Faery Godlover: BBW Paranormal Romance (8 page)

Duada’s smile split into a grin as he saw a certain glint in Jasmine’s eye as he stepped up to her. She looked at him with desire, that much was certain. But the next moment, she forced reluctance to her eyes, turning and wringing her hands a moment.

“Well…” she said, contemplating

“Well, indeed,” he said, turning her around and taking her chin in his thumb and forefinger. “I will be here at seven tomorrow. Good night, Jasmine.”

Before she could react, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek, and he felt warmth in his chest when he saw those cheeks flush with color as he stepped back.

And that was how he left her, standing there with a beet-red face as he strode out the door and back out into the streets with a lion’s pride in his chest.

“You can do this. You can do this. You know him, Jasmine,” she told herself as she paced back and forth in her apartment. It was just a few minutes until ‘show time,’ and he seemed like the kind of guy who would be terrifyingly punctual.

She was wearing a white blouse with a gray skirt and black leggings, and she had a scarf in her hands that was more for decoration than warmth, but at this rate, she would have it stretched out from her nervous fingers before Duada even got here.

Try as she might to calm her nerves, there were butterflies in her stomach. She didn’t want to admit it, but... she was anxious about this. Anxious in a good way. Right? She paused to check herself out in the mirror, turning around a little bit before making sure her lipstick wasn’t smudged from her constantly biting at the inside of it.

“He’s normal. Okay, no, he’s not, he’s a faery. But he’s... nice? He doesn’t have a scary-huge cock,” she said, trying to justify this insane date, then furrowing her brow and frowning. “...at least, I don’t think he does?”

She moved over to her couch and slumped down on it, letting out a sigh. This was nuts. She was nuts.
He
was nuts, especially. What the hell was he thinking, setting her up with a bunch of guys just to ask her out? What was his game? Was he planning this all along? He said he hadn’t, that all this outpouring of emotions for her was new, but…

It just felt so strange. And yet was the feeling unwelcome? Smiling a little, Jasmine realized she couldn’t entirely tell herself ‘no.’ Any way she thought of him, whether as a trickster or as a vaguely annoying friend or as some kind of whimsical mentor, Duada was attractive. Very attractive.

A pang of nervousness hit her again. But what if this
was
all some kind of faery trick? What if he was just tugging her along, and this was some cruel joke? Fae were known for flighty, mercurial spats of emotion, what if she’d offended him somehow and this was his way of getting back at her?

She clutched her head. This was a mistake. She had to cancel. No way would she let herself be taken by him and play right into his game. She stood up, picking up her phone to call him and make up something about having a cold or—

The door swept open, and Jasmine’s breath was taken away by what she saw in the doorway.

Duada wore a gray shirt that shone almost silver, with gold embroidery along the sides that made him look like some kind of statue welded for royal courts. The cut of his dark pants accentuated the muscular lines of his ass and thighs, leading down to polished boots that stood in a striking stance.

But what really captivated her was his face. Jasmine had admired his face from the moment she laid eyes on him, she couldn’t lie to herself. But there was always something so ethereal about the way he looked—something alien. Now, it was as if she were looking at something far more... real. The ethereal beauty was still there, but it was as if she were looking at it from a new angle, she realized, like there was a kind of lighting to his face that she hadn’t noticed before. Had she been looking at his magical glamour before now? Was
this
what he truly looked like, those piercing amethyst eyes seeming to penetrate her without effort?

“Jasmine,” he breathed, his voice low and enticing, still holding onto that energetic lilt that made him so familiar despite their only having known each other a few days. “You look ravishing.”

“I... hi,” she managed, blinking at his whole appearance.

That made him laugh, and he grinned, stepping forward and taking her hand.

“Shall we go then? He took her hand with a theatrical flourish.

“Uh… Nice to see you? You look nice? Thanks for coming out?”

“You as well, yes, and you’re welcome,” he said as he hurried her down the steps, and she gave him a flat look as he glanced over his shoulder with a boyish grin. “Oh, forgive me, are those kinds of pleasantries a human thing?”

“You’re the actual worst.”

He simply laughed. “And yet you’re agreeing to our little date.”

“Please. You’re practically abducting me.”

“Come now, how do you know you won’t enjoy this little abduction?”

She blushed. They went outside. She followed him down the sidewalk with a smirk, off to whatever the faery had in mind for the night, wondering if it was worth the time to ask where that was, exactly.

* * *

“Closed?” Duada pronounced the word on the sign that hung over the entrance to the city botanical garden. “Why... I don’t understand, what does this mean?”

Jasmine pursed her lips, savoring Duada’s genuine confusion for a moment. “It means it’s closed. It’s kind of late for gardens, they close pretty early as it is.” She kicked the ground a bit. “I uh, appreciate the thought, though!”

“What!” the prince exclaimed, looking plaintive at the news. “Why? Do the plants need rest after a long day’s work? No, no, this won’t do,” he said, shaking his head and stepping up to the gate.

“What are you,” Jasmine started, but her eyes widened as he waved a hand and there was a light click at the door as it sprang open. “Duada! You can’t do that!”

He looked over his shoulder with a bemused expression. “Clearly, I can. Garden security is miserable, we could make off with all these flowers, if we so wished.” He winked before disappearing behind the gate, and Jasmine hurried after him with a huff.

“Okay, so I’ll admit,” she said as the gravel crunched beneath their feet while they walked through the garden, the moonlight casting a silvery glow over the trees, bushes, and ferns that grew in the carefully manicured conservatory, “I had a few ideas in mind for what a date with a faery prince might be like, but breaking into a garden like a couple of teenagers wasn’t high on the list.”

“I’m full of surprises, Jasmine,” he said as he came to a stop in a central part of the garden. It was a rounded walking area with white stone benches situated around a large fountain that was still running, the sounds of water accentuating the foliage around them. “But that isn’t why I brought you here.”

She raised an eyebrow, following him to the edge of the fountain, where he crossed his arms and surveyed the area around him thoughtfully. “O...kay. So why the gardens, then?”

He gave her a smile with a glint in his eye that told her he was waiting for that question. “For a proper canvas.”

Duada’s flick of the wrist seemed almost imperceptible, but what took place around Jasmine was like descending into a vivid dream. All around her, as if her earthly vision were peeling away, the dark greens and browns of the earthy city gardens seemed to melt away into an explosion of color. To her vision, the sky above them was a dark violet, stars twinkling lazily around nebulas. The leaves of the trees turned bright silver, their berries shades of vivid magenta, fuchsia, and teal. The wood of their stems and trunks seemed to swirl into ancient whorls that bore the same kind of striking, ethereal beauty that Prince Duada exhibited, and as her eyes surveyed the whole scene around them, they fell on the prince himself, and his amethyst eyes shone like the stars behind them as the now marble fountain behind him spilled crystal-clear waters.

“What did you do?” Jasmine breathed, putting a hand to her chest, her heart fluttering. Despite all that was changing around her, Duada remained just as she’d seen him when he stepped into her door.

“It’s a glamour,” he said, looking at his handiwork. “I know your state is renowned for its gardens, but I wanted to show you what the gardens of the Summerland Court are like. What my home is like.” There was a touch of sincerity to his voice that Jasmine had thought Duada incapable of, and she blinked before finding her wits, giving a faint smile as she stepped forward.

“Glamour, huh?” she said. “I thought you said you wanted to give me something authentic.”

Duada smiled, and Jasmine cursed silently as she realized he’d been waiting for that question, too. He always seemed a step ahead like that. “What you see, Jasmine, is everything that
I
know to be real,” he explained. “The trees, the ever-twilight skies, the leaves, the fruits…” he slipped her hands into his, his piercing gaze growing somehow softer, “and me. Jasmine, I show you all this to ask you, frankly, no tricks and no strings attached—how would you like to be a part of all this?” He paused before proceeding. “To share in this with me?”

A rush of emotion surged within her as she looked up at him, her heart pounding as color rushed to her face, the soft skin of her hands being brushed by his, that charming face enticing her by its own natural magnetism. She started to open her mouth to respond, but Duada cut her off.

“Don’t answer yet.”

With that, the prince closed the distance between them and pressed his lips onto hers, and Jasmine let out a soft moan as she melted into the kiss. She parted her lips, allowing his tongue to delve into her mouth as she reveled in his airy yet masculine fragrance, the warmth of his body, the strength of his grip—she only just then realized he was holding her, and she let herself relax in his embrace. Having his arms around her was thrilling and even a little frightening, being surrounded and held submissive to such power. But at the same time, she knew she was safer in his arms than anywhere else in the world.

This was a prince. A faery prince. A being with the power to change the appearance of the things around him on a whim, a man with sway in a world so alien, yet so rich and vibrant. But it was so much more than that. There was no dishonesty in his touch, in the way he held her strongly yet lovingly. He
desired
her.

Jasmine pressed her hips against his and she felt his hard erection that sent a shiver up her back. He was clearly well endowed, but not like Hayden.  A curiosity blossomed in the back of her mind. She wondered why Hayden’s size had freaked her out in the first place. Had Duada somewhat cast glamour on Hayden at that time simply because he had a wicked sense of humor and wanted to see her date fail? Her train of thought was obliterated when Duada possessively wrapped his arms around her waist. Whatever he did, she couldn’t stay mad at him. If she was to be honest with her feelings, she liked this gorgeous bastard a little too much. Duada nuzzled her neck and she shivered in delight. A gasp curled out of her throat with sheer anticipation.

He was a prince, and he was going to claim her.

The realization sent ripples of heat that made her heady as she felt his hand move up to undo her blouse. It fell to the side. As he reached behind her to unhook her bra, she leaned in to whisper into his ear, “So after setting me up so much, how does it feel to get your hands on me yourself?”

The bra fell to the side, and Duada gripped her ample hips, his hungry eyes drinking her in, looking downright predatory. “Woman,” he hissed through his teeth, “you’re fanning a dangerous fire.”

Before she could respond, he descended on her breasts, his tongue brushing up against her quickly stiffening nipple, and she let out a gasp as he guided her to sit on the fountain’s edge. Heartbeats quickened. Lust surged at a fever pitch. It wasn’t long before he was working at her skirt, but Jasmine wasn’t going to let him get away with that without getting something for herself. She tore at the front of his shirt with her fingers. He moved his shoulders, letting the fabric slide away.

Every bit of him could be defined like a marble statue—flawless. Feeling greedy, she wasted no time in running her hands all over him, relishing in the feeling of those sculpted muscles under her fingers. She could feel the pure, supernatural strength rippling through every fiber of his being. She trembled ever so slightly, wondering just how much he was capable of. Just what he could do to her.

Her skirt came off as she kicked her shoes away, and her panties came next. Jasmine couldn’t remember the last time she gave herself up to anyone, to anything, so openly and willingly. After being alone for so long and keeping her emotional and physical needs under strict lock and key, it was fully liberating to finally just let go. Especially knowing that she had someone strong and capable enough to catch her when she did.

Duada kneeled down between her legs and breathed her in, his fingertips digging into the soft flesh of her thighs. Jasmine held her breath, watching him intently, waiting for him to make his next move. She was too afraid that this was a dream. That at any moment this magical, impossible scene would all disappear and she’d be left all alone again with nothing but a collection of bizarre, brightly tinted memories to sustain her.

But the prince didn’t disappear this time.

The fairy tale didn’t end.

She let out a sharp gasp as his tongue ran up her pussy, his warm breath spilling over her nether lips as he tasted her long and deep. His tongue moved all the way up to her clit, where it lingered for one more teasing moment before withdrawing.

“You taste even better than I ever imagined, Jasmine,” he said in a husky voice. “I could never get enough of you.”

She whimpered as the sinful sensation rippled up through her. “Duada…” she mumbled some unintelligible words as she threaded her fingers through his lush, silky hair. “Please… take me.”

He closed his eyes with a smile as though she’d just played a lovely note on the harp for him. “My dear,” he said, “do you know just how long I’ve waited to hear those words spill out of your lips?”