Page 25 of Protected By the Elf Prince

I’d never looked at another man and thought about kissing him.

Never wondered what it would feel like.

Never wanted to touch a guy just because he smiled at me.

Yet somehow, Dashiel had walked into my life and flipped my brain sideways in under a week.

That couldn’t be normal.

Then again, neither was Fate apparently.

I let out a long breath and glanced toward the clock beside my bed. It was five thirty in the morning.

Fantastic.

At this point, I may as well get up. Throwing the blankets back, I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the shower.

The hot water helped a little. At least it gave me something else to focus on besides the fact that an elf apparently liked me enough to commit arson.

Honestly, the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous that sounded.

I huffed out a laugh under the spray. “Great, I’m laughing now,” I muttered to myself. “That’s probably a bad sign.”

I finished showering and got dressed before making my way into the kitchen.

The house was quiet.

Monkey had only stayed that first night and went back to the compound the next day. Though he dropped by briefly a couple of days ago to check on me, and that was on top of the daily texts I received to make sure I wasn’t on the verge of a breakdown.

Which was fair, but still a little rude. My son should know I wouldn’t break that easily.

At least, I didn’t think I would.

I started the coffee machine and leaned against the counter while it brewed.

And, like an idiot, I smiled at the thought of Dashiel and how he tried putting up with the taste for my sake. But my mind didn’t stop there. I remembered the way he’d looked sitting beside me in the bar, entirely composed while casually admitting he was over two hundred years old.

And his confusion over Batman.

And the way he’d sounded genuinely relieved when I agreed to talk to him.

My smile faded slowly as I stared at the kitchen floor.

“This is bad.”

Except… it didn’t feel bad.

Confusing? Absolutely.

Terrifying? A little.

But not bad.

That was the issue.

I poured myself a coffee and took a sip just as warmth bloomed faintly beneath the tattoo hidden under my sleeve.

I froze.