Page 81 of Enchanting the Elf
Adelbert runs a finger over the patch I just kissed. “The texture feels smoother than I thought it would, similar to my horns. But it’s as if it’s more sensitive to touch than my elf skin.”
I repeat the process on the other three spots I find scattered across his torso.
“I think this new look makes you even more attractive,” I say honestly as I lower his sweater again and boop his nose.
Adelbert exhales sharply and as the stress visibly leaves his body. A soft, slow smile tugs on his mouth, and he sits up. His fingers tunnel into my hair and he looks me in the eye with so much affection that my heart will be full for days to come.
“I love you, Florence. Thank you for being here with me. For seeing things I wasn’t ready to see, for speaking them. I am ashamed to admit that I might have underestimated you in the beginning. Never again.”
“I love you too, Adelbert. Just because I’m more reserved to speak my mind, doesn’t mean I don’t have a mind to speak. I’ll give you a reality check whenever you need one,” I joke but also really mean if I’m spending the rest of my life with this male. “Now, are you ready to talk about the horns?”
Adelbert raises a hand to his temple and glides a finger along the curves of the horn.
“Can you tell me what they look like?”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll sketch them for you,” I say brightly and reach for my supplies.
Adelbert rotates his neck, getting used to the weight of his horns, while keeping his eyes on me as I stretch a new piece of fabric over a hoop and tighten it.
“Thank you. I should’ve brought my phone but I’ve gotten into the habit of forgetting it lately,” Adelbert says as he presses his fingers against the tips, testing how sharp the ends are.
With my erasable pen, I sketch out Adelbert’s face and attempt to draw his stunning horns. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
Forearms propped on his bent knees, Adelbert looks out across the meadow. “I think it might be. I used to be anxious about not being able to be reached. What if a friend needed me? Or if my father had to contact me?”
Adelbert trails off in thought and my heart pangs at how he’s always putting others first, even in his small actions like keeping his phone on him at all times.
Gaze shifting to me, Adelbert says, “When I’m with you, it feels like other things don’t matter as much. The cloud of worries and stress that’s always present just kind of dissipates. It’s like you’re a ray of sunshine piercing through it all. Just like now. For a second, I was ready to rush to the Alberad library or scour the books I have at home, but then you, my mate, were simply here for me, and your sweet, calm demeanor brought me back and kept me from spinning out completely.”
Goose bumps race across my skin at Adelbert’s unguarded honesty. I appreciate how hard he is working at communicating with me, ensuring there aren’t any more misunderstandings and that I know how much he values me.
I pause my pen and blink the moisture in my eyes away.
“I’ll always be here for you, just like you are for me. And I do love me some cloudy weather,” I add and wiggle my eyebrows, then finish the last couple of lines of the quick sketch.
“Only you could crack a joke and make it sound endearing,” Adelbert says fondly with his mouth curving into a grin.
I hold the hoop to my chest and take a fortifying breath.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. No. Maybe?”
Adelbert worries his bottom lip and the need to comfort him propels me forward. I put the embroidery face down on the blanket and I crawl over his legs, straddle his lap, and place my hands on his shoulders to look him straight in the eye.
“Baby, these horns are so sexy, it makes me want to sit on your face and use them as handles so I can ride your mouth,” I say bluntly, feeling like a boss for speaking my mind so succinctly. My nipples pebble and my pussy grows slick as the image roots itself into my brain.
Adelbert’s pupils dilate and his face morphs into something between amusement and desire.
“Oh, really? I think you might have to test them out, then,” he says with a feline smile that sends a shiver down my spine.
Note to self—use sex to distract him from anxious thoughts.
“You’ll have to see them first,” I counter carefully, pausing my lusty thoughts and shoving all my love and support toward him.
Adelbert gives me a singular, definitive nod and I reach behind me for the sketch.
“I’m ready.”
