Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
My time up on stage made me feel like I was a prized pony on display. The rules were explained to me in the vaguest possible way.
Funny, they failed to mention that death was on the table. Imagine that. A corrupt Town Council meddling with evil forces wasn’t straightforward and honest? Could never have guessed.
I played my part for a short period of time when all eyes were on me. Smile, wave, and internally cringe at every congratulatory remark.
When I stepped off the platform, my dad intercepted me.
“Har! I can’t believe it! Look at you, already making a name for yourself in town,” he praised before embracing me in a larger-than-life papa bear hug.
I awkwardly patted his back as I returned the hug with a shaky sigh.
“I didn’t really do much, Dad,” I muttered with a weak smile.
He pulled back and grabbed my shoulders. “Nonsense! All your hard work putting your S.P.A.R.K.L.E. into the universe has paid off.”
Then, he moved his hands to cup my face while pinning me with a look that often preceded something absolutely ridiculous.
“You’ve been working on Step 5 of the program, haven’t you? It’s one of my favorites, you know.”
Generally, I didn’t make a habit of lying to my dad, but the way his face lit up with hope and pride was something I couldn’t bear to shatter. Besides, a little white lie wouldn’t hurt.
“You’re right, Dad. I had kale with my lunch today. Totally embraced the ‘K’ in S.P.A.R.K.L.E.”
“HAH! I knew it!” he exclaimed. “I just knew it. I’ve been telling you girls that kale is key. Without it, we’d all just be microorganisms living dull lives in a world without color and pizazz.”
Dad pressed a kiss to my forehead before releasing me. He looked like he was ready to vibrate right out of his skin with excitement.
“Heh. It’s nothing short of a miracle,” I mumbled before looking around for the guys.
A man’s voice called out near the platform’s steps, “Wade!” Mayor Dennison waved him down. “Come over here, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Of course, my dad smiled from ear to ear and nodded at the mayor before looking at me. “Stay sparkly, Harlow,” he said as he gave a gentle fist bump to my shoulder that pulled back with an explosion of spirit fingers like some sort of super-secret handshake of Club S.P.A.R.K.L.E.
Then, he was off to socialize with Falston’s least sparkly inhabitants.
Beth approached, picking off an orange tuft of pumpkin-shaped cotton candy, and offered it to me.
“Bale got it for me. One of the few things here that surprisingly doesn’t taste like pumpkin-spiced vomit.”
Wonderful, she was now on a first-name basis with the guys. It left me to wonder just what was discussed while I was being congratulated on my impending doom.
I shook my head, declining the offered piece of sugar. She shrugged and popped it into her mouth.
From behind, a towering figure leaned into my space and murmured, “Don’t worry, kitten, I got you something, too.”
That’s when Bale presented me with a small scarecrow doll. A false mimicry of his shifted form, this one was all smiles and sparkling eyes and projected friendliness.
Taking the doll, I looked it over before humming with feigned contemplation.
“Hm, it seems something is missing. Your particular brand of cockiness and the scowl you make when dealing thinly-veiled threats.” My teasing grin was audible in my voice, ruining the impact of the snarky comment.
I could feel the light rumble of his chuckle in his chest at my back. “Always looking to dig your claws in and never quite hitting the mark.”
Beth shamelessly watched like it was prime entertainment.
Neither Corbin nor Bale seemed to mind Beth hanging around with us for a little while as we walked around the festival. Fortunately, she was on her best behavior, or as best as a little sister could get.
Eventually, Dad ran into the group of us and reminded Beth she had an early morning as Mom's assistant in attempting to cultivate an herb garden that would inevitably wither and die.
She protested that it was cruel and unusual punishment to be saddled with that task, but ultimately Dad won out after he threatened a lecture on how important the first two steps of his program were.
The festival’s events were winding down as more and more people began to tap out for the evening.
Corbin’s shoulder nudged me as we walked toward the vintage tractor, his tractor.
“Feeling any better? You were rather shaken up earlier when you came over for lunch. Then, with the corn maze news…” He trailed off, not needing to remind any of us of the hunt tomorrow night.
Contemplating how I was feeling after an evening of trying to simply enjoy the atmosphere of the harvest-themed activities, I replied honestly, “A little better now that things have calmed down. Though I’m not sure I’ll be in a rush to go back to the archives section of the library any time soon.”
Bale’s hands grabbed my waist and hoisted me up to sit on the large rear wheel. The strength of his grasp stole my breath away for a moment. He lifted me like I hadn’t weighed more than an actual kitten.
“Don’t worry about Malcolm. We’ll make sure he keeps his distance,” he assured me while his hands lingered on my waist a second longer than necessary, before dropping to rest on top of my thighs as he remained standing between my knees.
I shook my head. “No, I can handle Malcolm and his brother. It was the psycho lady who was down there. Came out of damn nowhere.”
“What lady?” Corbin asked as he stepped in close. His tone spoke to the concern shining in his amber hues.
“Don’t know, never seen her before. Didn’t stop to ask either. She was rambling on a bunch of bullshit before she pulled a jump scare on me.”
Corbin huffed out in exasperation. “Why didn’t you say something before now?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, there’s been a lot going on. Some basket case lurking in the library ranked low on the shitstorm meter.” I shoved my hands into the oversized dark green hoodie Corbin had let me borrow.
“Gods help me,” Bale grunted as he tipped his head back to send his plea up into the starry night sky.
Then, looking at Corbin, Bale spoke to him with a level voice, “I’ll go check it out tomorrow morning, see what I can find out. Until then,” he cast a stern look at me. “You stay the hell out of that library.”
Tempting as it was to argue with Bale, I reluctantly nodded. “You’re the boss, patches,” I said sarcastically.
“Damn right I am.” The possessive edge of his voice sank deep into me.
He squeezed my thighs before stepping back, the heat of his palms bleeding through my jeans. The phantom sensation remained even after he had withdrawn.
“I have an idea,” Corbin said as he nodded at the cornpit with a roguish smile that promised whatever he had in mind would be worth my while.
Offering his hand, palm up, I took it and hopped down from my seat on the massive tire. I landed with ease on my feet, but definitely noticed the way Bale’s hand twitched in my direction as if ready to catch me if I had stumbled.
When we arrived at the large wooden structure, built like a human-sized chicken coop, its large opening allowed only a minimal amount of natural light to enter. To my delight, it was as empty as the rest of the courtyard. Apparently, everyone else had the sense to go home and get some sleep.
Helping me step over the wooden ledge, Corbin waited for me to steady my footing before he joined me. With each step, the dried corn kernels whispered distinct crunching sounds.
Another round of hissed protests from the corn graced the air as Bale stepped inside. Both of them had eyes on me.
Before I could make a snarky comment about it reminding me of a giant litter box, the corn shifted under my foot. My arms flailed, and for one breath-stealing second, I felt like Bambi on ice.
Instead of crash landing into the sea of grain, Corbin’s quick reflexes saved me with his arm banding around my waist, hauling me upright against him.
Giggling at my rare moment of incoordination, my hands grabbed onto his shoulders to anchor myself. A bright smile spread across my face, especially when I noticed how closely he had me secured against him.
“So, about that idea you had,” I murmured.
Corbin’s lips brushed against mine, a tease of what was to come. “I was thinking you are in need of some stress relief.” His eyes shifted to look behind me, where the corn rattled underneath Bale’s nearing footsteps.
In the blink of an eye, before I could overthink, Corbin’s lips were on mine. Slow and torturous, meaningful and claiming. His hands dropped to my hips, drawing me flush against him.
His tongue traced the seam of where my lips came together until I granted him entry, deepening the heated exchange between our mouths.
A soft whimper escaped me when Corbin pulled back far too soon.
The smirk was evident in Bale’s voice as he spoke. “Don’t stop on my account.”
“Never do.” Corbin flashed a wicked grin.
When Bale spoke next, the heat of his breath was right at my ear. “Tell me, kitten, are you still curious enough to go searching for the rest of my stitches?”
My heart pounded like a drum against my ribs, his offer leaving my mouth drier than the corn we were all calf-deep in.
Corbin nuzzled his face against the other side of my cheek, his lips sowing tender kisses across my jaw as he worked his way to the sensitive spot over my wildly beating pulse.
“I promise you, neither of us is letting you walk out of here until you are completely relaxed.”
Bale’s hand slid up the front of my throat, holding without squeezing. Enough pressure was applied to ease my head back while Corbin licked a stripe down the side of my neck. His other hand settled on the dip of my waist.
A soft gasp escaped me, leaving me swaying back against Bale’s chest while his thumb gently caressed over my pulse point.
“Look at you, kitten. Already melting for us,” Bale said as his lips finally made contact with the shell of my ear.