Page 66 of Perfectly Charmed Pixie

Parsnip stretched, arms high above his head.

“Clothes on or off?” I asked. When Parsnip quizzically eyed me, I held my hands up. “Just to sleep, that’s all.”

In answer, Parsnip started stripping. Some thought pixies didn’t wear underwear. I couldn’t speak to all pixies, but Parsnip had on a pair of dark, aqua-colored silk panties. They were loose and barely qualified as underwear, but Parsnip didn’t seem shy. Given his perfectly toned body, there was no reason he should be.

Slipping under the covers, Parsnip lay on his side, head on a pillow and hair fanned out all around. “You’re coming to bed too, aren’t you?” It was more of a plea than a question.

I still had work to do. My charms wouldn’t magically make themselves, and rent was still due at the end of the month. I should have begged off and gone back downstairs. I didn’t. Instead, I pulled my shirt off, stripped off my soiled pants, and left my black boxer briefs on. My dick was still half hard and would remind me all night long that it deserved some attention. My situation didn’t go unnoticed.

Parsnip’s light, aqua eyes blinked up at me. “Do you want me to—”

“No. Not tonight,” I answered, slipping under the covers beside him.

“You don’t want me to touch you?” Parsnip asked, voice wounded.

“I’d love for you to touch me,” I easily answered, pulling Parsnip into my arms and settling him across my chest. His wings stretched out, covering us both. “But that can wait until next time.”

“Next time?” Parsnip leaned up on an elbow so he could stare down at me. “That’s very confident of you.”

“What can I say? I’m a confident warlock.”

Parsnip’s lips twitched, fighting between irritation and amusement. Lucky for me, amusement won out. “And a very humble one too.”

“Humble has nothing to do with it. I just know what I want and don’t plan on letting it get away.”

With a roll of his eyes and a grin lighting his face, Parsnip flopped back down on me, wrapping his arms around my body while resting his cheek on my chest. My body eased, and the magic constantly surrounding me fell into perfect sync, humming with contentment. My eyelids grew heavy. I wanted to stay awake, to stay in that moment forever. But time always had other ideas and marched ahead despite my wishes. Dawn would come, just as it always did.

My only consolation was that night would follow, and hopefully, I’d find myself in a similar situation, with my one and only tucked in my bed, safe within my arms.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Parsnip

“Lucroy loves the plans,” Peaches pronounced as soon as I opened the car door. Divia was still out of town, leaving me alone with Mike. We’d gotten some good footage. My time in Rutherford Haven was running out. I’d need to come back—to film some shots mid-renovation and then at the end. But soon, I’d be pulled to another project, bouncing back and forth for this season’s round of shows.

“I’m glad,” I honestly answered, opening my arms just in time for Peaches to fly in and give me a hug. Most pixies were touchy-feely, but Peaches seemed to thrive on hugs. I didn’t mind. In fact, it was kind of nice.

Grabbing hold of my wrist, Peaches dragged me to his cottage. “You have to see. They’ve made so much progress. It’s amazing.” Peaches sounded awestruck.

“I think your quick excavation helped a lot.”

“Nonsense.” Peaches waved me off. “That was nothing, and honestly, the trees were happy to help. They know how much I love Lucroy, how much I want him here with me. They want to keep him safe as much as I do.”

I swallowed my doubt. I’d been around King Moony more than once, and those instances had only solidified my opinion that the underground dwelling wasn’t strictly necessary. Whether it was or not wasn’t my business. I wasn’t a nosey pixie. A lot of social pixies were, but that wasn’t me. I respected privacy. I wasn’t sure if I would have felt the same way if my past were different. In the end, it was pointless to speculate. My past was what it was, and it shaped my present. There was no getting around it.

Sprites lit up the sky here and there. They weren’t congregated, but instead, they seemed spread out, zipping here and there through the trees.

Peaches took to the air, and since he still held my wrist, I did too. “They’ve got all the walls up and the ceiling too. I spoke with the foreman, and he told me that in a couple of days, I can cover the new construction with dirt. With a little encouragement, the foliage will grow over the top in no time. Give it a year or two, and you won’t be able to tell anything was done,” Peaches proclaimed with pride.

“I’ve no doubt.”

My aqua dust mingled with Peaches’s golden hues, mixing together. A handful of sprites flew closer, and two of them broke off, diving for the dust. I tried to pull away, but it was too little, too late.

Peaches kept chattering, oblivious to my horror. I snapped my wings closed, falling to the ground. My shoulder wrenched, Peaches’s grip still firm on my wrist. My fall pulled him down too, but not all the way to the ground.

“Parsnip, what’s wrong?” Peaches asked, landing beside me, his wings still furiously beating.

My quick actions weren’t enough. My dust lingered long enough for one of the sprites to snap it up.

---