Cael and Brandon laughed over something at the bar as he slowly collected his drinks. Thaddeus leaned up against the division wall between the bar and the main dining area, arms and ankles crossed, his expression masked until he pinned her with his perceptive gaze. She slid into the small spot next to Brandon and retrieved her tray, thanking the bartender.
“Hey, Rori. Brandon and I were just talking about checking out that new Latin club on beachside after work. Cassy wanted a redo of last night—” He hitched his thumb toward the stoic Thaddeus. Only when she helplessly followed Cael’s thumb to the beautiful Faery man, his mask softened and a strange warmth infiltrated his gaze. Did his shoulders straighten a little more? His chin dip? Was that a ghost of a grin at the very corners of his mouth? “—this imbecile included. She thinks he needs a proper introduction to the group since his unannounced arrival.”
She worked up a smile for Cael and shook her head. “Ithink last night did me in. I have to study for an exam on Monday.” She knocked Brandon in the hip, arching her brows. “You should study, too, so I don’t hear how you could’ve done better.”
“When you tutor me, I do well.” Brandon nudged her arm. “She’s the smartest one in the class. Only way I keep my head above water.”
Cael shot Thaddeus a warning glance before Rori had the opportunity, but she caught a definite stiffening in his body. His eyes cooled. Had Brandon paid attention, she was certain he’d shrink beneath the gaze that burned through her friend’s head.
“You’re lucky she gives you the time of day to help you succeed,” Cael agreed.
Rori rolled her eyes, balanced her tray on her arm, and gave the three men her back. “Some people have to work for a living. Don’t cause trouble.”
She cast Thaddeus a guarded glance before she hurried off. She turned her tables once, and started to close out the second round without excitement, all but forgetting Thaddeus was watching her from a corner booth in Cassy’s section. He made sure she didn’t forget him, whether it was the occasional clash of glances, the ebb and flow of heat his very presence caused in her, or the shameless gawks most of the female servers shared between themselves.
Who was she fooling? No degree of conversation with customers could erase him from her mind. He may as well have etched himself into the core of her creation, the bones in her body, for how attuned she was to his observation.
And yet, he still took her by surprise when she finished taking orders from her last table and headed to the wait station, practically body-slamming him when she rounded the wall. He cast the mural painted on the wall an unimpressedglance, his nostrils flaring as he observed something she couldn’t see that apparently didn’t meet his high standards.
“This…place is…”
“Lost for words?” She snorted and shook her head. “Marble-cast walls and gilded accents are not the norm here. This is an Italian restaurant, so the décor matches for the sake of ambiance.”
“’Tis appalling.”
“Well, at least you’re honest. If you don’t like it, you’re more than welcome to leave. It’ll certainly do us both a favor, wouldn’t you say?”
She started to round him, but he dropped a hand to her waist and held her close to the wall. Heat swelled beneath her skin, causing her heart to speed up and those butterflies to return to her throat. She opened her mouth to protest until two customers walked by on their way to the bathroom around the corner. He tipped his head slightly, an angle that allowed him to cast one of her coworkers a shaded glance.
“They’ve naught better to do than talk about Cael and myself. How dreary a life when one fills their time with wishful fantasies rather than purpose.”
“And I’m sure they’re petting your sociopathic ego.”
His brows furrowed as he lifted his chin. He regarded her through narrowed eyes, but his genuine confusion softened her frustration. Despite his idiotic ideas and outlandish perceptions, he was not from this world, this realm. He came from a place with unending riches and luxuries. He had a princess for a lover and a reputation that preceded him.
A brutal reminder of how different they were. How incompatible.
“You serve…humans? A servant? Goddess, why do you lower yourself to such pitiful standards? Pardon me.Lackof standards.”
Well, there goes any sympathy for you.
Rori huffed, pulling the menus from under her arm—inadvertently knocking his arm away—and shoving them into the collection box with a little more strength than she anticipated. The loud clap from the thick cardboard hitting the wood caused the guests at the booth closest to them to shoot her startled looks. She ignored the curious glances, folded her arms over her chest, and stepped up to Thaddeus.
“You must’ve missed my earlier comment about some people needing to work for a living. You see, here in this world, people have to work to earn money to buy necessities. We can’tpoof”—she untucked one hand to wiggle her fingers for emphasis—“things we want or need into existence. I need to pay rent to live in my apartment or I get kicked out onto the streets. I need to pay for the lights and water, or they’re turned off. I need to pay for the food in my fridge, the clothes on my back, the classes I attend to better myself for a more stable future. We aren’t handed things in this world, Thaddeus. At least, the majority of us aren’t. The majority are what we call working-class, and we’re doing just that.”
She made to step past him, but paused, squaring herself to face him again, and added, “Just for the record, serving tables or tending bar can be quite lucrative. And I enjoy interacting with customers and getting to know them. Don’t be fooled by the job’s name. I may be aserver, but I’ve made many friends in this place that treat me with respect. I’m beginning to gather where you come from, a servant is not respected, nor paid, but rather abused.”
“Servants in my world are lower Fae, usually lacking strong magic or means of contributing to a realm. If they’re lucky, they are accepted into higher-standing families to perform chores we often lack the time to perform.”
Rori seethed. She pulled a brittle smile and poked him inthe shoulder. “And see, that right there, that greater-than-thou thought process of yours is exactlywhyyou and I are completely different on so many levels.”
“Aye.” He leaned over, lowering his face to hers, his lips coming to pause above her ear. “We are, and yet we’re so much alike.”
Rori scoffed. “I’mnothinglike you.”
His hand returned to her hip. His body barely moved, but the angle changed and her mind instantly registered the idea of being cocooned by his strength as he had done the night before while protecting her from the Fae attack. She caught herself reaching up to grip his waist, or his shoulders. She swore she swayed as the familiar scent of Thaddeus intoxicated her and filtered into her blood to become part of her.
“You know little about me to come to such a conclusion,mostorín.”
