Page 43 of The Incubus's Angel
Maisie takes my outstretched hand and I lead her to a spot next to the bouquet of daisies sticking out of the picnic basket. Her eyes round with wonder as she takes in the ridiculously large spread of food.
“Ren. This is amazing. How did you do all this? And this bread? We don’t sell this kind at The Flowering Teapot. Where did you get it?”
I scratch the back of my neck. “Uhm, Beck helped me with that.”
Maisie glides a hand across the blanket. “This is super pretty too.”
I clear my throat then decide to come clean about all the help I received over the last couple of days. “The blanket is borrowed from Bodin and Tilly. And the picnic basket is from Pierre. But the flowers are yours. So you can keep them in your room at Annamae and Richard’s house. It’s supposed to be there so you can think of me when you see them.” My speech slows and my voice trails off the longer I speak until I finally end on a hesitant whisper.
It’s Maisie’s choice if she wants to think of me, or even if she wants to take the flowers home. “I’m sorry,” I quickly amend. “This is my first date too and I don’t quite know what I’m doing.”
Maisie squeezes my hand. “This is absolutely lovely. Everything about it. Kind of sounds like some team effort went into planning it and I love that even more.”
“Yeah? It doesn’t put you off?”
Shaking her head, Maisie gives me a look filled with fondness. “The opposite. The fact that you asked for help to prepare such a special date… Ren, it means everything to me.”
My whole body sags as I release a giant breath of relief. “Thank fuck.”
“Tell me more about the bread and all the other details too. Is that marmalade?”
Maisie and I chat. We laugh. We eat. We share subtle touches and feed each other snacks.
And I think I’m falling in love.
I don’t know what love is supposed to feel like, but if it’s anything close to what I’m feeling now, then I know I’ll do anything in my power—and beyond—to keep it.
“How did your meeting with Doc Calla go?” I ask Maisie as I stare down at her head in my lap, my tail wrapped around her thigh, and one finger tracing the smattering of freckles scattered across her button nose.
“We decided on flavors and shape and size. Now I just want to make a couple of practice cakes that she can taste before the big day, and then I’ll start working on design elements. It does mean I’m going to be quite busy with everything leading up to the party and I might not be able to see you much,” she adds with a hint of apology in her tone.
I place a knuckle under her chin and tip her face up so she can see my earnestness. “That’s okay. This cake is a really big deal and I’m so happy for you. And I told you I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be busy with work myself since the game I’m coding has a deadline approaching soon.”
Maisie sits up suddenly and turns to me. “I think I should say I’m sorry for keeping you away, but that would be a lie. Today is absolutely perfect.”
I brush a curl off her forehead and fix her crown. “Not at all. And even if you were, each second spent with you is worth it.”
“Fuck, Ren. You’re making me all swoony here,” Maisie says with a hand clutching her chest.
“Is that a good thing?”
“Very. Tell me more about this game.” Maisie moves forward slowly and climbs into my lap, straddling my thighs as her hands toy with the hem of my shirt. I can sense she craves a more physical connection with me, but I appreciate that she’s trying to give me space at the same time.
Trying to show her I’m very much okay with her touching me like this, I dip my hands under the fabric of her skirt and lightly knead her thighs while I tell her more about my job.
“It’s my company’s most ambitious project to date. It’s being sold to a larger company up in Sussdon so it’s a little more pressure than normal. But thanks to a certain angel who’s recently come into my life, I’ve been feeling so good that I’ve not needed much sleep. I’m actually ahead of schedule as we speak.”
“It’s made that big of a difference?” she asks, rolling her hips against me.
My breath hitches and my fingers dig into her flesh. “Yeah. I’ve not needed more than four hours of sleep each night and I still feel good.”
Maisie scoots forward even further. Her eyes widen as she feels the evidence of my arousal pressing against her. “I’m envious of that. You know how much I need my sleep.”
“Oh, I know.” I try to wink but it feels so awkward that I cringe at myself.
Arms around my neck, Maisie’s expression shifts into a frown as she stares into my eyes. “Did you get contacts?”
“No,” I answer, grateful for the topic change. “Turns out another benefit to being healthy is that my vision is absolutely perfect now and I don’t need glasses anymore. Maybe if I’m not charged my eyes might revert again. I’ve not asked Tilly or Doc Calla about it, but I can assume as much.”
