Page 43 of Charmed By Destiny

“Oh, how weird,” Richard managed and tried not to wince at how his voice cracked on the words. “So, I…um, well, I had a question.”

Richard had never propositioned anyone, and he was apparently abysmal at it. Lucas’s expression was a mixture of concern and bemusement. The stupid card was still in Richard’s hand, and he wasn’t sure if he should give it to Lucas or run for his life.

“What do you need help with?”

“I don’t need help. Okay, maybe that’s not correct. It’s sort of helping, but more like a team thing. I don’t know how to explain it without making it creepy, really. At least not without everyone around us figuring it out, and I’d like to keep things private.”

“Okay,” Lucas replied slowly.

Richard’s face was on fire, but he’d made it this far. He wasn’t being smooth, and it was definitely awkward.Score two points for my lack of game, he mused distractedly.

“I have a card.Um. It’s to my room. Here at the hotel. I was thinking maybe you could use it. I can’t leave yet, but I could meet you up there later.”

“Meet you later? I don’t understand.”

Humiliation filled Richard, and he shook his head. “Sorry, I should go.”

He turned on his heel, and his jaw flexed. But before he could take a step, Lucas said his name.

“Richard, please don’t leave.”

Forcing himself to face Lucas, Richard looked up at the inspirit. “It’s okay, I was asking you to do something highly inappropriate for two coworkers anyway.”

Lucas’s mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened painfully. To Richard’s shock, he tugged the key from the necromancer’s fingers and quickly pocketed it. “No, I’m a fucking idiot. How the hell didn’t I figure out what you were…anyway, yeah. I’d love to meet you later.”

Richard grinned like a fool, and Lucas returned his smile. His dimple deepened, and Richard nearly swooned. It was either because of Lucas’s attractiveness—which was growing with every second—or the adrenalize zipping through Richard at lightning speed.

“Okay. I guess I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah, I can leave like whenever, right?”

“Sure. I have to do some family stuff or whatever, but um, yeah, whatever. It shouldn’t be too messy. You could watch TV. Maybe play on your phone. There’s a bathroom. Well, of course there’s a fucking bathroom. I’m babbling, so I’m gonna go.”

Lucas winked. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Richard replied. He raced away from the inspirit as if his ass were on fire. Now he had to figure out how to calm down enough to have a normal conversation so no one was clued in to the fact that he’d invited a sexy inspirit to his hotel room. And survive whatever awaited him with Lucas upstairs later. Richard didn’t know if he’d made a smart decision, but it was far from his normal controlled evenings at home.

Would he survive his recklessness with his heart and dignity intact?

Chapter 16

Luke had let himself into Richard’s fancy hotel room at the resort and immediately hated that the necromancer had tidied it. Although it was rude to be nosy, Luke walked around and tried to learn anything he could about Richard. But everything was as neat as a pin. His cosmetics were in a case that coordinated with his zipped suitcase, and a quick peek into the closet revealed Richard had taken the time to hang up his clothing.

Snooping was proving fruitless, and it’d done nothing to calm his racing heart. Had he lost his mind? What was he doing in his boss’s hotel suite? A hot rush of desire had his dick firming in his trousers. There was no way he’d ever pass up an opportunity to be with Richard. Which made it ironic that he’d nearly missed his chance.

But in Luke’s defense, he’d hadn’t expected an invitation. When Richard had walked over and bumbled through offering his key, Luke had been bewildered. The second Luke had put the pieces together, there was no question how he’d answer. Luke had snatched that key with no hesitation, and he’d have no remorse either.

Luke had been attracted to Richard since the day they met. At that point, he’d known only how attractive Richard was, but things were different now. They were friendly enough for Luke to appreciate his quick wit, confidence, and good heart. Whenever Richard walked into a space, Luke swore everything grew brighter. Richard’s presence was electrifying.

Luke sat on the king-sized bed and wondered how long he’d have to wait to find out if Richard tasted as fruity as he smelled. It was wild that hours ago he’d been mourning his relationship with Foxe deteriorating and now he was in a room awaiting the literal man of his dreams.

Setting aside any thought of Foxe since that hurt was raw and fresh, Luke rubbed his palms on his pants and wondered what to do. Was it weird if he took off his shoes? They weren’t meeting for cookies and coffee, Luke reminded himself. He decided to lose the jacket and tie. After slinging them over a nearby chair, Luke removed his footwear but kept on his socks.

The air conditioner roared to life, and Luke jumped. It was too damn quiet. He plucked the remote off the nightstand where Richard had left a paperback. Immediately interested in Richard’s choice of literature, he read the blurb and grinned. Richard was reading a book about two dragon shifters who spent at least part of their story hiding their feelings from one another. The back of the book tantalized its readers with the promise of the two main characters being mates and overcoming obstacles to be together.

Was Richard a quiet romantic despite his insistence that he’d never marry? Luke supposed marriage was more of a public ceremony anyway. Necromancers had soulmates, and that had nothing to do with marriage. It was decided by destiny, according to Gabriel.

Luke carefully set the book back on the nightstand and couldn’t help but wonder what role destiny would play in his own life. Richard had invited him up to his room to explore the chemistry between them. Until tonight, Luke hadn’t been sure his feelings were reciprocated.

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