“I’m only trying to keep you safe, Mattie, and I was never harmless. My claws have always been plenty sharp.” He moved closer, too, his muscular chest puffed out.
“Well, my talons are sharper.” Caught up in the wild maelstrom of emotions stirred up first by the wild plane ride and then by Vera’s offer, Mattie gave Leo a poke for good measure. His strong pectoral muscles barely depressed under her fingertip.
“You forget that the student can surpass the master.” He stepped into her jab, his breath hot against her face.
“Not the cocky ones. You’re like Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and melted the wax holding his feathers together, causing him to fall to the ground.” Mattie leaned forward too. This close she could see the starburst pattern in Leo’s blue irises.
“You’re the one who’s going to melt her wax wings.” Leo gently grabbed her finger, which was still pressed against his chest. The warmth of his hand mixed with her blazing outrage and wild exhilaration, making her burn like a wildfire. She permitted him to move her hand down to her side, but only because that allowed her to shift even closer.
“I have wings of steel,” Mattie said. The argument barely made sense anymore, but she couldn’t think properly.
“So do I.” He dropped her hand, but it still felt scorched from their mutual heat. He inched closer so that only a sliver of space remainedbetween them. If either took too deep of a breath, their bodies would brush against each other. Mattie’s already overexercised heart stuttered and then slammed against her rib cage like the flooded engine of an old airplane pulling out of a loop. She swore the starburst pattern in Leo’s eyes grew brighter as his chin dipped ever so slowly. She watched the descent, fascinated and unable to move.
Clapping echoed around them, and all Mattie’s other senses came flooding back. Once again, she could smell the nearby grove of cedar trees mixed with the last blooms on the lilac bush outside the hangar. She could hear the birds singing and the faint chatter of industrious fox squirrels instead of just the beat of her own heart and the fast breaths of Leo.
With an aborted gasp, Mattie leaped back. Leo moved so quickly he stumbled despite his legendary reflexes.
“You two are fabulous together. I can’t get enough.” Vera was staring at them with unabashed interest.
“Pardon?” Leo asked.
“You may be my favorite couple. Sparks. Humor. Both daredevils. I love it!”
“We’re not a couple,” Mattie corrected quickly as she sidled farther away from Leo. “We’re not even friends... at least not anymore.”
“I am not a believer in long-term romantic entanglements myself. They are quite a nuisance to a modern woman. But itisa pity to let such delightful sexual sparks go to utter waste.”
An odd bolt of energy shot through Mattie, igniting her already charged nerves. She felt on the edge of something grand. Beside her, Leo spluttered out a cough. His tanned face had turned a peculiar shade of purplish red. He was rubbing the back of his head with such vigor Mattie actually feared he might create a temporary bald spot.
Vera laid her gloved hand on the sleeve of his bomber jacket. “Oh, don’t mind me. I say outrageous things all the time. It is part of my charm.”
Mattie glanced at Leo, and a peculiar sort of awareness bloomed through her. She felt... different. Electrified. Light, yet somehow fuller. What had Vera spied that had triggered her outrageous observation? Could—
“Whatever the reason, you both produce the wildest sparks,” Vera said, addressing Leo. “The audience will eat it up. Which is why I’ve just decided to offer you a job too. Same terms as Mattie.”
“Me?” Leo asked, and at the same time Mattie said,“Him?”
“I’ve read all about your exploits as the Flying Lion, so I know you’re an excellent aviator. Then there are your marvelous interactions with Mattie. I’m not planning on hiring many male performers, but you would have your uses.”
“My... uses?” Leo asked, his voice a little nonplussed. Mattie herself felt a bit unsettled by the idea of Leo joining her if she accepted Vera’s offer. Embarking on her own sounded much more adventurous. Besides, what didshehave to do withLeobeing hired?
“Conflict. Tension. Drama. Everything you need to draw an audience into a story.”
“What story?” Mattie asked as she and Leo shared a look. It was the first wordless, companionable exchange that they’d had in years.
Vera began to pace, the loyal Ruby happily tripping after her. “I can see it now. It would start out with you two arguing—just as you are now. Mattie as the New Woman—trousers, shirt, boots—all very tailored and tight fitting. Leo in a handlebar mustache...”
“You want me to grow a mustache?” Leo asked, looking slightly horrified. He’d always chosen a clean-shaven look, even before the Great War, when facial hair had been popular.
“Oh, you can use a fake one.” Vera flicked her wrist as she pivoted elegantly on one foot. “But we need something evocative of the last century. Victorian, if you will. Something that looks like times gone by. You’ll be characters, you see—Miss Modernity and Mr.Yesteryear. Willthe future or the past win? Audience members will instinctually pick a side to root for during your flight duel.”
“Flight duel?” Mattie asked, her interest piqued. Perhaps Leo joining Vera’s circus wouldn’t be such an awful idea. She’d love an opportunity to show up the stiff-rumped hypocrite.
“Of course. It’s absolutely perfect for an aerial show. You each will try to one-up the other’s stunts. It will be part scripted, part real competition.”
“You want me to challenge Mattie?” Leo asked, his voice as tight as a wire stretched to the limits of its tensile strength.
“I can always find another male pilot willing to fly with her if you’re not.”
