Tethered Read Free Page B

in front of the aviators, even that was almost always in a playful manner, never in a way that undermined her authority. They’d also had serious moments, quiet and intense amidst a working airship crew, but there was always a line they didn’t cross until they were alone in their cabin. That line was typically any form of embracing, or any display of passion—any act that might make the crew wonder whether her captain’s responsibilities held Yasmeen’s full attention.
    All of which was perfectly fine, in Archimedes’ mind. It made no more sense to kiss Yasmeen while she was performing her duties than it would to stop for a cuddle while they were searching through ruins and trying to avoid zombies. At any rate, their self-imposed restrictions possessed a wonderful benefit: The hours on deck became a delicious tease, building anticipation for the moments they were alone—when he could hold her in his arms, and do anything they wished.
    “I would dance with you on this dock,” she said.
    Taken aback, Archimedes was speechless for a moment. Her smile widened. She’d meant to shock him, he realized. But still, what he’d intended to say
had
to be said, even if it meant refusing her acceptance.
    “I would not,” he said. “I could never dance with you as I did with them.”
    “Why?” Her brows lifted, her eyes bright with amusement. “Do you think I don’t know a step or two?”
    “I’m sure you do. But dancing with them was only for fun. A dance could never be only for fun when you are in my arms—not after wishing you were there for so long, and not when I love you so ardently now.”
    She stared at him, all humor bleeding from her expression. Tension quieted the crowd, and they gasped as she let go of the rope, flipping around and landing lightly on her feet. Archimedes rose from kneeling, and though he was taller than she, his shoulders broader, no one could have doubted who was the more dangerous, the more deadly.
    And she gave him no warning. Her fingers suddenly fisted in his hair, hauling his mouth down to hers. He heard the relieved laughter and the applause, then there was only the heat of her kiss, the pounding of his heart. Christ, but he loved a fierce woman. She was an answer to his every prayer. His hands circled her waist and her body pressed against his, telling everyone who could see what he wanted everyone to know: By God, he was hers.
    But they wouldn’t know the rest, the part he’d asked them to play that afternoon. Because now, when Yasmeen looked down from her airship at these docks, when she walked their length, she wouldn’t just see their fresh boards; the sight wouldn’t just serve as a reminder of how they’d burned when her lady had exploded, a reminder of why the dock had to be rebuilt. Now, she’d remember the man who loved her dancing his way down the length of the dock in his lime green breeches and orange jacket; she’d remember the laughter and the music, and a kiss beneath the shadow of her airship.
    All of it for her—and never
just
for fun.
    She drew back, her gaze lingering on his, the grip of herfingers softening in his hair. “You’re an incredible man, Archimedes Fox.”
    He often thought so, too.
    As if reading that from his expression, she suddenly laughed and stepped back, catching hold of the rope again. “I’ll see you on deck, my husband.”
    And he would wait a few seconds, enjoying the view as she climbed. No matter how many cities he searched, Archimedes doubted he’d ever find a statue as perfectly sculpted as Yasmeen’s backside. Her black breeches hugged each curve and the length of her thighs…where the crimson handles of his new daggers currently protruded from the tops of her boots. She must have lifted them in the second between releasing his hair and taking hold of the rope, and he hadn’t felt a thing.
    With a grin, he started up after her. Some things were
mostly
for fun—and now he needed to steal his daggers back.
    It would