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7 Courts were on the third song of their set when the rain started.
A collective groan rippled through the fans on the lawn quickly followed by clicks and thwups as those who thought to bring umbrellas set them up and the rustle of those who hadn’t jumped up to run under the trees and shop awnings lining the pavilion.
“May I help you?” Scarred fingers hovered next to the sport umbrella Elain had just removed from its sleeve.
She looked up in surprise then blushed at Azriel’s unexpected nearness and the small half smile gracing his face. It was one of her favorite smiles because it always seemed like an unconscious reaction from someone whose face rarely showed anything.
“Oh, sure. Thanks!”
As silently as he’d moved into a crouching position he sprang up from it, his hand brushing hers as he took hold of the umbrella. Elain warmed like she’d sipped whiskey.
Cauldron boil her, he looked sexy uncovering its spiked end and shoving it deep into the ground. He even adjusted the blue and white polka dotted canopy until it fully covered her. The simple action was probably more considerate than anything her ex-fiancé did for her.
“Thank you, Az.”
Faint color washed over Azriel’s high cheekbones. He nodded, water dripping off his black hair onto her blanket as he settled back down between her and Nesta and Cassian. “You're welcome. I know you could have done it but the ground’s just a bit hard here since it’s gotten cold. I didn’t want you to sit out in the rain and miss one of your favorite songs.”
“Hmm?” Elain blinked. Her eyes moved up from the small drop of rain on the tip of his aquiline nose to Azriel’s hazel eyes, a perfect mix of amber and green with jealousy inducing black eyelashes. His thick brows raised slightly in the second it took for her brain to register what he said.
“I was really nice of you; I appreciate it.” She squeaked. Gods, could she stop blushing? The man was as quietly kind as he was gorgeous; he always made her feel like she was capable of anything and always asked if he could help her instead of taking over like almost everyone else did. Elain wasn’t even upset she missed most of “Peregrine” because Azriel remembered she loved it.
“Here, sit with me,” Elain said, shifting her position on her blanket. She patted one of the abstract purple flowers before her unexpected courage washed away. “You’ll be wet and cold if you stay where you are.”
Azriel glanced skyward where the edge of Elain’s umbrella kissed the black and gold monstrosity of an umbrella Cassian brought. They didn’t completely overlap so icy drizzle still dotted his long legs.
“Thanks,” he replied with a quick duck of his head.
Were the top of his ears red?
His large hand landed next to her thigh, and as Azriel effortlessly shifted next to her Elain caught a pair of blue gray eyes watching them. Nesta smirked and waggled her eyebrows. Elain glared back at her older sister; she'd been insufferable since noticing Elain's years-long crush on Azriel. Nesta laughed at the silent threat, drawing Azriel and her boyfriend Cassian’s attention to her.
The crescendoing notes of “Adriata” drowned out Cassian’s question and Nesta’s reply. Cassian knocked his broad shoulder into her and she reflexively swatted his leg back. Catching Elain’s eye, Cassian smiled, thankfully sweetly oblivious, as he wrapped Nesta in a bear hug. Elain sighed in relief. As much as her sister might have teased her she hadn’t told her boyfriend. Elain loved him but the man was practically Azriel’s brother and he couldn’t keep a secret if his life depended on it.
Azriel’s head snapped forward. Wings fluttered in Elain’s stomach; his ears were definitely red.
A few feet away Nesta winked at her.
Elain quickly looked towards the stage. She adjusted her coat around her so she couldn’t twist her fingers together. Her sister had never been quite so brazen in her teasing, and why had Azriel been embarrassed?
His closeness didn’t help her racing mind. The umbrella barely covered the two of them so they sat shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. Elain paid the band almost no mind as she fought the urge to press even closer into Azriel’s warmth.
“This is one of your favorites, right? It’s mine.”
Elain shivered at the breath tickling her throat and the rich, chocolate smooth voice. “Yes, I love “In the Dusk.””
“Are you cold?”
“A bit,” she lied. The rain had picked up a little, enough to annoy but not enough to warrant leaving or canceling the concert, but she didn’t notice it when Azriel’s powerful thigh was scorching hers.
He studied her for a moment, something Elain couldn’t identify passing through the mix of brown, green, and gold in his eyes.
“Come here,” Azriel said.
The blanket pulled beneath his feet as he slid them apart, his left knee knocking into hers as he spread his legs.
“Um,” Elain could hear her heartbeat thumping like drums in her ears. Azriel’s slow, sensual smile had her crawling between his legs before she realized she’d moved.
“I didn’t think you liked to cuddle,” she joked as she settled her back against his chest, welcoming his cool scent and the racing of his heart.
Azriel circled his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. “I hadn’t found anyone I wanted to cuddle with.”