Light the Fire

3

He idly touched the lace at my neck. “The quality is quite fine. Let me guess, Krea made it?”

“No, I did.” I shoved against his chest, stepping away from him. I knew he was purposefully baiting me to change the subject, but he always knew exactly how to get under my skin and I couldn’t help but respond. “Why are you always so impossible?”

His lips quirked up in a wry smile. “You just bring out that side of me, I suppose.”

Chapter Two

W

hen the song ended, Derel took my hand and led me over to Falon, who sipped something hot and steamy from a metal cup. Falon was just as handsome as Derel but in an entirely different way. Where Derel was lithe and toned, Falon was broad and muscular. While Derel was dark, Falon was bright. When Derel was rude, Falon was kind.

"It's your turn," Derel said to Falon. "I'm done dancing with her."

"And so gracious about it," I muttered.

"Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it." He gave me one last smoldering look before stalking back to his parents' stall.

"Shall we dance?" Falen asked with a smile, offering me his hand.

My nerves instantly calmed as I entwined my fingers with his. "I'd like that."

Falon led me back into the square amid the other revelers. He rested his hand on my waist, but kept his distance from me. I tried not to hide my disappointment, especially after Derel had sparked the idea in my head that Falon might have feelings for me. But that was ridiculous. Falon and I had been friends ever since his family had moved to our village when he was five, but there had never been anything more between us. Unfortunately.

Falon's family worked as carpenters, and his strong, rough fingers felt good against my own. He was a large man, the kind who'd gained his muscles working long hours, and I wished he would pull me against his chest like Derel had done. I'd secretly harbored feelings for Falon for years, but he'd never shown even a hint that he saw me as anything more than a friend. If only he would give me a sign he wanted more, maybe we could ease the awkwardness between us. But he never did.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he said, making my heart skip a beat. “That dress is lovely.”

“Thank you. Krea designed it for me, although I all the sewing,” I admitted. Unlike Derel, Falon didn’t judge me or tease me. I could tell him anything.

“No doubt the Fire God will smile upon your efforts. Did you throw a wish in the brazier?"

"Of course. Did you?"

He nodded. "What did you wish for?"

I gave him a teasing smile as I played with the collar of his shirt. "You know we're not supposed to tell."

"Oh, come on. We're best friends. Surely you can tell me what you wished for."

There it was. Best friends. That was how he saw me, and that would never change. "Definitely not."

His blue eyes danced with amusement. "Let me guess. You wished for love."

"Love?" I said, with a short laugh.

"That's what everyone wishes for."

"Not me. I asked the Fire God to show me what my path should be. To give me a hint about my role in this town and what I should do with my life." I tilted my head. "What about you? Did you wish for love?"

"No, of course not," he said a little too quickly, before looking away. "I wished for the same thing as you, pretty much. To have a good future."

"Uh huh." I smiled at him. "Who's the lucky lady you have your eye on?"

"There's no one." He fingers tightened around my waist. "You're the only lady I ever spend time with, after all."

That was true. But if he'd wished for love and I was the one he wanted to be with, why didn't he just tell me so? Was he worried about Derel? He must know I could barely stand to be in Derel’s presence, even if my body was physically attracted to him at times. Or was Falon concerned we'd ruin our friendship? Or that I didn't feel the same for him?

Maybe he needed a little hint as to my feelings. I pressed my lips to his cheek as the song ended. "It's okay if you did wish for love, you know."

He turned his head toward me, so that my mouth nearly touched his own. I felt both of us breathing heavily, locked in a close embrace that had somehow shifted from friendly to more. I slid my fingers up into his short blond hair while he looked at me in a new way and opened his mouth. Hope rose up in my chest that he might finally confess his feelings, but then a hand landed on my shoulder and ruined the moment.

"My turn," a low voice said.

I looked up at Blane in surprise as he swept me into his arms in a lover's embrace, so different from the way Falon had been holding me and even more intimate than the way Derel had danced with me. I should have pushed him away or told him to stop, but instead I found my traitorous arms sliding around his neck and my heart racing as we began to dance. I glanced back at Falon, who gave me a friendly smile and a nod, before the crowd swallowed us up.

"When did they let you out of jail?" I asked Blane, mainly to distract myself from the way he felt. And smelled. And looked. Everything about Blane was irresistible, from the sexy drawl of his voice, to his dark tousled hair, to his tall, muscular body. And trust me, I’d tried to resist.

“Jail” was really the basement of the chandler's house, since Sparkport was too small to have an actual prison and Blane was the only person who was ever thrown into it on a regular basis. Usually by Derel and Falon, who acted as the town guard on most nights.