Aspen leaned forward between the seats, and I drifted over to brush my cheek against his, still feeling warm and gooey in the center after the way I’d been fucked so well earlier. They’d all shared me again, even Fallon, who was supposed to be saving his energy. Aspen’s lips twitched into a smile.
“This is fun. We haven’t been out anywhere all together like this.”
“Cops,” Aspen said, turning his head toward Cillian. “Fewer cops out here. It’s not bad. You scared of trees?”
Cillian gave him a nasty squint, and Rowen reached forward to ruffle his hair, which caused me to lose Cillian’s hand when he groped back to swat at Rowen. “I am driving, ye wanker!”
Rowan laughed in a way I hadn’t heard for a long while. Maybe we’d all needed this trip out of the city. Things had grown tense and never lightened up after Dad died. Grief stabbed at me, but I shoved it off. I wasn’t going to ruin this with thoughts of bad things. There would be plenty of time for that some other night.
The park we’d entered was situated on the outskirts of the southside of New Gothenburg. When we’d first turned in to the barely cared for road that cut through grass, the grounds had appeared to be abandoned, until we’d driven past an old falling-apart wooden grandstand that leaned to the left with half the roof missing, a wide brick building with cutouts every few feet that stared like blank eyes—which I was entirely convinced had probably been used for horses and 4-H meetings—and then rounded a tree-lined bend.
At the end of the road a building glowed with spotlights trained on the front entrance. Dim ground lights marked off the parking areas in what I thought might be an old baseball field, and from the grassy outfield a long blue carpet led down a main thoroughfare all the way over to the building. When I squinted and stared, I became even more convinced our destination had to be a repurposed skating rink, probably from the seventies, if I ignored the shiny new second story that had been tacked on top. The addition glowed like a beacon of modernity against the rest of the decrepitude.
“Can you imagine? This is amazing.” I bounced on my seat, and Aspen put a hand on my head, but I didn’t stop, giving myself the joy of another wriggle. “All these rich people come out here in the middle of nowhere together to see people like Fallon fight.” Laughing, I leaned forward and watched someone in a Viper get directed by a teenager with a flashlight to our right into a different area of the parking spaces.
Cillian put down the window and yelled, “I got one of the fighters.”
The kid directed him quickly to a parking spot that was close to the building, and Cillian let out a sigh as he pulled into place next to a beat-up old pickup.
“This is almost like visiting an amusement park.” I grinned at Cillian, and he only huffed. Aspen patted the top of my head again and my toes wriggled in my boots.
“It’s fun, right?” Fallon asked from the back seat. There was a quaver in his voice. I twisted to look at him, but the lighting wasn’t that great, even with the glow from the nearby building, and he gave me a tight smile. I turned around, and Aspen moved back to let me lean through the seats.
“Damn it, firebug, be careful,” Cillian growled without much heat as my knee knocked something hard.
“Would you like a kiss for luck?” I snagged Fallon’s hand and tugged him forward. I was feeling silly and happy for the first time in a while, and his golden hair swung free around his face, making me want to touch it. He beamed as he planted a quick kiss on my lips. His mouth was hard under mine and it was nothing like the kisses he’d given me earlier. When I pulled back, he cupped my face and gave me another kiss on my cheek that lingered and had anxiousness squirming through me.
“Thanks. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.” He winked at me. “I’d like a few kisses when I win, too. And thank you for changing into your suit.” He tweaked my bow tie. “I swear it’s good luck.”
“You like the way his ass looks in those pants, that’s all,” Aspen murmured, and Rowen laughed and nudged Fallon’s shoulder.
“Aye, ye arse. Ye have to get in there and win first,” Cillian grumbled, then turned my chin toward him and planted his lips on mine. My belly warmed nicely with all the attention. I glanced around when a cold wind hit my face. Rowen’s seat was empty, and Aspen was missing, too. I startled when my door opened and sat back in my seat.
Rowen grinned at me, filling the doorway, and he looked good under the illumination of the dome light. His red beard gleamed and his eyes shined. I wasn’t sure why, but after being taken care of by my guys earlier this afternoon, I was feeling emotional, and I was kind of glad it was Rowen waiting for me. He was better than anyone else at understanding me when I felt like this.
He held out his hand. Occasionally my guys treated me as if I couldn’t do anything on my own, but for some reason I liked it when Rowen acted like a gentleman. Maybe because he didn’t seem to be forcing it. I clasped his hand and stepped out at his side. My excitement built as people leaving their cars nearby rushed toward the building. It seemed like we were some of the last to arrive, even though Fallon had been adamant the fight didn’t start until 9:00 p.m. The door shut behind me and I jumped.
Rowen gave me a smirk. “How are ye doing, angel?”
I stared up into his face. He’d trimmed his beard and his eyes were gleaming with interest. The way he looked at me made me feel like I was the only person in the world and twisted a tiny dagger of guilt in my gut, even though I was trying to come to terms with the fact that everyone seemed to be fine with me getting all the attention I needed. I leaned against him, and he wrapped his arms around me. “Good. Thank you for asking.”
“We’ve had a lot going on. If ye’re not all right, say something, aye? It’s a bit much for me, but I trust everyone. I know them better than ye, so... don’t be shy. I’m here.”
I nodded.
He pressed a small kiss to my cheek. “Good. Are ye fearful about Fallon fightin’? We don’t have to go inside. I’d happily stay out here with ye if that’s what ye want. We could find some out-of-the-way spot, I’m sure.” He rubbed at the back of my hand.
“But didn’t we come all this way to see the fight?”
“I don’t want ye to be upset.”
Biting my lip, I thought about maybe not going inside because I wasn’t a fan of packed-in crowds, but there was a roar of sound so loud it carried out the front door of the building. Chanting. Cheering. The closest I’d likely ever get to a modern gladiator tournament. Humans had always been humans, all through the ages, and I wanted to know what that experience was like. Excitement spiraled in my gut.
Someone came up from behind and hugged me, and with a sigh Rowen let me go. I was spun around none too gently into Fallon’s arms. Laughing, I held on to him.
“I want to go in, Rowen. I want to make sure Fallon’s okay.”
The man of the hour rested his head against mine. “I expect you to keep track of each punch and kick so you can kiss it all better later.” His smile made the curve of his lips all the nicer and I touched my fingers to them, entranced with the outline. I did it again. And again.
