Page 11 of Fairy's Forbidden Touch
She yanked the blanket away. “Who is it? Someone from that weird café? Please tell me it’s not your boss with the wings.”
“It’s not Pix,” I groaned, giving up on sleep. “And it’s… complicated.”
Maya dropped into the armchair across from me. “Complicated how? Married? Criminal record? Oh god, please tell me they’re at least human.”
I winced, and her eyes widened.
“Jesse Parker! You’re screwing a fairy?!”
“First of all, they prefer ‘fae.’ Second, we’re not exactly… I mean, we’re taking things slow. Sort of.” The memory of the previous night—Thalen’s cool fingers exploring every inch of my body with increasing confidence—made me flush.
Maya buried her face in her hands. “This is exactly the kind of bad decision that landed you on my couch in the first place. Remember the bass player who stole your credit cards? The ‘entrepreneur’ who was actually running a pyramid scheme?”
“This is different,” I insisted. “Thalen is different.”
“Thalen?” Her eyebrows shot up. “That’s… an unusual name.”
I shrugged, trying for casual. “He’s an unusual guy.”
“How unusual? Like, unusual career choice unusual, or unusual has-wings-and-lives-in-a-mushroom unusual?”
I snorted. “No mushroom houses. But he is… important in the fae world.”
Maya’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Important how?”
“He might be… sort of… royalty?”
“ROYALTY?!” She leapt to her feet. “You’re sleeping with fairy ROYALTY?!”
“We’re not exactly sleeping together yet,” I clarified. “More like… exploring. And keep your voice down, the neighbors already hate us after the blender incident.”
Maya paced the small living room. “Let me get this straight. You, Jesse ‘bad decision’ Parker, are ‘exploring’ with fairy royalty. The same Jesse who once dated a guy for three months because you were too awkward to tell him you weren’t actually interested.”
“That was different. I was younger.”
“That was last year!”
I sighed, sitting up properly. “Look, I know my track record isn’t great—”
“Understatement of the century.”
“—but this feels different. He’s… there’s something special happening.”
Maya’s expression softened slightly. “Special enough that you’re finally going to get your own place?”
“Working on it,” I promised. “The café pays well, especially with tips. I’ve been saving.”
She eyed me for a moment, then sighed. “I’m going away this weekend to visit Mom. You’ll have the place to yourself. Try not to burn it down or summon any fairy armies while I’m gone.”
An idea sparked. “Actually, that’s perfect. I’ve been wanting to introduce Thalen to movies. He’s never seen one.”
“Never seen a movie? What rock has he been living under?”
“More like what magical realm,” I muttered. “Their technology is… different.”
Maya shook her head in disbelief. “Just promise me you’re being careful. And I don’t just mean sexually. These fairy—sorry, fae—they play by different rules.”
“I know. Trust me, I’m learning the rules as I go.”
