by Quinn, Taryn
I ran my hand down my face. “I’m good.”
“Sure about that?”
She was gone with a grin before I could reply.
Evil woman.
When she returned, she opened the bag and shoved a handful in my mouth before I had any warning. I laughed as I choked and swallowed, surprised that it was better than I’d expected.
Then she leaned down and gave me a quick, hard kiss, pulling back before I had a chance to enjoy it. “Thought I’d give the snoops something to talk about.”
“What snoops?” My head reeled a little as I glanced around. Okay, a few people were looking this way, but it was a busy place. Lots of couples and families roaming around.
“You haven’t seen all the stares we’ve been getting?”
“Uh, no, other than Beckett’s eyes popping out of his head at the sight of you.”
“Oh, is that why you put your hand and your mouth on me?” She took her seat on the other side of the table. “Not that I minded, by the way. Momentary possessiveness hits us all.”
“What if it’s not momentary?”
Saying nothing, she ate cotton candy, her gaze steady on mine. That was Macy. Utterly direct and unflinching at all times.
She was unlike any other woman I’d ever been involved with. She didn’t know how to be coy. If she wanted something, she asked for it. If she didn’t like what was happening, she didn’t disguise her feelings. There was no subterfuge with her.
It was refreshing and scary as hell.
“Hey, John.” Hayes Manning, Beckett’s younger brother, stopped beside our table. His hair was wild around his head and he’d tucked his usual glasses in the pocket of his shirt. Probably why his eyes were a little unfocused.
“Hey, Hayes. Have you met Macy Devereaux? She runs Brewed Awakening in Crescent Cove, along with—”
“Oh, you’re the one who runs that rocking Halloween all year place?” Hayes eagerly pumped her hand. “I had the best coffee of my life there a few weeks ago.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t tell my ma or my Aunt Laverne that though. They’ll stop making a mincemeat pie for me at Thanksgiving.”
Macy laughed. “Mincemeat is gross, but thanks for the compliment. Someone else said today that my beans were burnt, but she’s batshit crazy so she doesn’t count.”
“Yeah, damn straight. Your beans are perfect, far as I can tell.”
I cleared my throat, and Hayes coughed into his hand. “Anyway, I thought you were probably doing that Trick or Treat shop too that’s just going up. Same theme and all, but that’s candy—”
“Going up where?” All humor fled from Macy’s face.
“Edge of town. Just starting building now. My brother-in-law Ian stumbled across it online and he has the worst sweet tooth known to man. I figured I’d—hey, are you okay?”
Macy’s cheeks flushed as she yanked out her phone from her purse. Her fingers flew across the keys. A moment later, she dropped the phone on the table. “Motherfucker!”
Hayes coughed into his hand again. “Okay, well, that’s my cue. Hayride coming up. You’re joining us, I hope?”
“That’s the plan,” I said under my breath.
“All righty, enjoy.” Hayes practically sprinted from the table.
I might not have noticed anyone paying much attention to us before, but that wasn’t the case right this second.
“Some assclown is trying to build a Halloween-themed candy joint in my town. Not far from my place. Can you believe the brass balls that takes? And look at this monstrosity.” She shoved her phone at me and I blinked at the twisted metal oversized scarecrow in the parking lot holding up a crudely lettered sign bearing the establishment’s name. Some half-filled balloons were wrapped around the scarecrow’s other hand. The metalwork was impressive, even to an untrained eye like mine—definitely not my area of expertise—but everything else was not. At least so far.
Including the ramshackle building near the sign. It was clearly being remodeled, but the project hadn’t gotten far off the ground yet. Or it had been abandoned.
Kind of fit the Trick or Treat theme actually. Dilapidated candy shop, luring in unsuspecting kids…
I shared my theory with Macy, and she glared at me, clearly not amused.
“Maybe they aren’t even finishing it.” I gave her back her phone. “Perhaps they didn’t realize you had something similar going on up the street and—”
“Similar? You call that low rent operation similar to my business? I’ve slaved over every detail, and I’m paying top of the line to make sure everything is to my exact specifications. Paying you,” she reminded me as if I’d somehow forgotten.
Rather than snipe back at her, I decided to let her wind herself up and then simmer down once she’d gotten it all out. I understood it must be a shock to have something of a niche you’d made your own, but by the same token, candy and coffee were not the same things. Nor was a restaurant. To me, it seemed as if the businesses could work together to send customers to each one.
Obviously, Macy was not in the same headspace.
“You have no clue who own the place, and it could be a simple mistake. Although I’d seriously consider seeing how you could create cross-traffic between your shops. Why cut off your nose to spite your face?”
She narrowed her eyes at me then stared hard at the balloons strung up where people were already lined up to board the first hayride of the night. “Did you know condoms can be used as inflatables in lieu of balloons?” she asked, propping her chin on the back of her hand.
I hid a smile as I gathered our garbage. “You ready to be scared?”
She made a face. “These things never scare me. I watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre as a bedtime story one night.”
I rose to dump our trash and returned to the table. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Just saying, I don’t scare easy.”
When she tugged at the shoulder of her top, I reached for my wallet. She’d returned my jacket before we rode out to the farm.
Stubborn, sexy as hell woman.
“Want a hot cocoa? Or a hot cider?” I gestured at the booth beside us. “They sell both. Pretty good too. Can add a flavor to your hot cocoa.”
“Ooh, can I?”
Rather than getting annoyed at the edge to her voice, I just pulled out a ten. I’d buy her a drink and she’d drink it. If not, I would. I had a eight-year-old. Temper tantrums didn’t faze me.
Even if Macy used possible condom destruction as a weapon.
“I’ll take a cider.” Macy stood and heaved out a sigh. “Thanks. I’ll go grab us a spot in line. Damn children keep jumping ahead.”
I nearly reminded her that these hayrides were promoted heavily to children—well, those seven and up anyway, since the scares were a bit much for the littler ones—but decided she was dealing with enough right now.
After I paid for her cider, I met her at the back of the line. She was blowing on her hands, so I nudged the cider between them. She took a long sip, her eyes nearly rolling back in her head.
“You didn’t mention it was caramel apple cider.”
“I didn’t know. Isn’t it all the same?”
“Taste.” She shoved it at me and I took a drink, watching her all the while.
“It’s good.”
“Ugh, men.” She yanked back the cup and took another long drink.
As soon as she drew the cup away, I tipped up her chin with my thumb and took her mouth. Slowly, sweetly, letting the tart apple and sweet caramel swirl together on my tongue. Under both was Macy, all sharp words and flashing blue eyes, even as I sipped from her lips. Then finally, she made a soft sigh of acquiescence and leaned up on her toes, fisting my shirt with her free hand.
“Here they go again,” someone said.
I started to ease back, but Macy dove in for round two. I couldn’t say I minded. The cool breeze tickled the back of my neck, but her mouth was an inferno against mine, all need and hunger. The kind I’d rep
ressed for so long that I’d believed I wasn’t denying it. But here with her, that part of me came roaring to the fore.
Still, there were children here. And while we were just kissing, it wasn’t the sort that was appropriate for young gazes.
Someone bumped hard into my back as the line moved forward. I tugged Macy with me, sheltering her in the circle of my arm. She drew away and laughed as she looked down at the cider cup she’d nearly crushed, licking a little of the liquid now flowing out of the triangle opening on the top.
My cock lurched painfully against my zipper. So, I was going to spend my night in a state of personal agony.
Good to know.
“Guess we aren’t doing so well at diverting attention.” She inclined her chin at a couple of women I would’ve sworn had circled around The Haunt right after Dani’s post. “Think they’re thirsty too, but don’t offer to buy them any cider, k?”
“I’ll try to control myself.”
She took another sip. “Not doing awesome at that either, pal.”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
We reached the head of the line and paid. The first group were just coming back so we were able to load fairly quickly, although they overpacked the rides. This occurred despite a kindly-looking grandmother I recognized as Laverne Ronson, one of Happy Acres’s owners, yelling out, “Safety first!” before dropping a creepy clown mask over her face.
Macy shuddered beside me. “Fuck.”
I had to grin. “I thought you were so badass.”
“Everything but clowns. Freaking hate them. I’m surprised they don’t have a fake sewer grate so one can pop his head out and give me a damn heart attack.”
“Last year, there weren’t any. No promises this year.”
“Definitely no promises,” Laverne agreed with a cackle as she tore off the ends of our tickets and gave us back the stubs.
Macy leaned closer to Laverne. “Can I pay extra and our ride skip that attraction?”
“You don’t have that kind of cash, young lady. We don’t make changes to the route for anyone. If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.” She pointed at me. “Or have your big strong fella protect you. That’s what they’re for. That, and unclogging pipes, and carrying heavy objects, and killing snakes.”
Macy’s lips twitched as she tossed out her cider cup and the last of her cotton candy. “Anything else?”
“Nothing that lasts more than a commercial break.” Laverne motioned for us to keep moving. “Have fun, kids.”
The ride was crammed with families and kids so we ended up in the very last seats—which in this case meant wedged on the edge of the hay bales stacked side by side. The people behind us whined that they could squeeze in, but they must’ve missed that Macy was basically on my lap.
A fact I couldn’t say I minded.
“Not sure this is safe,” she said against my ear, looping her arms around my shoulders and settling in for the ride.
Justin Manning, yet another one of Beckett’s siblings, called out a greeting to all of us. He was dressed like a farmer, except he had a bloody fake eyeball affixed to his cheek and bleeding slashes on his plaid shirt and jeans.
“This is one helluva first date.” Macy wound her fingers through the ends of my hair. “If we had a bit more privacy, I’d give it an A-plus so far.”
“I can agree with that one.” I rubbed her jean-clad thigh near one of the rips in the denim, well aware that children were all around us. Thankfully, most of them were near the front of the ride, clustered on hay bales near the giant pumpkin head scarecrow with weird hollow eyes. He was clad in a similar outfit to Justin’s—plaid shirt and jeans, except his ensemble included large brown stitched-on gloves with hay sticking out of the wrist holes.
“Seems like a waste of a space.” Macy nodded at the pumpkin scarecrow as the hayride rumbled into gear. Already we could glimpse the lit jack-o-lanterns made into literal lanterns hanging and swaying from the trees we were about to drive around and between. Ghosts swayed in the breeze from the uppermost branches, and fun monsters and other frightful characters were attached to limbs and even staged along the ground.
I couldn’t wait to bring Dani. I was already missing her, but it was smart we hadn’t chanced it with her ankle just in case. In a couple weeks, she’d be completely healed and she would love every second.
“You guys ready for some speed?” Justin called.
The responses ranged from “yes!” to “hell yeah!” so he gassed it. Well, relatively speaking. This hayride only went so fast. But even with his low speed, the chilly wind was just enough to make Macy shiver, giving me an excuse to haul her that much closer. I expected her to make some snarky remark, but she just rested her head against mine and tucked her hands between my jacket and my T-shirt, creating a pocket of heat that made my breath catch.
“You’re so warm,” she said near my ear, and it might as well have been dirty talk for the effect her husky voice had on my libido.
“Would I lose points if I said you’re so hot?”
“Probably.”
“Okay, I didn’t say it.”
Kids yelled and laughed as the first spook leaped out of the darkness. Macy laughed and shook her head. “Not scary.”
“Just wait.”
We rumbled along in the darkness, the chatter on the hayride growing louder as time passed with no one jumping out from between the trees. We went through a particularly dark area where the thick branches above obscured the light from the moon and the nervous comments intensified.
“Nice night for a ride.” The edge of Macy’s short nail crept up to trace along my collarbone and the thin chain I wore.
“It is. All kinds of rides.”
“Perv.” She dug out my chain and examined the thin gold disk in the shaft of pale light from the pair of glowing eyes dangling from the trees. “Is this…oh.”
I took the disk from her and tucked it back under my shirt, surprisingly embarrassed. Thank God the light was almost nonexistent, because my flushed ears would’ve given me away.
“Dani’s baby footprint?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s so sweet. You really wanted her.”
“Want,” I corrected, and it all hit me like a sledgehammer to the forehead again.
Jessica showing up without warning. Jessica fishing for information and accusing me of anything that popped into her head. The words between her and Macy.
“She belongs with you.” Macy rubbed the spot through my shirt where the disk sat against my chest. “And just ignore me, because my mouth is like Jaws and I suck up all good times—holy fucking shit!”
A Grim Reaper jumped out of the darkness and nearly dove into the hayride, which was freaky enough. But then the pumpkin scarecrow that everyone had assumed was a decoration lumbered to his feet and let out an inhuman roar, making the kids and even some of the parents shriek and cover their faces.
I just laughed and laughed while Macy glared at me, her lips twitching as she fought not to join me.
“Asshole. It just surprised me is all.” She poked me hard in the ribs before covering my grinning mouth with her own.
Just like every other time, it was akin to going deep diving. Loss of all sense of time and space. Nothing registered except the warmth of her lips and the slide of her tongue against mine as she shifted across my lap, crawling closer until we were wedged together.
And then the clearing of a throat about six inches away.
“Not the place for this, you two.”
The deep voice caused me to jerk back and turn my head toward Jared Brooks. Also known as Sheriff Brooks, who was seated a few feet away from us on a nearby hay bale and leaning forward without a whit of amusement on his face.
For fuck’s sake, he even had his official hat on. How had I missed that?
Distracted much?
Macy gave a minute shake of her head. “Got me.”
It was my turn to clear my throat. “Sorry, Sheriff.�
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“Seems like I’ve had reports of you two doing this all over town.”
“Reports?” Macy demanded. “From who? Give me names, numbers, and times.”
The sheriff wisely ignored her. “Including on TV. I’d say get a room, but I’d assume that between the two of you, you have access to proper facilities.”
“Yes, sir.” I clamped a hand over Macy’s mouth when she would’ve spewed God only knows what with children nearby. As it was, more than a couple of them had turned to watch us with curious eyes.
Their parents, however, didn’t seem nearly as interested. More like pissed.
Oh, yeah, I was definitely setting a great precedent to go before a judge to prove how upstanding I was. Seemed like I better get on board that train fast.
Then Macy decided to bite me.
I yanked my hand away from her mouth and shook it out. “You’ve had a recent rabies shot, right?”
Even the sheriff winced. “On second thought, don’t think that room will be necessary, after all.”
Eleven
I was thankful that Gideon had taken us out of town for our first date. Since then, only every third customer stared at me a touch too long. Because of course the whole town was already talking about us, thanks to my little stunt on his damn lap.
I still wasn’t sure what the hell I’d been thinking.
And now I wanted to add sexual frustration times three thousand to my list of grievances. Add in some guilt due to his happily chattering daughter in the reading nook, and I was ready to take a scythe to the entire dining room.
Okay, maybe minus Dani.
It wasn’t her fault her father was an idiot.
It had been a week since our first date. A minor emergency at the work site had kept him busy. That did not help my current state. Especially since he wouldn’t let me over there to see what the hell went wrong.
He’d practically patted me on the head and told me not to worry about it.
He was very lucky that murder was illegal in New York. Okay, so it was a federal offense as well, but I was very creative. Besides, all I had to do was ask Vee how to hide a body. She listened to enough serial killer podcasts to give me a good lead on how to make sure he was never found.