A Touch of Fae by J.M. Madden

jogged to his side.
    “ Bella , what’s wrong?”
    Shaking her head, she puffed out a breath. “I just wanted to check on you.”
    Alessandro’s full lips curved up in a smile. “Ach, I’m good.”
    But his face belied his words. Violet didn’t contradict him. Instead she motioned toward the courthouse. It was a well-maintained area and there were flowerbeds and benches scattered around. It was a Sunday so there were a few other people out, but not many. Nobody she knew, anyway.
    Violet plopped down on a bench underneath a towering oak. Alessandro sat down beside her, but kept a good distance between them. The closest he got to touching her was the knee he propped his left elbow on. Violet felt slighted that he didn’t even try to touch her. He had always been the first to reach out. She had to make this right.
    “You know, I saw you guys years ago. I will always remember it because it was just after my eighteenth birthday. Grandad had given me a truck for my birthday, just an old beater. I appreciated that truck. I knew he had put a lot of time and money and energy into hiding that truck while he worked on it for me. And he was so tickled when he gave it to me. He knew. It gave me the freedom I always wanted to get away from this place. I put probably, oh, a thousand miles on it the first week I had it. I was always broke because I had to put gas in the damn thing.” She laughed in remembrance, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I loved that damn truck.”
    Alessandro’s brows were furrowed in curiosity and his firm lips were tipped up in a slight smile.
    “Then you guys walked in one day. And that truck just totally lost its charm. You were my new shiny things I kept in my heart to pull out whenever I got down, or bored, or just plain horny. God, at eighteen, your hormones are just running wild.
    “And I didn’t know what to do with all that pent up frustration. I had no idea who you guys were or where you lived. Hell, didn’t know your names. Grandad talked like he knew you, but there was no way I could ask him about you. I was going to take over the shop one day, so after a certain age there was no real talk of boys, or dances, or any kind of girl stuff. I was the next man in line for the job, so to speak. He treated me like a man. As much as I loved him, that was pretty difficult for me growing up.”
    Alessandro’s hand rested gently on her back and Violet almost cried. Sitting up she turned toward him, resting her knee against his thigh. “You guys made me feel like a woman for the first time. I got this tingle in my gut that just wouldn’t go away when I thought about you. I fingered myself until my finger was permanently wrinkled.”
    Alessandro laughed, but even he had to see the earnestness in her face. His pretty hazel eyes were gentle in understanding. “I too have struggled with my sexuality, bella .”
    Violet caught his gaze firmly with her own. “And I don’t want to mess with what you’ve found. You and Rory are a couple. It’s plain to see, for me at least, that you guys have a wonderful relationship. I know you’ve been together for years and I’m sorry for what we did at the park. It was rude and insensitive. At the very least we should have brought you in with us.”
    Alessandro interrupted her. “No, no, I am not a part of that world. I told Rory to take you in. I knew what would happen and I was okay with it.”
    Violet pulled back. “Well, why did you go all distant then? When we got back in the car?”
    Alessandro leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees again. He shrugged his muscular shoulders uncomfortably, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “I think I was jealous. A bit. I understand Rory’s, um, drives. The men with this blood, they are very—” he made a fisted motion with his hand, “ machismo . Strong. Potent. But needy. We’ve been here many times because he felt you. And Jack. Jack is our friend, but he has the blood. He felt your pull as