Page 54 of Feverburn

Every night since, as I lay in bed alone, I wondered if perhaps finding her in the lake was a sign that we could turn this around. Maybe the fates, God, the universe, or whatever made sure my woman was a witch withmagicin her bones andcouragein herheart.

I wanted to talk to her more about our predicament, hopefully with my clothes on and not under the moon like a pussy-obsessedlunatic. Things had escalated at the lake so quickly. I wasn’t expecting to find her there. I damn near drove off the road when I saw her swimming in the lake like some water nymph.

I fought flashbacks of theperfectsight of hernakedunder the moon. The silvery light illuminated her to perfection while she floated to the surface, finally allowing me to see all of her beautiful body. I still remember how her eyes sparkled, urging me to touch her. The drops of lake water across herpaleskin, how her hums ofpleasurefilled the space between waves.

Blinking away at the thought, I parallel-parked my truck in an open spot within a line of cars trailing on one side of the long road. Following the noise of the party, I walked towards the cabin, letting the tree-lined path guide me to the commotion. The late June night was warm, with agoldenglow filling the area with the sun in the western sky, still an hour or two away from setting behind the bluff. The air was balmy, but the distinct smell of pine and a cool breeze from the lake rang as somethinghappyand fresh in my senses. The road opened to a plot of land, the cabin on my left, the lake on my right. In front of me, I could see three long tables set for a solsticefeastand a crowd of about thirty people standing around talking. No Rosie in sight. She was probably arriving late because of work.

I nodded at Harley while I walked to the shop with the box hiding the puppy. Meg was already in there waiting to take over guard duty. We would all take turns checking in on the little guy. I nodded at her while she pulled him out of the crate with a girly squeal, then returned to my truck for the picture I painted for Kaylee.

On the way back to the party, clutching the canvas to my body while walking, I saw Rosie sauntering down the path about thirty feet ahead of me. With each step, her auburn waves swayed along with her white sundress billowing behind her in the breeze.

As she made her way to the party, Kaylee appeared and exclaimed,“Merry meet! Blessed Litha!”

“Blessed Litha! Congrats on your solar return!”Rosie exclaimed, pulling Kaylee into a hug. I didn’t understand the greeting, but the intention was obvious. And I remembered Rosie telling me Litha was a magical name for the solstice.

Breaking the hug, Rosie grabbed Kaylee’s boobs with a giggle.“You’ll have to tell me where you got these!”

Kaylee cackled, then gave a twirl in her saffron-colored sundress. She reached for a basket to pull out a flower crown to put on Rosie’s head with a smile. In the process, she spotted me approaching.“Hey, bro! Welcome!”She waved me closer as Rosie turned around to see who she was talking to.

I’m not religious, but I’d like to thank the gods for sundress season. I think I speak for all straight men when I say—sundress season is a damn near religious experience.

I bit my cheek, trying not to react to what was in front of me. Rosie’s dress covered her breasts in plunging triangles, showing ample cleavage andbareshoulders. Below her bust, a band with embroidered flowers snugged against her body before the rest of the dress hung perfectly over her curves. Flowy, gauzy, and in the right light, probably damn near see-through. Paired with the flower crown nestled in her hair like a summery halo, she looked like a goddess.

The dress floated above strappy sandals, her limbs and neck bejeweled in the same light-colored stone I saw her wearing in the lake. I made a mental note to ask her about it. Her makeup was simple and shimmery, with wispy eyelashes and glossy lips I wanted tokiss.

I glanced down at my jeans and black shirt, wondering if I was festive enough as Kaylee reached into her basket,“Let’s get you a Litha crown. Azalea made these and plucked them straight from her garden. Isn’t that so magical?”She held up a flower crown and looked at Rosie.“I think these colors would bring out his eyes, don’t you?”

Rosie smiled with a nod, loving my torment. I opened my mouth to argue, and in an actual mindreading moment, Kaylee said,“You have to wear one, solstice rules, and birthday girl request.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll humor you.”Still holding the picture, I ducked so she could put it on me. She giggled, clearly pleased with herself, while gently pushing it on my head.

Rosie held up agiftbag.“Where do we put presents, birthday girl?”

“You can put it on the table by the porch, but y’all didn’t have to get me anything! Thanks for coming!”Kaylee all but pranced off to the other guests.

Rosie and I walked closer to the porch to bestow our gifts.“What did you paint her?”she asked over her shoulder.

“A portrait of her grandma who passed away. Though I’m sure if she knew you could tattoo it on her body, she’d want you to.”

Rosie looked around, ensuring no one caught that.“We aren’t talking about that,” she hissed.

“Yeah, I know. That’s kind of the problem, sweetheart.”

“I can’t do this right now.” She let out a frustrated grunt and plopped thegiftbag on the table, bolting away from me.

Well, that was quick. I had somehow already pissed her off. I was trying to compliment her. She found Poe and Azalea, hugging them like a sweetheart. I skulked away from thegifttable and went to grab a drink to do something with my hands. The party was Kaylee and Harley’s crew, so people I liked, like Bear and Rhett, wouldn’t be attending. I hung out at the party's edge, hoping my stance wouldn’t be evident that I was watching one person.

Before I could take a sip, Dane slithered in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up as he whispered something in her ear. It was inappropriate. And I could tell she was uncomfortable because her hand flew to her chest to ensure a boob didn’t pop out. She turned around to see who thehellmanhandled her before she slapped his arm.

I gripped my drink, unable to look away. Rosie flashed me a bashful look, fixing her flower crown as he continued to yammer on.

Harley whistled to clear the clamor of the party.“We are all here tocelebratethis beautiful woman.”He gestured to Kaylee, who side-hugged him.“And we are also here tocelebratethe summer solstice. The longest day of the year.”

“And it’s a holy day called Litha for us Pagans and witchy folks,”Kaylee added, raising her goblet. The girls from Silver Springs held up their glasses in a silent toast.

“Exactly. And what Kaylee wants, Kaylee gets, and tonight she wants us all to dance.”

My mom made her way into the crowd, commanding attention without trying.“Okay folks, find a dance partner, then make a row facing each other over here to the right of the tables.”

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