I grab Eddie from Celia’s arms and stare her down. “I’m sorry she gave you a granny name, little one,” I say with a laugh.

“Ha! This coming from the man who named his dog Mr. Biscuit.” Celia wraps her arms around my waist and places her head on my chest, putting her at eye level with Eddie. “She’s an old soul; I can’t help that, can I?”

My arm instinctively falls to her waist, and I watch as she tips her nose to Eddie with a smile. Eddie inches forward and taps her wet nose to Celia’s, making her giggle.

“Nah, I guess you can’t,” I whisper, squeezing her closer.

As I look down at her and take in all that is Celia—my stunning, magical fairy—I vow then and there to take off the kid gloves. Today is a wake up call. There may not have been some douchebag sniffing around what’s mine today, but it can happen if I don’t man the fuck up.

Game on.

“Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran

Present Day

“HEY CELIA, CAN you grab me a Band-Aid? I sliced my wrist on a broken piece of tile,” I call out as I walk through her front door with my arm wrapped in a shop towel.

I look up just in time to catch a glimpse of a guilty Celia jamming something between the cushions of her couch. Her eyes meet mine with irritation, and she huffs as she crosses her arms. I can’t help but notice the pretty flush on her cheeks.

“Cain! What the hell happened to knocking?”

“Jesus, are you serious? I told you I was heading over here when I left the hardware store. You said you were fine with it.”

“Ugh, whatever,” she says with an eye roll.

She stands up and glares at me before stomping away, her skirt swinging around her legs. I crook my head down the hall, looking for the skirt to swing just right and give me a panty shot … hopefully a thong. What can I say? I’m a man. I make no apologies for my hedonism.

As soon as she’s out of sight, I toss the shop towel over my shoulder and dive for the sofa. I reach deep into the cushions, my tiny cut forgotten. Eh, it’s not that bad anyway. My hands wrap around the object in question, and I rip it out, anxious to solve the mystery. It’s a … book. Yep, it’s definitely a book. This particular book has a man with his frilly lace shirt ripped open to display a set of greased up abs on the cover. I also see a bookmark sticking out at about the halfway point.

Oh, hell yes.

I flip open to the marked page and start reading, my smile getting wider and more mischievous the further I read. So, the fairy likes it dirty.

I hear her fumbling around in the bathroom, and then the distinct sound of a cabinet closing. She’ll be rounding the corner any second now, so I hitch my ankle on top of my knee, relax back into the couch, and start reading.

“He rips open her blouse, buttons flying, scattering across the floor, to reveal her full, rounded breasts and taut nipples. His hands instinctively reach for her nipples, pinching and pulling while she groans with desire.

‘Is that pussy wet for me? Are you ready for my cock?’ Duke Wellington asks gruffly as he grinds into her petticoats.

He quickly tears away the blouse and skirts, leaving her naked before him. She pants softly as he peruses her body. She doesn’t make a sound as his boots kick her legs open, and he lowers his face to hers.

‘Answer me, maiden. Are you ready for me?’ he growls as he slaps her sex with a stinging pop.

She cries out, half-yelp, half-moan. ‘Yes, Duke, I’m ready for your cock.’”

Celia rips the book from my hands and shelters it in her chest behind crossed arms. “Ha ha! You think you’re so funny. I especially like your squeaky rendition of the maiden,” she says, managing to look embarrassed and pissed all at once.

“Ah, you liked that, did you? I tried my best to do that fine piece of literature justice.” I cross my arms and grin smugly.

“It is, in fact, a fine piece of literature,” she says as she pulls the book from her chest and checks out the cover. “The Affairs of the Duke of Hamptonshire is very thought-provoking.”

“Oh, I’m sure it provokes something,” I say with a chuckle as I grab the book from her hands and flip to the back cover. “’Join the Duke as he ravages innocent maidens throughout London.’ I have to say—I think it’s fan-fucking-tastic that you read books like this. You just surprised me, that’s all.”

Celia releases a huge, pent-up sigh and falls next to me on the couch. She shrugs and twists her hands in her lap. “Marlo got it for me. She prefers the rock star romance books, but she thought I may appreciate something a little more … old fashioned.”

“Like English royalty?”

“Well, yeah,” she whispers, her lips turning to a slight frown and the blush from her cheeks creeping across her face and down her neck. “Since I don’t date, I don’t … well, you know … so she thought this would be a good way to release some tension.”

I resist the smile tugging on my lips because I don’t want her to think I’m making fun of her, but damn if she isn’t the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.

“It seems to me this book would only serve to build up more tension, but what do I know?” I keep my voice in the most serious tone I can muster.

“She’s ordering me something for that, too,” she says before slamming her hand over her mouth, completely shocked by what she just revealed.

“Oh no you don’t,” I order, pulling her hand from her mouth. “You can’t drop a bomb and clam up on me. Celia Lemaire are you getting a—”

She turns her head, closes her eyes, and scrunches her face. The thought of Celia lying in her bed, reading a smutty book, with a battery-operated device has my dick at attention and blood coursing through my veins at high speed. I want to throw my hands up in the air, hollering, “I volunteer as tribute!” This little project has my name written all over it, but she just doesn’t know it yet.

“Uh uh,” I say as I tug her chin up and make her meet my eyes. I continue my questioning with a scandalous whisper. “Are you getting a … vibrator?”

“Ugh! If there is a God, will He please swallow me up into the ground to avoid this embarrassment? I think I’m going to die,” she cries as she covers her face with both hands and nosedives into my lap.

Watch your aim, little fairy, or you’re about to get WAY more than you bargained for!

I stealthily shift my position to keep her from bumping my boner. It’s been only a day since my vow to man up and make my move. But I don’t think this situation could be any more perfect. Celia, head in my lap, already primed with a lady boner thanks to Duke Hamptonshire?

Thank you, universe. I owe you for this one.

“Tink, I promise, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. The thought of you with a sexy book and a vibrator is enough ammunition to fuel my private time for the next few months. That image will be in the top file of my spank bank, for sure,” I say with a chuckle.

She shoots up from my lap, giggling and slapping my shoulder playfully. “Cain, what a thing to say!”

She stands up beside me and tugs her tiny, button-down shirt into place. I can feel my window of opportunity closing. The breeze is fading away, and the latch is about to swing shut. It’s now or never.

Fuck it.

I throw out all pretenses and give her ass a quick slap, and she squeals at the contact. I reach across and grab her by the hip, pulling her into my lap. She gasps in surprise, but doesn’t pull away. I run the tip of my nose along the slim line of her neck, stopping right below her ear.