Crash’s eyebrows shot up. “Who told you?”
“You did.”
He leaned back on the counter, folding his arms over his chest, which flexed his biceps under his plain black T-shirt. Damn it, all the hotness in one package. It wasn’t fair. “You were awake when I was talking with your gran?”
“Yup. I’ve been telling you all I’m a good faker. Just ask my ex.” I winked and he laughed.
“I’d know.”
And just like that, the heat at my core turned to lava. I couldn’t look away as he stared at me.
“I’d know,” he repeated. “Even if we shouldn’t.”
“Heard you the first time.” I struggled to breathe. He was . . . too much. I knew it. He knew it. This was a bad, terrible, idea.
But, oh man, did I ever want to jump his bones. I mean, my libido had been riding high ever since I hit forty, like through the roof, but Crash just flat out hit every sexy button inside me. Mature, built like a brick house, fantastic eyes, an amazing kisser . . . I could keep adding to that list all damn day. But the fact remained that he was a fae king. Or had been, I wasn’t really sure if he was still a king given that he’d divorced the fae queen. He worked in shady deals that I couldn’t ignore. And then there were the girls he’d been with . . . I couldn’t compete with that.
I backed up as he approached me until I bumped into the wall. “This is a bad idea, Crash.”
“I know it is. I’m aware that this is probably the worst idea, but do remind me why again,” he said, and I realized he was stalking me and I was acting like prey. That thought was like cold water.
I stood a little straighter, put a hand out and jabbed two fingers into his too-hard abs, stopping him in place. “Because. You said it yourself, the fae would use me. I recognize that you are way out of my league. I’m not stupid.”
He stopped his approach and opened his mouth, but I cut him off, diving into the deep end in a way that my younger self would never have dared.
“The thing is, you know I’ve got the hots for you. And for some reason, you promised my gran to look out for me. And that means you have a leg up on me. So you don’t have to pretend, okay? You’re looking out for me, but I get that you don’t actually like me like that. I mean, I know you like me as a friend—”
“Stop.” He held up both hands, palms facing me, and my mouth clicked shut, cutting short the rambling I’d fallen into. “Bree, just stop.” Crash blew out a breath and the intensity in the room slid down a notch. “I’ll get your name off the deed before the day’s end.” He paused and the weight in his blue and gold-flecked eyes pinned me in place. His eyes dilated, and for just a moment, I thought he’d say something like screw it, let’s do it on the table. But before I could say yes, please, he closed his eyes, cutting me off from whatever he was feeling. “Have a good night with Corb tomorrow.”
He turned and walked out of the back door, the screen flapping and banging behind him.
I was leaning against the kitchen wall, breathing hard, my body cursing me for not dragging that delectable man upstairs for some serious afternoon delights. I opened my mouth to call him back, but I had enough sense to shut it before I could. Hooking up with him really was a bad idea—I knew it in every ache of my body.
“That man is going to be trouble, Gran.”
She snorted from somewhere in the other room, but otherwise, kept her thoughts to herself.
The front door opened, the sound of footsteps met my ears, and then Eric brushed past me, his chin to his chest. He didn’t seem to notice me as he went straight to the fridge and pulled out a can of pressurized whipped cream. With a flick of his thumb, he popped the lid off, held it over his mouth and depressed a whole pile of the chemical-laced concoction.
“You talked to Kinkly?” I asked.
He nodded, swallowed the cream, and looked at me. “It didn’t go well.”
I walked over to him and motioned for him to give me the can. I sprayed a bunch of the fluffy sweet stuff into my mouth, choking on the amount as I swallowed it down. “I just turned Crash down.”
Eric groaned. “This is terrible. She laughed at me, and not in a mean way—she genuinely thought I was teasing her.” He sprayed more whipped cream into his mouth and then handed it back to me. I took my shot.
“He said I was right, it was a terrible idea.” I started to giggle. “Oh my gawd, I turned down the hottest guy I’ve ever known. Because I was afraid he’d use me for some nefarious purpose. Like having red-hot sex until I can’t think straight.” What was wrong with me? I totally should have gone for it. I could keep my heart and libido separate, couldn’t I?
Eric looked at me. “I got on one knee and proposed to her, and she laughed louder.” He took another squirt of whipped cream, but his lips twitched. “We are both losers.”
I burst out laughing so hard, tears crept into the corners of my eyes. I took the can of whipped cream from him and saluted him. “We are both losers.”
Eric started to laugh, a braying noise that only made us both laugh harder as bits of whipped cream flew out of our mouths. Which was how Suzy and Feish found us, on our butts, laughing so hard that tears ran down our cheeks, whipped cream smeared on our faces.
“What in the world happened to you?” Suzy crouched beside Eric and swiped whipped cream off his mouth and tucked it into her own mouth.
My eyebrows shot up, but he was as oblivious to her as Kinkly was to him. “Oh, you know, easing a broken heart,” he mumbled.
Suzy grinned and flipped her long blond hair forward. “I have a much better remedy than whipped cream. Although that’s not a bad addition.”
Eric sighed. “I’m all out of self-pity for the day. But thanks.”
Feish snorted and put her hands on her hips. “She wants to get you in the sack, Bigfoot.”
I choked on my mouthful of whipped cream as Eric’s head swung around to stare at Suzy. “What?”
And for all that was holy, the half-siren blushed. “I like you, Eric. You’re sweet and kind, and handsome. And . . . you make me smile.”
I scrambled to my feet, grabbed Feish by the hand, and hauled her to the back door. “Time to go.”
“Wait, what are we doing? I want to see what he says!” Feish tried pulling me back the other way, but I didn’t release her.
Of all the times we needed to be out of the house, Suzy and Eric potentially getting together was high on the priority list.
“We’ll find something to do,” I said.
Heaven help me, I found a little more than I’d bargained for.
Again.
4
“Where are we going?” Feish let me drag her down the street, away from my gran’s house where Suzy and Eric may or may not have been hooking up. I certainly didn’t want to be there to find out. I silently apologized to Gran for leaving her behind. I mean, it wasn’t like I could take her with me, but still . . . she’d be mad when I got back.
“I don’t know, anywhere but the house,” I said.
“I think Boss is back.” Feish got this sly look in her bulbous eyes.
I shook my head. “I turned him down. Or he turned me down. Both maybe.”