Page 102 of False Comeback

Heat rushed to my face as he froze, blinking rapidly. Then he licked his lips and lowered the cup while I tried not to fidget, before a blush stained his cheeks as he smiled.

“Yes.”

Even though that was the answer I’d been mostly expecting—and hoping for—my heart still gave a mighty thud of excitement.

I grinned back, spinning my cup between my hands on the table. “Okay. Yeah, me too.”

He was still smiling as he lifted his cup back to his lips and took a delicate sip, glancing outside to watch a tired-looking human couple bickering in the parking lot beside their car.

It gave me a chance to stare at him, which I’d suddenly found myself doing a lot. He was mind-blowingly beautiful. He almost didn’t look real.

I rested my elbows on the table and leaned in. He looked back at me, his cheeks still rosy with what seemed like happiness.

“What do you think Corey would do if we told him in one of our therapy sessions that we’ve been fucking?” I murmured, shooting him a sly grin.

He set down his cup and leaned in too, smiling back at me. “Probably convince himself that it was all his doing. Start calling himself the office matchmaker.”

I laughed, wanting to lean right over and kiss him, even though I’d never been a big fan of PDAs. I wasn’t counting that kiss he’d laid on me in the parking lot the last time we were here, because… well, it wasn’t like I was ever gonna pull away when he kissed me. And only that stunned trucker had witnessed it.

“I forgot to ask, did the incubus say anything weird when you checked out?” I sat back and drained my coffee cup.

Crossbody huffed in amusement. “No. He was passed out on the desk.”

I snorted. “Yeah, he was last week too. Stroked himself into a coma, I guess.”

Crossbody wrinkled his nose, which made me laugh as I pulled out my wallet and shifted to the end of the booth.

By the time I got back from paying, he’d already left a tip on the table and stood to wait for me. For some reason, I almost found myself threading my fingers through his to lead him to the door, but I refrained. I didn’t hold hands with people. That was weird. I couldn’t even remember a single time my mom had held my hand when I was little, and Uncle Robbie always used to let me ride on his shoulders until I was too big for it.

As we stepped out of the diner and into the cool drizzling rain, the realisation that Crossbody didn’t have any family here suddenly thudded into the pit of my stomach. I mean, I didn’t have much—only Rob, but he was enough for me. I didn’t include my mom.

Did he get lonely? Did it bother him that his mom didn’t support him or his life choices? It had to, surely. Rob supported me in everything I wanted to do, everything I shared with him, so it was hard for me to imagine.

A surprising wave of anger toward Crossbody’s mom washed over me. Were her crown and title all she cared about? If he didn’t conform to what she wanted, she had no problem with just cutting him off? Her own son? From the small things he’d shared with me, it seemed that way.

I actually admired him, I realised. He’d rebelled and tried to forge his own path in life, away from the wealth and luxury that his heritage and title automatically afforded him. He’d left Otherworld to become a professional wrestler, for fuck’s sake. I was pretty sure I could confidently assume that there wasn’t a single other fae prince who’d done what he had.

“Thank you for breakfast,” he said when we reached our cars, and my belly tightened with a mix of affection and arousal. Those good manners of his weirdly turned me on.

Everything about him turned me on.

“You’re welcome.” I grinned at him as I unlocked my car. “See you at work.”

“Yes.” He moved closer, then hesitated, so I cupped his chin and tugged his head down for a kiss. One more PDA couldn’t hurt.

I licked my lips when we parted. “How are rehearsals with the Ghastly Boys going, by the way?”

“Fine. They’re quiet and don’t seem to get irritated by Hogbody’s constant yelling.” He smiled at me, jangling his keys in his hand. “Should be a good match. Lots of flying around the arena, just like Holt wanted.”

“Nice.” I grinned. “Looking forward to watching it.”

Neither of us moved at first, until Crossbody finally unlocked his car and turned to open the door. But then he froze, and his hand shot back to grab my arm.

“Vince.”

“What?” I realised he was staring at something across the parking lot, so I followed his line of sight and chuckled. “Of course.”

The incubus from the motel was climbing out of an old, beat-up car, scratching his chest and yawning as he locked it. He turned and saw us, almost dropping his keys as his entire face lit up.