ant, I’d be expelled from the premises.
Thus my masquerade as Trudy Warner, the nosy neighbor.
Aerolus finished his stretch then did the oddest thing. He stared down at himself, took his dick in his hand, and started priming it. He closed his eyes and his face changed, became charged with a raw intensity that caused my entire body to clench in response.
He pumped into his fist, pulling and pushing, faster and harder. Sweat beaded on my brow, and I licked my dry lips, wishing he were here with me. Pushing into my body and out of my system, ending this annoying craving I had for his touch.
His biceps clenched and his forearm strained. I could see his nipples standing erect, as much from arousal as from the breeze that lifted his hair. My breath caught as I saw his elemental nature set free.
Wind whipped at the sheets on his bed, at the papers lying atop his dresser and the curtains framing his window, interrupting my scrutiny as dark fabric swirled against the panes. Glimpses of Aerolus showed him building toward climax, his neck muscles prominent, straining as he gritted his teeth.
Then the curtains dropped, the wind ceased, and Aerolus turned his head, blinking directly at the hidden telescope, at me. He should have been embarrassed. Shadows knew I would have been. But Aerolus stood uninhibited, still gripping himself, his face an almost expressionless mask…unless one knew where to look.
I did. The slight tightening around his eyes showed a muted frown. He released himself — a waste, in my opinion — and took a step toward the window, his eyes glowing with unfettered anger.
With a curse, I flew back, knowing he couldn’t possibly have seen me. Embarrassed to be caught peeping, I sank heavily onto the bed. I hadn’t expected…that…tonight.
I returned to the telescope, only to see he’d disappeared, and the bathroom door had closed.
