Spicy Beauty (The Feminine Mesquite Book 3)

by Sable Sylvan

  “I guess it is a date,” admitted Addy, just as the song ended.

  “Then I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow,” said Sage. “Don’t you have a class to get to?”

  Addy looked at the clock. She only had fifteen minutes to get to class! Time had flown hanging around Sage.

  “Shiz,” said Addy. “Yeah, I gotta get to class and do some studying tonight. But Sage…”

  “Yes?” asked Sage.

  “Thanks,” said Addy. “For everything. I’m sorry I judged you. I was wrong. I guess…I let my prejudice get in the way, and that’s something I’m not proud of.”

  “It’s fine, get to class,” insisted Sage. “I’ve got classes tomorrow, but I’ll meet you at the ball. Eight-thirty sharp.”

  Addy grabbed her bag and left to go to class, but as she walked through the halls, she almost found herself to be dancing. She’d never felt like this before. She’d never had a date before, but she wasn’t about to admit that to Sage. She’d always been too busy to date, but now that she’d made the time to get to know Sage, maybe it was time to get to know him even better.

  * * *

  Addy didn’t have classes on Friday so she spent Thursday night working on homework because she had to get the work that she would usually get done on Friday evening done early. After all, she had a date.

  It was still making her heart race. A week earlier, if she had been told she’d be going on a date with Sage, she would’ve laughed, but now it just seemed like the most natural turn of events. He had a way of making her feel more alive and awake than she’d ever felt in her life.

  Now the only question was, what the heck was she gonna wear?

  It was Friday afternoon, and Addy was looking at her large closet, figuring out what the heck was appropriate to wear to the school dance. Was a tea dress too informal? Was a glitzy gown too formal? There were two people Addy texted.

  The first was Sabine, whose advice was 1.) to go big or go back to Fallowedirt and 2.) for Addy to take some much-needed dance and etiquette lessons in preparation for the Scoville Ball. While the first was a friendly suggestion, the second was an order. Luckily, of course, Sabine had an in with a local etiquette instructor who lived in the town of Bonimolean proper and Addy would be able to attend the instructor’s lessons at night for the next few weeks in preparation for the ball.

  The second person Addy texted was Minerva. She had classes all day, but when Minerva got out of class, she made sure to catch dinner with Addy and discuss the options. After dinner, they went to Addy’s room and looked through her closet.

  “All this stuff is either too fancy or not fancy enough,” said Minerva. “Well…except for this. I don’t know why Sabine didn’t pack you more party clothes!”

  “I might’ve insisted on plain clothes and told her I wouldn’t be going out much,” said Addy sheepishly.

  “Okay, well, that means you’re going to have to wear this,” said Minerva. “This is your only option. Our bust sizes are different, so none of my outfits are gonna match yours.”

  “This?” asked Addy, looking at the dress. “Isn’t it a little…revealing?”

  “Trust me, if you don’t have the confidence to pull this off at a tiny school dance, how the heck will you have the confidence to pull off whatever Sabine sends you for the ball?” asked Minnie, a hand on her hip. “I’m not trying to bring the sass, girlfriend, but it doesn’t take a runologist to decipher the signs you two are sending to each other. You’re nervous about what Sage is gonna think of you in that, and let me tell you, girlfriend, he isn’t gonna care. He’s gonna be all about this outfit, but he cares more about what’s in here.” Minnie put her hand over Addy’s heart.

  “What’s in my heart?” asked Addy.

  “No, what’s in your dang bra,” said Minnie. “Sage loves a woman with curves. All shifters do. But I guess your heart’s fine, too. I don’t care about this inner beauty shiz. But I know Sage does.”

  “You think so?” asked Addy. “I know that it’s awful to judge someone on their appearance, but I still can’t stop seeing Sage as a bad boy rock star.”

  “How the heck can he be a rock star without an album?” asked Minnie. “I know my cousin, and I know he puts on this whole bad boy attitude, but trust me. Inside of him is a polar bear looking for his fated mate.”

  “Woah, now, nobody said anything about fated mates,” said Addy. “Do you know something I don’t?”

  “I’ve said too much,” admitted Minnie. “But I can say this. Sage is serious about you. Has been since before you even got here. You’re all he talked about with me last semester. It got on that girl Georgina’s last nerves.”

  “So those two, they’re not a thing?” asked Addy.

  “No frikkin’ way,” said Minnie. “Here’s the deal with Georgina. The Rosettis are an old Venetian merchant family. They were running the Silk Road before Marco Polo was a sperm in his daddy’s ball sack. The Rosettis and the Scovilles go back because the Scovilles ran their spice on that road and of course, to run that road you needed to be allied with the Rosettis. Now, interestingly enough, the Scovilles did not practice diplomatic marriage. You don’t have to be a history major to understand how frikkin’ odd that is. Their rule has always been to only marry their fated mates. They don’t force a relationship with someone that isn’t their true love, no matter what. It’s weird among nobles, not that weird among shifters, but shifter nobles are a whole different thing entirely.”

  “Okay, I follow so far, so how’s Georgina involved?” asked Addy.

  “Georgina has had her eye on Sage since they were little,” said Minnie. “After all, the Rosettis and Scovilles and all the other noble families are still tight. You wanna hear a joke? Social mobility. Anyways. Sage has known since his mark appeared that Georgina was not meant for him and that he wasn’t meant for her. However, Georgina hasn’t let up the chase, and because she’s a Rosetti, Sage has to be polite to her…however, if she ever takes it too far, don’t worry. He’d deal with her.”

  “So she doesn’t like me because she likes Sage and she thinks Sage likes me?” asked Addy.

  “Exactly,” said Minnie. “She’s gunning for Sage to invite her to the Scoville Ball. It’s not personal. She’s hated any girl that Sage has even batted an eye at, but none of those girls matter the way you matter, to the entire Scoville Clan. After all, you’re the future alpha’s younger sister. You’re practically a princess.”

  “Rewind for a hot minute. Were you serious about what you said about Sage? You mean he hasn’t ever, ever taken a date to the ball?” asked Addy.

  “Sage has never ever invited a girl to the ball,” said Minnie. “Not a one. His brothers did, but they invited friends who went as friends, all kinds of people, from townies that had never been to a fancy ball before to people that won dates with them in charity auctions. However, even though Herb and Clove found their mates this past year, they aren’t going to the ball because of prior obligations. Mace will be there, but Basil won’t be. Mace is in Oslo right now because, well, it’s a long story, and Basil, as you know, is in Brazil. That means you and Sage are the representatives of the new Quincy-Scoville group.”

  “Who else is gonna be there?” asked Addy.

  “Just about everyone who matters,” said Minnie. “Of course, I’ve got an invite, because I’m a Scoville. Georgina gets an invite because she’s a Rosetti. But what the heck are we doing talking about this? You got a dress to get into. I’ll check out your makeup collection while you get changed and we’ll do up your face, then walk over to the ball. Don’t worry. You can wear sneakers over to the dance, and leave them in the coat check outside the ballroom. Bonimolean might date back to the medieval period, but a lot of stuff is pretty modern…not the least of all the romance.”

  “Just one last question,” said Addy. “What about you, Minnie? Do you have dates to the dances?”

  “Honey pie, you have no idea,” said Minnie. “Now get into that dress!”

 
* * *

  An hour later, after Addy and Minnie had gotten changed into their outfits and put on their makeup, they were out the door, heels in a big purse they’d share and leave in coat check. When they got to the ballroom, they swapped shoes, dropped off their bag and coats, and headed into the ballroom.

  The ballroom was decorated more fancily than any dance that Addy had seen. She had never gone to the dances in high school or college, but she’d been on the decorating committee for her prom to see what all the fuss was about, and her school had opted for a rather boring Arabian Nights theme that was supposed to be over the top. There was no way to transform their smelly basketball court into a sheik’s palace, and it hadn’t looked good, even after they had put the finishing touches on the stinky gym and Addy headed home to eat popcorn and watch movies instead of wasting her time at the dance.

  Bonimolean had opted for a simple garden theme but did it bigger and better than Addy’s school had treated the prom. The flowers were all real, encrusted with rhinestones and silver dust that resembled snow. A buffet with catered drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, was available, with small treats like dusty pink rose macarons, blueberry lavender white cake petit fours, and sugared violet topped cake pops.

  “What time is it?” asked Addy.

  “Eight twenty-eight,” said Minnie. “We made good time.”

  “We’re a little early,” said Addy, looking around. The room wasn’t that crowded.

  “At least we got to try the cookies,” said Minnie. “Wait…who is that? Over there? I think one of our dates just showed up.”

  Addy turned and looked.

  The entrance to the ballroom was dark, and the foyer to the ballroom was bright. The figure in the entrance was a mere silhouette until he started to walk forward, toward the light that Addy and Minnie were standing in.

  “No frikkin’ way,” whispered Addy, and she nearly dropped her cake pop.

  Chapter Six

  Tall, with blond hair with a single streak of black, piercing blue eyes, and muscles that just couldn’t quit, there was no questioning the man walking toward her steadily and slowly was none other than Sage Scoville. He was proof that the clothing did not make the man. Usually, Sage wore ripped black jeans, some spiked belt, a black shirt, designer sneakers, and sunglasses. He didn’t wear shiny black shoes, nice black slacks, a white long-sleeved button-up shirt, or a black satin vest with silver buttons. He didn’t have his usually tousled bedhead hair styled into a style that looked like it belonged to someone far more serious. Tonight, however, he did, and he was still every bit as much of a dominant polar bear shifter as he was usually, with his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows, exposing his firm, muscular forearms. He walked with a swagger that made Addy blush, and she could imagine him turning polar right in front of her, grabbing her in his paws and carrying her away to some supply closet to claim her…or, with his hands on her waist, twirling her around the room. For the first time, she wasn’t sure which of those fantasies she desired more, and wasn’t sure which one would come true that night.

  As Sage walked into the ballroom, he spotted Addy instantly. How couldn’t he? She was every bit as ravishing as she had been since the day he’d met her, just dressed in different clothes. In a black dress with a floral pattern reminiscent of the works of Mary Delany. The flowers on Addy’s dress looked painted on but were actually embroidered, the bright but realistically embroidered botanicals standing out against a field of black. The dress was low-cut in the back, exposing her curved shoulders to him. She was still every bit the bookish academic that he’d fallen for, but she was showing an inner fire that he wasn’t sure she knew she had inside of her the whole time. Addy’s hair had been put up, so there was a swath of exposed skin from the bottom of the exposed part of the gown up through the nape of her neck.

  As Addy turned and he saw her mouth drop, he couldn’t help but smile. His polar growled. Addy was obviously into him. If he played his cards right, he might be able to get an answer to the question that had haunted him since he had first met her, but even if he didn’t, he’d still get a chance to get to know this captivating woman even better.

  As soon as Sage reached Addy, he put a hand on her waist.

  “Funny seeing you here,” said Sage. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

  “Not at all,” said Addy, who had finished her dessert. “We got here a little early.”

  “Then I suppose we can start early,” said Sage. “Minerva, you wouldn’t mind if I stole Addy away, would you?”

  “Heck no, cuz,” said Minnie. “Have a great time!”

  Sage nodded and turned back to Addy.

  “Remember what I taught you yesterday?” asked Sage.

  “Oh, right,” said Addy, and she put her hands on Sage’s shoulders. He put his other hand on her waist, and they started to dance. A four-string quartet was playing a simple piece. There were already a few couples on the dance floor.

  As Sage and Addy gracefully glided over the dance floor, Addy couldn’t help but get lost in Sage’s eyes. His eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue, flecked with spots of white, reminding her of a pair of snow globes.

  “Do you know this song?” asked Addison.

  “It’s a cover of a pop song,” said Sage. “It’s just been adapted to strings. Just keep doing the two-step I taught you. We can add in some extra moves like…this.” Sage twirled Addy quickly.

  “Whoa,” said Addy. “That was…nice.”

  “We can do it again if you like,” said Sage. “One…two…one…two…and…twirl.” Sage gave Addy another twirl and caught her by the waist.

  Addy couldn’t believe it. She was having fun at a dance…at least until the song ended, and a familiar brunette showed up.

  “Hey, Sage,” said Georgina, flipping her black ponytail over her shoulder. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  “A lot of unexpected things have happened this week,” said Sage, keeping his eyes on Addison before giving her a twirl.

  “Well, in celebration of unexpected things, care to dance?” asked Georgina.

  Sage looked at Addison, who was smiling.

  “It’s fine,” said Addison, pulling away. “What’s one dance?”

  Georgina cut in and started to dance with Sage. Addison scanned the room and saw who Minnie had taken to the dance. She was in the company of a handsome man and a gorgeous curvy woman! Addison had to know what the heck was going on.

  Addison made her way over to the trio that was sitting on the jewel-toned velvet couches in the lounging area.

  “Hey, Minnie,” said Addison.

  “Addy! I was just telling Julio and Nia about you,” said Minnie. “Julio, Nia, this is Addison, Addison Quincy. She’s from America!”

  “So are you,” said Addison, before taking a seat. “Nice to meet you, Julio, Nia.”

  “Let me just answer the question I know is rattling around that head of yours,” said Minnie. “I got two dates tonight, and yes, I like to mix and match. Tonight, it’s about the mix.”

  “Hot dang,” said Addison. “Well, you go and get yours, Minnie!”

  “Why aren’t you dancing with Sage?” asked Nia.

  “Yes, are you two also sharing that…one?” asked Julio.

  “I was dancing with Sage, but Georgina wanted a dance,” said Addison. “After what you told me, Minnie, I thought it only fair to throw her a bone.”

  “Isn’t she bony enough?” asked Nia, before taking a drink. “Oops, did I say that out loud?”

  “I think I like your friends,” said Addison. “So, they know Sage and I are here together?”

  “Here together on a date, girl,” said Minnie. “You need to make sure Georgina doesn’t make Sage turn that dance into two! You might not know the rules of propriety, but I do, and so does Sage. However, Sage won’t break them, not really. He thinks he’s a bad boy, but he’s a frikkin’ cuddly teddy bear. I’ve got a plan, and Julio, you’re on deck.”

  “What’s the p
lan?” asked Julio.

  “You cut in with Georgina for a dance,” said Minnie. “Then, Nia cuts in with you, leaving Georgina with no partner. She can go find someone else to dance with.”

  “Isn’t that kinda mean?” asked Addison. “That’s not how we do things in Texas.”

  “Girl, if you haven’t noticed, we’re not in Texas. Your Wild West state is more civilized than this college. Trust me, you put a bunch of hormonal shifters together, and the claws are gonna come out. I don’t care if you’re wearing a paper bag or some pearls. The fur will fly, I guarantee. She started it, but I’m about to end it,” said Minnie. “Wake up, sleeping beauty. This bitch is trying to steal your man! I’m a Scoville, and I’m about to bring the fire. Don’t get things twisted. I might seem like I’m nice, but I got spice. I’m a frikkin’ Scoville, and I’ll go polar on a bitch if I have to. Trust me. What I’m doing is merciful. Gives her a chance to tuck tail and get the frik outta here, or get another partner.”

  Minnie’s chess game worked. Julio cut in for a dance with Georgina, giving Addy time to cut in to dance with Sage, then Nia cut in with Julio, leaving Georgina alone.

  “You wanna blow this joint?” Sage asked Addy.

  “Yeah, it’s getting a little crowded,” said Addy, nodding her head toward Georgina.

  “I know what you mean,” said Sage. “We can continue this back in our suite.”

  As the song ended, Sage and Addy parted, but a tall man in a suit came up to them. He looked shifter.

  “May I have this dance?” asked the man.

  “We’re actually leaving right now,” said Addy apologetically. “Sorry.”

  “Come on, one dance,” said the man.

  “Do you need your ears checked? The lady said no,” said Sage, wrapping his arm around Addy.

  Addy had never felt Sage like this before. She had felt his protective grip when she had tripped at Sabine’s studio, but it hadn’t been like this. She had felt him with his hand on the small of her back as he gave her a tour, but he hadn’t felt as tense. This was different. It was as if Sage thought they might be in danger…well, Sage or his polar bear.