“How did you know?” I asked, shocked that she knew where I was.
Instead of answering my questions, Gram laughed. “You need to go take a
warm bath and come back to the land of the living before you start asking questions. You are starting to grow moss.”
I tried to stand up, but my legs felt wobbly. Cole caught me before I fell. Then,
he wrapped his arm around me and guided me to my grandmother's bedroom.
“I didn't think you would want to attempt the loft stairs.” He smirked.
When we entered the bathroom, Cole turned to leave.
“Wait,” I stopped him. “I can't do this alone.”
“Gram wouldn't approve,” Cole argued. “Let me get her to help you.”
“No, I want you to stay. I need you to stay,” I said firmly. “It's not like you’ve never seen me without my clothes off. I know you used to sneak a peek
when we would skinny dip in the lake.”
“That was a long time ago, Mara, and you were much…” Cole hesitated,
trying to find the right words, and ended with, “less.”
“Less?” I asked, laughing. “Less what?”
“You know.” He motioned up and down me.
“Ohh, less,” I repeated with more seduction in my voice than I had planned.
I poured bubbles into the bath that was running. Unsure of what I was doing,
I removed my clothing. No time to be shy now. Instead of watching me undress,
Cole chose to be a gentleman and turned his eyes away. Irritated by this, I splashed him.
“I don't want you to do anything, but am I so hideous that you won't even look at me?” I asked harshly.
He turned back towards me and looked deeply into my eyes. “Of course, I
want to look at you. There is nothing I want more. Well, there is more, but there’s time for that, Mar.” Cole took my hand, not averting his eyes from mine,
and guided me into the soapy water. “Sit and relax.”
When I slipped under the sudsy water, he took one of the pink washcloths
and gently washed my neck and back. I let the warm water and his soothing touch calm me. My cruel mind refused to give me a rest, and I began to wonder
about Elliott's magic.
“Cole, what did Elliott mean about having a connection with Earth? Don't we
all have that gift?"
“Gram says you’re unique in being able to call all four elements. Usually, a
person has a stronger connection with just one,” Cole explained. “She’s been teaching us how to find ours."
“So, what is your connection?” I asked, trying to absorb, yet again, more
information that was foreign to me.
“My skills are not as strong as your father's because I didn't want to leave your side, but I'm still practicing my gift.” Cole moved his fingers above my head as if he was playing the piano. A drop of water landed on my cheek.
Before I could protest, I was covered with a warm rain-like shower. As the
water poured over me, I took the opportunity to shampoo and condition my hair.
Ignoring his chivalry, I stood up, covered in suds, under the rain shower and wrapped my arms around him.
“Cole Oliver Sands,” I whispered in his ear, “I love you, and there is no one
in the world I would ever want to be with, except you.” Then, when he kissed me, I realized the passion I felt with Kai was nothing compared to the love I had
for Cole.
