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But also, according to Nat, quite high maintenance. Not that Nat minded. He was high maintenance too.

“About Seb and Larkin’s love declaration moment in the arena,” Vince told him.

Corey’s nostrils flared. For some reason, his lips pursed before he schooled his expression into a warm smile. “Such a wonderful moment.” After a pause, he added in a slightly sharper tone, “For those who got to witness it.”

“Corey didn’t see it,” Brian whispered to me very discreetly. “He’s never let it go.”

“Nat, darling,” Corey was saying loudly, holding up a frosted glass jar. “I’m sorry, but do you mind? I just cannot reach my back.”

“Of course.” Nat stepped away from me and took the jar from Corey. I knew from Nat’s own teensy skincare addiction that it was a super expensive skincare brand, and I knew this was a regular occurrence because Nat always talked to me about work. He actually enjoyed it when Corey asked him to help with his skincare and face masks and make-up.

Corey’s insanely muscular arms and chest were already gleaming, but he jumped a little when Nat began rubbing the cream into his wide back.

“Ooh!” Corey laughed. “Sorry, darling, your hands are just a bit cold.”

Nat chuckled. “Well, you know what they say about people with cold hands.”

“Big dicks,” Larkin incorrectly finished with a very serious nod. He’d sat back down beside Seb, and I saw the werewolf’s mouth twitch as he suppressed a smile before leaning over to kiss the fae’s temple.

My best friend’s familiar brilliant smile stretched his mouth as he tossed back his hair, briskly working the moisturiser into Corey’s back. “Well, yes, that too.”

All the wrestlers had fallen silent and were watching with varying expressions of disbelief as Corey held still, his hands on his hips, while Nat moisturised his back.

“Corey,” Dan said eventually, his voice incredulous but for the most part morbidly fascinated, “do you moisturise your entire body every night? You make Nat do this every night?”

Corey looked over at him as if he’d just asked the most insane question he’d ever heard. “Of course I do, Dan.” Then he looked around at the rest of his colleagues, his expression growing mildly horrified. “Do some of you not?”

The muscular faun wrestler with blonde hair snorted and folded beefy arms over her chest. “Do some of us use an entire tub of extortionately priced lotion to coat our entire bodies every single night after work? No, I’d say no one else does that, Corey.”

“Actually—” Crossbody began, but Vince gave him a subtle nudge and a discreet head shake, which made him fall silent.

Corey held out his hand, then placed it on his forehead dramatically, then held it out again. “Do some of you… never moisturise?” he asked, his voice nothing more than a fearful whisper.

“Nah,” Vince deadpanned. I got the feeling he did it just to make Corey let out a histrionic gasp and settle a hand over his chest, because the ghoul suppressed a snicker and nudged Dan when Corey did exactly that.

“Um, I kind of forget most of the time?” Larkin offered doubtfully. “My face, I mean. My body, though, nah, never. Honestly, I didn’t even know that was a thing.”

“Yes, well, we’ve already established that you just look like that, Larkin,” Corey snapped, “and it’s deeply unfair for the rest of us to ever compare ourselves to you. What about… you, Eloise?” He pounced on the beautiful phantom in the room, La Dame Blanche. “You must. Your skin is stunning.”

“I do,” she replied hesitantly in a heavy French accent. “But just cheap stuff. And definitely not every night.”

“My god,” Corey whispered to himself, horrified. He raised his voice and smacked the back of his hand against his other palm in time with his next words. “Your skin is the biggest organ on—your—body, people! It’s so important to look after it. Do I need to hold a wee seminar on this for everyone? I don’t mind at all. In fact, I could even come up with some skin regimens for you all. Just something simple, ten steps or less—”

“All done!” Nat said, stepping back and screwing the lid onto the jar. “Corey, your skin really is glowing.”

That seemed to be enough to distract Corey from his train of thought. He smiled widely, tossed back his braid, and passed Nat a small towel to wipe his hands with a smug “Thanks, darling.”

I noticed several wrestlers shooting Nat grateful looks and discreet thumbs up behind Corey’s back. Apparently, he’d already figured out how to effectively handle the flamboyant orc.

Now that Corey’s little show-stealing scene was done, some of the wrestlers came over to introduce themselves to me. They all had sweet words to say about Brian, who was universally adored here despite how quiet and introverted he tended to be. When I saw the incubus and gargoyle couple walking over hand in hand, I perked up. Nunhallowed Pound and Bedrock Biff Clawstin. I knew they were together. Nat had already overheard them fucking multiple times and had told me all about it.

“Hey.” The incubus gave me a handsome, lopsided smile. “I’m Gabe. This is my partner, Biff.” The hulking gargoyle beside him nodded at me.

“Nice to meet you.” I smiled at them both. It was always nice to meet another incubus. Gabe was absolutely gorgeous, with chiselled features, rumpled dark hair and equally dark eyes. His boyfriend, Biff, was just as hot, with an aquiline nose and a more rugged but just as handsome face.

I already knew from Nat that Vince had once had a threesome with these two. Before I’d met Brian, the mental image of that would’ve threatened to make me combust.

Gabe looked at Brian with a big grin and clapped him on the shoulder. “Sterling work, big guy.”