A Touch of Fae (13 page)

Gently, his fingers looking too harsh to hold the fabric, he was examining one of her cross-stitch pieces. It wasn’t done yet. Actually she had forgotten about it. Cross-stitching was kind of a cold weather thing for her. She’d sit in the recliner out front and stitch away as the snow fell outside. It was a comfort to drape the fabric over her lap. For the first time she noticed the subject matter: fairies. This one had a little girl fairy dancing in a starlit meadow.

When she looked up she was not surprised to see Rory’s bright green eyes smiling at her. She shrugged uncomfortably.

“What?”

His lips spread in a smile. “Don’t you find it kind of funny that most of your subject matter is mythological? Fairies, a unicorn, a dragon.”

As he named them off he flipped through the fabrics they were on. Violet shook her head. “I never noticed. That kind of stuff just appeals to me.”

Setting them back on her shelf, he turned to face her.

“I think somewhere inside you, you knew there was something different about you.”

Violet frowned, thinking back. Nothing specific came to mind, but maybe there was some grain of truth to it. She did remember Grandad buying her things like that when she was a little, little girl. Folders for school with a Pegasus on it, a tiny ring with a golden fairy. Bedtime stories with dragons in them used to be her favorites. And Grandad had always given in to her little whimsies. Only when she got older did he become more practical with her.

“Maybe,” she said finally.

She thought of the animals she came across quite regularly. Large to small she tended to find things in distress. Maybe they had known more than she had.

Alessandro was cooking something in the kitchen that smelled phenomenal. Violet didn’t realize how hungry she was until her stomach rumbled. Rory grinned and wrapped her in a brief, tight hug. He seemed to understand that she didn’t want to comment too much on what was going on.

“Let’s get you fed.”

Lunch consisted of steak quesadillas with a side of Doritos and nacho cheese. Violet was surprised she even had the ingredients in her cupboard. It had been a while since she had been grocery shopping.

“This is wonderful, Alessandro.”

“Thank you,
bella
. I do most of the cooking at home, though we do have a housekeeper, Rachel, who makes up casseroles sometimes and leaves them for us. Especially if we work late, she makes sure to feed her boys.”

Violet felt her eyebrows climb. Housekeeper? She wouldn’t even know what to do with a housekeeper. She would have to clean the house before the woman came over so that she wouldn’t feel like a slob.

It just slammed home the fact that she still knew very little about these men.

“So, where do you guys live? Do you have a house, or an apartment, or what?”

The two men shared a glance between them, chewing slowly. Alessandro was the first to respond.

“We have a house about twenty minutes outside of St. Louis. In a little town called Chesterfield. Close enough to both of our jobs it’s convenient.”

Violet flipped over an end piece of tortilla. “So, what do you guys do for fun?”

Rory looked up and smiled wickedly. Heat curled in her belly even as she reprimanded him. “Besides that!”

Both men laughed outright, enjoying her embarrassment. Violet was sitting on the side of the counter with Rory and he bumped into her shoulder playfully, almost knocking her off the stool.

“But that part’s so fun,” he pleaded.

She squinted her eyes at him. “What do you do besides screw? Anything? Any hobbies?”

“Well, we work out a lot.”

“Obviously,” she muttered, unable to help herself. Rory smiled broadly. He and his sharp ears had heard her.

“We have a home gym that gets a lot of use.”

“A lot of use,” Alessandro deadpanned with a twinkling look at his partner.

Violet shook her head in exasperation, unable to contain her own laughter. “You guys are terrible.”

Alessandro took pity on her embarrassment.

“When we have time we like to hike and ride motorcycles. During the summer we ski and boat. We’ve sky jumped once, but it’s not a hobby.”

“I have serious issues with flying,” Rory admitted. “You probably do too with your Fae ancestry.”

Violet nodded her head, letting it soak in. He was completely right. She did too. “What about family?”

A tense look passed between the two men before they both looked down at their plates.

Rory cleared his throat. “I have my father, occasionally. He’s on the Fae ruling council based out of Ireland. I see him a couple times a year but only when I have to. My mother died years ago. I have a couple of cousins here and there.”

Violet was distracted. “There’s a ruling council?”

He nodded his head, then stretched his arms up behind, clasping his hands together. “Yes. It’s more administrative than anything. There are so few full Fae anymore it’s almost more of a genealogical group. They keep track of who is where and their rating.”

Her brows furrowed even more. “What’s a rating?”

“It’s a ranking, basically, of the amount of Fae blood in a person. Percentages. Who they’re drawn to, stuff like that. If they produce children and the amount of Fae in those children.”

Suddenly, Violet could almost feel a magnifying glass hovering over top of her. They studied them like that? Discomfort crawled down her spine.

Alessandro must have seen her bewilderment because he pulled the attention back to him.

“And I have a very large, beautiful family in Italy that wants nothing to do with me.”

He finished so quietly that Violet at first thought she had misheard him.

“They want nothing to do with you?” she repeated, incredulous.

His dark head swayed back and forth and he avoided her eyes.

“That’s ridiculous,” she burst out. “Because of you and Rory?”

Slightly glassy hazel eyes lifted to hers as he nodded.

Violet was heartbroken for him. Her own eyes filled with tears at his distress. “They won’t talk to you at all?”

Blinking rapidly, he smiled, the emotion changing quicksilver fast. “I have one sister, Lucia, who treats me just the same. She is wonderful. The rest of my sisters do as my father tells them and avoid me. But Lucia, she is a firecracker and she doesn’t let him control her.”

Violet was glad he had somebody in his corner rooting for him. It was difficult being alone in the world.

She realized then that they were all three in basically the same boat; self-sufficient overall but with very little support system. Perhaps that was why Rory and Alessandro made such a good couple. They seemed to genuinely care about each other and had built a life for themselves that suited them. She wondered if they even had room for a third person in their lives. Hell, were they even looking for a third person? Or were they just out playing? She didn’t know and had no idea how to ask.
So guys, where is this going? I mean, when am I moving in?
Violet didn’t like the envy that rolled through her when they talked about their home and jobs. She didn’t want to be vulnerable like that.

Instinctively though, she knew if they asked she would say yes to probably anything. Warmth built in her heart as she thought of being part of a family again, albeit a small one. She and Grandad hadn’t really celebrated holidays or birthdays, but they had always made it a point to at least be together. The past few holidays without him being around had been hard. Being invited in by coworkers or employees just wasn’t the same. What would she give to be part of a couple, or trio, as it were?

It started raining outside after lunch so Violet turned TV on to watch the afternoon news. Nothing pertinent was going on, of course, but it gave them something to do. She was kind of at a loss as to what they wanted. They were hanging around like they liked her company, but she wasn’t sure. Rory eventually stepped into the other room with his cell phone to his ear and Alessandro settled onto the couch beside her to watch an old movie. As if he had done it many times before, he tugged her into the cradle of his arm and Violet felt affection flood her heart. They talked quietly about the plot and other mundane things until Rory returned and settled onto the opposite end of the couch. He brought a tension with him that filtered through the room. Alessandro reached across her to touch his shoulder.

“What is it?”

Green eyes dark and turbulent, he looked at Alessandro apologetically. “We have to go back tomorrow. Problems at work.”

Violet’s heart clenched in pain and she shut her eyes protectively.
No, they just got here
.

A gentle finger ran down her cheek. When she opened her eyes Rory frowned at her fiercely. “I’m sorry, Violet. We had planned on hanging out for at least another day or two but I’m needed back at work.”

But I need you here too.

When a tear rolled down her cheek Rory growled and pulled her onto his lap, clutching her to him.

“Oh honey, don’t cry. Don’t be upset. We’ll be back, I promise.”

Violet felt Alessandro squeeze in on her other side and kisses being peppered on her hair. “Ah,
bella
, you make my heart weep. Don’t cry.” A gentle hand rubbed her back and she knew it was his touch.

She gulped in a breath but the tears continued to fall. “I’m sorry,” she gasped out. “I never expected it to hurt this much.”

“We’ll be back,” Rory promised. “This isn’t the end of us—this.” He made a motion with his hand to encompass the three of them huddled on the couch together.

Alessandro spewed out a bunch of Italian. Rory looked thoughtful for a moment, then responded softly.

“What?” she asked, sitting up on his lap. “Don’t talk about me when I’m right here.”

Rory cleared his throat, looking thoughtful. “Sandro, uh, wants to know if you would consider coming out to us. With us. To St. Louis,” he ended.

Violet felt her jaw drop open in surprise. For some reason she had not thought about going out there. At least not seriously. It was a long way from home. If what he said were true though, about them being paired, she would need to think about it soon. Trepidation coursed through her at the thought of leaving Kentucky and the shop and what she knew. She was just a small-town girl. A little part of her bounced up and down in excitement though, too. It would be wonderful to get away from things for a while and see a different way of life. She loved to explore, even by herself. Harold could take care of the shop for a few days. He had before.

Once again reserve washed over her and stayed. She had no business going anywhere with these men. She barely knew them. Even though she felt more familiar with them than any other men she had been with, the relationship was still new and frightening. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “I’ll have to think about it.”

Rory looked kind of relieved and Violet couldn’t blame him. Regardless of what he said it had to be difficult to accept the idea of a soul mate. If what he said were true they would both have to change some things in their lives. Was her reaction to their leaving part of that change?

Alessandro frowned fiercely as if he didn’t agree with her reluctance. “
Bella
, you should come with us. You would love St. Louis. It is a beautiful city with wonderful people.” The lines on his forehead disappeared suddenly as he smiled his big toothy smile. “You will love the house. Out in the woods with deer and squirrels. Very secluded. No one to hear you scream in ecstasy.”

Violet laughed out loud. “Oh, really? Are you sure the deer won’t mind me yelling out?”

Alessandro shook his head. “They hear it all the time. They are used to it.” His eyes twinkled devilishly.

Violet laughed, but found herself a little turned on as well. He painted an intriguing picture. Rory must have thought so as well because an erection had begun to grow beneath her ass. So he wasn’t totally averse to the idea of her coming out then. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye she tried to gauge his mood. Brilliant green eyes were trained on Alessandro’s face, fascinated. Perhaps the thought of all of them in the woods together was getting him revved up. When the weight of his gaze settled onto hers and stayed, she knew that was exactly what had happened.

At the base of her spine his left hand rubbed gently expanding circles and Violet moved restlessly. “So, what exactly would you do to make me scream?”

‡

A
s her throaty
voice rolled over him, Rory hardened even further as he imagined taking her with Alessandro the way he wanted to. Resting against his hip, Alessandro stopped breathing as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard.

Then she upped the ante. “What would the two of you like to do to me to make me scream?”

The little witch knew exactly what she was doing because she had pulled back enough to look straight at him, waiting for him to speak. Maybe this was the opening he had been waiting for, to tell her what they expected out of being with her.

“There is a glen behind our house, secluded, where we go to play sometimes. Alessandro and I would take you at the same time and your body would resist at first, but by the time we are done with you, you won’t be able to walk. You will feel a satisfaction you have never even imagined. You will scream,” he promised.