Free A Touch of Fae by J.M. Madden

and into the shrubbery. If he had tried to cross the busy country road himself he would have been flattened. Harold thought she was nuts because she would stop pretty much anywhere to rescue an endangered turtle. Violet didn’t care though. It was one more beautiful little being staying on the earth for a while longer.
    A forest of ancient oak trees lined the back section of the park and as Violet stepped through the tree line a shiver slipped over her body, making her pause and close her eyes. It always affected her this way. It had for years. Ever since her grandfather had brought her here years ago as a child. Grandad had explained to her that sometimes when one was in the presence of beings as old as these old oaks, it reminded a person how very insignificant they were in the world.
    So Violet made sure to always keep her footprint small as she walked in the world, so to speak.
    Stepping over a tree branch, she looked up to find Rory staring at her hard. The wraparound shades were back, but the weight of his gaze on her was palpable. Against her will Violet felt her nipples come to attention and she cursed. Her boobs always gave her away. Today she was wearing regular clothes too, so no uniforms to hide in. Hunching her shoulders, she continued walking.
    Alessandro tromped through the brush, mumbling to himself about snakes and spiders.
    “ Bella ,” he asked, out of breath. “You have poisonous snakes here in Kentucky, no?”
    Violet smiled at his expression. “Oh yes, Alessandro. Great big ones. They really like leather shoes, too.”
    Sandro stopped in his tracks, looking down at his expensive leather loafers. He raised a hand as if to call Rory, then thought better of it. Turning to her, he held out his hand for the car key. “This is a trip for the two of you. I will wait with the car.”
    Rory stopped long enough to see what was going on, and Sandro threw a spate of Italian at him. Violet thought Rory looked surprised for a moment, then he nodded his head almost reluctantly. Sandro turned back to her. Cupping his hands around her cheeks, he whispered, “Enjoy yourself, bella . No guilt.”
    “Huh?”
    But he was gone. Tromping back through the brush a lot more sure-footedly than when he entered. What the heck? Why did she feel like she had been set up?
    Looking down the path, Rory had disappeared. She found him in her favorite spot on a rock at the edge of the slow-moving stream. Looking down into the water he stood tall and proud, and more delectable than anybody had a right to be. The filtered light shone off his dark auburn hair and Violet’s fingers began to itch. She knew the texture and the weight of his hair now, but she wanted to feel it again.
    Stopping at the edge of the stream, she just watched him. He seemed to be soaking in the sun, relishing the light on the water.
    “Do you come here often, Violet?” he asked, voice deep and slow.
    Settling cross-legged at the edge of the stream, she plucked a blade of grass, twirling it with her fingers. “I do. I feel connected to my grandad here. He used to bring me when I was a little girl. I come here every few weeks.”
    It struck her then that she was feeling the same connection with the men. Both of them, though Rory a bit more. Yeah, she was trying to be a hard-ass. She had been hurt. But underneath it all was a craving for the two men that was fearsome. Even now at eight o’clock in the morning she was ready to drop her jeans to the dirt and ride the big man in front of her hard. Followed up by a Sandro chaser.
    Tearing her eyes away from his rugged form, she focused on the grass in front of her. It was soft and lush. Wonderful padding for her behind. Even in the summer when the stream was dry, there was a twelve-foot ring of grass that stayed thick and lush. Grandad used to say it was a ring of magic. After he had died it had been calming to visit here. Often she would just lie in the grass and look up at the sky. More than once through the