Page 55 of The Fake Mate

“You know, it’s weirdly comforting? Like that best kind of after-workout sleep.”

“So he gets his rocks off, and then it just... swells up like a balloon.”

“That’s one way to put it, I guess.” I smile around a bite of myflatbread. “Had me feeling like a bottle of wine.” Parker cocks an eyebrow in question, and I grin mischievously. “Corked,” I clarify.

He makes a sound of disgust. “You’re heinous.”

“That’s what they tell me,” I laugh.

He shakes his head as he turns his attention to his lunch, stabbing his salad with gusto. “I still can’t believe you had sex withNoah fucking Taylor.”

“At least I’ve given validity to your constant abuse of his name.”

“Hilarious.” I frown as I turn my neck, and Parker cocks his eyebrow at me. “What?”

I shake my head. “Just a little stiff. Maybe I slept wrong.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say,” Parker scoffs.

I grin, rolling my shoulders to shake out the weird tightness I’ve been feeling this morning. “Oh no.Thatpart was absolutely right.”

He rolls his eyes, pointing his fork at me. “Have you even thought about how weird this is going to make things?”

I make a face as I chew. “Why would it be weird?”

“You went to school two times longer than I did,” he huffs. “You’re supposed to be smart.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“I’m just saying. You already had a weird web of lies going on with this guy, and now on top of that, you’ve thrown sex into the mix. And with an alpha! What happened to you being worried he’d stake some wolfy claim on you?”

“I think maybe I overinflated the issue in my head,” I tell him with a shrug. “Noah seems fine.”

“Uh-huh.” Parker hmphs. “I’m sure the newly unsuppressed alpha is just peachy after knotting his first omega.”

“Can you keep your voice down? You might as well stand up on the table and start shouting about Noah’s dick.”

A body dropping into the chair beside me gives me a start, and I tense until I spot a grinning Priya settling at our table. “Oh, are we talking about Noah’s dick?”

She leans in excitedly as she sets her tray on the table, tucking her dark tresses behind her ear and looking like we have a present she wants to open.

“No,” I assert quickly, shooting Parker a look to let him know this is all his fault. “We weren’t.”

“Oh, comeon,” Priya whines. “You can’t rob me of the good stuff. I’ve already missed out on a forever’s worth of stories.”

“We were just saying how silly all the gossip is,” I offer nonchalantly, keeping my attention on my food. “I’ve heard all kinds of nonsense this week.”

Priya nudges me conspiratorially. “About Noah’s dick?”

Honestly, I can’t say that’s a lie. I’ve definitely walked into a couple of rooms to whispers about the possible mechanics of my fake mate’s equipment. But then again, I guess now I can confirm the curiosity is more than valid.

“Among other things,” I mutter.

“Well,Iheard that you got a visit down in the ER today from your hubby,” Priya practically sings.

Parker pauses midbite. “Wait, what?”

“It’s not a big deal,” I say flippantly.

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