Page 41 of The Incubus's Angel
He doesn’t sound resentful but rather like he’s just relaying facts. “So basically I had this large extended family, lots of aunts and uncles, but what I really craved was a little bit of solitude and space. The moment I heard about Starry Hill and its small community and spaced-out cottages, I was looking for jobs that would allow me to work from there.”
That makes so much sense to me. If I had the opportunity to stay here, I totally would. I’d need to figure out how to make a living because I can’t stay at The Flowering Teapot forever, but having Starry Hill as my home would be a dream come true.
Ren takes a couple of bites and hums with approval before continuing, “I’ve not been on the island that long, but I can’t imagine going back to Hemlockton or even living in Cape Easton, never mind Sussdon. It might be more manageable now that I’m charged, but I don’t think I’ll be able to thrive in those environments.”
After I take my final bite, I put my knife and fork on my plate and study Ren. He looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him. No hoodie in sight, just a shirtless Ren enjoying his breakfast, his tail swishing happily behind him in a wide arc.
Ren notices my attention on him and raises a single brow at me. If I had put yesterday’s panties on, they’d probably combust from that single look.
I try to look unaffected and brush a couple of nonexistent crumbs off the T-shirt while I try to remember where my panties and dress are, hoping that I’m not going to leave some kind of wet spot on his kitchen chair.
“Your turn,” he says in that sexy tone that holds some kind of command over my body. “Where or how did you grow up?”
I inhale slowly then give him the short version. “I’m from up north—Gouldshire. My parents are still happily married, and my older brothers were fiercely protective of me growing up. I had friends and such, but no boys dared to date me. I kept telling myself it was because of my overprotective brothers, but when I moved to Cape Easton to find my own feet, I had similar experiences there. One guy told me I’m not a ‘dating type of girl.’ He said I’m a fun one-night stand,orI could be marriage material one day, but nothing in between he’d want to waste his youth or seed-sowing years on. Said he’d check back in with me at thirty, and if I was still ‘marriage material’ then he would think about settling down.”
Ren’s body ripples with tension, his tail thrashing back and forth with agitation. “He said what?”
I place my hand on his to soothe him.“It’s okay. I think he meant it as a compliment, weird as it sounds. But not going to lie, he did influence my mindset a little. I’ve had other partners since then, but nothing has ever resulted in anything long-term.” I’m not bitter about it, life is too short for that, but it does sting. “You know what’s funny, even though I’ve had… experiences, I’ve never been on an actual real date.”
“You haven’t?” he asks, sadness trickling into his tone.
Shaking my head, I give his hand a squeeze. “Nope. But I’ve learned to temper my expectations. No need to dwell on the negative.”
Ren twists our palms together and pushes his chair back. He rounds the table and pulls me out of my seat, taking my place and pulling me into his lap. My arm automaticallywraps around his neck and he meets my eyes with a fierce determination burning in his.
“Here’s what going to happen. I’m going to take you on a date. Next Tuesday.”
I wave him off. “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
Ren gently cups my face. His voice is tender and sweet as he says, “Maisie, I want to.”
“Yeah?” I can’t help the hopefulness creeping into my tone.
Affection’s written all over Ren’s face—his eyes, his soft smile, his voice. “I like you, Maisie Carmichael. I want to date you. Not just go on a date, but have many dates. For a very, very long time. If you’ll have me.”
My head’s already nodding but my brain’s still trying to catch up. “You like me? Like,like melike me?”
Swiping his thumb across my cheek, Ren chuckles bashfully. “Of course. I’ll need to do a better job of showing you if you haven’t picked up on it yet.”
Needing to reassure him that I’m very much on board with this feelings thing, I quickly blurt out, “I like you too. Kind of a lot.A lota lot, actually.”
Ren’s smile grows until it’s a ray of sunshine piercing straight into my heart. “I like you a lot too.A lota lot. And I want you to know I’m not going anywhere. So this coming week, while you focus on Doc Calla’s birthday cake, I’ll plan something for us.”
“You will?”Come on, Maisie. Just believe him when he says something. Ren isn’t one to fuck around with your feelings.
“Yes. This cake is important to you, so it’s important to me too. I want you to focus on that fully. I’ll wait for you, support you however I can, and plan the best first date you can wish for.”
Be still my heart. He’s really going to make me fall in love with him, isn’t he?
“Next Tuesday?” I ask.
“Next Tuesday,” Ren confirms. “Wear a dress.”
Chapter 18
Ren
Ikick away some fallen tangerines and lay down the picnic blanket I borrowed from Bodin and Tilly. I fuss with the corners, getting them all smoothed out before I take a step back and confirm that this is the exact spot Maisie had her blanket that first day I found her in my grove.
