by Parker Foye
“What will you do if they don’t work and you have to explain the presence of meta fauna in your hotel room?” Luc asked.
“That’s not going to happen.” As soon as Luc slipped them on, Rob knew the cuffs would work.
“But what if it does?”
“I’ll lose my security deposit, I suppose.”
The right answer. Luc kissed him long and slow. He rested his forehead against Rob’s. “Let’s watch the sunset together. And then I was thinking, if you’re not busy with your research or the show or whatever, if you don’t have plans—”
“You’re babbling. It’s adorable, but I thought you should know.”
Luc pressed harder against Rob’s forehead. His chest shook with laughter. “If you don’t have plans, I thought we might go traveling together? After the ski season is over. If you want?”
Unable to find words and never being all that great with them anyway, Rob pressed his yes into Luc’s lips. Yes, yes, yes.
The sunset was beautiful, but Rob missed the fireworks. He and Luc were too busy making their own.
Epilogue
“ARE you planning on staying there all day?”
Luc raised his arm to shade his eyes and squinted at Rob, who obliged by moving to stand with his back to the sun. Luc shivered at the sudden change in temperature, or maybe just Rob’s proximity. Rob wore cargo shorts and a white T-shirt with sunglasses hooked into the collar, a messenger bag on one shoulder, and notebook in hand. The T-shirt was one of Luc’s, and its seams creaked to accommodate Rob’s broader chest. Luc wanted to thank the fabric for its service.
“Why would I go anywhere else?” Luc asked. He gestured to indicate Rob and the long stretch of beach bustling with bodies and brightly colored umbrellas Luc was too cheap to rent. “You should join me. Work on your tan.”
“I’ve been figuring out our next stops,” Rob said, though he tossed his bag to one side and flopped next to Luc on the sand. He kept hold of his notebook, which bristled with Post-its. “But I can stay for a while.”
Luc closed his eyes and relaxed as Rob got comfortable. Earlier that morning Luc had claimed a patch near the water, but his position was precarious. Despite being early in the season, Bačvice Beach would soon fill with locals and tourists alike, and as a single sunbather, Luc was a prime target for being ousted from his spot. With Rob at his side, their location became more secure.
Plus Luc got to see Rob freckle. Another reward from the universe.
Five weeks had passed since the ski season ended in Les Menuires, two since meeting Rob in London, and so far the universe had been generous indeed. Having pooled their savings and worked on a travel route, Luc had been treated to new sides of Rob. He was impossibly organized and took over finding train timetables and booking hostels and all the similar minutiae of their trip. Having neither the forte nor interest himself, Luc gladly turned his attention to beaches and bars. And his laptop, which had been seeing a lot of use lately.
It had occurred to Luc, a few days into their planning, that of course Rob would be good at the practical stuff. Rob had traveled across the world with his family, much farther than Luc had ever been. Sometimes the differences in their experience made Luc feel very young.
“I can tell when you’re thinking too hard, you know.” Rob poked Luc in the side, his finger cool against the heat of Luc’s body. “Penny for them. Or a kuna, I suppose, since we’re in Croatia.”
Luc rolled over and propped his chin on his hands. He regarded Rob curled on his side on the towel beside him. In the water, groups of teenagers shrieked and shouted as they played picigin on the shoreline, a kind of water-based not-really-volleyball involving varying levels of acrobatics as they tried to keep the ball out of the water. Some girls Luc recognized from the hostel caught his eye and waved. Luc raised his hand lazily to return the greeting, nodding when one made the universal Drink? gesture.
“Later!” he shouted, attention returning to Rob when he poked Luc again. “What?”
“Don’t know why I worry. I can tell what’s on your mind, and it’s about as deep as a pint glass.”
Rob’s fond smile made Luc’s stomach flip, and more heat rose to his cheeks than could be blamed on the late spring sun. Flustered, Luc grabbed the bottle of water from under his bag, where he’d stashed it to keep cool, and took a long drink. If he extended his throat more than he needed so the claiming bruise beneath his jaw was on full display, it was no one’s business but his own.
“You’re such a bloody tease,” Rob grumbled, shifting like some of the sand had slid down his shorts. “Save me some of that.”
Luc shook the half-full bottle. “Some of this?” He waggled his eyebrows and blew a kiss. “Or some of that?”
Rob laughed and pushed Luc’s face away, grabbing the bottle with his other hand and taking a drink. Luc allowed himself to stare the way he always wanted but was cautious about doing in public. Sun turned Rob’s hair to gold, his freckles multiplying to scatter constellations across his nose and cheeks, the pink of his lips a temptation against his deepening tan. His tight T-shirt outlined the definition of his chest and curve of his biceps.
Some of that sand must’ve gotten in Luc’s shorts too. He shifted and thought about winter.
“Not funny now, is it?” Rob teased. He tossed the empty bottle into his bag and lay on his back, scratching his stomach.
Luc tore his eyes away. “Where did you want to go next?”
“Dubrovnik, at least for a day. It’s supposed to be beautiful.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Olivia said there used to be weaving families there too.”
“Well, if Olivia said—hey!”
Laughing, Luc returned Rob’s kick in the ankle. The action started a scuffle of knees and elbows, more an excuse to get their hands on each other than any real friction—though what Luc wouldn’t give for a bit of friction. Staying in hostels might be healthy for their budget but did nothing for his libido. Rob promised a private room somewhere soon, and Luc was trying not to push, but every day between that and this seemed too many.
They broke apart, and Luc discreetly adjusted himself in his shorts while Rob did the same, the smoldering heat in his eyes hotter than the sun beating on Luc’s skin. Averting his gaze as Rob settled pointedly on his stomach, Luc tugged off his shirt and stuffed it in his bag before he grabbed the sun cream and slathered it on his arms and chest. He smoothed cream carefully beneath his cuffs and drew his thumb over the symbols when he was done.
He dropped the sun cream onto Rob’s back. Rob grunted and closed his eyes, his eyebrows pinched together. “If you ask me to get your back, I’ll never forgive you. My dick is turning this sand into glass right now.”
Deciding against teasing him any further—that could wait until they found a more secluded spot—Luc nudged Rob with his toes. “Come on, then. What’s our plan? Dubrovnik for a few days. Where after?”
“Not sure. Sarajevo? Or we could get the ferry to Bari if you want to keep working on your tan.”
“I’ll have plenty of time to work on my tan when we start working in Corfu. Eloise says they can definitely make it out for Midsummer, by the way. If you still want to see,” Luc said, trying to sound casual and wildly missing the mark. He cringed and adjusted his sunglasses to disguise his expression.
During his research into weaving, Rob had posited a theory that the magic of the cuffs mightn’t have been intended to be permanent. With the most magical times of the year being Solstice and Midsummer, he wondered if they were supposed to be left off on those nights to let the magic recharge. Luc wasn’t impressed with the idea, but he didn’t have anything to lose since Rob already knew about his other shape. And he reasoned their research might help other cursebearers. Including Thierry, if he wanted it. Luc hadn’t spoken to Thierry since France, but Eloise kept in touch, and apparently Maman was mentioning a longing for mountain air, so who knew what winter would bring.
After Luc discussed Rob’s theo
ry with his family, Eloise arranged to visit the resort where Luc and Rob would be working to spend Midsummer with them. A kind of celebration, she said. And a backup plan. Luc and Rob wangled the day off in advance with the resort manager, citing a family obligation, and Eloise booked a cheap holiday apartment. Rumors were Amandine might make an appearance too since her chef training in Paris had a break around that time. And Luc had plans with Olivia, though Rob didn’t know that yet.
There were a couple of things Rob didn’t know quite yet.
Rob waved his hand, not even bothering to open his eyes. “I’ve told you before, and I’ll keep telling you. The curse is part of you, Luc. I want to be there as long as you want me to be.”
That’ll be a long damn time.
Maybe they could discuss that after Midsummer. Maybe then Luc would know the right words to say.
Stinking of artificial coconut, Luc flopped on the towel next to Rob. The girls from the hostel had joined the picigin game, and the warm sounds of people doing daft things to impress one another made Luc hum with pleasure. Sun, sand, the Adriatic glittering a crystalline blue, and Rob beside him; Luc never imagined he would live such a perfect day, much less one after another after another.
“Anyway. Wherever you fancy going next, I’ll be there. Just let me have days like this sometimes,” he said, uncaring if Rob thought he was an unbearable sap. He grinned, squinting over at Rob. “With more kissing, if possible.”
Rob laughed. “High demands. Let me see what I can do.”
“Of course. Providing I can fit you into my schedule, that is,” Luc said, laying his trap. He’d learned some things from Mama Lentowicz. He waited.
Rob rolled over. “Schedule? What’s that supposed to mean?”
A perfect moment. Luc smirked. “How do you feel about Confessions of a Cursebearer for the title of my book?”
PARKER FOYE writes speculative-flavored romance under the QUILTBAG umbrella and believes in happily ever after, although sometimes their characters make achieving this difficult.
An education in Classics has nurtured a love of literature, swords, monsters, and beautiful people doing stupid things while wearing only scraps of leather. You’ll find those things in various guises in Parker’s stories, along with kissing (very important) and explosions (very messy). And more shifters than you can shake a stick at.
Based in the UK, Parker travels on a regular basis via planes, trains, and an ever-growing library.
Twitter: @parkerfoye
Website: parkerfoye.com
By Parker Foye
DREAMSPUN BEYOND
Mage of Inconvenience
Hart of Winter
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
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Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Hart of Winter
© 2019 Parker Foye
Editorial Development by Sue Brown-Moore
Cover Art
© 2019 L.C. Chase
http://www.lcchase.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64108-173-3
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-255-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019946388
Digital published December 2019
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America