Page 31 of Charmed By Destiny

Which was a problem in this case because Richard was taking the last week before the wedding off. Maribeth was flying to Vegas again, and the Marwoods were squeezing in as much family time as possible. They also wanted Eric and Gabriel’s nuptials to be flawless.

Richard would have to do double-duty to keep in touch with his staff while he juggled everything his mother would task him with. They were surprising Gabriel and Eric with a honeymoon trip to the Marwood vacation house in California. The pair had insisted they didn’t need a honeymoon, but Rosalind and Clark weren’t having it.

Their wedding was on Saturday, and they were waiting until Sunday night to shove Gabriel and Eric into a limousine so they wouldn’t suspect anything. Rhonda would handle Gabriel’s daily duties, and she was up to the task. As for Eric’s ghosts, they’d have to deal without someone living to talk to for a week.

In the meantime, Richard was growing concerned for Lucas. For two months, he’d filled their office with bright smiles and made everything better with his sunny disposition. Or at least the inspirit was good at his job, and his coworkers respected him. Maybe it was Richard alone who thought the air grew charged whenever Lucas walked in.

To do some sleuthing, Richard had conned Lucas out of the office, and they walked silently through the hushed casino over to the spaces set up for the last day of another successful conference.

“Did you want to grab some coffee?” Richard asked.

“I just finished a cup at my desk,” Lucas replied without turning his head. They were nearly at their destination, and Lucas had yet to make eye contact or flash a grin that deepened his dimple.

“We could splurge with a little extra caffeine. It’s a Friday, no one will comment much if we start climbing the walls.”

“Maybe next week.”

“Is this a payday thing?” Richard asked, his concern flashing to fury. Was Lucas sending everything to the necromancer who’d abandoned him to the Marwoods?

“Yeah, I set myself up with a budget and I’m trying to stick with it.”

“My treat?”

“That doesn’t feel right,” Lucas said. “I can’t expect my boss to keep buying me coffees and treats. You already pay me a more than fair salary. Fair isn’t the word for it. Overly generous would be the accurate term. Anything on top of that feels like I’m taking advantage of you.”

That annoyed Richard. It was his father’s program that provided Lucas with what he needed to survive, and he was happy to have Lucas on the conference services team. Lucas was energetic, had learned fast, and appeared to enjoy his duties.

“We’re coworkers, but what if I buy it as your friend?”

Lucas glanced at Richard, and there was a hint of confusion in his expression if the knitted brows were a sign of what he was feeling.

“I appreciate the offer, but it still doesn’t feel right.”

Irritated, Richard gave up the dream of sweetening Lucas’s solemn mood with something sugary. He would have to be direct. At least that was something he usually excelled at.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Everything okay with you?”

“Well, my best friend moved across the country, and I want her to miss me more, but I’m trying not to be a selfish bitch, so you’re the only person I’ve told that to,” Richard confided. “And my mother is turning into my worst client ever. If she asks me to review the details about Eric and Gabriel’s wedding again, my brain might explode. But yeah, everything’s good.”

Lucas chuckled, and Richard’s spirits lifted. What was it about Lucas that it took so little effort from him to bring a smile to Richard’s face? It couldn’t be his looks alone. Yes, Lucas was gorgeous. Easily the most handsome man Richard had ever seen. But it went beyond that. Something undefinable and misunderstood. Or at least Richard had yet to pinpoint it. A dark part of Richard—a restless slice of his core, perhaps—settled into a strange bliss the moment Lucas appeared.

That realization halted Richard in his tracks, and he stood dumbstruck at the edge of his father’s fanciest casino. What the hell was going on? How had Lucas burrowed into him like that? They didn’t really know each other that well, so why did Richard respond so strongly to him?

“Richard, are you okay?” Lucas asked, resting his palm on Richard’s arm and offering him a soothing little pat.

Richard glanced into a set of pure gray eyes and forced himself to pull his shit together.

“Yes, sorry,” Richard replied. He couldn’t explain what was going on inside him, so he didn’t bother to explain his strange decision to stop walking with no notice. It was impossible to put it into words without giving away how badly Richard wanted Lucas. And since that was embarrassing, Richard needed a subject change. “Yeah, I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it’s my penchant for drama. Is everything okay with your friend, Foxe?”

Lucas blinked. “Foxe?”

“Yeah, that’s his name, right?”

The inspirit dropped his hand, and Richard immediately missed his touch.

“Yeah. Foxe is doing well.” Lucas sighed, and his brow furrowed. “Well, I hope he is. We aren’t talking much. I’m not sure what to do.”

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