Lilian gave her friend a long-suffering look.“Are you really going to make me say it?”
“I need to actually hear it.”Margo grinned.
“Fine.”She spared a look at the door.The crowd was still wrapped up in the impromptu bard battle.They had a few minutes of alone time where no one could overhear them.“He took me home and we did nothing.”
Margo waited, unmoved by the information.She waited until Lilian sighed and tried again.“But a couple weeks ago he came home with me.”
She trailed off, hoping the implication was enough.It was plenty, too much even, as Margo exclaimed, “Yousleptwith the enemy.”
“He's not the enemy,” Lilian said, feeling defensive.“And we didn’t sleep together.Not… all the way.”Not that she hadn’t wanted to.The memory of Hawk’s cock.The smooth muscles of his chest.She wanted to see him again.Needed to.
Margo was still looking at her expectantly.
Lilian sighed.“You know he's been helping me with the business end of all this.I’ve really gotten to know him better.He’s not such an asshole after all.”
“There, was that so hard?”Margo asked, looking satisfied.
No, it wasn’t.In fact, it was a relief now that she’d gotten it out of the way.She’d been worried her friend would judge her, or think she was immoral for sleeping with their boss, who had been their sworn enemy only a few weeks ago.
“I feel so far behind, though, tell meeverything.When did you guys figure out you had the hots for each other?Oh—” She gasped as a new thought occurred to her.“That night at Alex's house?”
“That was the start of it,” Lilian admitted.
“Lilian.”A broad smile broke out on her friend's face.“You seduced the tyrant prince!”
Seduce?Her?She buried her face in her hands, a fresh rush of embarrassment taking over.She’d never thought of herself as someone really capable of seducing anyone.But these last couple weeks something had changed within her.“Please don't tell anyone.We're keeping it quiet.”
“Why?”Margo's brows narrowed in suspicion.“Everyone at the faire sleeps together.”
“Yeah, but not everyone sleeps with theirbossat the faire,” she pointed out.“And you know how he is about rules.We’re keeping quiet until after the season.”
A crease of concern formed between Margo’s brows.“He asked you not to tell anyone?”
Shame raced through Lilian, hot and immediate.This was exactly why she’d been afraid to say anything.“I know what you're thinking, but I was the one who made the moves on him first.This was our compromise.If it was up to him, he would've waited until the end of the season.”
The news did not reassure her friend.In fact, it only deepened the confusion on her face.“I was gearing up to my whole ‘if he breaks your heart blah blah blah speech,’ but I’m thinking Hawk might be the one who needs the speech.”
“No one is breaking any hearts.”The words came out faster than she meant them to.And what did Margo mean, giveHawkthe speech?They weren’t even in an official relationship…yet.
Lilian barreled on, “As soon as the faire is over, we're going to make it official.Now promise me you won’t tell anyone else.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”Margo crossed her finger over her bare cleavage, sealing the promise.“But I hope you know what you’re doing.”
She'd suffered her friend's endless teasing for weeks, and the sudden shift to concern caught her off guard.Margo was supposed to be happy for her, not cautious.
As they neared the last two weeks of the faire, Lilian realized she hadn't gone out to explore the other vendors as much as she would have liked.Making Bodice and Brawn successful had consumed her.Now that they were finally seeing the fruits of their labor, she didn't feel the overwhelming need to always be in the shop.
Instead, she needed to get out and connect with the parts of the faire that she’d always enjoyed.The only things she'd really seen were her four walls and The Crown Theater.
And if she happened to see Hawk on her walk about, that wouldn't be bad either.
“I'm taking lunch,” she called to Margo.The picnic table where she usually ate was still occupied by singing bards and enthralled guests.Which gave her a good excuse to go walk around instead.
First stop was to her neighbors.A new dress hung on the display outside Russ's shop, marking the completion of the project he'd been working on since his arrival.A few customers were inside the space, some admiring the work, while a young woman was deep in negotiation for an outfit.
She smiled at the sight and moved on to the next shop, not wanting to interrupt a sale.
Her other neighbor was the wax and stationery shop.It was run by Monica who played the French Madame Tudore.The wood in the shop was soaked with scents.A variety of candles, wax seals, and scented flowers decorated the space, giving it the air of a flowery apothecary.At least one candle was always burning to show off the rich variety of smells.
