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Andras cackled. “It’s you when you haven’t eaten.” He prodded Matt’s earlobe with his pointy tail. “Hurry up. You don’t want to see that.”
Matt slid his gaze toward me, an adorable grin on his lips. “I… kind of do, actually.”
“No,” Bridget and Andras said in unison. “You don’t.”
Matt straightened. “Well, then.” He cleared his throat. “Let’s get a move on.”
There had been a handful of occasions in our five-year friendship where I’d witnessed Matt turning on the Matthew A. Russo, Esquire, and every one of them had left my heart going wild.
Like the time we’d been visiting a former neighbor who’d told us her new landlord was neglecting repairs on her apartment. Matt had gotten on the phone with the guy and given it to him with both barrels, quoting state and municipal law off the top of his head and threatening to represent the nice old lady pro bono if he didn’t get his shit together. By the time that conversation had been over, Mrs. Tanner was getting a refund on two months’ rent, the landlord was putting in emergency calls to a plumber and electrician, and I’d been so turned on I couldn’t see straight.
Today, as I drove us out of the Fae District, I was jittery and restless, my palms sweaty on the wheel as I begged my dick not to pitch an unwelcome tent. Matt was so distracted he probably wouldn’t have noticed, but Andras would probably have pointed it out just to be an asshole.
Though he was somewhat distracted at the moment. Like Raziel, he was poring over the amended agreement with Matt. As the three of them bickered about exactly what the new clause meant, I followed the GPS’s directions toward the Pinkberry Raziel had spotted earlier. I generally tried to stick to the speed limit, but admittedly, I was pushing it a bit right now. Partly to avoid a hangry angel—though it might’ve been too late, given the snappy comments he was exchanging with Matt and Andras—and partly so I could get out of this damn car and catch my breath. I needed to think, damn it, and I couldn’t do that while I was sitting beside Matt.
Why was I so stupid? Matt was miles out of my league. If there was any hope of him noticing me, wouldn’t one of his celestial pests have gestured at me by now and said,“Oh, hey, have you thought about hooking up withthisfine male specimen?”
Well, apart from Raziel’s comment earlier, which Matt had shot down. But Bridget hadn’t suggested it, so…
I mean, matchmaking was what they all did. It was whatBridgetdid. The consensus among the three of them was clearly that Mr. Right had not been in Bridget’s office, so… yeah. I was out of luck.
Damn. I was happy to help Matt with this as much as I could, but… not gonna lie—it was a gut punch. What I wouldn’t have done to turn Matt’s head.
Though, maybe I wouldn’t enlist a trickster’s help. That never seemed like a good idea, and after today, I was even less inclined to enter into an agreement with one. Knowing my luck, I’d probably end up turned into a deer or a donkey or something. Or otherwise tangled up in a way that would require me to cash in that favor I had on reserve from Galen the Trickster King.
I glanced at Matt, who was still engaged in a loud debate with Andras about… something. Raziel sounded pissed off too. Hangry angels—what can you do?
Facing the road again, I debated letting Matt have my favor from the Trickster King. Because if anyone could get someone out from under this fae deal, it was Galen.
Then again, maybe it would work out. Maybe, somehow, Andras and Raziel would find Matt the partner he so desperately wanted.
So… no. I’d hold on to my favor. Maybe save it until I was the one desperate for a partner. Which I was.
Ugh. I need to spend some more time on Grindr, dammit.
Chapter 5
Matt
I was exhausted. Holy shit.
We hadn’t even been in Bridget’s office all that long, and negotiating the specifics of a contract was something I did every day. The task was nothing compared to some of the meetings, depositions, and trials that were routine parts of my job. Still, I felt like I’d just endured a grueling courtroom trial followed by hours of unrelated depositions and a masochistically over-the-top workout at the gym.
Probably because there’d been so much at stake this time. It wasn’t the physical or mental exhaustion that came from a long day—it was pure stress.
Sagging back on my couch, I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and forefinger. Fuck me. What a day. And it wasn’t even noon yet.
It didn’t help that Andras had been correct about two things: hangry Raziel, and sugar-high Raziel. The former had been appeased by a thimble-sized portion of pomegranate frozen yogurt. The latter… oh my God.
“First things first, let’s zhuzh up your profiles.” His wing whipped my ear as he flailed around beside my head. “Let’s see what you’ve got. Come on. Laptop out.” He clapped his hands. “What are you waiting for?”
“A laptop?” Andras barked a laugh. “D’you even know what decade this is?” He nudged my shoulder with his foot. “Get out your mobile.”
I groaned, and what could I do but dig out my phone? The sooner they did what they came to do, the sooner they’d be gone.
“And if they haven’t succeeded within thirty days,”Bridget’s voice echoed in my ears,“then the agreement reverts back to the original version.”
No pressure, right?
