I sucked in a breath. “I won’t apologize for having an opin—”
His lips met mine.
I raised a hand to his chest to push him away, but my fingers curled into the front of his shirt instead.
At first, Darcy’s kiss was soft and tender, as if it were a silent apology to match the one he’d said in the Ferris wheel.
Hesitantly, I slanted my lips against his.
His fingers curled against my hip, and then he tilted his head to the side. The kiss turned fierce, everything I’d expect from a man like Darcy. Demanding. Fiery. Searing. And filled with the sweetness of the pumpkin brew from earlier and something deeper, richer.
I hadn’t thought I was the type to be so easily undone, but Darcy’s kiss threatened to steal every inch of my composure. I broke free and stepped away, staring at him with wide eyes.
What. Was. That?
My finger drifted to my lips. “If you were hoping to stop me from talking, think again.”
Darcy smirked, looking annoyingly unaffected by the kiss that still had my legs shaking. “I think I know better by now than to assume anything could stop you.”
“Not in love? Please,” the gnome mumbled. “Could have fooled me with the way you two were carrying on.”
“Did it work?” Jane asked.
Lips still tingling, I moved my arm, and Darcy’s jerked forward in response.
My heart sank, and Darcy pressed his soft lips together in a firm line.
Dang it. Why was I looking at his mouth? That kiss had done absolutely nothing—well, nothing helpful. Apparently, it had messed with my head.
“What now?” Charles asked.
I looked between him and Darcy. If Charles was a highborn fae, why was he looking to Darcy for instruction? I added it to the list of things to uncover about Darcy—a list which kept growing.
Darcy sighed and ran a hand down his face. “We should go. I doubt there is anything else that can be done here, and there are things I still need to take care of tonight.”
Jane waved goodbye to the gnome, then the four of us left. The crisp autumn air was a welcome relief after the tent’s stifling atmosphere. Lamps now lit the fairgrounds, casting pools of light edged with shadows. Someone had woven orange lights throughout the trees that sparkled in the growing darkness.
“Are you okay, Lizzy?” Jane fell into step beside me and gripped my free hand.
“As well as can be expected.” In a whisper, I filled her in on what I’d learned on the Ferris wheel.
“I knew it couldn’t be Darcy.” Relief filled Jane’s voice. “And now it sounds like you’ve got things cleared up for Mom as well.”
“Yes, but if it wasn’t Darcy, then who killed Easton?” I stared at Darcy’s back as I walked twice as fast as usual to keep up with his long strides. Even still, sometimes I’d fall behind, and the binding on my wrist would yank me forward. I looked like an idiot with my arm dangling in front of me, like I was walking a dog on an invisible leash.
Darcy thrust out his hand to me without turning around.
“What?” I stared at it.
“It’s inconvenient if we’re constantly pulling on each other and moving at different speeds.”
I gaped at his hand, trying not to pay attention to Charles’s smirk and how Jane fought back a smile.
With a sigh, I slipped my hand into Darcy’s and moved to walk beside him. His fingers were warm, countering the chill in the air. Calluses covered his palm, making me curious about what he did to cause them.
Jane gave me a soft smile, then moved ahead to walk beside Charles.
To the rest of our nosy town, it probably looked like we were on a double date, and the news was almost guaranteed to get back to Mom. I’d told her everything last night when I went to make the potion, and while she might look past the misunderstanding with the murder, I wasn’t sure she’d ever forgive him for snubbing me at the club.
