Free Faery Godlover: BBW Paranormal Romance by Lizzie Lynn Lee

passed through the crowds, William introduced her to various friends and acquaintances; endlessly thoughtful and kind to everyone they spoke to. As the day wore on, they began talking about their dreams and aspirations, comparing personal anecdotes and philosophies. He bought them both ice cream cones from a vendor and they sat in the soft grass, listening to the music and enjoying each other’s company.
    William was perfect: tall, gorgeous, low-key, and great to hang out with. Jasmine hadn’t laughed this much in ages, and she began wondering what the catch was. And when he gave her a respectful, chaste kiss at the end of the night before dropping her off at her apartment, she realized what it was.
    There was no spark.
    Not a romantic one, anyway. She realized why it was so easy to hang out with him-- it was almost like spending time with Enzo, her best friend. William didn’t intimidate her because the only chemistry she felt with him was purely platonic. Despite his astonishing good looks and fantastic personality, she just couldn’t shake the feeling that they were meant to have a solid friendship rather than a whirlwind romance.
    But as she crawled into bed that night she wondered if maybe this was what she was doing wrong all along—she was looking for something that simply didn’t exist. Perhaps there was no Prince Charming to scoop her up on a white horse and ride off into a fairy tale sunset. Maybe a good, strong friendship was meant to be the basis for a good, strong romance.
    Besides, she reasoned as she drifted off to sleep, this was only the first date. Maybe there was still a chance that the spark would kindle later on… right?

Six
     
    Duada watched over the top of his glasses from his vantage point of a bus stop down the street as Jasmine and William exchanged a kiss. He had been trying to keep his attention on the magazine he was reading, particularly because the glamour he was using to keep his presence discrete relied on him being able to concentrate, but he kept finding his gaze drifting up to the two of them.
    For the first time in what felt like centuries, Duada wasn’t sure what he felt as he watched the brief kiss the two of them exchanged.
    There was a blush in her face. Her hand brushed against him, her eyes heavy-lidded. Duada could read the male’s face like an open book, too. He liked her, and there was genuine appreciation in his eyes, not mere lust. They truly seemed to enjoy each other’s company, he thought. Was this what the humans called ‘chemistry?’
    In some ways, he thought he should be appreciating his handiwork. There was many a human matchmaker who couldn’t set up something as functional as this, and he had even surprised himself with the quality of man that Bill seemed to be. He was perhaps a bit shy, shyer than Duada would have been by a long shot, and he didn’t have the same status as Duada, of course, so there was really no way to compare—
    He stopped himself, pursing his lips. Why was he comparing himself to the likes of that human? Not that there was any comparison to be made—
    Duada knew himself damn well to be matchless.
    Maybe he was just concerned over Jasmine’s well-being, he realized, and the thought was... surprising, though not as unwelcome as he might have thought before coming to Newark and meeting this resilient human woman.
    And resilient she was, he admitted to himself as he watched her eyes look after Bill’s car as it pulled away a few moments later. Maybe Duada had been too harsh on the woman when he first arrived. He rather thought his teasing was all in good fun, but in hindsight, Jasmine had been a lot more patient with him than he might have been in her situation.
    And her patience had paid off in the end, it seemed. She really seemed to like Bill, and despite Duada’s best efforts, he couldn’t think of very much in the man that should be considered a ‘deal-breaker.’ He’d known that when he picked William out for her, and