Page 70 of Faking with the Fae King

“You are.” I dig my fingers into the soft fur of his upper chest, and he rewards me with one of his lovely purrs.

I slouch farther down the reclining lawn chair, nursing a ginormous travel mug of coffee. Normally when I’m home, I use cute little ceramic cups handmade by a local potter. But small cups equal extra trips to the kitchen, and that would meanmoving.

“Note to self: orc ale is evil.” I take a big gulp of coffee.

“You should have gone hunting with me,” Finn says. “Much more sensible. I had berries and a nice juicy mole, andneither of those gave me a headache.”

“I had fun getting this headache,” I say. “No regrets.” Okay, a few regrets, but mostly that I forgot to drink water and down a couple of aspirin when Severin dropped me off last night.

Still buzzing from that kiss in the bar—and the orc ale—I invited him in. He said no, because I was tipsy, which I hated at the time but find kind of sweet in the harsh light of day. But he did promise to take me on another fake date tonight. I wonder where we’ll go this time.

“Bugs!” A bird chirps. “Bugs and sex!”

“Sex!” another answers.

A surprised laugh sputters out of me, making my head hurt. Oh, god. I so totally need an off switch for my magic.

“What?” Finn nips at my hand, teeth barely touching my skin. “You stopped scratching.”

Digging under his chin, I say, “Just the birds being funny.”

Finn purrs, the aspirin kicks in, and for all its brightness, the warm sun feels good. I set my coffee down on the little wooden side table and relax backward. I might have slept in, but a nap sounds perfect.

“Seeds,” a tiny voice says. “More seeds. More.”

Finn tenses on my lap, and I crack open one eye and follow his keen gaze to where a chipmunk skitters across the edge of the backyard, its little cheeks already bulging. It pauses and stands upright, tiny hands bringing a small bite to its mouth.

Finn rolls slowly onto his stomach, his back feet digging into my thighs, his bushy tail smacking my face.

“Don’t you dare,” I whisper-hiss, pushing his tail aside.

“Danger!” the chipmunk squeaks, darting back into the underbrush of the forest.

“Humph,” Finn grumbles. “I might have chosen you to bemywitch, but I’m still a wild animal.”

“That doesn’t mean I need you to go all Animal Planet right in front of me.”

His tail swishes back and forth. “I might be able to suppress my natural instincts for the right inducement.”

“That being?” My lips quirk. Bless his little mercenary heart.

“Peanuts.”

“Sure, bud.” I stroke my hand down his back as he relaxes onto my lap. “You can have a few peanuts.”

His ears perk up. “Now?”

“Do we have to get up right this second?” I whine.

“The chipmunk was now, so my inducement should be as well.”

“Fine.”

Before I can move, my phone rings. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hannah! I’m so glad I caught you. I read the most interesting thing this morning.”

I brace for today’s cringey sex fact, hoping it’s not another lecture on sperm count.

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