by Nicole Hall
“I’m not lonely. I’ve got you.” Lindsey presented his plate with a flourish.
Dax shook his head. “You don’t have to hide from me. I see what’s beneath.”
Her smile faded. “I don’t like most people on a good day. If given the chance to cheat and lie, they will. There are a few exceptions, of course, but as a whole, humans are selfish and horrible. And that was my opinion when I still thought I was one. After a while, you get tired of digging through the disappointment to try to find the few who are worth it.”
Dax studied her as if trying to solve a puzzle, then nodded. “I can see that.”
She relaxed, unaware that she’d tensed up in the first place. Lindsey had explained her world views plenty of times before to people she’d been involved with, but they always backed away from the stark reality of it. They wanted her to be more positive or try harder, and it usually prefaced the end of the relationship.
Dax didn’t push. “In that case, I’m happy to fulfill all your needs, but avoiding the ladies this time won’t stop them from trying next time.”
“I’m well aware of that, but there are only a limited number of next times. In less than six weeks, Sabine and Alex will be back and probably more than ready to reclaim their house. I’m capable of avoiding them for that long if I wanted to.”
He raised a brow. “But you don’t want to.”
“But I don’t want to. If I go to the festival, I’ll need your help.”
“Anything.”
The quick, confident agreement struck a sensitive place inside her. Anything? What if she asked for him to shun his friends? What if she demanded he give up his dream job and move with her to Backwater, Montana? How could he know that her request for help would be something he could give?
“I want you to stay nearby and keep an eye on me. You can tell when my magic is manifesting, and you know how to stop it. I can’t go out in public for that long if it’s going to put people at risk.”
Dax picked up her hand from the counter and held it between his. “No problem, though I admit I’m more concerned with a god showing up and trying to take you out as if it were a superhero movie. At least here we have Calliope’s shield.”
“Would that be so bad? It would give us some idea of what we’re up against. We can handle ourselves if he does show up.”
He sent her an incredulous look. “A demigod who can’t control her magic and a guardian who doesn’t have any?”
Lindsey scrunched her nose. “Do we have a B team?”
“I think we are the B team.” Dax grabbed his plate and took it to the little table in the kitchen where they usually ate.
She sat across from him and sighed. “The world is screwed.”
11
Dax
The town had outdone itself for the festival, and the crowd moved slowly along the tents set up around the edges of the city park. The official start time wasn’t for another hour, but that hadn’t stopped most of the town from showing up early.
Despite giving in to peer pressure, Lindsey almost didn’t make it to the Fourth Fest. Dax had promised David weeks ago that he’d help cart boxes of books and set up a booth for the shop, but the morning of the festival he found himself distracted searching for Lindsey and her entourage.
His fated roommate-with-benefits considered herself dangerous to other people, but so far, every time Dax had seen her magic, she’d been emotional and alone. He suspected her feelings had a lot more to do with the process than she wanted to admit.
Lindsey hated discussing her feelings though. She worked hard to separate the softer parts of her personality from the determined problem-solver she presented to the world. Dax felt honored to get to see parts of her closely-guarded private persona. He hoped one day she’d let him in all the way.
Kids shrieked on the playground nearby. Rides and games had been set up on the softball fields, and the lines had already started stretching across the grass. Some bureaucratic genius had positioned the food vendors near the market area to entice customers, but he hadn’t caught sight of Lindsey yet.
He’d skipped breakfast, so his stomach growled at the smells of gyros and funnel cake. Kora had convinced Lindsey to head out early with the promise of coffee and cinnamon rolls, but alas, he’d been left out of that deal. The sun beat down on him as he stopped to shade his eyes hoping for a quick glimpse of Lindsey’s long legs.
A crumpled piece of paper hit him in the chest, and Dax raised a brow at David. “Yes? Can I help you?”
The other man grinned and gestured at the boxes surrounding him. “I was under the impression you’d come to help, but all you’ve done this morning is stare longingly into the distance. I’ve never seen actual pining before.”
Dax picked up the paper and threw it back at him, missing completely. “It’s not pining. Lindsey was nervous about coming. I wanted to make sure she had a good time.”
David grunted as he lifted a box onto the folding table along the back of their tent. “Am I finally going to get to meet her? Kora talks about her non-stop, and even Ana has opinions. Ones she actually said out loud.”
He hadn’t spotted Lindsey among the crowd, so Dax grabbed the next box and started unloading the contents onto the tables. “Seems likely.”
“She won’t freak out and leave on her own?”
Dax finished his box and pulled over another. “No way. She said she’d meet me here, and she will. The sooner we get this place set up, the sooner she’ll show up.”
They worked in companionable silence until they’d emptied all the boxes and David had started arranging displays. Dax wiped sweat off his face and the back of his neck, taking the chance to leave the stifling confines of the tent in search of a breeze. He hoped David remembered to bring a fan or the couple would be in for a long day.
After trying to make a breeze by flapping his shirt, Dax gave up and tried to judge how much trouble he’d be in if he took it off completely. David interrupted his bad decision-making by joining him outside.
“It’s not worth it, and it would annoy Sheriff Garrett if he had to come disperse a crowd of gawkers.”
Dax grunted. “Your ability to guess my thoughts is uncanny, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
The other man shrugged. “You’ll get used to it or you won’t. Go on. I can handle the rest. Thanks for your help.” David held out his hand, and Dax shook it.
“No problem, man. I’d have helped anyway, but Kora is extremely persuasive. I’m afraid to think of her being unleashed on your poor customers.”
David laughed. “She knows to only use her powers for good. I’d check near the carnival games. Look for the giant duck.”
Dax nodded and set off. He checked the food trucks as he passed, but all of them had long lines. His hunger would have to wait. The carnival games were on the far side of the park, situated among the trees. Where the market had the food vendors to pull people in, this area had shade. A highly valuable commodity when the day had only begun, and he’d already sweated through his shirt.
He found them right where David had suggested. Another mark in the disturbingly accurate column for that guy. One of the booths had something to do with rubber duckies and had an enormous stuffed duck sitting on the counter.
A large inflatable kiddie pool had been set up on a series of waist-high tables, and filled with floating plastic cups of various colors. Lindsey stood at a taped-off area with Kora a few feet behind her, shouting nonsense instructions. Dax searched the area for Ana, but he didn’t see any tall, uncomfortable blondes in the vicinity. He did see the teenage volunteer leaning on his podium and leering at the ladies.
Lindsey leaned forward to take aim with a miniature squeaky duck, and the worker tilted hard to the side trying to get a look up her skirt. Dax moved into the kid’s line of sight and crossed his arms with a glower, which was enough to send the budding felon scampering for something else to do in the stack of supplies nearby.
His lovely roommate bit her lip in concent
ration, then let the ball fly. It landed perfectly in the center of the lone red cup. Lindsey whooped and threw her hands in the air, and Kora nearly tackled her. Both of them jumped up and down shrieking, until Lindsey noticed him watching.
She grinned at him over Kora. “I won the ridiculous duck.”
Dax’s brows shot up, and he glanced over at the table where the now-blushing kid held out the fuzzy monstrosity. “Isn’t it my job to win you giant stuffed animals at the fair?”
Lindsey laughed. “I told you I didn’t need help. But I’ll let you carry him around for me.”
Kora disentangled herself from Lindsey and propped her hands on her hips. “I thought you were assisting my husband?”
“I was released early for good behavior.”
She snorted. “Sure you were.” Since Lindsey hadn’t moved, Kora walked over and snatched the duck from the teen. Then she pointed a finger in his face. “Don’t think I didn’t notice your inappropriate attention. You better watch yourself, Dillon. Your mom is very chatty at book club.”
Color drained from the kid’s face, and he nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Dax shook his head. Small town justice at its finest. He left Kora to intimidate the local youth and pulled Lindsey close to brush a kiss across her lips. She slid her arms around his waist and smiled up at him.
“I’ve never won a carnival game before.”
He pulled away and took her hand to lead her toward the food trucks. “In honor of your thrilling victory, I’d like to buy you a late lunch.”
Lindsey pulled him to a stop. “Hold on.” She ran back to the taped off area and grabbed a paper bag off the floor.
Dax’s breath caught as she returned to him. This was the comfortable, happy Lindsey she deserved to be. Her legs stretched out before her, and her hair streamed out behind in a tangle of auburn waves. But even the short skirt flaring up couldn’t tear his gaze away from her face and the heated look in her eyes only for him.
Her brow furrowed as she slowed to a stop. “What?”
“You look happy. I like it.”
She shrugged and held out the paper bag. “You were right about Kora. I got this for you.”
Dax unfolded the top to find a cinnamon roll nestled inside. She might as well have handed him the keys to a Porsche. She’d thought about him during her girls’ brunch and gone out of her way to get the pastry he’d been pouting about.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Lindsey tilted her face up in an invitation that Dax had no trouble accepting.
“Thank you,” he murmured against her lips.
Before he could deepen the kiss, Kora tapped him on the shoulder. “I have Lindsey’s duck, and I would also like a late lunch.”
Dax turned his head, but kept Lindsey tight against him. “Shouldn’t you be getting back to your husband?”
She raised a brow. “Shouldn’t you be more discreet at a kid-friendly event?”
Lindsey eased away. “She’s right. We’re drawing attention to ourselves.”
Dax groaned. He didn’t give a flying crap about the delicate sensibilities of the crowd. They’d shared a fairly chaste kiss. It’s not like they were tossing off clothes in the middle of the park.
He twined his fingers with Lindsey’s, then gestured for Kora to go ahead. “Fine. Let’s all go get some lunch. I’m sure David could use some food by now too.”
Kora scrutinized him, probably suspicious that he’d given in so easily, but then she turned around and flounced off in the right direction.
He kept Kora in his sights out of habit, but he didn’t put much effort into keeping up with her. “Where’s the third member of the group?”
“Ana only stayed a little while. She couldn’t handle the crowds, and I can’t blame her. It’s hot and sticky and a lot to take in on a normal day.” She paused then glanced over at his face. “Do you know her history?”
“No. She hasn’t shared, and I’ve never asked. I’ve picked up from other people that she came to town about the same time that Alex moved home, but you probably already knew that. She obviously has the social anxiety deal, but when she’s comfortable, she can be feisty and smart. Like another new-comer I’m quite fond of.”
Lindsey squeezed his hand and ignored his last comment. “I get the feeling whatever happened is still happening.”
“If she needs help, she’ll ask.”
“Are you sure?”
Dax led her around a mixed group of pre-teens sitting in the middle of the walkway. “Not everyone is as determined to be self-sufficient as you.”
“I think you’d be surprised,” she muttered.
They’d reached the food area, and Kora had already gotten in line for the Burrito Bros booth. Not the option he’d have chosen, but it was hard to screw up a burrito. Besides, he had his cinnamon roll.
Dax offered to pay for Kora and David’s lunch, but she politely declined his offer by sticking out her tongue and proceeding to pay for everyone’s food herself.
She handed him his burrito from the bag, but paused before letting go. “You worked for me this morning, so here’s your pay. Don’t spend it all in one place.”
Kora handed over Lindsey’s duck then took off toward her own booth. Dax met Lindsey’s eyes, and they both burst out laughing.
Lindsey caught her breath first. “You’re zero for two today, Dax.”
“How so?”
“You couldn’t win me a stuffed animal, and you couldn’t buy me lunch. Was there anything else you wanted to suggest but not do?”
The sassy smile on her face robbed him of a snappy comeback, so he kissed her cheek, then jerked his chin toward the benches set up in the center of the grassy area. “Let’s go find somewhere to eat.”
The benches were all full, but the grass proved dry and soft. Lindsey sat cross-legged next to him, and Dax fought to keep his focus on his food instead of on her thighs where her skirt crept up. From their spot, they had a pretty good vantage point of the Soul Exchange booth. David had done a fantastic job making a couple of covered folding tables look inviting with stacks of books, candles, and twinkle lights. Dax tilted his head. How had David managed to make their booth seem both darker and more intimate than the other standard white tents?
Dax nudged Lindsey and pointed. “What do you think? All my hard work on display.”
Her brows winged up as she examined the booth. “It looks like they transported their store to the park.” She glanced at him, then back at the tent. “Amazing what hefting boxes can do for a space.”
David stepped through the back flap of the tent, and Lindsey’s eyes went wide. “That’s David? No wonder Kora always has that little smile on her face.”
Dax cocked his head at her. “Haven’t you met before?”
She shook her head, leaning over his lap to check out Kora’s husband. “No. I’ve only come to the shop a couple of times, and he’s always off doing something else. Kora and Ana usually meet me at Reggie’s. You described him as scary, not scary hot.”
He scowled and studied David. Compared to the tiny Kora standing next to him, David looked huge. The guy took care of himself, but he knew dozens of guys with a similar build. Anyone with a gym membership and some free time could get there.
Floppy black hair, grey eyes, cheekbones. Dax shrugged.
“I don’t get it.”
Lindsey patted his thigh and straightened. “Don’t worry about it. You’re hot too.”
She left her hand on his leg, and Dax fought off fantasies of hurrying her home or simply easing her to the ground right there. Kora, as obnoxious as she was, hadn’t been messing with them about the abundance of families.
She’d also not-so-subtly pulled her husband behind their tent when she’d first arrived. Not a bad plan for privacy.
They finished eating with Lindsey teasing him about his design skills, and Dax affecting a foppish accent to explain the aesthetic to her in a tangle of made-up words. As much as her skirt and her touch
affected him, her laugh warmed him from the inside out. He’d spend all day entertaining her if it meant she’d keep smiling at him like that.
Hell, he’d gladly spend the rest of his life making her smile. Dax blinked at the sudden realization. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The knowledge felt so natural that he was surprised it had taken him this long to realize it.
He loved the way Lindsey’s mind worked, her inability to share the covers, the way she tucked her face against his shoulder in the dark—her prickly sensitivity and her generous heart. He loved her.
The summer day moved on around him, but Dax’s life shifted irrevocably as the reality settled in his mind. He loved her. Lindsey licked her thumb clean, smiling up at him, and he struggled to keep the words inside. If she suspected the sudden turn of his thoughts, she’d run.
Lindsey offered to clean up, but Dax followed her to the trash can nearly hidden in a copse of trees at the perimeter of the park. Once she’d emptied her hands, he snagged her around the waist and swung her behind the trees, fuzzy friend and all.
The giant duck hit the ground as Lindsey wound her arms around his neck. “Excuse me, sir, but there are children around.”
Dax leaned into her, sliding his hand up her leg and under her skirt until he could palm her ass as he’d been wanting to do all damn day. “Not back here there aren’t.” He nudged her head to the side and kissed the spot under her ear that made her moan.
Her hands clenched in his hair as he teased her with his fingers, brushing the bottom hem of her panties until she spread her legs for him. Lindsey whimpered when he dipped inside and sank into her heat. Dax captured the noise with his mouth while she writhed against him.
She tasted like cinnamon from stolen bites of his roll, and he desperately wanted to lift her against the tree and slam home. Dax would have given several years off his life for the ability to instantly teleport them somewhere private.
Lindsey jumped as something crashed into the underbrush nearby. Dax shifted his body to shield her from whatever it was, then cursed when he saw a red playground ball nestled in a tangle of honeysuckle vines. Several high-pitched voices shouted to each other as they got closer, talking about where the ball had disappeared.
