Page 9 of Charmed By Destiny

“Your frown is going to scare our clientele,” Douglas chastised gently.

Closing his eyes, Richard took a few seconds to breathe deeply as he focused consciously on relaxing his facial muscles. Richard could deal with his personal shit later at home. When he was at work, he was representing the Marwoods. Every guest deserved the best, and Richard would ensure they got it.

“Thanks for the reminder to calm down,” Richard said.

“I know today isn’t easy. Maybe you should’ve taken the day off. Helped Maribeth out or gone to the airport with her.”

“She expressly forbade me to go with her, and all I’d do at home is drive everyone crazy.”

Douglas’s mouth quirked. “You could attempt to be less of a control freak for one day.”

“Learning to fly would be an easier task. Is everything set for the dental conference?”

“Of course, we’ll meet with the planning committee in the morning to do a walkthrough,” Douglas responded.

“Good, this is their first time using a Marwood property, I’d like to ensure they use us again in the future.”

“No one can go wrong with a Marwood property.”

“It sounds better if you say it,” Richard teased. “If I made that comment, I’d sound horribly arrogant.”

“Are you insinuating that you’re not horribly arrogant?”

Despite his foul mood, Richard chuckled. “Maybe.”

The front door to conference services opened, and a man Richard recognized and trusted walked in. But Richard’s gaze swept past Gabriel’s broad shoulders to the dark-haired inspirit behind him. The man was a trifle shorter than Gabriel’s six-foot-two frame, and the bottom layer of his shaggy raven waves brushed the collar of his white shirt.

As they greeted people and moved closer to Richard’s office, an unexpected punch of lust hit him in the solar plexus. The stranger was gorgeous. His face was almost symmetrical except for a single dimple visible on his right cheek despite his lack of smile. The inspirit’s mouth was slightly full and wide. The bones of his jaw appeared chiseled out of stone, and his cheekbones swept up high toward his temples. Even his nose was stupidly perfect, and Richard hated that his exceptional face was attractive.

If experience had taught Richard anything, the man probably had a horrible personality and only cared for himself. That was too often true of those overly blessed by the beauty gods.

Richard hated that his palms were sweaty and his heartbeat was erratic. Why he was such a sucker for a handsome man? The inspirit must’ve sensed his stare. He turned to Richard, and his lips curved upward. His smile made him sexier. As he moved closer, Richard noted his eyes were crystal-clear gray without a hint of blue or green in their depths.

Like Douglas had done, Gabriel knocked on Richard’s door. A second later, he stepped through the entryway with the striking inspirit on his heels.

“Oh good, you two are both here,” Gabriel said. “Lucas Wynnter, meet the co-directors of conference services, Douglas Braund and Richard Marwood.”

Lucas held out his hand, and Richard had some wild instinct to avoid touching him, but he refused to make a fool of himself. Richard lifted his arm and hated the frisson of awareness that heated his blood when their skin brushed.

“A pleasure to meet you both,” Lucas said with a grin. “I’m really appreciative that your family is willing to help me.”

“My parents pick up strays,” Richard remarked. “No need to thank me, I had nothing to do with it.”

Everyone stared at Richard. His clipped tone didn’t help his rude words, and the humor fell from Lucas’s face. Although Richard was blunt, he wasn’t usually unkind without reason. Guilt crept through him. He was taking out his own issues on an inspirit who required help. If his parents were there, he’d have been chastised immediately.

“You’ll have to excuse Richard, he’s having a rough day,” Douglas commented with a wobbly smile. “Like his parents, he holds inspirits in the highest regard.”

Thankful that they were in his office so none of the human staff could hear them speaking about powers beyond their knowledge, Richard squared his shoulders.

“Douglas is right, and I apologize for my rudeness,” Richard said. “Inspirits are a gift and should be treated as such.”

“Plus, you’re in a room with three of them and we might turn on you,” Lucas teased.

Richard appreciated Lucas’s kindness in not making a big deal of his discourtesy, but it made him feel worse about taking out his own shit on an innocent man who happened to have the most stunning face he’d ever seen.

“I keep a crystal in my bedroom at home,” Richard revealed. “I’ll teleport home if someone throws a punch.”

Lucas smiled again, and Richard tried not to notice his long lashes or the twinkle in his gray eyes. “A permanent escape route. Very smart.”

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