Just His Taste (11 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

Wednesday

Jason sat down at the bistro, putting his napkin in his lap. “I have to admit, I'm surprised you called, Tessa.” The heavy desire he'd felt for her before had vanished since the night with Ava.

Which only stacked another question he wanted to ask his Fairy Godmother.

Tessa shifted slightly in her chair—it was almost a squirm, but she was too proper to really squirm.

Some things never change.

“I wanted to talk to you,” she said.

He raised his eyebrow. “This isn't just an elaborate plan to get me to be your date again?”

She waved her hand. “Sort of, but, well, that's not…”

“What is it, then?”

“You're a really great guy,” she began.

“How come this feels like déjà vu?”

“How so?”

“That's how your breakup speech started.”

“I'm sorry.” She shook her head. “Jason, I don't know what to do. I'm so torn—it's making me nuts.” Her shoulders drooped, and she put her elbows on the table, resting her forehead in her hands, and shuddered.

“Okay. Now this Tessa is new.”

She snapped her gaze back to him. “What, you didn't think I could break down?” she asked, wiping away a tear.

“You were never anything but prim and proper, or mad. I never saw this.”

“Well, I do have feelings, Jason. Just because I don't wear them on my sleeves doesn't mean I don't have them.”

Jason picked up his water and took a sip. “Okay, so what is going on? For real this time.” He could feel Ava's presence around him. Not nearly as strong as he had last week, but it was there. Softer, muted. But every once in a while he got that tingle.

Today, he felt it more than before.

And he would rather be sitting here with Ava, not Tessa.

Tessa picked up her own water, took a sip and set it back down. “It's Lucas.”

Since when did I become the gay BFF? That's Roark's job.
“What about him?”

She shook her head. “It's so stupid. We broke up. I was done. Completely done with his shit. But I can't get him… I don't know how to walk away from him.” She pressed on her chest.

“Was he cheating on you?”

She shook her head. “Nothing like that. He just…ugh…we were constantly at each other's throats about, well, everything.”

“That's not a good relationship.”

“I know. So I broke it off. I couldn't take the fighting. Even if the make-up sex was
amazing
.”

Shit, I'm officially the gay BFF.

He must have groaned or something because Tessa apologized. “I shouldn't burden you with this. I'm sorry.”

“So why did you want to see me, if it wasn't for another fake lunch? I put on a tie,” Jason said, stroking his shirt.

She smirked. “I wanted to ask you, how did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Walk away from me, and it not bother you?”

“You cannot compare our relationship to yours with Lucas.”

“Why not?”

“Because, Tessa, we were together for a year. You and Lucas were together for, what, four?”

“Something like that.”

“And we were very different. We didn't fight like that.”

“We didn't talk.”

“Unless you were telling me what to do,” Jason said.

She blinked. “Is that what I did that was wrong? Is that what made it so easy to walk away?”

“What did you think happened?”

“You pushed me away, insisted that you knew what you were doing.”

“I did.”

“No, you didn't. You could have stuck with the police force, Jason. I mean, you'd be a detective by now.”

“That's not what I wanted to do.”

“And running around taking pictures of cheating husbands is what you wanted to do?”

“I wanted the choice, Tessa.”

She blinked. Didn't say anything for several minutes. Stared at him, like she couldn't believe what he'd said.

So Jason continued, “At the core, you wanted to run my life.” He picked up his water and took a sip. “Not support it.”

“No, I didn't.”

Jason raised his eyebrow.

“I just wanted what was best for you,” she whispered. “That's all I ever wanted. That's all I ever wanted for anyone.”

“Sometimes, you have to
not tell
people what to do, but be there when they screw up, and help them through the aftermath. That's what people do. We all make mistakes—”

“But why should I let the people I love screw up?” Her eyes got that tear shine in it, and Jason suddenly felt like a louse.

The waiter arrived with their food, breaking the building tension over old arguments. Arguments that should stay in the past. Jason fiddled with his sandwich, and Tessa clanked her fork in her salad.

“Listen,” Tessa finally said, the tear shine gone. “I didn't want to pick a fight. I really just wanted to know how to shut this off—how you shut it down. Because I can't stop hurting every time I see Lucas. How do I do that?”

He swallowed before answering. “You never stop loving him. You just keep the past behind you and move forward.”

“Does it get better?”

“Yep.”

“When?”

“When you quit obsessing about his life, and focus on yours.”

Ava smiled. “Now that should be on a billboard.”

Duncan rolled his eyes. “Now, help him out. Give him something to work with.”

It was Ava's turn to roll her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was to help Jason hook up with Tessa.

She'd be more inclined if it were anyone but Tessa, but what could she do at this point? Especially with Duncan hovering over her shoulder.

Tessa's call had been a great window to put Jason back on the right path. It really was a good opportunity.

So why did Ava feel so crappy about it?

It was so obvious how wrong Jason and Tessa were for each other. If Duncan couldn't see that, he was as blind as he was annoying.

“How's a spilled drink?” Ava asked, holding up her wand.

Duncan was not impressed.

Ava didn't care—felt fine to her.

Zap.

“Oh no!” Tessa said, jumping back from the table as her water spilled.

“It's okay.” Jason tossed his napkin on the spill to catch most of it and in a moment had the runaway ice back in the glass.

Tessa blotted at her blouse, trying to dry the water spots.

He came around to her, grabbed a napkin off a nearby table and continued blotting up the mess. And it brought him closer to Tessa.

Their eyes met for a moment, and for a second, Jason felt a pull of attraction for his ex-girlfriend.

Not heavy, not strong, but a general appreciation of her. Tessa was pretty. Well put together. And right now, as her lip trembled, he could tell she was about to lose it. Like really lose it.

Something he'd never seen when they'd been together. Meaning she'd never been as emotionally invested with him as she had been with Lucas.

“It's all right. It's only water,” Jason said, and patted her arm.

She closed her eyes, touching his hand. “I know. I… You've opened my eyes to several things today. It's like having your skin scraped off and your insides exposed.”

“I didn't mean to,” Jason replied.

“It's not— I needed to hear it. For that, I will forever be in your debt.”

He knelt and pulled her into a hug, then placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Are you going to be okay?”

She nodded as she broke away. “I'm going to start focusing on
my
life rather than his.”

“Good for you.”

She smiled. “There's still this thing I could really use a date for.”

Jason smirked. “I'm the best fake date there is.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Thursday

Ava and Duncan appeared in Jason's house. It was time for them—rather her—to get Jason back on the right track. There was a lot to discuss. And while Ava normally didn't tell her charges everything, in this case, what else could she do?

She'd really screwed up.

Now all she had left was making it right.

The sound of the shower running kept them both in the living room, though if Ava were alone…

Don't go there.

I'm in enough trouble as it is.

And she really was. If it had been any other FID agent, Ava might not have been able to finish the case. Lose her fairy status. If she was at three hundred fifty years of service, like Christy, she would just retire. Heck, if she had made it to three hundred. But not after only two hundred sixty-five years of being a Fairy Godmother.

At least she could see this through to the end, getting Jason that HEA he needed.

She may not like the way it needed to go, but a file had never been wrong before.

Ava retracted her wings and took a seat on the couch. Duncan remained standing, arms on his chest, and leaned against the fireplace. He could have stayed small, but Ava would have been able to see him, so she figured Jason might as well know that Duncan was there. Might make things easier to stay on task.

“So what's the plan?” he asked.

“Well, what you said—to get him back on track.”

“You don't have to sound so excited about it,” Duncan said.

Ava shrugged. The shower cut off, and she sat up straighter, looking down the hall to peek at Jason. Okay, to see when he was coming. Yeah, that was her excuse.

That was right—she didn't really want to “see” him.

Nope, not at all.

Duncan cleared his throat, and Ava's shoulders slumped and she instead studied the coffee table.

She'd been just about here the other night, when she'd last kissed him…

“If she would have left things alone, everything would be fine,” Cupid said, appearing in the middle of the room, today dressed like a gangster from the Prohibition Era. Complete with fedora.

“Cupid, this is the last place you need to be,” Ava said. What was he doing here? She clenched her fists, holding back the desire to punch him in the face. Again.

Unfortunately, he bore no bruise from the other night—but gods had that power of fast healing.

“Why, Ava, it's my job to help you.” The oily grin on Cupid's face made Ava's stomach roll, accompanied with a sickening feeling of guilt. Sickened at what he'd done, and what he could continue to do to screw this up for her.

Not to mention that tiny nagging feeling that he happened to be right, which only pissed her off more.

“Since when have you helped anyone that wasn't yourself?” Duncan asked.

“I am a god. I do what I want.”

Duncan glared at him. “Drugging fairies? That's low, even for you.”

“Spare me your moral compass, ambulance. Compared to what other gods have done in time's past, to twist a piddly little fairy into submission—that's nothing.”

Ava shivered. “If we disgust you so much, why do you even bother?”

“Because I can.” He took a step toward Ava. “Because it amuses me.”

A loud crack sent Cupid stumbling toward Ava.

She leaped out of the seat, prepared to—catch?—Cupid. Something. A quick glance at Duncan proved he hadn't moved.

What in the world?

“Women are not your toys,” Jason said and twisted Cupid around. “I don't know who you are, but get out.”

Ava froze, staring at her charge. Slightly damp. In a towel. And nothing else.

Holy Hades!

And he had a tattoo—a black tribal thingy on his right arm, weaving up and down the contours of his muscles.

She hoped she wasn't drooling.

Cupid shoved Jason back. “You puny mortal, you have no idea who you're dealing with.”

He stumbled but didn't fall. “Don't care. You don't come into my house.”

Cupid raised a hand. “You cannot—”

Duncan stepped to Cupid. “Don't.”

“You, get away from me.” Cupid shoved Duncan to the side. “How dare you attack me!” He raised his hand to Jason. “I can crush your soul in a moment.”

“Bring it,” Jason said, hands clenching into fists.

“Jason,” Ava said.

He brought his gaze to her—but it wasn't a happy expression. Flames could have shot out of his eyes, and she wouldn't have been surprised, he looked so furious.

Cupid used the distraction to his advantage. He shot a blinding silver light wave at Jason. Jason hit the floor with a thud, cursing.

The light blinded Ava as well, so all she had was hearing. Then the distinct pull of an arrow on a bow ripped through the silence.

She lunged at the sound. Made contact with Cupid. The arrow, though, fired a moment before.

“Jason, duck!”

“Enough!” Duncan said, his low timbre freezing everyone in the room.

Finally, Ava's eyes focused. Jason crouched on the floor, staring at the arrow hovering a few inches from his face, hazy with a green shine. His eyes were wide, and he raised his hand to block the arrow. Cupid stood in the center, bow in hand.

Instead, Duncan snagged the arrow out of the air, his wand glowed with its own green shine from the magic he'd cast. With one hand, he snapped the stick in two.

Cupid snorted. “I have an infinite number of those.” Another appeared in Cupid's bow.

“Just go, Cupid,” Ava said.

“Get out, all of you, or I call the cops,” Jason said.

Cupid laughed. “Your police cannot hurt me.”

“But I can,” Ava said, moving herself between Jason and Cupid. “I'll go to Jupiter if I have to.”

Cupid snorted. “As if you have any power.”

Ava opened her mouth to say something, but Cupid didn't let her finish. “I am only here to help. Get your charge back focused on his HEA. So you can be finished here.”

“What do you care?” Duncan asked.

“I don't,” Cupid replied.

“So why are you here?” Ava asked.

He waved his hand. “The sooner you fix your little charge, the sooner you can return to my bed.”

Disgust rolled through Ava and she tensed as her stomach roiled, fearing she'd throw up. “What makes you think I'll ever let you near me again?”

“Because I'm me.”

“Whoa,” Jason muttered as he stood. “Ego much?”

“This is nothing,” Ava said, glancing over her shoulder.

“So you were with him?” Jason asked in a low voice.

“Long story,” Ava said.

Cupid sighed. “Really, Ava, you should be thanking me.”

“For making my life miserable?” Ava felt Jason's hand on the small of her back. She hoped it was so he could pull her out of harm's way, if necessary.

“For making your life's work easier. That's what I do, you know. Bring people together.”

She snorted and crossed her arms.

Cupid leaned in closer. “Do you think this is the first time I've ever meddled with your cases?”

“This is different. I didn't ask for your help,” Ava said.

Cupid rolled his eyes. “Do you really think you're a very good Fairy Godmother? I've had to help you with nearly every case you've had for the last two hundred years.”

“That's not true,” Ava said, trying to stand tall and not let Cupid know how much his words rattled her. “I'm different, but I still get the job done.”

Cupid shook his head. “If you think so.”

“I know I do. Without your help.” She crossed her arms, again going for the strong. If she didn't, she might wind up on the floor crying.

Because so many little things started nipping at her memories—little niggles that maybe, just maybe, Cupid spoke the truth.

And she really did suck at her job.

“Go on. Finish this up without my help. See how far you get.” Cupid dusted off the edges of his jacket. “Soon you'll be crawling back to me, pleading for help, because you can't get the job done and you're too proud to ask your trio for help.”

With that, Cupid vanished. As did most of the tension in the room.

Most.

Well, maybe some.

Ava turned to Jason. “Uh—”

Jason still didn't look happy. Sexy as sin in that towel that was starting to fall down his hips a bit, but…

“We should talk,” Jason said. He glanced at himself. “Let me get dressed.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Ava replied.

No, you don't have to.

Ugh.

She seriously had to get a grip.

As Jason walked back toward his bedroom, Duncan came over to her.

“Was Cupid telling the truth?”

Ava shrugged, attempting to play it off. “If he's meddled with my cases, I didn't know about it.”

Duncan nodded. “Think I need to do some research.”

“Might be good.”

Damn Duncan for bringing her back to reality and what she was supposed to be doing.