Page 93 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“Tomorrow night?” I asked.
He took the old cell phone Donnie had given him and read a message he received.
“About five tomorrow,” he said, tucking his phone back in his pocket. “Everyone in the region’s supposed to come. Maybe. Hopefully?”
That didn’t give him a whole lot of time to get everything ready. But he looked so happy, so eager. I wanted his barbecue to turn out well. For the people of his region to show up and not be assholes.
I wouldn’t blame them if they were still wary of him, but not assholes.
“How can I help?” I asked.
“I was kinda hoping you’d know how to help.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “My parents have thrown parties but usually the staff do the hard work. Our main duty was simply to show up.”
“Life of a royal, amiright?” I teased. “Tell me more about this party.”
“I got some of the other region leaders to trade things with us,” he said. “We’re getting fresh burger buns”—he scrunched up his nose like he wasn’t sure what that was—“cooking oil to fry potatoes, and...are you ready for this, Teddy?” His brows danced.
I was completely entranced by the purity of Elias’s joy.
“What?” I shot my own brows up in eager anticipation.
“More coffee so we can open the coffee shop back up if we find someone willing to run it.”
“Ry’ll do it,” I offered without bothering to ask my friend. It wasn’t like she had anything else to do since wedding planning was no longer as big of a priority. Maybe someday, with fae like Elias and people like my friends, a more normal way of life would return. In so many ways, it already felt like it had.
“Oh, and two coffee plants already producing coffee cherries.”
Without thinking, I threw myself into his arms. With a laugh, he cupped my ass and brought me closer to him.
“You.” I kissed his cheek, that quickly pinkened. Enjoying his slight embarrassment, I squished his cheeks together. “You are too, too good for this world, Elias.”
He bowed his head down and reworked his long hair to put it back in the tidy bun he sometimes kept it in. The urge to take it out of its bun, to run my hands through his hair, burned through me. I wanted, no needed to touch him. His hair, fingers, face. Whatever I could get my hands on. Because this man was damn near perfect. And what was more, he reacted to me on an almost primal level. To my touch and sometimes simply to my closeness.
It made me feel powerful and sensual.
“The farmer in charge of the coffee plants is coming with the fae I’m trading with to show us how to keep your plants healthy.” His voice was husky, his eyes darker although not quite black.
“Why do your eyes darken like that?” I asked, caressing his cheek.
His fangs lengthened enough to push through his slightly parted lips. “Right now?”
I made a sound in the back of my throat.
“Because I like you.” He ran a hand through his hair again, pulling strands out of the bun. “I like it when you touch me and tease me.” He shrugged. “I just like you, Teddy.”
His fingers grazed across my cheek to my jaw. I wrapped my hand around his wrist and brought his hand to my lips. I took his hand in mine, ran a finger over his arm to his shoulder and neck, where his pulse quickened. I leaned into him to brush my nose over his throat. With a shuddering breath, his hands circled my waist and pulled me to his lap, where I straddled him and felt just how not tiny his cock was.
“Would you like it if I kissed you here?” I whispered.
Instead of kissing him, I flicked my tongue over his warm skin. Moaning, he angled his head to the side to give me betteraccess to the side of his neck. I pressed open-mouthed kisses over his neck to his Adam’s apple that bobbed at the pressure, up to the stubble on his jaw.
“Teddy.” It came out breathy and needy.
Beneath me, his length twitched. I pushed down to feel the pressure between my legs. I hissed in a breath and rubbed myself against him while I trailed kisses over his jaw.
Tipping his head down, he captured my lips. His growl made me smile, as did the way he sucked my bottom lip.
He deepened the kiss, and with one hand, I tangled my fingers through his hair, pulling it out of its bun while I wrapped the other around the back of his neck to bring him impossibly closer to me.
