Remembering the sounds of them making love above him soon had him popping the fly of his jeans to give his straining erection room. It stood hard and hot against his belly. Shiloh gritted his teeth, resigned to another night spent wanking himself raw.
It had been an effort to not pump Cass for information about her cousin every time he had seen her. Somehow he didn’t think it would have done a whole lot of good. Cass was remarkably private about her family. Come to think of it, he still didn’t know what her animal was. Dar had never said anything either. That was a little strange since Dar had told him everything from the time he was a small child.
His meandering thoughts swung to Dandy and Thistle. Sometimes they acted like they were courting Rienne as well, but then they would appear to pull back and treat her as a friend. He wondered briefly if she was as confused by their behavior as he and the rest of the fey clan were.
The sound of the front door opening and closing followed by voices brought him out of his mental wanderings, and he moved toward the living room. Pulling his shirt over his erection, he followed the sound. He met Foxglove in the hall. The smaller man was carrying a sleeping Rienne in his arms. The small fey might look delicate, but they could carry five times their own weight without breaking a sweat.
He frowned in concern as he noted her pallor and the appearance of sudden weight loss he was sure wasn’t there this morning. “Is she okay?”
Foxglove nodded. “She overdid it. Cass said to feed her as much as we can get her to eat tonight and let her sleep.”
Thistle and Dandy came into the hall. They eyed Shiloh for a moment before making quiet farewells and leaving.
Shiloh followed Foxglove upstairs to Rienne’s rooms and drew back the blankets and sheets. He looked around curiously while Foxglove tucked her in. He hadn’t been up here since she had moved in. The mix of bright and subdued colors suited her. After checking to be sure she still slept, they went down to the kitchen. Shiloh popped the tops off a couple bottles of ale and handed one to Foxglove. “Let’s talk,” he said into the quiet.
Foxglove smiled a little sadly and set the bottle down. “You want Rienne.”
“Yes.”
The younger man firmed his jaw. “I am not giving her up. She’s mine for as long as she’ll have me.”
“I wasn’t going to ask you to step aside.” Shiloh rubbed the back of his neck. “This is what I propose…”
Chapter Five
Shiloh glared as yet another resident found some excuse to linger at his table and chat with Rienne. So far his not so original plan of taking her out to dinner was failing spectacularly.
Every inhabitant of the island seemed to have gotten wind he was at the pub with Rienne sans Foxglove. Said inhabitants had also apparently decided to trample a path to a ringside seat.
He wasn’t sure if all the interest was due to Rienne’s rather amazing show a week ago or because he was on his first date in over half a century. Either way he was ready to bang his, or someone else’s, head against a hard, upright surface until everyone left him and his prospective lady alone.
He sighed and slouched in resignation as Foxglove entered the pub and sat at the table with a grimace of apology. While it has been fairly obvious Foxglove wasn’t too keen on sharing Rienne’s attention, Shiloh hadn’t thought he would show up in the middle of what was supposed to be the opening moves in the courtship dance. They had talked for several hours to set boundaries regarding their courtships. Neither had expected Rienne’s near panic when they had approached her with their proposal. He was fairly sure if she hadn’t been weak from the bees, she would have disappeared from the island rather than hear them out. It had taken some fast talking on both their parts to get her to even listen.
Shiloh had finally left the room while Foxglove tried to reassure her that he wasn’t going to get jealous if she saw other men. Later, the small fey had met him in Shiloh’s room. He had flopped tiredly back on Shiloh’s bed and explained Rienne’s fear that Foxglove wasn’t serious about his relationship with her and that she didn’t want a reputation for sleeping around.
“She started shaking and threw up all over the floor,” Foxglove had confided softly, looking miserable. “She seemed more worried about what everyone else would think than what she wants. I know she’s attracted to you, so it’s not that. Hell, Shiloh. She didn’t even blink when she found out I’m fey, but she freaks out over dating two men? Not even seeing Foster as an adult bugged her.” Bewilderment was clear across his face. “I thought a lot of human women dated several men at a time and vice versa.”
Coming back to the present, he tilted his head when Foxglove leaned toward him.
“Sorry to crash your date, but I’ve had no less than six people inform me you are trying to poach my lady. I thought I’d come put the seal of approval on the happenings, so to speak.” Foxglove winced and sat back with a shrug. “I don’t even know how everyone found out we’d been intimate.”
“Having half of her bees calling you ‘Father’ may have been a hint,” Shiloh replied dryly, but quietly enough Rienne wouldn’t overhear. Foxglove’s cheeks turned as red as his hair, making Shiloh chuckle as he let go of his pique.
The blush faded only to be replaced with a silly grin. His eyes sparkled with happiness, an expression Shiloh hadn’t seen the younger fey wear in far too long.
“I suppose that explains why almost every small fey on the island has parked his ass on a stool and spent the last hour glaring daggers at me,” Shiloh murmured ruefully. The only absentees were Thistle and Dandy. He wondered what those two were up to for a moment before brushing the thought away. It was probably best if he didn’t know.
Foxglove nodded sheepishly. “I’m not sure why they have decided to be so protective, but they have. I tried telling them I knew you were taking Rienne out to dinner and didn’t mind, but I guess they thought I just didn’t want to piss you off.”
Shiloh nodded absently, watching the dryad Rienne was talking to excuse herself only to be replaced by Mullein, the small fey who was Foxglove’s closest friend. Mullein gave Shiloh a challenging look before kissing Rienne’s knuckles gallantly and chatting quietly with her and Foxglove. A small smile twitched the side of his mouth as he watched the trio. Sipping his ale, he eyed Foxglove leisurely. He licked his lips. The more he thought about it the more he liked the idea of becoming lovers with both of them. Foxglove had a fragile, big-eyed waif appeal he had never paid much attention to before.
Actually, considering how often people seemed to forget about him, Shiloh had to wonder if it was a type of glamour Foxglove wasn’t aware of. If it was, it could be very useful. Because, there was absolutely nothing forgettable about the man once you began paying attention to him.
Watching his two prospective lovers, he knew part of the attraction was the urge to dirty them up. They were both so innocent looking he felt like a filthy lecher, a despoiler of virgins. He hid his grin behind another sip of ale. Somehow he doubted they were as innocent as they appeared.
After Mullein left, the influx of visitors seemed to die off. Rienne chatted about the errands she and Cass were going to take care of on the mainland tomorrow. Shiloh wondered if she was completely oblivious to all the attention they were receiving or simply pretending nothing unusual was going on around her. Noting the strain in her eyes, he decided she was pretending everything was normal.
“What are you getting?” he asked her, taking a bite of his dinner. Foxglove’s food had arrived a few minutes before, and the small fey was eating quietly, not really participating in the conversation.
“Oh just some stuff,” she replied. “New mattresses since some look really worn, cleaning supplies, things like that. There are a few things I want I haven’t seen stocked in the local stores.” She toyed with her food, not really eating anything but doing a remarkable job of making it look like she was. “My house sold. A couple of my cousins are packing up my belongings and bringing them out. They should be here in a week or so.�
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Shiloh sipped his drink and glanced around the room. It had cleared out some since Foxglove’s arrival. The small fey were still sitting in a row glaring at him. Rienne glanced over her shoulder to see what he was looking at. Her head whipped back around, and she turned a greenish color.
“I don’t think this was a good idea,” she whispered. Her throat worked as she swallowed convulsively. “Maybe we should just keep what’s going on private. Why does the whole island have to know?”
Foxglove sat forward and shoved a slice of bread into her hand. “Eat this. Breathe, sweetie.” He pushed back from the table. “I’ll be right back.”
She hunched down in her chair.
“How about we go back to the house?” Shiloh asked casually, keeping the growing anger out of his voice. “We can open a bottle of wine and play one of those games you found.” It was becoming very apparent she was overly sensitive to the emotional currents swirling around her. She glowed around happy people and became ill when there was tension in the air. He wasn’t sure what caused it, but he was quickly realizing just how important a serene environment was to her well-being.
She nodded a little frantically.
He stood and pulled her up against him, an arm protectively around her shoulders as he watched Foxglove march up to his family. Huge moth wings popped out of Foxglove’s back and fanned open to hide the confrontation about to take place. “You wait for us outside while I get a couple boxes for the food.” He bent his head and licked slowly along the seam of her lips. “It will be okay, Rienne. We aren’t hiding; we don’t have anything to be ashamed about.”
“Okay,” she whispered, licking her lips, looking a little dazed. Then she turned and left at a fast clip that couldn’t quite be called a run.
Keeping an eye on where Foxglove was chewing out his friends, Shiloh made his way to the bar. People moved out of his way as quickly as they could without stumbling over each other.
Declan was polishing a glass and pretending to ignore the tension in the air. “Need some boxes?” he asked without looking up from the glass in his hand. His whiskers twitched with barely suppressed irritation. The Dwarf had a soft spot for Rienne, a soft spot which was reciprocated. Declan had informed him smugly that Rienne spoiled him with treats at least once a week and stopped in to visit anytime she was in town. He wasn’t sure if Declan was teasing him or was simply delighted with the attention he was getting from a pretty woman. Either way she had made a powerful and loyal friend. Declan was the third ruling power on the island, along with himself and Foster.
“Yep.” Shiloh turned and leaned back against the bar, crossing his arms over his chest and spreading a glare across every occupant in the pub. “Rienne’s not feeling well,” he said, making sure his quiet voice carried. Heads and gazes dropped in chastisement. “I know I found it difficult to eat while feeling like a circus sideshow.” Shoulders hunched around the room.
He took the boxes Declan handed him and quickly packed the food. Foxglove was waiting for him when he finished. He slid his arm down the much shorter man’s back and rested it on his waist, making a wordless declaration that he was as interested in Foxglove as he was Rienne. A slight smile edged his lips as he felt Foxglove slip his fingers into Shiloh’s back pocket. More heads dropped to study the floor as he looked around the room. Without a word they both left the pub. Rienne was talking to her cousin when they came out the door.
Cass was holding Rienne’s hand. Her smile had a decidedly feral edge to it when she saw them. “Heading home?” she asked with deceptive casualness.
“Yes.” Shiloh smiled wryly. “Foxglove’s friends aren’t really happy I asked Rienne out to dinner tonight. I thought we’d have a quiet night in instead. They were starting to give me indigestion.” His attention was caught by her T-shirt. It had a crude drawing of a chest freezer with the words I’m the quiet neighbor with the large freezer scrawled beneath. He grinned.
“Ah. Have fun.” She hugged Rienne and strolled down the street toward Dar’s office. When she tripped a little over an uneven patch of sidewalk, he winced. The wince turned into another grin when Cass straightened and stuck her nose in the air with an I-meant-to-do-that attitude and continued on her way.
The ride home was silent. He glanced at Rienne. Her hands were clenched around the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white.
Foxglove took the food and disappeared into the kitchen when they arrived. Shiloh grabbed a game at random and started setting it up on a low table in the living room while Rienne paced and kept glancing at him uncertainly. He threw several pillows onto the floor and flopped down.
She sat across from him cautiously and selected her game piece.
He saw Rienne relax a bit as the game started.
Foxglove came in a bit later and set plates of reheated food beside them and then made himself absent again. He returned with cups of tea. “I’m going to spend the night at the clan home tonight.” Bending, he gave Rienne a lingering kiss good-bye. “They weren’t glaring at you, Rienne. I’ll explain tomorrow,” he said softly, stroking her cheek. Straightening, he gave Shiloh a lopsided smile. “See you tomorrow.”
Shiloh nodded and returned the smile. The door closed quietly behind the small fey.
Rienne rolled the dice and moved her piece. “Why were they pissed then?” she asked softly.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “They thought I was trying to steal you out from under Foxglove,” he finally said.
She looked up at him, startled. After a moment she giggled. When they returned their attention back to the game, she seemed much more relaxed. After a while she got up and turned on some music, fiddling with the music player until it was just the way she wanted it. “Amy and Bess are moving in tomorrow,” she said in an obvious bid to start a less sensitive conversation. “They are taking the big room with two beds. Galen and Todd plan on moving in the day after tomorrow.”
Shiloh nodded. “How about the rest?”
“This weekend,” she replied, biting her lip and studying the game board.
A knock at the door about half an hour later had them looking at each other in surprise. She got up to answer it. Thistle and Dandy stomped into the room, each carrying a burlap sack, and thunderous expressions on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” Rienne asked, looking worried as she stepped out of their way.
Shiloh stood slowly.
“We are moving in, if that’s okay,” Thistle growled.
“But all the rooms are spoken for,” Rienne replied in dismay.
“No, they aren’t,” Dandy said with an unusually serious expression. “The house has some fey-sized apartments built into the hall wall. Mind if we take one?”
Blinking in bewilderment Rienne shook her head. “Go for it. Need any help?” It was obvious she had never noticed the doors. Which meant the spells were still holding on the house.
“I’ll help them, Rienne. Why don’t you get us some more tea?” Shiloh answered for them. He squeezed her hand. “If this is what I think it is, don’t be surprised if Foxglove moves in next,” he added quietly before following the two men.
She frowned but took the cups into the kitchen, patting Thistle and Dandy on the back as she passed them. “You guys are always welcome.”
Dandy smiled tightly. “Thank you, Rienne. It’s nice to hear that.” He stopped her by cupping her cheek and brushed a light kiss across her mouth.
She pulled back, startled interest in her gaze as she licked her lips. “Oh my,” she said softly. Blinking a few times, she walked down the hall.
Thistle waited until she was out of earshot before turning to Shiloh. “What the hell happened tonight? Everyone went out except the two of us,” he said, motioning toward Dandy. “Then they came home, and Clover started bitching about Dandy and I being lovers. I have no idea why he suddenly has a problem with it since it’s not like it’s something new. A little bit ago Foxglove came home, and he flipped his gourd all over everyone about doing
something to upset Rienne. Which, apparently, was a continuation of an argument which already took place?” He paused with an enquiring look, then continued when Shiloh nodded. “Next thing I know Clover is screaming about all the fey left on the island being ass bandits and how he didn’t swing that way, which set everyone else off. So, everyone is screaming at everyone else, no one wants to listen to anything, and we”—he motioned toward Dandy again—”are tired of it. So, we are moving in here where they don’t have to worry about us infecting them.” He sneered out the last bit. Holding up his bag he shook it. “Packed all of our stuff and left.”
Dandy leaned back and checked to make sure Rienne was still in the kitchen. “Clover also said you and Foxglove are treating Rienne like a whore. Something about passing her around like a party favor and when did he get a turn. That was the point when Mullein lost his temper and jumped into the middle of it.”
Shiloh raised an eyebrow. “That all of it?” He idly pondered beating Clover into a bloody pulp. Mullein getting involved in the argument was a surprise. He was the oldest small fey left on the island, and as a result generally kept his own counsel unless it was asked for. The small fey didn’t have a designated leader, but there were always a few who stayed neutral in arguments. Usually it was the oldest who got stuck playing referee.
Dandy shook his head, and a genuine, if slightly brittle, smile curved his lips. “Nope. Foxglove informed Clover he has a few ass-bandit tendencies himself. Then, he suggested that Clover was flipping out about it all of a sudden because he was suppressing his latent homosexual feelings. I thought Clover was going to have an aneurysm then and there. His outbursts are coming more and more often. I don’t know what his problem is, but it’s become damn near impossible to live with him. “
Shiloh nodded. “All righty then. It’s probably best if we let this drop for now. You guys shift, and I’ll tuck the bags in the door for you.” The bags weren’t too heavy for the small fey to lift but they would have been awkward to maneuver them through the door. It didn’t sound like he needed to get involved in the argument at this point. Foxglove was apparently more than capable of holding his own against his family.
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