7. Lisette
Chapter 7
Lisette
W hatever the pumpkin headed creature was, he was right.
And I hated it.
Would my ex leave me alone after this? Did he think I was dead? Or in the hospital? I quickly stirred the pancakes, ignoring Nolan. I wasn’t even sure if I should parade Nolan around the magical community. If he wasn’t some weird-ass homunculus, then…he was still not legal. I wasn’t even sure if I could make it feel like he wasn’t pure wild magic. Maybe most people wouldn’t notice. I know that witches that grew up near mermaids and such would know. Dryads, mermaids, all those folk are magic. They were different from me. Maybe we can pretend he’s a satyr or something. I’d have to figure out some nature-like cover. That could work.
“Maybe you can try some pancakes?” I asked. I ignored his comments from the last few minutes. How could he be so clueless and protective? Was that a primal instinct of some kind?
“Anything for you,” he said as he stiffly sat in the chair. I smiled as I plated our pancakes and finished making the rest of the batch.
“There are plenty of pancakes if you want more. I’m not gonna force you.” Standing on my tiptoes, I reached into my cabinet to grab the syrup, and a flurry of a chair scraping the linoleum filled the air, and a hard body pressed against mine. He grabbed the syrup first. I twisted my body around. I looked up at his pumpkin head, and he looked down at me with a smirk on his face.
“Oh, thanks for the help.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
He pushed off the counter and returned to the table. On shaky legs, I slipped back into my chair. I wasn’t sure why my heart was thumping in my chest like this. Has it been that long since I felt the press of a man who wasn’t trying to kill me against my body?
He slowly cut a bite of pancakes and brought them to his mouth. He examined it with his eyes, tilting his head and moving the fork around.
“Just try it.”
He nodded and shoved the pancake in his mouth. After a few minutes, he slowly swallowed like it took all of his strength. “I am not fond of this.”
“Hmm. I guess you don’t get to enjoy anything edible. Sucks to be you.”
Nolan placed the fork down and frowned at his plate. “Maybe if I figure out how to shift into a human mouth.”
“Maybe you don’t need sustenance from food?”
His face shifted into agony. “But I would like to enjoy meals with you.”
I stopped and looked at him. “What?”
“I enjoy your company. Maybe I was brought alive to protect you.”
My eyes narrowed. “How?”
“I could hurt that human if he comes back.”
“He probably already thinks I am dead.”
“It’s a good thing you are not.”
I smiled at my plate. “Thanks to you.”
“I guess after this we will check out all the things you’ve done in my garden.”
“I’ve taken care of it. And might be better than what you did.”
I threw my paper towel at him, and he laughed. His laugh was deep and a curl of arousal unfolded inside me. “I did my best. Sorry, I’m not a damn plant.”
His grin became goofy as a vine wrapped around my ankles and tightened me to my chair. I gasped and looked at him. “That’s unfair!”
What was unfair was the arousal bloomed as they twined up my legs. “What is that smell?” he whispered.
My face heated. “It’s nothing. Just human things. Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Could you unwrap me, please?”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re lying though. I’m honestly not sure what some of these human things are like.”
“Like what?”
“My penis rose when I wrapped around you. There’s something interesting about seeing you helpless. And that smell? It’s intoxicating. Better than these pancakes.”
My mouth fell open. “Nolan, uh. Did you have an erection earlier?”
“And now.”