Page 33 of Charmed By Destiny

“Nope. If I piss off my staff, I deserve it. That’s what he’d tell me. My parents have spoiled us, but we’re strangely not overly coddled.”

“Co-director of the staff?” Lucas asked with a hint of something undefinable in his voice.

“Douglas?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know about that,” Richard said, glancing around to ensure no humans were about. Inspirits manned the coffee shop, so he was free to speak without censoring his words. “I summoned him, but he’s also dealt with my shit since then, so he might grab the first cutlass to shove me onto the plank.”

“You resurrected Douglas?”

“Yeah, I was attending college virtually and had already decided I wanted to work for my father in conference services. I wanted to be the best at what I do, but I also didn’t want to do it alone. So, I asked for permission to add an inspirit. My hope was that the inspirit would want to learn the ropes with me. Luckily, Douglas did. His gift is less defined than some other inspirits and honestly sometimes backfires. He’s brilliant with details, but he gets so caught up on one sometimes that he can’t focus on anything else. I wasn’t precise enough with my spell, but Douglas promises me he appreciates what he was given. Hopefully, he isn’t lying to me.”

“Have you been close since his resurrection?” Lucas asked, his focus on his cinnamon roll.

“We’re good friends, yes,” Richard replied. “But unless Mari drags me to a club, if I see Douglas outside of work, it’s at the house for the occasional dinner with my family. I like to go home, put on comfy clothes, and hang out with my family. Douglas likes fancy restaurants and shows, and he’s constantly around town. I want to hear about his adventures, not go on them.”

“Oh, somehow I imagined you two always together.”

Richard laughed. “We’re attached at the hip at work, but I think we’re both happy to go our separate ways once we step foot outside the resort.”

“Are you that annoying outside of the office?” Lucas asked, grinning brightly in a way that had been missing all week. His dimple deepened, and Richard wished he didn’t notice that little mark in his cheek so often.

“My family would assure you that, yes, I am.”

“Probably because you’re sneaky.”

“Yeah, but if you think about it, they probably taught me that.”

Lucas chuckled, and Richard couldn’t help his smile. It was such a beautiful sound and suited the handsome man perfectly. Richard internally shook his head at his own silliness.

He had it so damn bad for Lucas.

Chapter 13

Bolstered by his chat with Richard, Luke had been flying high for days. There had been nothing in Richard’s voice to hint that he was being dishonest about his relationship with Douglas. But that hadn’t stopped Luke from keeping a close eye on the pair since his coffee and snacks with Richard.

His need to reassure himself that Richard wasn’t dating or soulmates with Douglas was confirmation that he’d developed intense feelings for his boss. Luke wasn’t sure what to do about it or whether it was necessary to fight it. Supposedly, his time at the Marwood resort wasn’t permanent.

And crushes didn’t last, did they? It was Luke’s first experience in such a predicament, but he was pretty sure common knowledge dictated that feelings were either acted on or they faded. While Luke had stayed in a town long enough to fuck his share of random guys, he’d given none of them a single thought afterward.

He doubted any of his partners bothered to remember him either. He’d always had anonymous sex, and he’d preferred it that way. But he privately wondered, if he was presented with an opportunity to touch Richard, would he be content with a single romp? Dangerous thoughts to ponder if Luke was being honest. Thankfully, no one could read his mind, so he allowed his daydreams to grow unchecked once again.

Something changed in the air the minute Richard stalked into a space. Luke couldn’t be the only person who noticed how Richard commanded a room. Or that he pursed his lips slightly when he was deep in thought. If someone droned on too long about anything, Richard’s gaze would flick to a nearby clock, but he otherwise didn’t alert anyone to his desire to wrap things up swiftly.

When Richard chose pants with tiny pockets, he’d curse under his breath during the day whenever he tried to find a spot to carry his phone. Frankly, Luke liked those days because tiny pocket pants were guaranteed to be snug enough to show off his rounded butt to perfection. Thanks to the night in the club, Luke could easily imagine Richard moving that ass rhythmically to the beat of any song.

His hip gyrations had found their way to Luke’s subconscious, and he’d dreamed often of Richard’s body moving like that beneath him in bed.

“Lucas?”

He was snapped out of his inappropriate thoughts by the man he’d mentally undressed countless times. Heat rushed to Luke’s face. “Uh, yeah? Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

Richard leaned closer to where Luke sat at his desk, and his fruity scent teased Luke’s senses.

The man even smells delicious.

“Everything okay?” Richard asked softly.

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