Page 17 of Little Wing (Shades of Fairhaven #1)

T he string of unanswered messages from Lotus continued to taunt me while I sat with my ass planted on the curb of the plaza where Little Wing would be.

Our offer to purchase the space was finally accepted, so now we just had to wait for everything else to be processed before we finally received the keys.

The moment that happened, we’d kick things into high gear to get Little Wing up and running as soon as possible.

While we waited, Mateo and I took the time to celebrate the only way we knew how—getting drunk on vampire booze.

We had every freaking reason to cheer and drink.

We had to cement that accomplishment into our history—our legacy!

After all the rejections we received, this was the ultimate sign that Little Wing was worth the uphill battle.

Even without the keys yet in our hands, I spent most of my free time at the plaza with my laptop the moment the sun would begin to set.

Whatever work needed to be done remotely, I could at least enjoy it in the presence of our future.

I only had a few weeks left of the history course I was teaching before I would be able to commit myself to Little Wing full-time.

At this point, I was counting down the days.

But while so many things were moving forward in my life, I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman who refused to answer my text messages.

Unless the number I was given by her best friend was incorrect, which wouldn’t surprise me.

I practically begged the lavender-haired woman at the bookstore to share Lotus's number with me because I was a blithering idiot and forgot to ask her for it myself. I just wanted to get in touch with her outside of the places she frequented, where nosy ears wouldn’t be around.

I’d have been a liar if I said I didn’t think about the kiss we shared.

It played in my head on repeat, and every time I remembered the way her bottom lip peeled from mine it was like an instant jolt to my cock.

Even now, I had to quickly busy myself with my work to keep my body from agonizing over her.

She wasn’t answering my messages anyway. I’d just have to catch her at the bar or at the store the next time I’d be in that area, and certainly not standing outside her apartment like the desperate man I clearly was. What was this woman doing to me?

Mateo and Quinn were out of town for a few days, already looking around for furniture that we could purchase for Little Wing, which left me with good amount of free time.

Normally I would try to fill that time with drinks and casual hookups, but I didn’t even feel like entertaining the thought.

The woman who felt so far out of my reach clearly had me in a chokehold.

I smirked at that thought, imagining the woman who stood just a bit shorter than me, before returning my attention to the essays that were waiting to be graded.

As I scrolled to the next document, I stilled.

The hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

I finally heard the crunch of gravel behind me.

I knew that it couldn’t have been Mateo or Quinn as they wouldn’t be back until later, so I couldn’t fight back my grin as more gravel crunched once again before stopping abruptly, only a few feet behind me .

I could sense the shift in the air before I heard the footsteps, but I waited until the pleasant hum of a slow beating heart sounded clearly. Then, when the intoxicating floral aroma hit my nose, I already had my mouth open, ready to speak, but she spoke first.

“This is Little Wing?”

When she began, I closed my laptop and stood up so that I could face her.

Lotus was dressed in a mid-length skirt that brushed against her calves.

It was modest with a youthful pattern of violets on the bottom and a grey shirt that she kept partially tucked in.

My gaze traveled from her feet all the way up to her face.

I didn’t know why I stilled, as if expecting her to be out without any makeup.

She still looked like she was recovering from a sunburn with foundation that didn’t quite match her actual complexion.

It wasn’t so far off, but it was enough to look like she was wearing a mask.

Maybe I was too cocky, thinking that our kiss might have convinced her that she didn’t need all that on her face.

Maybe while ignoring my texts, she was deciding that she’d surprise me by showing her true self.

That would’ve been some kiss to accomplish all that.

What I did have to appreciate was that she decided to come meet me.

“Um, yeah,” I started, nodding toward the vacant space. “We’re getting the keys next week, but I’ve just been coming here to look at it while I do some work. The moment we can get inside, it’ll be non-stop construction and setup.”

Lotus nodded, observing the building in front of us.

Even if the silence felt comfortable, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know about her week. How was her work treating her? Was she looking forward to anything? I just… wanted more.

“Thanks for coming, by the way.” My lips spread, offering her a peaceful smile .

“You asked,” she replied quickly. “So, I came. I apologize it took so long. Work has actually been quite… busy.”

“What? More vampire smut flooding your bookshelves?” I wiggled my brows.

Her eyes grew wide, and she crossed her arms, quickly moving one hand to cover her mouth.

I couldn’t help laughing. “What? That’s what it basically is, right? Huge dicks and impossible positions under the guise of fantasy?”

It was then that her shoulders raised, and she truly laughed. It was quiet at first, but then it got bigger, louder. Her pointed canines were peeking past her plump lips. It wasn’t a delicate giggle, but a true laugh. It was cute. Too fucking cute.

“Oh gods, is that why your brother likes them so much?” she asked as she wiped a tear from her eyes. “Or did you actually purchase the book for yourself for some pointers.”

“Wow—Lotus the comedian. I wonder what other talents you may be hiding.”

She finally straightened and cleared her throat. “Um, but in all seriousness, we’ve just been working on inventory. All those old texts need a little more time and care since they’re fragile.”

I nodded and looked back at the curb where my laptop bag was left. “Did you want to sit down? Or if you want, we can go grab a drink together?”

Lotus didn’t answer at first, but she did walk toward the doors of the soon-to-be Little Wing headquarters; our first location. Hopefully one of many. She put her hands at the sides of her face, like a makeshift pair of binoculars, trying to get a better look inside.

“It’s going to be a community center primarily for young vampires.” I answered the question that hung in the air. “My brother and I wanted to add something like this to Fairhaven. A place where newly turned or newly freed vampires can come to seek guidance on what their existence can be.”

When Lotus didn’t turn or say anything, I stuck my hands in my pockets.

I didn’t have to say anything else, but the words hung loosely on the tip of my tongue.

I wanted her to know what would soon lie beyond those doors.

“I don’t know how things were for you, but we had a nest. We lived in London under the care of our maker and his partner.

There were ten of us who lived with Elias and Camille.

Many of us were taught how to be careful and how to survive.

The teachings did, unfortunately, stop once Camille was killed.

” I swallowed hard at the memory of losing our nest mother.

“I don’t know where Mateo and I would be had it not been for those teachings. ”

Lotus still said nothing, only straightened her posture and continued looking inside the suite.

“When the new rules were put in place, people thought that vampires would rejoice at the freedom to walk among humans. Our makers were strong and knew how to carry themselves, but what of the young ones? The young vampires who were just waking up?” My eyes squeezed shut.

The early days of the treaty were a nightmare.

Vampires dropped dead quicker than when they were deliberately hunted.

Many of their masters, their makers, left them, telling them that they could now be on their own when, in reality, they were as helpless as toddlers.

Movies and books were not enough to educate a vampire on their brand-new existence.

I loved the freedom of walking where I pleased, but I loathed the way the comfort of our nests crumbled in an instant.

“That’s why Mateo, my brother, and I decided that Fairhaven needed Little Wing.

I wanted to bring the comfort and guidance of what we once had in our nest. Not everyone’s makers stuck around.

Ours took off with a select few and set the rest of us free.

And the rest—” I sucked my teeth and let my hair fall back over my forehead.

No matter how many times I talked about it, my heart still ached at the thought of the four who didn’t make it.

Eliza, Riley, Javi, Roselyn…

“Never again,” I uttered under my breath.

Having been lost in memory, I looked down to my arm only to find Lotus’s hand gently placed on my bicep.

Her fingers, long and dainty, were the color of her true complexion.

Had she been stripped and posed, she’d blend in with sculptures people would marvel.

Beautiful alabaster that made her skin seem to glow in contrast with her onyx hair.

“I’m sorry.” I shook off the thought and tested my boundaries, placing my hand over hers. “This is a passion project, and I just know it will do a lot of good if people believe in it.”

Lotus smiled then. She didn’t pry further but didn’t show signs of wanting to bolt in the other direction. Rather than doing that, she gave my arm a quick squeeze and motioned behind us. “Let’s go have that drink.”

“Nomad?” I asked.

She nodded. “Sure, if you’re okay with Kait watching you like a hawk. She seems to have warmed up to you, but…”

“I get it,” I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s fine with me.”

After packing up, I followed Lotus down the street that would lead us back to the center of Fairhaven where The Royal Nomad was already lively for a late afternoon.

Since Lotus agreed to having a drink with me, I was fine going wherever she wanted.

She offered more time with her, which was all I could have asked for.

She was finally talking to me without me having to force a conversation with her.

It was soft and calculated, but after that night when I kissed her, I’d take anything to know that I didn’t shatter any chance of a connection with her.

Small talk at her job and even the bar was easy, but it felt like walking on thin ice .

I assumed she would want to unpack that night eventually. I only hoped that it would result in us getting closer, because I didn’t know how much longer I could keep myself from wanting to kiss her when she smiled at me.