Chapter 8
BLOSSOM
This is it. If I win this round, I win the whole thing.
True, there’s still one more event after this, but it’ll just be the final entertainment at that point.
After our world-altering sex in the woods last night, Manny and I didn’t talk much.
The orgasm made me sleepy, and after pulling on the clothes that survived the wolf’s mauling, I got to my feet and swayed.
The werewolf immediately scooped me into his arms and started to jog toward my childhood home.
I would have protested if I hadn’t nodded off, only waking up when he set me down on the porch, wrapped me in my discarded blanket, and nudged me toward the backdoor.
I slept well. Then, I woke up to a werewolf knocking on my front door with a mocha from Coffee & Claws. Turned out, I’d slept till noon, and I might have missed this next challenge if my competition hadn’t wanted to caffeinate me.
I glance over to where Manny walks at my side, expecting to see a look of concentration on his face, an indication of his competitive nature rising to the surface. Over the years, I’ve watched Heather and him get down and dirty on some of these bouts.
But he doesn’t look determined.
He’s just looking at me.
“What?” I wipe a hand over my mouth in case my breakfast bagel left behind crumbs.
Instead of answering, Manny sidles closer, scoops up my hand, and kisses the center of my palm. “Good luck,” he says.
I snatch my hand back. “Is this a distraction technique?”
His brows dip, and then an evil smirk curves his lips. He hooks me around the waist, and the sneaky wolf presses my back against the closest tree.
“No, Blossom. This is a distraction technique.”
Then, his mouth captures mine in a heady kiss that tastes like red wine and man. I moan and let my lips part so I can lick his tongue, wondering what terrible god gifted this wolf with such a tantalizing flavor.
Then, the terrible beast breaks the kiss, but uses his hips to keep me pinned to the tree and clasps my hands above my head, making manacles of his fingers.
“I’m not going to let you win,” he says. “Not even if you say I can fuck you right here and now in exchange for me going easy on you.”
I glare at him. “I’d never offer that!” I struggle to free myself, but Manny keeps me locked in place, nostrils flaring, chest heaving and pressing into mine. “I’m going to win because I’m awesome. And then maybe I’ll let you fuck me again. But only if I have time between my Pumpkin Queen duties.”
Manny firms his mouth in a line, trying to stifle a smile and failing. So, instead, he leans in and gently nips my lip.
But when he next speaks, his voice has lost its playful edge. “If you win, will you still stay?”
Will I stay?
The question is too heavy for our snarky banter.
Will I finally come back to this town that calls to me?
Will I come back … to be with him?
But that’s not what Manny asked.
What if I say yes, move back to Folk Haven, and this sultry side of him vanishes?
I couldn’t stand to see him every day, only to get dismissed. Discarded.
With my life now, I’m the one who does the leaving. But that would be impossible if I set down roots in this soil that feels like part of my soul.
Can I trust the side of this wolf he’s shown me since the mating ceremony? Do I believe the words Manny spoke to me last night?
It’s hard to concentrate with his hard body between my thighs and the taste of him lingering in my mouth.
And the urge to battle him, to push back and never give an inch that isn’t earned, rises in me.
“That wasn’t the bet,” I say.
Manny flinches, and his grip on my wrists loosens. When he backs away, allowing my feet to regain the ground, I spy a wounded expression on his face that has guilt spearing through my gut.
But he quickly clears the vulnerability away, replacing it with a smirk. “You’re right. If I want Blossom Fernmore to stay in Folk Haven, I’ll just have to win you.”
Then, he stalks off toward our destination, giving me his back.
“That’s not the bet either!” I call after him as I jog to catch up, feeling off-balance and defensive. “You don’t win me.” When I reach his side, I spy the tight set of his mouth.
“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to kiss you again,” he growls.
“I can talk if I—”
Manny hauls me into his chest and melds his mouth to mine. Without thought, I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck and kiss him back with equal fervor. When he breaks away, the wolf is panting, and I can see the animal in his eyes.
Then, the phone in my pocket starts buzzing, bringing my mind back to the present moment. Manny lets me slide down his body, and I pull out my cell to see my dad calling.
I answer it. “Hey, Papa.”
“Is Manny with you? Are you almost here? We’ve got an eager crowd today!”
Through the phone speaker, I can hear voices chattering away.
“We’re close. Be there in a minute.”
When I hang up, Manny slips his hand into mine and tugs me forward, his eyes focused straight ahead.
Guess the guy is done talking. And kissing.
And I refuse to focus on how much I’d like to revisit that second one.
Soon enough, we’re breaking through the forest edge to arrive on the shores of Lake Galen.
The water glistens in the sunlight, and a short ways away, a group has assembled.
But the spectators aren’t only on the land.
Out in the waves, a few pontoon boats float, anchored in the shallow water of the cove.
“There’re our champions!” my father calls out, waving us toward the gathering.
I see now that there’re multiple firepits set up, and I expect people will get them lit in a few hours once the sun has set.
Hopefully, this challenge doesn’t last as long as all that. I’m competitive, but after last night, my stamina is questionable.
The werewolf beside me is probably doing just fine.
I tug my hand from his, not wanting to deal with questions and gossip. I swear I hear a soft, displeased growl from Manny, but I ignore him and hurry forward.
“Now that the Pumpkin Princess and Pumpkin Prince have arrived, we can commence the next round of the competition!” Papa, nimble for his age, balances on the top of a barrel as he holds the attention of the crowd.
There’s a tap in the side of the container, and once more, I see most everyone clutching a cup of cider. Papa brews a batch specifically for this weekend. A onetime-only tasting event.
“What do you have for the lucky pumpkin royalty today?” Selena calls out to my father, an easy grin creasing the witch’s cheeks.
She sits beside a white woman with soft brown hair and an air of dangerous power around her. Violetta Radeva, the sea witch who now lives on a lake. The two magical women hold hands where they recline on a set of camping chairs.
“So glad you asked. Blossom, Manny, please join me.”
My dad waves to the shoreline by his barrel, and we come to a stop beneath him. When we both face the crowd on land, searching for a clue to our next challenge, he laughs and points out to the water.
“Hope you two are ready for a dip!”
With growing dread, I rotate and watch as Heath steps up to the side of one of the farther pontoon boats and upends a basket over the water. A cascade of apples topples into the gentle waves.
My father’s voice booms overhead. “Next challenge … bobbing for apples!”