Just His Taste (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Tuesday

Ava was stressed.

Jason could see it in her eyes, though she pretended to be just fine.

She got this little crinkle in her brow every time she wasn't looking at him, and he couldn't help wondering what had happened.

Jason had gone in Monday and done some work—bookkeeping and the like—at the office he shared with his father, and Ava had gone off to wherever it was she went.

At least, he thought she'd left. He hadn't been able to sense her around, but that didn't mean she was keeping her distance.

Jason stood at the grill, hoping that Ava would pop in soon, as he'd cooked two steaks.

One topic they hadn't discussed yet was the file. If she'd consulted it after their actions, she hadn't said.

Surely it would have changed, considering their actions every night—and day—since Saturday night. Not to mention what they'd heard at the diner, between Tessa and Lucas.

Isn't that what Ava had said? That it adjusted itself according to the charge's actions?

Was Ava afraid to look at the file?
Jason mused as he laid down his spatula and took a tug on his beer.

Something screwy was going on, that much he could feel. After all, Ava had told him that other guy, Duncan, was supposed to be around to chaperone, but Jason hadn't seen him in days.

Maybe that's what—

“Hey.” Ava appeared next to him on the patio. Jason's breath caught. She wore a white lacy dress, cowboy boots, and her red hair hung in super sexy waves that just begged to be touched.

“Hey yourself,” he said, leaning into her. She wrapped her arm around his neck, and as they kissed, he yanked her against him. That little lacy dress felt like nothing between them, and he ran his hands over her ass. Holy shit, she was practically bare underneath it.

“You're going to burn the meat,” Ava said, pulling away.

Jason picked up his water bottle. “You know, girls really shouldn't wear thin white dresses with nothing on underneath when guys have access to water.”

And Jason squirted her.

Right on the boob. Revealing that—yep—she didn't have a darn thing on under that dress.

Hell-to-the-yeah!

Ava screeched and took off. Jason ran, spraying her as they ran around the backyard.

“That's so not fair!” Ava said, materializing her wand. He squirted another shot, right on her butt.

“No magic!” Jason yelled as he unscrewed the top of the bottle, coming to a stop.

Ava waved and Jason's pants were in her hand. “Missing something?”

“Hey!” He darted after her, and this time, when he caught her, he dumped water right on the front of her dress, practically making the white fabric disappear as it stuck to her skin. They both tumbled into the grass, laughing.

The worry that had been marring her brow for the last couple of days disappeared, and she grinned like an idiot.

“I'm all wet,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He rolled his hips into hers. “Well, I'm missing my pants.”

She let out a low moan. “I can put them back.”

“Not quite yet,” he said, and buried his face in her chest, biting at the pebbled nipples under the white sheath of a dress. She shuddered underneath him and groaned.

His hands ran down her hips, bunching the fabric in his hands as he pulled it up. She bent her knees, cradling him between her legs, and he slid down her body. He nibbled at the joint between her hip and her thigh.

“Oh, Jason.”

He moved to her center, tasting her core. Her hips rocked into him, and he licked up and down. She quivered under his moves and cried out as she got closer to climax.

Just a few more…

A minute longer…

Ava's body tensed as she hit her peak.

Jason smirked as she shivered through her release, and he climbed back up her.

“Hi. I'm Jason.”

“Oh my stars,” she moaned, laughing. “Yes. Yes you are.” She stretched her arms over her head.

He rocked his hips into hers again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Did you need something?” Ava asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“What would that be?” Ava asked, batting her eyes.

“This,” he said, and plunged inside her. All joking left as he started pumping in and out. She wrapped her legs around his hips and arched her back. He slid in deeper, which only made the feel of her that much better.

His orgasm came hard and fast, and he cried out as he finished.

He collapsed on her, and they lay there a few moments, just holding one another.

A guy could get used to this.

Ava ran her hands down his back, stroking his spine. “Working hard today, I take it?”

He snorted. “Routine stuff. Bookkeeping. Glad to be home.” He raised his head so he could look in her eyes. A lock of her hair lay over her brow and he brushed it away. “My dad did ask me why I had such a ‘damn glow' today.”

“Did you tell him you got laid?” Ava asked.

He snorted. “Basically.” He rolled off her and saw his pants in the grass a few feet away. “He actually said that he hoped it wasn't Tessa that put that look on my face.” He stood and retrieved his pants.

Ava shook her head. “Yeah. We need to talk about that.”

“What about it?”

She sat up and waved her wand over her dress, instantly drying it. “The file hasn't changed.”

Jason spun around. “What? How's that possible?”

“It hasn't changed. At all. I don't understand it. All roads point to a different path, but the file's still the same.”

“Well, it can't be.” He crossed and took her hands. “Ava, we heard it. Tessa's getting back together with Lucas.”

“I know.”

“So if she's with him, then that leaves me without a Happily Ever After.”

“I know,”
she said.

He threw his hands in the air. “So what about Tessa's file? Can't you go check that?”

“No, she doesn't have one. Only the charges do.” She materialized the file and held it out. “See?” She opened it up to the HEA page and tapped Tessa's name.

Jason scanned the page—it had basic background information on her, including notes about their previous relationship, but nothing else.

“That's about as much help as a holy umbrella.”

“I know…” She pulled away and tipped her head to the side like a puppy. “Jason, I have to go. My fairies need me.”

“Wait. We need to talk about this!”

“I have to go. I'll be back,” she said, and disappeared with a puff of red sparkles.

“Shit,” he muttered.

And then he smelled it. The grill was bubbling over with smoke.

Shit.
He'd ruined two good steaks too.

Burned steaks were not a good way to end an evening.

Ava had been gone awhile, and Jason wondered if she'd be back tonight. He'd tried to get his head back into work, but that wasn't happening, so he surfed television to find something to watch.

Found himself watching
Mythbusters
, and laughing every time they blew up something.

It wasn't his ideal way to spend the evening, but his focus was obviously gone. He figured Ava would be back soon enough, and they could…hell, even just hanging out and talking would be great.

He'd tried to call Bruce, find out about the photos, because he'd wondered if his friend had ever opened them, but Bruce didn't answer. Which was odd—Bruce practically had his phone attached to his hand.

He picked up his beer and was taking a swig when the doorbell rang.

Maybe that was Bruce, returning the photos. He hoped, anyway, that his friend had taken the high road and not opened that envelope.

Jason opened the door, and, outside, it wasn't Bruce.

Instead, it was Tessa. And Lucas.

“Hi, can we come in?” Tessa asked.

Jason blinked, not sure he was excited to see them. Or hear this. He figured Tessa would call him, eventually, to tell him his services were no longer required. But that would be all of it—a call. Not showing up on his doorstep.

“Sure,” Jason said.

Lucas nodded as he walked past Jason, and Tessa went straight into the living room and sat on the love seat. Lucas sat with her and took her hand.

“Let me guess,” Jason said, sitting in his favorite chair. He flipped off the television. “You two are back together?”

Tessa nodded. “I wanted to come by and tell you personally.”

“Okay.”

“I appreciated what you did for me, Jason. I did. I do.”

“Yeah.”

“Considering everything that we discussed,” she said, “I didn't want to upset you about this. I really do feel guilty.”

“Okay.” Jason knew a part of him should have felt some kind of irritation or sadness over this news, but, frankly, he was relieved.

“You're not going to say anything?” Tessa asked.

“Nope.”

“Why not?” Lucas asked.

He couldn't tell them he'd heard their entire conversation at the diner the other day. He'd already come to terms with what it meant, so this barely registered. “I suspected it.”

“Then why did you ask me to date you again?” Tessa asked.

“At the time, it was a good idea.” How else could he answer that? He'd asked because his Fairy Godmother had told him he should be with Tessa? Yeah, Tessa would be calling the psych ward faster than he could blink.

It had seemed like a good idea. A logical, clinical one. But not one he actually wanted.

Lucas cleared his throat. “Listen, I know this is unexpected, but I really do love her. We just, well, needed to reevaluate things.”

Jason nodded.

“And I want to apologize too,” Lucas said. “I've been a dick to you lately.”

Jason held his hand in the air. “Forgotten, man.” He rose from his chair and glanced at the clock. Not that he had anything to do. Just didn't really want to stay here and continue this very awkward conversation.

They stood as well. “We should be going,” Tessa said. She stepped closer to him, tipping her head slightly. “Are you sure you're okay?”

“I'm fine.”

“I feel like I've used you horribly,” Tessa said.

“You have,” he said.

Tessa's eyes went wide.

“I'm kidding. It's all good,” Jason said. He leaned in and gave her a friendly hug. “I'm sorry if I confused you.”

“You did,” she replied. “But I think I needed it.”

He smirked as she pulled away. “Maybe someday I'll be calling you for a favor.”

“If I can help you—legally, of course—you know I will,” she replied.

“Of course.”

Lucas held out his hand, and Jason accepted.

“Good seeing you, Gregorian.”

“You too. Take care of her.”

Lucas nodded. “I will.”

“Because I will have a conversation with you if necessary,” Jason said.

Tessa blushed.

“You won't have to,” Lucas replied.

“I hope not,” Jason said.

As Jason watched them walk out the door, he got this horrible sinking feeling in his gut.

Now that they were back together, where did that leave him?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Andres!

That's it!
Ava mused as she helped—or rather, gave her moral support—while Lilly and Christy tried to figure out a plan for Lilly's charge, Bruce, who'd utterly screwed the pooch with his HEA.

Andres, a Council representative for fairies, had a soft spot for Lilly. Had for years. Maybe he could help with the file. If anyone would know why Jason's file was being so stubborn, it would be Andres.

Duncan was no help, even if he was FID. He'd been off doing who knew what for the last three days—not that Ava was complaining. She'd gotten to know Jason in more ways than she should have. The closer they became, the more she realized Jason's correct HEA could never be Tessa.

Leading her down the only possible path—one that made her very nervous.

Her file was wrong. Seriously wrong.

Which put her in strange waters—what would she do now?

“Ava?” Christy jarred her out of her musings.

“What?”

“We're done here. Unless you have more to contribute to this plan?” Lilly asked.

“No, I….um, really. It sounds good.” What plan? What was it? There was something to do with a bucket.

“Do you want to come?” Lilly asked. “I'm very interested to see if Bruce can fix this mess he made.”

“Either his HEA will love him forever for causing a fire in her driveway, or she'll call the police,” Christy said.

“Yeah, I'd better go make sure this goes okay.” Lilly glanced at Ava. “You sure you don't want to come? This could be fun.”

Ava shook her head. “No. I got stuff.”

Christy tipped her head to the side. “What is it? What's going on, Ava?”

“Just some unexpected stuff with my charge.”

“Like what?” Lilly asked. “Do you need some help?”

Ava gritted her teeth. She wasn't a kid. “No, I got it. Just some trouble with his HEA.”

“Well, if you need anything,” Christy said.

Ava shook her head. Her pride wasn't about to let her tell her friends how screwed up this was. Did she need help? Yes, but she could make this work. How—that was another story, but she could figure it out.

“Can I come out now?” Bruce, Lilly's charge, bellowed from his bedroom.

“Are you clean? Did you shave? And wash your hair?” They had sent him to his room to clean up while they plotted what to do about his HEA. Evidently, he hadn't been bathing much the last few days.

“I am not five,” Bruce yelled back.

Lilly rolled her eyes. “You've been pouting around here for days like a five-year-old,” she hollered. “I just wanted to be sure.”

“I'm not wearing a tie!” he said, coming out of the room.

Lilly flapped her wings and floated over to Bruce. “You look great,” she said, flying around him, flicking a piece of lint off his shirt. She handed him a bucket. “I programmed your phone with the GPS directions. Get going. You got one shot at this.”

“I know.” Bruce sighed and left, carrying the bucket, muttering that he couldn't believe he was doing this.

As the door shut, Lilly smirked. “A bucket. I don't think I've ever given a charge a bucket, in all the three hundred twenty-some-odd years I've done this.”

“Well, we all do things every once in a while that we never expect.” Ava looked away from her friend, her cheeks warming.

“I suppose we do,” Lilly said, rolling her shoulders. “I'm off to see if he can pull this off. You sure you don't want to come?”

Ava shook her head. “I need to talk to Andres about stuff.”

“What's wrong?”

“Just have some protocol stuff to talk to him about.”

“Your HEA isn't coming around? You know, I can help…” Lilly's wings fluttered.

“No, I got this.”

She shrugged. “Well, I'm sure he's nearby—”

Soft, silver glitter appeared, revealing Fairy Councilman Andres, dressed in his usual light-gray suit. “Did you require my assistance, Miss Avalynn?”

Ava nodded. Then glanced at Lilly.

“Okay, I'm off to check on my charge.” And Lilly disappeared with a flutter of gold spraying everywhere.

Andres sighed as she disappeared, then faced Ava. “And what can I do for you?”

Ava looked around, since they were still standing in Lilly's charge's home. “Can we cross over and talk about this?”

“Of course.” In a blink, Ava and Andres appeared in his office—the gray he favored in his clothing covered the walls and the chairs.

“Wow, isn't all this gray depressing?” Ava asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “You needed to speak. Feel free to say what you choose here. We are magically blocked.”

Ava nodded, knowing he meant business. “Okay. My file is wrong.”

Andres blinked. “Files cannot be wrong, Avalynn. They are always correct.”

“This one isn't.” She materialized it and slapped it on his desk. “My charge can't be with his HEA.”

“Why not?”

“Because his HEA is getting back together with her ex that she still loves. And it's not my charge.” She flipped the pages open, revealing the HEA page.

Andres raised his eyebrow and took the file. “This Tessa? That's the only one that has been there?”

“No. The first day, there was a blank line above her name. But it's gone, and I figured, since files can change according to what mortals do, that my charge was supposed to be with this woman.” Ava slumped in her chair. “But she's wrong for him. In every way. I don't understand it. I've never seen a file wrong before.”

Andres started studying the file. “Hmm.”

“Have you?”

Andres glanced at her. “Have I what?”

“Seen a file wrong?”

Andres tapped his finger against his lip. “I have before.”

“So what do I do? I can't complete the assignment until he's with his HEA. The HEA isn't available at this point.”

Andres didn't say anything. Instead, he ran his fingers over the open file, from top to bottom. Then he did it again.

The third time, he paused, hovering on the HEA page, right where Tessa's name was. A glow of silver oozed from his fingers and sank into the page, pulling out all the power that held the page together.

Ava's eyes went wide.

Layers of magic wrapped into the file's pages. Magic that wasn't supposed to be there. Of course, the files themselves were magic, but this was a different sort of magic. It bound and forced its control over the natural magic in the file. The natural magic sparked and throbbed, like tiny slivers of lightning fighting in a storm.

As Andres tried to release a spell cast over the file, the room began to swim. Winds whipped through the tiny space. The air got thick. He poured more magic into the file, but no matter what he did, the magic that controlled the file resisted any tampering.

Andres's face started to pale, and his magic started to weaken. His eyes rolled back into his head.

“Andres!” Ava cried, jerking him back from the file.

He released the paper. “I can't…I can't change it back,” he panted. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to smooth the locks into place. “The magic is too strong.”

“You're a Council member. There's no such thing as too strong of magic for you.”

“That is not true,” Andres said. “We need to take this to someone else.”

“Who? Jupiter? He's not going to—”

“No, not Jupiter. Anteros.”

Ava sighed. Anteros was Cupid's brother—and everything that Cupid was not. Thick and meaty, Anteros had longer dark hair, where Cupid was slender and trim, with blond hair.

And where Cupid bent free will to create love, Anteros was the God of Unreturned Love. He believed in love happening naturally, and if it didn't, he was there for the heartbroken and lost. A great ally to the fairies, if they really needed it, against Cupid and his meddling.

Today, Ava really needed it.

“I'll go to him right away.”

Andres nodded. “I will go with you. Just in case.”

“Just in case of what?”

Andres didn't say anything.

Just in case of what?