“I was going to feed you, but this works.”
“I’m still hungry.”
She chuckled. “Then, I can still feed you.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Because I justwantto do that. Is that okay?”
She peeled away from me to meet my gaze. Everything I thought I knew about myself and what I wanted drifted out of my mind as if it had never existed. It was Charlotte and only Charlotte. It was her golden-brown eyes. It was her darling smile. It was her lilac-soaked hair tinted with cherry highlights. It was her smooth skin.
She was the only thing left. “Yes, that’s okay.”
“Good. Because I don’t argue with idiots.”
I smiled sheepishly while she untangled herself from my arms and stood on her toes to kiss me. She was going to burn me—but how could I stop when she treated me so well?
Chapter 6 - Charlotte
Morning light met my eyes while I walked the cobblestone streets, inspiring a smile to spread over my lips. Not many Sunday mornings felt this good, but I was grateful for the opportunity to have an easier routine than usual, my task simply to discover something new at the market. The breeze was light and scented with the herbs and treats that waited to be perused. Foot traffic picked up in the area as I hugged a tote to my side and went over the events from last night in my head.
The way he kissed me was like he hadn’t seen me in years, I considered while approaching the market’s entrance.Like he was practically starving. And I felt it, too.
A halo of light glowed around the spelled stone archway of the farmer’s market. Inside the grand entrance was everything I could possibly need for my next meal and more, a bounty of potential ingredients waiting to be combined. All the flavor combinations I had discovered as a result of this place were incredible—and I was feeling so inspired today that I couldn’t wait to find more.
Who knew a fuckboy like Adam could make me want to be creative?Amusement swept over me like a cool wave.It might not be him. I think I’m just happier after getting laid or something.
If I kept telling myself that, then maybe it would be true.
My eyes absorbed every cart in the vicinity. Fresh herbs from the fae world, potatoes grown in the mountains so far up that the starch turned purple, and a huge barrel of dates charmed to reveal one’s deepest desires were among the first I perused. While gathering a few potatoes, a kid bumped into my side.
“Oops,” I said. “My apologies, little one.”
“That’s okay, Charlotte. It was my fault.”
I blinked a few times while staring at Adam’s kid. “Henry, where’s your dad?”
He plucked a few strands of fae candy from his cheek and shoved them into his mouth while nodding across the cobblestone street. “Being silly.”
“Being silly? I can’t imagine how—” Shock inspired me to slap my hand over my mouth. “Oh, mygods, tell me I’m dreaming.”
A reddish-brown wolf stood on his front paws while balancing a porcelain plate on his nose. The small crowd of dwarfish creatures gathered around the miniature stage cheered him on, shouting encouragements while waving their fists. The vendor at the booth was so entertained by the sight of Adam’s performance that he picked a bundle of pink herbs and set them aside as Adam wrapped up his trick.
The mixture of admiration and arousal I felt was strange but welcome.
But then again, what was I thinking? Adam wasn’t more than a satisfaction of flesh and company. That was it. Sure, I hoped for more, but why would that ever be something he would try to give me? He was clearly too preoccupied with himself. He had a kid, an alpha, a whole ranch to care about…
“He said he was getting them for you,” Henry told me.
My brain attempted to digest this new information, but the absorption failed miserably. I shook my head while saying, “What?”
“Yeah, he said something about how you like puzzles.”
When I looked with disbelief at Henry, he offered me an innocent grin. That was the face of a kid who could lie but didn’t want to. Not right now, at least. What was he up to? Did Adam put him up to this?
At any rate, it made me feel fuzzy. “Really? He said that?”
“He wouldn’tstopsaying it.”