Page 12 of The Fae Menagerie
"She only knocked because she wanted us to kiss."
More sputtering from Parker. "Gross!"
I laughed. "What, now you don't even like kissing?"
"Never did! Sharing saliva with someone has never appealed to me. It's slimy!"
I'd never found kissing to be slimy, but I spent little time kissing humans. "I happen to like kissing." I glanced at his crotch. "Everywhere."
His blush was so pretty. I crossed my legs to hide my reaction. Hey, this garment hid nothing, and my mom was still out there, watching us like a wasp. I hoped she would eventually take a hint and leave. As cute as Parker was, human hell would freeze over before I had my way with him.
I pulled out my book, and he did the same. We sat shoulder to shoulder, our books in our faces, until Parker shifted and leaned his back against me. He draped his legs over the arm of the couch and stretched. That was more movement than I could accomplish once I'd sat for the viewing.
I couldn't hear my mother's cheers through the spelled walls and ceiling but watching her hurt my heart. She was so happy I finally had found a way to break her curse. Unfortunately, the fae luck coin was as likely to bring bad luck as good. So far, Parker had been bad luck.
He also snored when he fell asleep with the romance novel propped on his forehead. When the bell sounded again, he sat up so fast the book went flying across the room, hitting the wall. The collection of cuddlebug children with Calista thought he was adorable, or so they said as they chatted back and forth in their sign language.
I'd learned the language of the cuddlebugs out of necessity. Horace, my neighbor, had wanted so badly to have someone to talk to in the evenings. We chatted through our kitchen windows while our dinners made themselves. Horace didn't have the toolsto teach me, so Calista had brought flashcards, books, and games to the outside window every day for years. She would make an excellent teacher one day, if there were other fae princes who needed to learn cuddlebug sign language.
She waved goodbye to us and to my mom. Then, she and her friends skittered away on all six limbs.
"Shouldn't they be in school?" Parker asked.
Technically, they were stuck in a dream in the fae realm, but it would take too much time to explain to Parker. "They go to school at night," I offered. My conscience decided my words were close enough to the truth.
The Unseelie Court was strongest at night. Humans called them nightmares when they appeared in the human realm. To me, they were misunderstood creatures until their prince landed me in the menagerie, the possessive jerk.
Okay, so some of that might have been my fault. All of it, actually. Mom was right. I had seduced him with no intention of courting him, let alone marrying him.
I liked to think I'd learned my lesson, though. Parker had been in my enclosure for close to eighteen hours now, and I hadn't tried to seduce him once.
A week passed,and I still didn't know how to make Parker fall in love with me. He hadn't expressed the least interest, and there was no sign his desires would change.
It wasn't because I was male. He'd dated Bret, after all. He also said he thought my fae appearance was striking. Unless that meant something different from when I'd last visited the human realm, it wasn't that, either.
I didn't know how to seduce someone who didn't want to be seduced. I was used to the objects of my desire falling at my feet before I'd even thought to beckon them. This was unpleasant, at best, and a death sentence for both of us at worst.
The gorgeous nonbinary fae who cleaned my enclosure once a week showed up with a fresh garment for me and a beautiful new suit for Parker. I almost asked how he rated, but the look on his face when he saw the suit, black with gray pinstripes, was well worth my frustration with my garment. He practically beamed.
"May I try it on?"
"Only after you bathe." They sniffed at him before glaring at me. "Did you not show him the facilities?"
Parker knew where my bathroom was. I assumed he showered before he went to bed each night.
"I didn't know you had a shower," he admitted.
The overwhelming need to take care of Parker washed over me again, and I led him to the ensuite, shoving the shower curtains open, and setting the water to a warm temperature that wouldn't scald his sensitive skin. I pointed to my elaborate array of soaps, shampoos, and conditioners, and then shook my head. "Half of these will burn your skin off."
I left him with the bar of soap and two tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner I'd taken as trophies after a rambunctious night in a human hotel suite.
Only then could I relinquish control to Parker, giving him privacy to strip down and step under the giant spout meant to mimic rain.
"Wow, that was amazing," Parker said when he came out of my bedroom groomed and fully clothed. His hair was still wet, and the suit he wore clung to him in all the right places. He looked and smelled like a fresh spring day. I wanted to undress him with my mouth.
I had to stop thinking about him like that. Parker wasn't attracted to me. I wished I could just flip a switch and declare myself not attracted to him, either.
Too late for that now. My cock had already perked up. It was my turn to take a shower, so I excused myself from Parker and fled into the bathroom.
