Page 23 of Charmed By Destiny

Luke liked Richard’s height. And every damn else thing about him. Not that Luke was an expert on the man. While Richard was friendly enough, he was also guarded. Unlike some of the chattier staff, Richard stuck to topics related to business. The only time Luke had witnessed Richard smiling in an unguarded way was the night Rosalind had invited him to dine with the Marwoods.

Richard loved his family. His demeanor was relaxed around them, and his office was littered with pictures of them. Luke envied him for having so many loved ones. He had Foxe and no one else. In three weeks, Luke had gone from being afraid of change and leaving his necromancer behind to wishing for his soulmate. And mooning over one of his bosses. He was kind of a mess. But it was okay. Wasn’t everyone messed up in their own way?

Luke climbed off the bus and strode energetically to conference services. He nearly trampled Richard on his way through the door.

“Shit, sorry,” Luke said, clenching his fists to keep from frisking Richard to ensure he hadn’t mussed his clothing. Who was he kidding? Luke wanted to caress every curve and taste every inch of Richard’s skin. His crush was growing dangerously fast.

“No worries,” Richard replied, the surprise of their near collision quickly fading from his light blue eyes. “Do you need to grab coffee or anything? There’s an issue with the animal rescue convention. I’m going to check on them, want to come with me?”

If Luke were desperate for a drop of liquid, he’d deny himself a drink in order to go somewhere with Richard.

“Sure.”

Richard bobbed his head. “We’ll grab you something decadent at the coffee shop in the casino afterward. My treat.”

“Unnecessary, but okay.”

Luke stepped aside to allow Richard out of the office and fell into step behind him. Despite the six inches that separated them in height, Luke had to work to keep up with the necromancer. Richard was a tempest moving toward his goal without allowing anything to impede him. Why that increased his sexiness, Luke had no clue.

“What’s the issue with our friends-of-animals crowd?” Luke asked.

“You remember how they opted for an outside vendor for their setup?”

“Yeah, someone donated tables and stuff for them.”

“Well, apparently someone forgot to remind the donor because nothing was delivered,” Richard said. “I had everything they needed sent over, but I want to make sure it’s set up quickly and exactly how they want it.”

“Has it delayed the start of the conference?”

“Registration is this morning, so hopefully it won’t affect them much, but no one likes to start a convention with a hiccup and especially not one this big. If we can do anything to smooth out their experience, I want to ensure it’s taken care of.”

Luke smiled as Richard shoved open the large door separating the noisy casino from the quiet conference area. There were several people with worry creasing their brows, but thankfully building services had beaten Richard there and tables were already being covered in crisp white cloths.

What Luke had learned from the start of his employment was that Richard wasn’t kidding when he told people the Marwood family of properties cared for their guests and catered to every reasonable request. Both Richard and Douglas strove to keep their customers happy. The pair had the same goal and the same title, but Luke had observed that the partnership wasn’t equal.

Everyone deferred to Richard—even Douglas. Around the office, everyone sought Richard’s opinion and his approval. At first, Luke thought it was because Richard was a Marwood. But he no longer believed that was true. Or at least not that alone.

Richard listened to his employees and delegated nothing he couldn’t tackle himself. No task was beneath him either. Luke had witnessed him doing everything from fetching a coffee for a stressed guest to attaching a table skirt and setting up chairs. It motivated Luke to embrace the same work ethic.

At Richard’s side, Luke allowed the necromancer to take the lead as they approached the director of the conference. The frazzled woman assured them they had everything they needed, but that didn’t stop Richard from helping her set up her signs. Luke pitched in where he was told and loved watching the way the woman went from frantic to calm thanks to Richard.

An hour later, Richard deemed their task complete, and Luke didn’t have to ask if the necromancer would check in again with the conference before he left for the day. Richard’s schedule was rarely written in stone. Unlike Douglas, who preferred his appointments set in precisely thirty-minute increments and was only tugged away from the printout his assistant handed him every morning by Richard himself.

It suited what he’d learned of each man’s personality. Richard effortlessly multitasked, and Luke had yet to see him ruffled. As for Douglas, he took things one at a time, and if a problem arose, the inspirit hustled over to Richard to put together a plan to salvage things.

Neither way bothered Luke.

“I’m getting something disgustingly sugary,” Richard said as they crossed through the thick door blocking the casino noise.

“Huh?”

Richard lifted one perfectly arched brow, and the corner of his mouth quirked. “Did you forget that we’re getting coffee?”

“I guess I did for a second.”

“More like an hour. I didn’t intend to stay that long. Hopefully you aren’t having caffeine withdrawal?”

With a quick glance, Luke ensured no humans were close. “Can inspirits get that?”

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