Page 9 of Renaissance Bear

To her complete surprise, Alis not only laughed, but blushed, hands rising to cover her cheeks. "Oh, wow. Very good, thatwassmooth."

"'Smooth' suggests it's a line." His full mouth pulled into a wide, crooked smile. "I'm completely serious. You took my breath away."

Alis laughed again, shaking her head. "Pretty sure the big guy with the other sword did that."

Something very strange happened in his eyes, a flickering uncertainty as his gaze suddenly darted around the tavern gathering before coming back to her for a determined smile. "Big guys with swords aren't my usual thing. Beautiful women with dazzling green eyes are. That was beautiful," he added. "The singing. You've got a great voice. Are you a professional?"

"Oh, no, but thanks. And you play the lute. Very ren faire of you."

"I picked it up before I was old enough to realize girls go for the guitar players."

"Surely you can switch hit." Alis didn't know if that was true. She knew next to nothing about stringed instruments.

Big Jon's gaze did that uncertain flicker again before he shook his head, then, like he'd taken a moment to actually hear her, shook it again, harder. "You'd be surprised. I did learn to play the guitar eventually, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be after playing the lute for a decade."

"What made you pick it up, then? The lute?" Alis knew they were standing in the middle of a crowd, that music and conversation were going on around him, but as far as she was concerned, there was no one else in the whole world besides herself and Sword Boy Jon the Lute Player. And they were talking about lutes, like they'd spent half a lifetime already getting to know each other on different topics. Without meaning to, she lifted a hand to put her fingertips on Jon's chest, just to make sure he was real.

His big hand covered hers with electrifying warmth, and even Alis's distant awareness of people around them fell away. She'd never felt a touch that seemed soright, so comforting and roughly sensual all at the same time. All she wanted was to stand on her toes and kiss this big man.

Without letting herself think about it any more than that, she did.

Chapter 5

Alis's mouth touched Jon's, and the world stopped.

Everything. Everything. The scent of beer in the air, the laughter and the music around him, the faint itch of cooled sweat and the dull ache in his ribs where he'd taken the hit earlier. It all vanished into the press of Alis's lips against his own. She tasted of something sweet, and like traces of sunblock, and like the end of a contented day, and the waking anticipation of a new one.

Her hand, beneath his on his chest, tightened a little, like she was both clinging and making sure of her balance. He dropped his other hand to her waist, supporting her, drawing her in, and she steadied. Her free hand rose into his hair, pulling herself closer, and the soft heat of her mouth opened to his with exploratory hunger. Jon forced himself to remember the world around them, because otherwise the tavern bar was going to get used for things it shouldn't.

They broke apart, both gasping, her green eyes huge and fastened on him as a blush crawled up the blades of her cheekbones. She opened her mouth to speak, and he put hisfingertips over her lips, shaking his head. "If you apologize I think I'll cry."

The confused embarrassment in her eyes turned to laughter. "Wouldn't want that, although I like a man who's in touch with his emotions."

Jon could think ofsomany emotions he would like to be in touch with.Soooomany emotions. Although possibly those weren'temotions, strictly speaking. "I live to serve, my lady."

Alis's enormous green eyes went black with desire and Jon went right back to considering the tavern bar for things it oughtn't be considered for. He was suddenly very aware that they were drawing attention, and as he took a breath to make a suggestion, Alis made it instead: "You wanna get out of here?"

"More than anything I've ever wanted in my life." Except the Black Knight he'd locked eyes with this afternoon, too. Jon pushed that thought out of his mind, because Alis was flawlessly, absurdly gorgeous, and he could hardly stand the idea that he might have to share her in some way. She turned her hand beneath his, captured his fingers in hers, and led him through a tavern crowd that he was now aware were whistling, cheering, and cat-calling. Maeve, on the tin whistle, started playingSummer Lovin',and another cheer went up as Jon fled the tavern in Alis's wake.

Once they broke free of the crowd they were actually running, Jon matching Alis's pace until they were out of the tavern's circle of light, and then farther away, toward one of the copses that littered the fairgrounds. Then they were beneath the trees, suddenly clinging to one another again, holding on as if they'd found a lifeline they hadn't realized they needed. Alis, her face buried in Jon's shoulder, half-sang something, then laughed as he put her back a little, gazing down at her curiously.

"'I think we're alone now,'" she said, and Jon literally couldn't stop himself from singing the next line back at her asshe hid her face in her hands and laughed again before smiling up at him.

"I'm going to be singing that for the next week. I'm sorry, I just couldn't help thinking—we were running?—"

"Just as fast as we can," he agreed. "Although I have to tell you, lady fair, I can run a hell of a lot faster than that."

"Of course you can. You're a hundred feet tall."

"You're about ninety-nine feet tall yourself." She wasn't, obviously, not any more than Jon himself was a hundred feet tall, but she was only about four inches shorter than he, which was pretty damn tall. Her dark hair, thick with curls, had fallen from the delicate golden headdress that held it tamed in place, and brushed her strong shoulders, so perfectly framed by the square neckline of her crimson gown. "God, you're beautiful."

"Thank you," Alis said with obvious amusement. "Some days I think you're right. Other days I think I've got a face like a hatchet."

"Man, it can cut me down any time."

Alis burst out laughing and caught his hand again, moving backward until she sat on a picnic table. "That was a pretty good line too. So, hi. I'm Alis Capellas. I do not normally run away with strange men during the first weekend of Faire." She offered her hand, and Jon first shook it, but then bent over it gallantly, not quite brushing his lips against her skin. She still scented of sunblock, and a little of a familiar hot metallic tang.

"Jon Torben. I also don't normally run away with strange men during the first weekend of Faire." He straightened, grinned at her, and backed up to lean on a nearby table himself. "Or women, for that matter. Usually I'm back at the tavern working my ass off, actually."

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