Page 30 of Live Love Lasso

“I should be going.” I turn into the room to grab my dress.

As I pull it on, he throws my hair up in a claw clip and zips the back of the dress. It’s sweet and it makes me feel awful.

Bending forward, he kisses my shoulder. “Don’t be upset. She don’t mean nothin’ to me romantically, and I bet a million head of cattle she won’t ever show up like that again. She’s just never known me to date.”

I spin in his arms. “Totally get it. I don’t do the miscommunication thing, Furyon. If you say she’s a friend, I believe you. I’ve just got to get home and do some things.”

His expression goes carefully guarded. “Alright, Lemon. I’ll drive you back to town.”

I hold up a hand. “No need. I’ll fly. Thank you for an amazing night.” I drag the backs of my fingers along his angular jawline. “It was…extraordinary.”

His soft smile reminds me we just talked about round two. But having seen that other woman, I’m suddenly not in the mood. It’s not rational, but I’d like a few hours to collect my thoughts.

I grab my clutch from a table by his bedroom door. “See you later? Assuming I’m not implicated in yet another crime.”

“Stay here and play with me,” he croons instead. “You’re upset. Take it out on me, city girl. Let me soothe that ache in your heart.”

“I…can’t,” I manage, stumbling through the words. What he’s offering sounds like so much more than just physical connection. It’s support, and I don’t know what that’s like from a romantic partner. I’ve never had that.

“I’m gonna go,” I repeat.

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He walks me to the door like a gentleman, and then he stands there as I flare my shadow wings wide and take off. I glance down to find him leaning against the front porch post, arms crossed as I bullet up into the sky.

I consider everything that happened last night and this morning, and then I get back to my cottage as fast as I can. I need Shadow time, stat. Flopping onto my bed, I direct my communication disk to call her.

Her hologram picks up on the first ring. Rubbing her eyes, she’s clearly still in bed, Dain’s naked purple ass visible next to her.

“Lemon, girl, you look wild. What’s going on?”

Just then, the front door to my cottage bursts open, and Oz swans in with a sheet of paper in his hand. “Lemon, tell me why The Gulch Gossip says you and Furyon were two seconds from fuc—oh! Hello.” His voice trails off when he notices Shadow’s hologram.

“Hey,” he says softly. “I’m Oz, Lemon’s Gulch bestie. Are you her city bestie?” He slides onto the bed with me, oblivious to the look I’m giving him.

I grumble as Shadow beams at him. “Does nobody in this haven announce themselves prior to entering someone else’s home?”

Shadow waves away my comment. “Scratch that. I want to hear what Oz was just about to say, and also, what the fuck is The Gulch Gossip?”

Behind her, Dain mumbles something and rolls off the bed, standing and disappearing from view. Oz and I stare at his ass as he goes.

“Good to see ya, Dain,” Oz calls out with a little giggle. He winks at me. “I’d recognize that ass anywhere.”

“Hey now,” Shadow says with a yawn. “That’s my ass now, so keep your eyeballs to yourself.”

“Noted.” Oz lifts the sheet of paper like evidence in a court case, showing it to us both. Right there in bold newspaper font, it says, “Newcomer Lemon Knox and Hometown Heartthrob Furyon Zayle Step Out in the Gourd Garden!”

“Oh gods I love the Gulch garden!” Shadow gushes as she sits upright. She stands, naked as the day she was born, walking away from the bed. She disappears into her closet and sits back down. We get a view of her entire ass as she puts the disk down and grabs a silk robe. “It’s actually what prompted me to design that new pixie pocket park down off Fourteenth.”

“Damn, girl, you are gorgeous,” Oz mutters.

“Not your type though, I bet,” she says with a wink.

Oz blushes a darker shade of purple. “Got any brothers?”

Shadow laughs, deep throaty laughter that always sounds so joyous to me. “As a matter of fact, I do. But back to my girl… Who the hells is Furyon Zayle? Have I met him? Tell us everything.”

I look at Oz. “And how the hells is there a newspaper all about gossip? And you’re just telling me this now?”

He chuckles. “Oh, this is all Merit and Bryony’s doing, you know. Did you happen to see them yesterday?”