Page 60 of Charmed By Destiny

“Okay. I’ll get over the weirdness of living in a mansion and move in here.”

“Good because my mother is a liar. If you choose the guesthouse, she’ll be out there with fabric swatches and furniture options within hours. The only reason Gabriel was allowed to get away with choosing nothing was because my parents were afraid he’d dig his heels in and move farther away to get some peace. In case you haven’t noticed, Gabriel is stubborn and set in his ways. We all adore him.”

“Especially your brother.”

“Absolutely,” Richard replied, his heart melting at the thought of how deep the connection was between Eric and Gabriel. They were a beautiful couple.

Lucas walked up to Richard and settled his hands on his waist. “How long do you think it’ll be before you’re staring at me dreamily like your brother does whenever he glances at Gabe?”

“No one does dreamy better than Eric,” Richard said, laying his palms on Lucas’s arms and shuffling closer. “But I hope we can make this work.”

“Me too, Dragonfly.”

Richard’s eyes slipped closed as Lucas brushed their lips together. Lucas tugged him forward and embraced him. The tension slipped from Richard’s body. Their kiss deepened, and Richard surrendered to his soulmate. Lucas’s musky scent enticed him. As his blood heated, Richard wondered how he’d get near Lucas at work without getting hard.

Which, unfortunately, reminded him that their jobs presented an issue Richard wished he didn’t have to face.

“Are you okay?” Lucas whispered.

“Yes, my mind wandered to going to work tomorrow. I didn’t want secrets, and we have to keep a huge one.”

“I think it’d be worse if we were honest and Douglas learned so soon that we’re soulmates.”

“No, I know it’s the right thing to do since the last thing I want to do is hurt Douglas more than I already have. But no matter what, things will be awkward. I wish I’d somehow known about Douglas’s feelings for me. Maybe I could’ve done things differently so he didn’t think there was any chance of us being anything other than friends.”

“You can’t blame yourself. No one is to blame. We can’t change the situation, so we’ll handle it. At work, you’re the boss and I’m the inspirit desperately trying to impress you.”

Richard couldn’t have stopped his eyeroll if he tried. “Lucas, I already told you we’re coworkers.”

“I still want to sneak into your office someday and give you a blowjob at your desk.”

“Well, hmmm,” Richard managed as his cock twitched. No one had ever sucked him, but Lucas was good with his tongue and lips, if their kisses were any indication. Richard would eagerly volunteer to find out what his mouth would feel like on his dick.

“You’re interested. I can tell by the way your cheeks are flushing.”

“Stop being naughty,” Richard said. “You have to drive home and get some rest. I need sleep too, but first Mari is going to demand details of last night.”

“Don’t forget to include everything that happened this morning too, before we fell asleep.”

“How could I?” Richard asked as he tilted his chin up for another one of Lucas’s kisses.

Although his heart ached for what he’d unintentionally put Douglas through, Richard couldn’t fight the happiness bubbling through him. How foolish was he to ever think a soulmate was a bad thing?

Of course, he’d never envisioned himself with someone as kind as Lucas, and that had been the real issue. Richard had believed it was his destiny to settle for some lout he was attracted to, but the man would also be a selfish ass. Thank goodness Richard had been wrong.

???

Monday was quiet in the office. Luke had paid too much attention to Richard in the past not to notice that Douglas was avoiding the necromancer’s office. Since it was impossible to speak to Richard about his feelings while on the clock, Luke wondered how his soulmate was handling the distance.

No one was giving Luke any weird looks, so he had to assume that none of his coworkers knew he’d spent a night in Richard’s bed. That was a relief. Gossip traveled, and if anyone figured out they were together, it’d reach Douglas whether they went public with their relationship or not.

Everyone else was going about their business as usual, but Luke was full of concerns. Gabe was out of town, and Luke wasn’t moving until the inspirit returned. It was probably for the best. It gave him and Richard some breathing room until the weekend to process everything.

But thinking wasn’t aiding Luke. Would he fit in with the Marwoods? What would happen if someone in the household didn’t like him? What if that person turned out to be Richard?

No matter how many times Luke told himself he was being foolish, his brain kept going there, and it was maddening. His phone rang, and he picked up the receiver.

“Lucas, would you mind coming into my office for a minute?” Richard asked.

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