Page 51 of By the Fae

“About what?”

“About everything I just overheard.”

There was no point in denying it. I needed more time to process what it all meant, but I also needed, wanted, to know more.

He chewed on the inside of his lip and paced the room once before saying, “There’s a reason we waited until you weren’t in the room to have that conversation. It’s because you weren’t meant to hear any of it.”

“But . . . You were talking about me.”

“Yes,” he said, simple as that, not even trying to deny it. Well, of course he couldn’t deny it. He was fae. “So?”

“So, don’t I have the right to know what people are saying about me?”

To my surprise, Goldie laughed. He sat on the bed near my feet. “Are you sure you’re not part fae? You certainly have a way of phrasing things that makes it difficult to skirt around the truth. Yes, I guess you have a right to know what was being said. But no, I can’t tell you everything. Some of the secrets aren’t mine to tell. But I’ll make you a deal. We’ll swap, yeah?”

“You want my secrets? In exchange for yours? Good, because I have questions—”

“No! I don’t want . . .” Goldie closed his eyes and let out a slow exhale through his nostrils. “The less I know about you, the better. Lest I actually begin to think of you as a real person and not a circus clown.”

“Oh, ha ha, very funny.”

“I’ll answer one question, for every item of clothing you remove. How’s that?”

“But I’m only wearing four things if you include my bra and knickers.”

“Then you get four questions. Start with that hideous dress.”

“Hey!”

This was a stupid game. But I had to remind myself this is what I actually wanted. It had been my idea. We didn’t have to do any of this. I knew that if I told Goldie I wanted to stop right then, he would. As easy as that. But I did want it. And if I could have another orgasm along the magnitude of last night’s, then sure, I would play his game.

I unbuckled my pinafore, lifted it over my head and dropped it to the ground next to the bed, thankful for the faux fire’s warmth.

“Why is Mal so against our deal?”

“He’s worried we’ll become mates,” was all Goldie said.

“Mates like friends?”

“Ah ah, take something else off first.” He waved his hand towards my t-shirt.

I pulled it off and his eyes followed the hem. “What does mates mean?”

“Fated-mates. Falling in love. More than love. Like bonded forever. The human equivalent of marriage, but without the pointless ceremonies, and cake, and all the other nonsense humans typically need. But unlike marriage, it’s irreversible. Nobody gets a choice when it comes to fated-mates, that’s why it’s called fated. A wedding is completely unnecessary. The cake is nice though.”

But why would Mal be worried about that? I almost blurted this out until I realised I had only two questions left. Surely, he knew his friend. Knew Goldie’s emotional deficits. And if he’d never worried about this before, why would he start now? With me?

If Mal was anxious I’d fall in love with Goldie he had nothing to worry about there. I might fancy the pants off the fae, quite literally, but that was where it ended. Goldie wasn’t a nice person. He wasn’t the guy I’d been dreaming of falling in love with since I was a teenager. He wasn’t Seth.

I thought for a moment, then took my bra off, chucking it towards him. He caught it one-handed, without looking at it. Instead, his gaze raked over my naked breasts and stomach, his brow dipped, his eyes darkened.

“Damn, Holly,” he said. “You’d better ask me your questions before I forget how to use speech.”

And then he said things like that. My insides did a funny little somersault.

“Why is Seth an,” I paused, “asshole?”

Goldie laughed, loud and hard. “Shit.” He pushed his shining yellow hair back. “If I tell you, you might change your mind about him.”

---