Page 63 of Live Love Lasso

I nod. “Yep. Toss me my sandwich, woman.”

She waves at the oars. “How are you gonna eat and not lose those again?”

I pull the oars partway up and notch them into a little cutout in the boat’s side. I’d totally forgotten it was there earlier. It’s been a while since I took one of these.

Her mouth drops open, and she slaps the sandwich against my chest. “You scoundrel! You told me earlier you couldn’t let go! I flew to get them! You could have just… done that!”

“No,” I correct as I kiss the tip of her nose. “You told me not to let go, so I didn’t because I’m the best of boys with excellent listening skills.”

She sits back with a grumble as she opens the second sandwich.

We eat in silence for a minute, but it’s not awkward, doesn’t get weird. It’s peaceful because this banter is all play between us. She ain’t really mad, and if she were, I know in my soul she’d tell me. There’s no miscommunication, no misunderstanding. Just me and Lemon against the world.

I set my sandwich down and pick up the oars again. “Hey, baby, I wrote you a poem. You wanna hear it?”

She shimmies in her seat, wrinkles creasing the edges of her eyes as she looks at me. “You wrote me an honest-to-gods poem? I can’t wait to hear this.”

I beam at her as I puff up my chest in mock manliness.

“Her lips were red, her moose was dead, then she was in my bed.”

Lem’s mouth drops open and she scoffs, so I continue.

“Our caper made the Gulch gossip paper but she won the town’s favor with boots of pink. Brought me back from the brink. From my neck she did drink. Into her soul I sink.” I raise my voice so it echoes off the stones above us. “Her tits my muse, her hips I peruse. No better mate could I choose! Bodice ripped and tangled lips. Blood drips. My heart she sips.”

I’m shouting by the time I finish, and Lemon’s doubled over in hysterics, one hand over her eyes and another over her heart.

And I am fucking lost, watching the way she laughs.

“It took me a long time to write that,” I faux grumble. “Roger and the pit hells helped, you know.”

She hangs over the side of the boat, slapping the wood panels before throwing herself backward on the bench. It’s like she can’t stop laughing, and everything I say adds to the joy.

“Don’t bust a gasket, Lemon.”

She waves away my concern as the laughter subsides. “Oh my gods, Furyon. You’re a regular Poe, I swear.”

I keep on rowin’ as I hook a left to take us back toward the dock. I can’t have my woman getting back late to work, not considering how hard a time Letitia seems to give her for no apparent reason.

“Don’t know who Poe is, but it’s time for me to take you back, city girl.”

She shifts forward onto her knees between my thighs, forearms resting lightly over my legs as she beams up at me. “This was magical, Furyon. Thank you.”

I bend down and pull her up into my arms just to feel that lush body against mine. “I will always want to do this for you, Lemon. I am fucking in deep, city girl. Very, very deep.”

She chuckles, but the look in her eyes tells me everything I need to know—we might not have admitted love, but we’re dancing on the fine edges of it, and we’re there. We’re maybe a little bit complicated, but we’re figuring it out.

And it happened so fast. Faster than I could have ever imagined. Of course, I’ve watched other monsters fall in love seemingly overnight. I thought that could never be me.

But as I stare at the lush vampire in my arms, looking at me like I’m her favorite snack and favorite being all at the same time, I understand what I’ve seen others experience.

Love is beautiful. Love is deep.

And sometimes it strikes you like a damn bolt of lightning.

Lemon

When Furyon drops me off at Glimmer, a clacking sound draws our attention. Spinning in place, I realize the noise is coming from the decrepit Keeper’s house across the street.