to her waist, his fingers gripping tightly as if afraid she’d turn and run.
“My days of running away may not have passed entirely, but I promise to do it less often,” Dusty said, taking half a step closer to him. The heat of his body and his twitching grin-as if he were afraid to let it dominate his face-banished some of her fears. “All I ask is for the opportunity to prove to you that I accept the responsibility of friendship and will be as faithful and trustworthy as you.”
“Oh, you are much more than just my friend,” he growled, dropping his head to capture her lips with his own. He kept his caress light, tentative. The tension in his fingers told her how much more he wanted.
She pressed herself against him until she felt as if their skin merged; teased his mouth with her tongue, and clung to him with desperate fingers. Finally, her need to breathe overcame the urgency in their kiss.
“Chase, I have loved you for a long time, from a distance. I was afraid.”
“Afraid of the inherent violence inside me?”
“No, never that. I’ve seen you pull your punches when breaking up a bar fight. I’ve watched you help to his feet a football opponent you had just tackled. I cheered you on when you rescued a kitten-who didn’t need rescuing-from a tree just to soothe the tears of a small child. I’ve felt the gentleness in you.”
“Then what are you afraid of?”
“Myself. Afraid I could never measure up to Phelma Jo and all the other women you have dallied with.”
“Dallied only, while I waited for you to grow up.”
“Have I grown up?”
“Yes.” He kissed her again, pulling her tighter against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. His mouth pressed hard, intense, and demanding against her own.
She sighed and relaxed into him, cherishing the feeling of completeness.
“I think this is what the kids call Pixie love,” he whispered.
“Oh, no, not my Dusty!” Joe wailed from behind her.
Reluctantly, Dusty pulled herself away from the best kiss she’d ever imagined. Better than Haywood’s Pixie dazzle kiss. Much better than Joe’s safe and undemanding kiss. She had to cling to Chase a bit to regain her balance.
When she turned to face her boss, her spine and chin firmed with determination. “Joe, go home to your daughters. Call Monica and settle visitation or joint custody with her. Then complete your application for the teaching job at the community college.”
“But… but, Dusty, we’re friends. I thought…”
“That’s all we are, Joe. Just friends. And I thank you for the years of friendship we’ve shared. I don’t love you as you need to be loved. Now go home. We have full schedules all day and evening tomorrow.”
“The Masque Ball. Is that all you can think about?” he asked sullenly.
Relief washed through her. She knew for certain now that she’d made the right choice. Joe needed her, but he didn’t love her. He’d hurt for a while, more from wounded pride than a broken heart. In the end, their friendship would remain, even if… no
“Right now I’m thinking about a whole lot more than the Masque Ball.” She turned back to face Chase, rose on tiptoe, and returned his kiss.
A quiet shift in the air pressure told her that Joe had left.
“Um, Dusty, as much as I’d like to walk you home and spend the rest of my life with you, I’ve… uh, got work to do,” Chase murmured, barely lifting his mouth from hers.
“Huh?”
“Our favorite mechanic has taken exception to the principal’s choice of music. I’ve got to break up this fight before it spreads.” He broke away from her and dove into the fray that had spread to a dozen people.
Thistle giggled.
“Well, aren’t you going to spread some Pixie magic and stop this?” Dick asked.
“Don’t need to. Chase will handle it, and then Dusty will nurse his hurts.”
“And what will we do?” Dick strained against her grasp of his hands.
“Dance. Pixies love to dance almost as much as we love to fly.”
Dusty wondered why Thistle sounded so sad when her own heart soared and danced with the fullness of true Pixie love.
Thirty-six
THISTLE GATHERED HER ARMY at the museum grounds three hours before the Masque Ball. If Chicory and his brothers and their girlfriends could be called an army.
“Those clouds are sticking to the mountains like dog drool on wings,” Thistle pouted. “Or Faery rules on a Pixie.” She glared at the towering white clouds with black underbellies that shrouded the big mountain from view.
“Mabel calls it magnetics and talks about shifting air pressure,” Chicory joined her scowl. He and his band had grown to human size but kept their wings and flower garb to blend in with the costumed party guests. Of course they couldn’t actually fly. All of their magic went into maintaining their size rather than working their wings.
“Can we tickle them over this way?” Thistle asked, missing her wings and her magic more than ever. “If we could just get a little shower this afternoon to cool things down a bit, then they can let loose with everything they’ve got after moonset.”
“I don’t think those clouds are gonna bust loose even if every Pixie in the region joined in.”
“Hmmm. I wonder.”
“Don’t even think it, Thistle. Rosie objected mightily to us helping you at all,” Aster chimed in.
“She doesn’t believe in tribes joining up for anything other than a marriage treaty,” Delph added.
“And she’s sorely missing her betrothed. Hay hasn’t been around in days and days,” Chicory said.
“You guys haven’t seen him or Phelma Jo at all?” Thistle looked away from the problem of the clouds toward her allies, and hopefully friends.
“Not a sign. And we’ve been all over town,” Daisy said. “Ditch weed flowers can go where royalty can’t. And we’ve been everywhere a Pixie can get into.”
“We even peered into The Ten Acre Wood, just in case,” Aster said.
“We can’t get in there, even from above.” Chicory shook his head. “I landed on the top branch of the tallest Douglas fir that sticks above the energy wall, but I couldn’t get through the wall, only look for signs of life down below. Lots and lots of activity, but it’s all down low, and it’s either angry fast, or sullen slow. Nothing bright and happy in Alder’s kingdom.”
“Hay can’t get in there either,” Daisy reminded them.
“Okay. I have an idea,” Thistle said. “I’m sending Dick into The Ten Acre Wood to take a look around.”
“He’s human. He should be able to get through the wall,” Chicory agreed.
“While he’s doing that, I want you six to get back to normal size and go see what you can do with those clouds. Take with you every Pixie from every tribe you can find. We really need some relief in this town, or the Ball is going to break into fistfights just like the bar did last night.”
“That will be fun.” Delph grinned hugely.
“For you, maybe. Not for Dusty.”
“Oh, yeah. Dusty. Mabel reminded us this morning that this is Dusty’s day and we shouldn’t do anything to upset her.”
“Did you hear that Dusty and Chase stayed up after the bar fight until almost dawn, talking and kissing?” Daisy asked. “They are truly in love.” Her eyes looked at Chicory with adoration.
“Good. Now go see what you can do about those clouds. Take with you every Pixie willing to go, no matter which tribe.”
“What are you going to do?” Chicory asked.
