Page 11

11

Luna

W ind whipped around my hair as I worked to calm down before Vincent caught up.

“What was that?” I mumbled to myself.

Vincent’s wind swirled in…

pleasure, if I didn’t know any better.

That wasn’t helping.

Skye had been so charming.

She’d helped me find things that met Vincent’s requirements for the fae, but didn’t completely dismiss my style.

Then she’d barged into the area where I was changing, her face pale.

“She wasn’t supposed to be here,” she had said in quick, whispered tones.

“You have to help him, Luna.”

I might not have known what that entailed, but I’d heard the desperation in her voice.

When she’d asked me to pretend that Vincent was mine, I’d done so without much thought.

It was all I was thinking about now.

His hand had wrapped possessively around the bare skin at my waist, and the way he had pulled me close and…

smelled me…

it should have been odd, not hot .

I shook my head again, attempting to free my thoughts as Vincent approached.

“I’m sure I should simply thank you, but I’m also horrified to know what Skye said to you about Kristin,” he said quietly.

Of course he was.

“She didn’t tell me anything, Vincent. All she said was that Kristin wasn’t supposed to be there, and she shoved me out to play your lover.”

Our gazes locked even as we kept walking.

Something charged swept between us before my glance returned to the path.

“Where are we going?” I changed the subject.

“You don’t want to know who she was? Why did you do that? You were willing to help with no information?”

“I guess we’re not dropping this,” I said under my breath.

Wind pushed my hair back playfully as we walked.

“I’m confused, Luna. That wasn’t exactly part of our bargain.”

“Not everything has to be part of our bargain,” I said with exasperation.

“Sometimes when someone asks for help, you just…help them.” I shrugged.

I could feel him sneaking another glance at me, though I didn’t meet it.

Was accepting help with no strings attached so foreign to him?

Maybe it was if I’d overheard that female correctly.

She’d been demanding a lot from him, all for the cost of her company.

The juice didn’t seem worth the squeeze to me, but they clearly had history.

So, it had been worth it at some point to Vincent.

I couldn’t imagine someone demanding so much from me.

She’d seemed to target the power of his recommendations and what I could only assume was the power of his family name.

Her goal had been clear, and it couldn’t feel great to be so blatantly…

used.

My cheeks flushed.

Hadn’t I wanted to blatantly use Vincent for his recommendation?

That’s different.

We aren’t together.

I wasn’t sure if that made it better.

“Have you tried the Sweet Solstice Sip?” he asked, changing the subject and ushering me to the entrance of a grand tavern.

We hadn’t walked far, but we’d crossed Central Circle and entered the Suden District.

I nodded, unwilling to cop to the fact that I’d read all of his articles and tried most of the items he recommended.

“Today, we’re reviewing my recent successes to help us plan how to attack your problem.” He spread his arms wide as we walked into the tavern.

It was much nicer than Parkview.

Thick gold fabric covered the bar stools and chairs.

The wood of the bar and tables was a warm brown hue.

The walls were covered in vines on the inside.

The owners’ Suden nature must have been at play; it was stunning.

I didn’t know where to look until I felt Vincent’s hand lightly on my back again, directing me toward the bar.

“This is the tavern that started the craze,” he said.

It was shortly after midday, in the middle of a work week, and there were nearly no empty seats.

My eyes widened.

“That piece came out a week ago and it’s this busy?”

He nodded.

“I think this was one of my best ideas, although I didn’t come up with it alone.”

Two stools opened.

The man behind the bar smiled as we sat down.

“Hey, Vincent.”

“Hello, Markus,” Vincent replied.

“May I introduce Luna?”

He smiled at me in welcome.

“Two Solstice Sips?”

“Sounds great,” I said.

“Coming right up.” Markus turned to prepare the drinks.

“Markus came up with the mix; he was convinced the honey spirit should be used for a solstice celebratory drink,” Vincent said.

I knew what he’d say next because I’d read his article, but I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know that.

I let him continue.

“He was convinced honey should be the new flavor of the season. Cinnamon and vanilla were out. Honey was in. It wasn’t a bad choice, but I had no idea what he’d mix it with.”

Markus returned, handing us the drinks.

“So, I made Mr. Tastemaker sit here at this bar and try each of my concoctions until I found one that worked.”

Vincent held up his drink in cheers.

“And you found it.”

“You helped,” Markus replied before drifting away to another customer.

“Is that how all of your recommendations work? Is it collaborative like that?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“No, Markus was unique. I’d recommended something of his brother’s before. He told me he didn’t need my recommendation so much as my taste to tell me what worked, but I loved it so much I gave him both.”

I considered that, taking a sip of the drink.

So many people seemed only to know him or need him for his ability to recommend.

I wondered how many people he had who didn’t care about his column.

At least not for themselves.

Even Skye had said that his column had helped her get her job.

However, I was sure that wasn’t the whole story, and her adoration for her brother was obvious.

It must be tiring, though.

“Hope that wasn’t too far of a walk.” He interrupted my thoughts.

His gaze was fixed on my boots.

“Why don’t you ask what you want to ask?” I said, taking another sip of the drink.

Eyeing my boots the way he was, I knew what he wanted to know, and I wouldn’t make this easy for him.

He coughed.

“When did you…” He cleared his throat and started again.

“Do you find…”

“Oh my goodness, Vincent. This is uncomfortable to listen to.” I leaned forward and gently pushed his shoulder.

He grabbed my hand with his free one, holding it there.

“Then put me out of my misery and tell me if you bought the boots based on my column.” His smile was hesitant.

It was mesmerizing.

I thought it was the first real smile I’d seen on him.

He was beautiful without it, but when genuine mirth was present, it was like staring directly at the sun.

I had to look away.

“I read the column and bought them after.” I sat up straight.

His smile widened, and I snuck another glance at it.

“I don’t know why these didn’t sell as well. They’re the best walking boots I’ve ever owned.”

He took a sip of his drink, likely to hide his perfectly white teeth.

“Agreed,” he said.

“The lesson I learned from that piece was that the story’s angle matters. It was one of my earlier pieces, and I focused solely on the cobbler’s qualifications and the boots’ features. While the features certainly benefited the readers, like being comfortable walking boots, they didn’t offer more than that.”

“The rest of your pieces offer some kind of feeling of belonging to the reader,” I said, tilting my head in thought.

He scratched the back of his neck.

“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but yes.” With a sudden intensity, he narrowed his gaze on me.

“Who was responsible for having the Solstice Sip on the menu at Parkview Tavern?”

“Now you’re fishing.”

He beamed.

“It was you.” He leaned forward, his windswept hair falling charmingly over his face.

“How many of them have you read?”

I put my hand on his shoulder, partially to stop his progress and partially to make sure I didn’t do something embarrassing like run my fingers through his thick hair to push it from his face.

They itched to do so, and I’d have no reasonable way to explain the action.

“A few.”

“I’m not sure I’ve ever met a fan before.” He beamed.

“That Kristin sure seemed like a fan,” I said offhandedly.

He leaned back, sitting up straight, and I knew immediately I’d said the wrong thing.

“Not quite,” he said.

I hadn’t expected him to acknowledge the comment.

“She was more interested in wielding recommendations than actually reading any of them or trying any of the items out.”

“I see.”

“I figured it out eventually.” He took a long pull of the Solstice Sip.

“It just took a little longer than I’d have liked.”

“I can imagine that was disappointing to realize,” I said carefully.

He shot me a smirk.

“Quite. At least I used it to get Skye a job. She wants to design clothing and open her own boutique, but she couldn’t gain an apprenticeship without experience.”

“And you got her the experience.”

“Well, she’s getting the experience herself, but I may have pushed her foot through the door with Kristin.”

“So, this isn’t your first time bargaining with your column?”

He ran his hand through his hair, pushing back the strands I’d been eyeing.

“Unfortunately, no. Although it’s the first time I’ve done it so blatantly. With Kristin, I…wanted to get something from her when I realized she was using me.” He cleared his throat seemingly unnecessarily as if to distract from how honest that was.

“I always stand behind the products or services I recommend, though. That can’t be faked.”

“And you think the inn is worth standing behind?” I asked.

This felt too raw.

I needed to remind us both that our interaction was transactional.

This was a bargain from which we were both benefiting.

“Yes,” he said without hesitation.

“The property is beautiful. I still need to explore it further, but it’s exactly the kind of place I’d want to recommend. It’s kind of like this drink.” He lifted his glass.

“We used a spirit that was already available, but we put a new spin on it.”

“I understand what you’re doing, Vincent. This is what I asked of you. You don’t need to worry about whether I can handle your plan. No matter the spin you want to put on me or the inn, I’ll be fine with it. I want my inn to succeed, and I’ve read enough of your pieces to know you can help.”

“How many pieces, exactly?” he asked, and that wicked smile was back.

One that I was sure had charmed many females into his bed.

I laughed a little stiltedly.

Anything not to focus on him directly.

“You can hardly expect me to admit to being your column’s number one fan.”

Our gazes locked.

A moment of intensity flared between us.

It reminded me of the night we met, the intimacy we’d had before I got called back inside.

What could have happened if Seraphina hadn’t interrupted us?

I found myself wanting to know.

The moment was interrupted by Markus returning.

“Another round?” he asked, leaning against the bar.

My drink was nearing empty, but I needed to return to the inn.

I had more work to do cleaning and refreshing it.

“I’m good.” I glanced at Vincent.

“Me, too.” Vincent offered Markus coin for the drink.

Markus waved him off, focusing on me as he leaned against the bar.

“So, how do you know our friend Vincent?”

I wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that.

Vincent jumped in.

“I’m helping her with her inn.”

Markus gave him a sure you are look, and I tried to hide my smile.

He returned his focus to me in an intense evaluation.

“Which inn?”

“Cliff House.”

His eyes widened.

“Oh, that one is stunning. The cliffs out there are beautiful. We hike out that way every weekend.”

“I completely agree.” Although I laughed a little at his reference to the cliffs instead of the sea—it showed his Suden nature, to be sure—I also bristled, realizing my draw to the water showed my Norden nature, even if I didn’t truly have one.

We quickly slipped into an easy conversation about the hiking trails in the area.

Markus glanced at Vincent once or twice.

He appeared to be actively listening but not participating.

“Vincent.” Markus called for his attention.

He seemed lost in thought.

“Vincent.”

“What? Yes, sorry.”

“Luna and I were saying you should check out the hiking trails.”

He nodded, but I wasn’t sure he understood what Markus was saying.

I wondered where his thoughts had been.

“Maybe the angle here can be more than an inn. It’s a quiet respite from the busy city life,” I said.

Vincent’s eyes finally brightened in recognition.

He glanced out the window.

“Maybe it’s time you gave me a tour of the property.”