Page 3 of The Pushy Pixies Are Going Down
“Paul Ferguson is supposed to come in for an interview tomorrow afternoon. I don’t have enough on him to arrest him yet, but I’m working on it. Maybe you could come down and help me interview him—”
“I don’t do that anymore, either.” Miles was still looking at the envelope, but his jaw was tense. Actually, his entire body was tense. He looked like he was holding a live grenade.
“I could use someone with your skills to—”
“Higgins.” Miles cut him off with only his name, sounding firm and upset.
The guy closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded at the envelope. “Let me know if you change your mind, and give me a call after you go through everything.” He stepped toward the door.
Miles closed the envelope and held it up. “Come pick this up before your interview tomorrow, and I’ll talk to you then.”
Higgins gave him a real smile that met his eyes and made him look even more handsome than he already did with his red hair, green eyes, and freckles across his nose and cheeks. Despite his big and bulky six-three frame, his face was almost boyish. Cute.
He gave a small wave, saying, “Thank you, Miles,” and walked out the door, shutting it behind him, clearly knowing it was better to leave on a high note rather than push for more.
Miles was silent for a solid minute, staring at the door, before he let out a shuddering breath, almost crumbling before my eyes.
Without a word, I pulled him into my arms.
He came with ease, and Sola leapt from his shoulder, and the fact that she trusted me to comfort him made me smile at the firebird as she landed on the back of the couch, staring at us. When the envelope got squished between us, I eased it out of Miles’s hands and threw it onto the small table near the door since it was the closest thing around. Then I concentrated on giving him the biggest bear hug ever.
I wrapped my bigger body around him, cradling him in my arms, rubbing his back, and running my fingers through his hair.I wanted him to feel cared for, comforted, and I wanted him to feel how much affection I already held for the man.
He trembled in my arms for a few minutes, then stuffed his face against the side of my neck and wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me tightly to him.
“I’ve got you, sugar butt.”
He snorted at that and gave me a squeeze. “Thanks, White Knight.”
I smiled against his hair, then pressed a kiss there, still rubbing his back with one hand as I cradled the back of his head, and the other, lightly massaging his scalp.
We stayed that way for a long time.
It was the comfort both of us needed in that moment, and the longer we hugged one another, the calmer I became.
When Miles finally pulled away, he wouldn’t meet my eyes, and his cheeks suddenly flamed before he even uttered a word.
Since he was being adorable, I kissed his forehead. How could I resist?
He took a breath, glanced at my eyes and away again, then quietly asked, “Do… do you want to stay tonight? I know we both have work in the morning, but I thought that maybe we could just…”
I knew without asking what the end of that sentence was.Cuddle in bed.I had no idea how or why I knew that, but I did. Maybe it was just a feeling.
Gently, I nudged his chin up with my knuckle and offered him a small smile. “I would love to stay tonight.” I leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips.
He shuddered against me, a breath of relief against my lips.
“I know you have questions, but I don’t… I’m not…” He sighed and leaned his forehead against my chest, mumbling the rest of his sentence. “I don’t know if I can get into it tonight. It’s been…this weekend was… a lot. And I feel like a dirty cloth that’s been wrung out and hung up to dry.”
I… understood that feeling well, unfortunately.
And it was true, this weekend really had been a lot. I knew all the emotions he’d been dealing with had been overwhelming, not to mention his own fear of gnomes and everything else we’d discovered.
I rubbed his arms. “We don’t have to talk about it tonight.”
He looked up at me. “You sure? You’re not… you’re not mad at me?” His brow furrowed. “I don’t think I’ve ever had to ask anyone that question before.”
I snorted since that was probably true. Being a null meant he couldn’t read my emotions the way he did everyone else. I was sure that was a new sensation for him. No wonder he was nervous; he didn’t know how to navigate this. “I’m not mad. Confused and maybe a little… hurt that you didn’t tell me, but we only just started dating. I can’t expect to know everything about you or your past yet.”
