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CHAPTER SEVEN: BUCK MOON - PART TWO
Dawn giggled at Russ’s clear discomfort as they shuffled in the cafe’s lunchtime line. Hunching his shoulder in, so he didn’t take up too much space — as if that was even possible — he grumbled. “I have, like, twenty different kinds of tea at my place; why are we here?”
Dawn smiled and took his arm, leading him closer to the counter. “Do any of those teas come with boba?” She shook her head. “Didn’t think so; that’s why we’re here.” She smiled and wiggled her haunches. Sheryl, who ran the cafe, had told her about trying boba tea out on the menu and it looked like everyone was eager to give it a taste. “I’ve never had it, but I’ve heard about it.”
Russ grunted. “I tried it once a long time ago with a girlfriend who couldn’t get enough of it.” He grimaced. “Almost choked on it.”
“Lucky I’m certified in first-aid then,” Dawn teased. “I’ll save you.” When it was their turn, she hemmed and hawed, finally deciding on a honey-sweetened rose boba tea with cheese foam. Rolling his eyes, Russ ordered the same before handing over some cash. Dawn made a protesting sound. “I was going to cover you, for running with me.”
He shook his head. “Just think of it as an advance for the heimlich you’ll need to perform in a minute.”
Dawn giggled as they moved down the counter to wait for their drinks, only to stop when she saw Russ’s face freeze. Without thinking, she turned toward where he was looking.
Tucker.
Dawn felt her whole body tense. She narrowed her gaze as she watched him smile at Marci, a medusa who’d moved to town from the city shortly before Dawn. Their bodies were bent toward each other in an obviously flirtatious way. With his arm in a sling and his drink in his other hand, Tucker couldn’t touch Marci, but Marci had a hand resting on his good arm.
Dawn liked Marci. She worked at the school library and was one of, like, four other non-human faculty members. She was shy and sweet and sometimes they got truly awful coffee together in the teachers’ lounge. And seeing her with Tucker made her heart stop. A lump formed in Dawn’s throat, as if she was choking on the warning she wanted to scream at Marci.
“Let’s go.”
Dawn turned to frown at Russ. “But you just paid for our drinks.”
“I’ll get you another one.” Russ’s voice sounded like sandpaper. “Later.”
She narrowed her gaze when Tucker set down his drink to reach up and stroke one of the snakes coiling around Marci’s face.
“Dawn.”
She shook her head. “I’m done running today.” It was too small a town to get up and leave every time she and Tucker were in the same room. Besides, why should she have to leave? She hadn’t done anything wrong. She should be able to go anywhere she wanted without fear or shame. “We paid for our drinks.” They had every right to be here. Squaring her jaw, she turned away from Tucker and Marci. She looked up at Russ, whose face was set in tight, angry, concerned lines. “I want my drink.”
For a long moment, he studied her before nodding and turning back toward the counter. They stood there, stiff and silent, as the cafe smells and sounds surrounded them for what felt like forever, just waiting for the overburdened staff to make their order.
Dawn fought the urge to turn back around. To march over there and smack Tucker’s hand away from Marci, who was, if not a friend, too friendly a person to be fooled by someone like him. But doing something like that — confronting him — here, in front of all these people, was a bad idea, she knew. Especially when she could feel the tightly reined fury within Russ. Peeking at him, she saw a vicious tick in his jaw and an absolutely arctic chill burning in his eyes as he glared out into nothing. One of the baristas, turning to place an order of drinks on the counter, took one look at Russ and tripped over his feet, almost spilling the cups.
On instinct, Dawn reached out and clasped Russ’s tightly fisted hand. He looked down at their joined hands before meeting her gaze, his expression instantly softening. She bumped his hips playfully. “See, I told you.”
“Told me what?” His voice still sounded strained. He needed to unclench his jaw.
“That he’d lose interest once someone more interesting came along.” She shrugged. “Boogey-boys always do.”
She smiled when a bark of laughter escaped Russ’s lips. “Boogey-boys?”
Dawn nodded sagely. “It’s what a fairy friend from college calls them. You know, creature-chasers. Guys just looking to bump in the night with non-humans. Doesn’t matter who.” Dawn shook her head, determined to shake Tucker off just as easily. “It was never about me; it’s just about getting a little strange between the sheets, you know?” That was all. She was sure. And now that Tucker had moved on, she didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Good.
Sure, he still lived in her building — was still officially her caretaker — but they were on different floors and she had Russ now. She’d probably rarely see him. She nodded, feeling better than she had in weeks.
Russ coughed, his eyes wide. “Getting a little strange between the sheets?” He blinked, his mind now fully distracted. Excellent. “Uh, just how strange are we talking?”
Dawn giggled, practically seeing all kinds of kinky scenes flash like film behind his eyes, and elbowed him in the side. Teasing him was just too much fun. “You’ll just have to wait and find out, won’t you?”
She laughed when he turned to just stare at her, shocked but definitely intrigued. She was saved from commenting any further by the barista calling their names. Quickly, she grabbed their drinks and held his out to him, licking just a bit of sweet, slightly salty cheese foam from his cup’s edge. She grinned when his eyes darkened and his mouth went slightly slack with want. Covering a laugh, she grabbed her own straw and took a sip, enjoying the fragrant, floral tea and the chewy tapioca. “Mmm, delicious. Try it.”
But he didn’t, seemingly transfixed by the sight of her lips sucking the thick straw. She shouldn’t be so pleased by that, but she was. With a smug smile, she grabbed his arm and tugged him through the crowded cafe.
As they left, her eye caught Marci’s reflection in the cafe’s window. Frowning, she still felt bad for the woman. Maybe she’d talk to Marci at school on Monday before classes started, let her know the kind of guy Tucker was.
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