She took his phone next, and he started stripping. There wasn’t much he could do about the hard-on, especially since he got another shock of arousal when she glanced down at him and then released a slow breath while her eyes sparked fire.
She turned away.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “Didn’t mean to look.”
“I should’ve warned you.” He laughed, not sure why. “I guess I don’t have to ask you to keep my shirt clean. The back is all dirty.”
“Why’d you wear white if you knew we were going in the dirty cart?”
He shrugged, handing his clothes over. “You always seem to notice and comment when I wear white shirts. I thought you might like this one.”
“I do like this one. Definitely. You look really good in white. But I notice and comment on the T-shirts because they are tight and show off your physique, not strictly because they are white.” She grinned mischievously. “If we’re being honest.”
“Ah.”
“But I do like the white, as I said.”
“Okay, ready?”
She nodded, and he shifted to his animal form, the discomfort short-lived and barely registering. He flattened onto his belly until she crawled onto his back, the only person he’d ever let ride him like a pony. Once he was up, he launched forward, reveling in her squeals of delight.
The ride was fast, faster than he might’ve expected, his focus less on his footfalls and more on her kneading hands, seeking out the soft inner fur in his coat and stroking it to distraction. The climb up the mountain was nothing, only worrisome when he basically crawled over a ledge to get to the rock shelf that was their destination. Finally there, seeing that Earl had set everything up as requested, Austin flattened to his belly again so she could get off.
Only she continued to sit there on his back, still kneading, utterly silent. Not able to ask her what was wrong, or to change—worried he’d burn her and her clothes with the release of energy—he just waited.
He’d never tried to give a woman her perfect date before. He hadn’t ever thought it was in his wheelhouse. But he really wanted to please her. Maybe he’d totally screwed up.
Sixteen
Mouth open, utterly gob-smacked, I just stared. My fingers moved through Austin’s soft inner coat, thick and luxurious, as I let my gaze travel from one side of the beautiful tableau to the other.
He’d set up my dream picnic.
I meant to pull my leg over his back and slide off, but instead I actually lay down for a moment, my chest on his back and my hands at his sides, seeking out his soft undercoat again.
We sat on a little shelf about midway up a mountain overlooking an absolutely gorgeous meadow awash with mostly blue flowers. It looked like a softly moving sea, the breeze rolling through and gently moving the flowers. The yellow buttercups were intermittently sprinkled amidst the blue, splashes of color only a true artist could render.
This was option C. He hadn’t been asking me which flowers I liked best—he’d been asking which meadow.
A wide cream blanket had been set out on the shelf of rock overlooking it, the back half covered in various pillows to lean against, and the front holding two TV trays, each set with a plate, utensils, a wine glass, and a water glass. A crystal carafe between the place settings contained what looked like sparkling water, and in front was a large array of cheeses, fresh fruits, nuts, and charcuterie items. A large box of wine bottles waited to the side, along with extra wine glasses, and behind that sat an additional tray with an array of chocolate items and a few cookies.
It was perfect. Utterly perfect.
I smiled, finally sitting up and throwing my leg over his back to get off. “The cookies are for you, I take it?”
The startling light and heat of his change radiated outward, and I turned my face away. The next thing I knew, Austin was standing next to me in human form with an adorable smile. “Yeah. I’m more of a cookie guy.”
“This is…” I stared out at the scene as he got dressed. “You nailed it. All of it. Are you sure you didn’t get this out of your ‘woo a woman’ playbook?”
After fastening his watch, he took my hand, his palm a little rough, which, thankfully, meant he wouldn’t notice that I had yet to adopt a stringent hand lotion routine.
“I’m making a new playbook: ‘Things that put Jess in a good mood.’ I’ll use it for the many times I piss you off in the future.”
I rolled my eyes as he paused before the blanket. “You haven’t pissed me off once in all the time we’ve known each other.”
“It’ll happen, don’t worry. One day, I will rub you the wrong way, and I’ll need to pull out all the stops to get you to forgive me. Or even just tolerate me again.”
“If I can handle Mr. Tom and Edgar, I can handle you.”
“This is true. The bar is set awfully low.” He bent and put his hand out for my foot. “Milady, may I have your foot? I must remove your glass slipper so that I can defile you while Prince Charming isn’t looking.”
I laughed, bracing my hand on his shoulder for balance. “I’d eat Prince Charming for breakfast.”
“Not before you stole all his crap, you wouldn’t. You’re smarter than that.”
I let him take off my boots, belatedly realizing he hadn’t put on his shoes a moment ago when he was changing. He lowered me to sitting and took his place beside me.
“You knew I’d choose the blue and yellow flowers?” I asked, looking over the beautiful picture. It was like a fairytale.
“No. I texted Earl ‘C’ as I was getting into the Jeep. He delivered everything and set it up. He is also loitering around the area, even though I told him you’d be safe with just me up here. I can smell him.”
I chuckled. “He trusts no one.”
“So.” Austin pulled out a bottle of wine from the box. “Shall we taste?”
“Oh my God, and it’s a wine tasting? You really pay attention.”
He grinned, opening the bottle and pouring a little for each of us. “I do have to rain on the parade a little bit.” He corked the bottle and put it back in the box. “These are actually samples from various winemakers. I’m obviously going to need a new one for the winery.”
I lifted my eyebrows, looking at the wine. “Oh, wow. How many samples did you bring?”
“Twelve. A case.”
“I’m not sure I’ll still taste the wine when we get to the twelfth bottle.”
He shrugged and swirled the wine in his glass. “We can always do a part two with your mom while we’re sitting in Ivy House, waiting to be attacked.”
I blew out a breath as I picked up my plate. “Has Niamh heard anything from Agnes yet? She shooed me off her porch earlier when I asked, telling me I was getting on her nerves.”
“They’re all worried about you. They don’t like to see you this stressed. Obviously they’re all handling their worry in different ways…” He popped a nut into his mouth. “Agnes and team are still working on it. She says they have some good ideas, but nowhere near enough power to re-create it.”
“Sounds about right.” I loaded my plate before sitting back against the pillows. “Edgar is muttering to himself all the time now, but I don’t think he’s any closer.”
“Can he communicate with the house like you can?”
“No, but I think she can understand what people need. And he did say she gave him another book, but it clearly isn’t enough.”
Austin leaned toward me, his elbow on a pillow, his shoulder bumping my arm. “It’s going to work out. Even if Ivy House can’t help, I have shifters willing to step up and fight. We have the gargoyles. We have the house crew. We aren’t defenseless. If we can’t tear down the spell, we’ll still be able to put up a good fight. You can unleash the dolls.”
“I’d have to see the enemy to direct them, though. If they are all hiding in the trees or flitting in neighbor’s yards, that won’t be easy. Then again, if we all pull back to the house, I can…maybe…direct them from the air. Or the roof or something.”
I bit my lip and let silence fall between us, mulling it over.
He looked up at me, something I couldn’t identify sparkling in his eyes. He nodded and turned his gaze back over the beautiful meadow below. “There. You see? When the worst comes knocking, you stand up and answer.”
I sipped the wine, the flavors exploding on my tongue and easily making their way down my throat, no surprise squeezing from tannins. “Hmm, this is good.”
“Listen, I wanted to ask you.” He took a sip of his wine. “You know a lot about tasting rooms and wine and all that. I’m just a run-down bar owner.”
“Good Lord. Don’t sell yourself short or anything.”
“Would you help me get this all set up? Would you help with the tasting room and everything?”
“Of course. I love giving my opinion. Usually that’s when it isn’t wanted, but I’ll make an exception for you.”
“How about…” He swallowed the last of his wine—his glass a lot fuller than mine, since he could handle a lot more alcohol—and grabbed the next bottle.
“Okay. Getting serious.” I finished mine before biting into a strawberry.
With the next wine poured, he sat up, one hand resting on his knee and the other holding the glass. “Would you want to become business partners? I can handle a lot of the operations aspect, and you could focus more on customer interfacing. We could both play to our strengths.” He put up his hand. “It’s just a thought. No pressure. I just thought…” He shrugged again. “I don’t know what I thought. I just…I want you in on it. If you’re interested.”
“Did you take a look into your rich-kid fund and realize the amount you thought was a lot back in the day isn’t so much anymore?” I smiled to hide my nervousness, then took a sip. These new flavors demanded my attention, light and spicy with a hint of smoke. “Hmm, this one is good. Better than the other.”
“I have plenty in my rich-kid fund. I’ll be expanding the bar to new locations and buying up a few other properties and businesses. This is…” He sucked down the liquid in one gulp. “It’s just an idea. You wouldn’t have to put up any money. You could just—”
“She will put up the money, and she will be signed on as a fifty-percent owner.” Mr. Tom’s voice rained down on us.
I spun where I sat, the small wall of rock behind us leading to trees slanting up higher into the mountain. No shape stood behind those. Ripping away the block on our magical connection, I dragged my gaze upward to the top of a pine, finding a naked figure clinging to the branches halfway up.
“Good Lord,” I whispered, turning back around.
“Also, your back is dirty, Austin Steele. I would’ve mentioned it earlier, but I was giving you your privacy.”
“Hiding in a tree listening to our every word is not giving us privacy, Mr. Tom,” I called out.
“Of course, miss. Semantics, as they say.”
I opened my mouth and shook my head, really at a loss for words. That happened so often with Mr. Tom.
“Give us some space, Mr. Tom,” I said in a more forceful tone.
“Yes, miss. I will climb a different tree a little farther away.”
“Why does he have to climb a tree at all?” I mumbled. Even as I said it, I heard a branch crack behind me. Needles rained down, and Mr. Tom shouted, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” as if he were trying to control a disobedient horse.
Thud.
Unable to hold in my laughter, I spun around as Austin hopped up. Mr. Tom picked himself up off the ground and dusted the pine needles out of his hair. His wings fluttered behind him.
“Well. Simple as that,” he said, sniffed, and stiffly walked farther into the trees.
“Should I go make sure he’s all right?” Austin asked. “I don’t technically have to because he’s not in my jurisdiction, but…”
“Nah. He’ll be fine. You wouldn’t want to hurt his pride.”
Austin lowered back down and poured me the next taste, just a small amount in the bottom of the glass. Clearly he wanted me to taste all twelve before the alcohol started to affect me.
“Apparently that is a yes,” I told him, leaning against his shoulder. “About us being partners.”
“Don’t let him push you into it. Only do it—”
“I want to.” I smiled, something warm throbbing in my middle. “I mean, I’ve never run a business, and I haven’t the first clue about—”
“I can teach you the business side. You’ll pick it up, no problem. You can teach me about…nice atmospheres.”
“Nice atmospheres?”
His grin was sheepish. “Niamh, in no uncertain terms, told me that wine tasting is a civilized pastime, and people do not want to stick to the furniture. In other words, if I want to make the right impression, I need to try a little harder than I have with the bar. Which…let’s be honest, probably also needs some improvements.”
“Wow. You’re going whole hog, huh?”
“I’m the alpha now. I have to rise to the title.”
I nodded, still leaning against him, looking out over the flowers waving in the mild breeze.
“Can I have a half glass, please?” I held up my glass.
“Of course.” He stretched so as not to disrupt the press of my shoulder, and did as I asked.
“I just want to sit and enjoy the moment.” I swirled the next offering, delighted to discover it was the best yet. The tangerine sun lowered toward the horizon, sunset still a few hours off but the waning daylight adding a layer of color to the spray of flowers. “Thank you for doing this, Austin. This is easily the best date I’ve ever had. Good food, great wine, a beautiful view, excellent company, an adventure to get here, and a naked butler hiding in a tree. Can it get better?”
“Well, when you add all those elements together…yeah, probably. Maybe just one less ingredient in the pot, and you might have something.”
“The food, right? That’s the one thing you’d leave off?”
He laughed, leaning against me a little harder. Silence hung between us for a moment.
“I’ve been alone most of my life,” he murmured, and I knew his low tone was to keep this conversation between us.
I lifted my hand and moved it around us, growing a spiral of magic in the shape of a cone.
“Now we’re soundproofed. Mr. Tom can’t hear,” I whispered. While I wasn’t worried about my volume—I knew for a fact the spell worked—this moment suddenly felt incredibly intimate.
He nodded. “Since Destiny, the ex who brought out my more dangerous side, I’ve sworn off letting anyone get too close. Even my brother. I’ve kept him and his family at a distance, never quite trusting myself with them. But since you walked into my life, forcing your friendship on me…”
“I don’t regret it. I needed someone sane to talk to.”
He inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly, as though he were savoring the air of a crisp new morning. “I don’t feel so solo anymore. I don’t feel so disconnected, so isolated. Deciding to become an alpha has…given me a feeling of…worth. The outpouring of support has surprised and energized me. I’m still nervous, like I could misstep and let all my demons out, but with your friendship at my back, I feel more grounded than I ever have. Seeing you struggle with your awesome power—watching you charge at it with utter fearlessness—you’ve bolstered my courage. You’ve turned my life around, Jacinta.” His use of my whole name spread goosebumps across my skin. “I want to thank you for that. You’ve made me a better man.”
Without thinking, I slipped my hand down his forearm and entwined our fingers. I leaned my head against his shoulder.
“Yeah. I’m pretty great,” I said.
He huffed out a laugh, pulling our joined hands across his lap and putting his other on top of them.
“You already know what you mean to me,” I said seriously. “I wouldn’t be where I am without you. I need you. The house needs you.” I hesitated, trying to hold back what I knew I shouldn’t say. What I knew I shouldn’t even thi
nk. But the desire to get it out was too strong. “I want you.”
He tensed, his shoulder bulging against my cheek, his hands putting pressure on mine. I lifted my face a little, remembering the sensation of leaning into him in that cart, our lips almost connecting as I twisted toward him.
He lowered his head a little, sweeping his lips across my forehead, then started to blaze a trail down my face, but he shook his head and pulled back. He gave my hand a last squeeze before dropping it gently to my knee.
“I want you too, please know that, but I will respect the boundaries we’ve set. It might sting now, but I have a feeling you’ll thank me for it tomorrow, when the scene isn’t so pretty and wine isn’t flowing.”
“Yeah,” I said dismally, my body on fire, my core pounding, even if deep down I knew he was right. “So annoying. I really need to break this dry spell.”
He blew out a hard breath before pouring himself a full glass of wine and standing, walking out to the edge of the shelf. I thought about wrapping my arms around my knees and letting this sting me, but I wasn’t twenty anymore. I was capable of thinking about more than just my own feelings.
I grabbed my half glass and went to him, moving the muffling spell as I did.
“We are still in the cone of silence,” I said as I stopped by his side. “You okay? Did I say something wrong?”
“I want to help you with that, Jess. I really do. I want to remind you how fun sex can be. How amazing. I want to remind you what intense passion feels like.” He paused. “Maybe I want you to remind me. But damn it, I can’t. I can’t for your sake and mine. I can’t because of what it would mean for me, and how it would trap you. It’s not a line I can cross.”
I furrowed my brow, not sure how it could possibly trap me. I let it go, though. He seemed torn, on edge. I didn’t want to make this any harder, because he was right. He had his reasons for wanting to stay solo, and I had my reasons for holding back, even if my convictions had become a little wobbly lately. We were a couple of adults. We could make this work.
“Totally,” I said, my tone light and a little flippant, trying to ease the mood. “I’m not beat up about it, Austin. I understand. I’m thankful, actually. This is definitely for the best.”
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