Page 64 of Luxuries of Lust

He still thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Thankfully, the hero worship had faded, and he no longer wanted to wear her thick thighs as earmuffs. It was a relief for them both and had done wonders in improving their working relationship.

“Good morning,” Glyma said as Rusty shuffled into the kitchen, her thousand-watt smile still having the ability to knock the wind out of him.

After all this time, it was easier to let her aura roll over and off him, without it actually affecting him. “Morning, Glym. Wil.”

“Morning, Rusty,” Willow said, her smile softer and sleepier as she sipped her coffee and measured out sugar.

“You’re here extra early,” Glyma commented, and though it wasn’t a question, Rusty treated it like one.

“Couldn’t sleep.” He jabbed his thumb toward the dish washing station. “Figured I’d mop the dining area and behind the counter.”

Wiping her hands on her apron, Glyma smiled gratefully. “That would be wonderful. The closers never get it as clean as you.”

The praise had his traitorous tail puffing up in pleasure, but he kept his expression neutral. “Okay, I’ll get to it.”

He never minded menial work like cleaning the floors or sorting and stocking the supply deliveries. It made him feel useful, like he was contributing to the team and making Glyma’s—and everyone else’s—jobs easier. Plus, he could do it all without taking off his clothes or getting on his knees, and he’d never complain about that.

Oliver arrived at five, and, together, they restocked behind the counter and readied the bakery case for the day. Oliver made himself a cappuccino, then set a bitter hot koca on the counter beside Rusty, a drizzle of thick cream on top, just the way he liked it.

“Thanks, Ollie,” he said, and Oliver smiled, giving him a quick scritch behind his ear.

The urge to mark Oliver rose within him; it was significantly easier to control than the bone-deepneedhe felt when Gem was around, but it was there all the same. It was like something inside him had been unlocked, and he wanted to expand his gaiz. He wouldn’t mark Oliver’s throat; that was too intimate. But something else, something small.

He reached out and knocked the back of his hand against the human’s, just a quick brush of knuckles, but it was enough to settle the marking instinct. A bemused smile tipped the corner of Oliver’s mouth, and a subtle pink stole over his cheeks. Embarrassed but unable to stop it, Rusty offered him a small, quiet purr, and Oliver’s smile widened.

At eight, Gem arrived. Rusty heard his cheery voice inside the kitchen, and his heart jumped into overdrive. The doors swung open, and it took everything in him not to turn toward them immediately, desperate to drink the Araknis in.

He smelled him first, cinnamon and coffee beans and that sweet shadowy scent Rusty had grown to depend on. Then a hand drifted over the top of Rusty’s head, another playing through the fluffy end of his tail. A purr built, but he swallowed this one down, choosing instead to offer Gem a small smile of greeting, one Gem returned tenfold.

That simple smile was enough to send a flurry of nerves fluttering through Rusty’s stomach. He tried to quell them, tried to smother them, but then Gem winked playfully at him, and they took flight again. Therewas nothing Rusty could do to stop them, but more worrisome still, a large part of him didn’t even want to try.

Chapter fifteen

What a Bitch

Rusty

As the lunch rushstarted to ebb, a body shifted on the other side of the bakery case, and someone tapped on the glass. Rusty rose from his crouch, finding a familiar Lepid standing there. She looked different in the daylight, dressed in fashionable but significantly more modest clothing.

Her pale gray skin contrasted with her dark, compound eyes and her large, frilled antennas that Rusty thought might have been a dark orange or maybe brown. The fingers of her four hands looked dipped in the same color, along with her fuzzy wings, though they were outlined in stark black.

“I was told, should I ever be in the neighborhood, that I could stop in for a free meal,” Enfys said airily as she finger-waved at him. “And maybe some company. I hear you’re the one to talk to about that?”

With a dry chuckle, Rusty smacked the towel he’d been using to clean the glass onto his shoulder. “I’m not off for another hour, so the company has to wait. But I can deliver onthat meal.”

She flipped her black hair over her shoulder dramatically. “Well, I’m a busy girl, so I’ll take the food to go and a rain check on the company.”

“I can do that,” Rusty said, checking the short queue of customers Oliver was helping at the register.

Behind the espresso machine, Gem was working on several drinks at once, but two of his small eyes were locked on Rusty and Enfys, thin brows furrowed. When he saw Rusty watching him, he jerked his head away and focused on the dairy he was steaming.

Turning back to Enfys, Rusty gestured for her to wait off to the side of the register. “So what brought you to Purgatory?”

“Work,” she said, wings fluttering lazily behind her back. “I had a… business meeting on the other side of the veil.”

Rusty chuckled quietly. “Oh? I don’t think Miss Emyra would like that.”

Clicking her tongue, she waved a blasé hand. “I don’t work for her no more. I’m my own girl now. You inspired me.”

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