Page 53 of The Vampire's Receptionist
“I’m not mad. I just don’t need an apology gift. Or even an apology. We both know that you’d never intended for things to get that bad. Honestly, we don’t know if whatever is happening with you started before I even got here. You were starving by that point already, and it was the first day we met.”
Something flashed across Dorian’s face –surprise, maybe?– before Kian continued.
“I don’t blame you for any of it, and I don’t need any gifts. Right now, we’re in this together. You don’t need to keep trying to apologize for it.”
Some of the tension in Dorian’s shoulders lifted, and when he smiled, the expression was laced with relief. Kian tried not to melt at that look. Seriously, the vampire was too cute for words. He made Kian feel like a sap with how often he was sighing over the man. It should be criminal to be that cute.
“I’d still like for you to have it,” Dorian said, lifting the basket and rounding his desk to hand it to him. “I got it for you. Besides, I can’t eat chocolate. It does nothing for me.”
Kian thought about that for a moment before an idea formed. He knew a way they could both enjoy the gift. He didn’t bring it up here, though. It’d have to wait until Dorian’s next feeding session.
“Alright, fine. I’ll take it. And I’ll let you know when Morgan is free for lunch.”
Relief and joy overtook Dorian’s face, and Kian’s stomach flipped. Seriously. No one should be allowed to be that cute. It made it so much harder for Kian to resist the man. And he didn’t want to give his heart a chance to get any funny ideas. Their situation was just sex. Just a way to relieve the tension when Dorian fed from him. There was no reason Kian needed to get swept away by every damn smile.
Frustrated with himself, he feigned the basket being heavy to escape Dorian’s office. Setting the basket next to its twin, he turned and sat against the edge of the desk, slumping in on himself a little. Hopefully staying in his own apartment would help him get some perspective. Distance would do them some good. This wasn’t a relationship. It was just sex. That was all he wanted.
Right?
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Dorian had faced down rival companies and even his own father’s wrath without feeling the kind of nervousness he felt when going to meet with the human he’d scared on Kian’s first day. He hadn’t forgotten that he’d wanted to do this, though he had been a touch distracted since that first incident, but that day marked the beginning of his troubles, and the poor human had gotten caught in the crossfire. He felt guilty for scaring the man so much that he fled the company. No matter how many times Kian assured him that it wasn’t Dorian’s fault, he still blamed himself.
He was more than a little grateful that Kian invited himself along for lunch. He led the way into the Italian restaurant where they were meeting the human, and Dorian let his focus wander to the beautiful man as he marched ahead of him. His silky hair was pulled half back today, the rest trailing down his back. Dorian’s hands itched to touch, but he kept that urge to himself. He could touch the man once they were back in bed together. He didn't want to cross Kian’s boundaries by acting affectionately in public without a discussion first.
The human hadn’t yet arrived when Kian and Dorian did, which meant Dorian had some time to take a few deep breathsand settle himself. He knew how to apologize. This didn’t have to be such a big deal. Even if the human was friends with Kian and Dorian didn’t like the idea of one of Kian’s friends disliking him. That was a personal issue, and he didn’t need to be placing so much pressure on one lunch.
A warm hand settled on his arm, and Kian tipped his head when Dorian finally looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
The sincerity in his voice tugged at Dorian’s heart, encouraging him to speak honestly. “I feel guilty. I have since the day of the incident. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“I know that. And Morgan will too, once you apologize,” Kian reassured him. “He’s not a petulant guy. Honestly, I don’t think he even expected an apology, so just the effort right there means something to him. He won’t be angry with you.”
He was trying to make Dorian feel better, but Dorian still hated himself for letting any of this come to pass. He knew better. He’d seen what happened to feral vampires. He never wanted to reach that point.
Kian’s hand squeezed gently after a moment, and he stood. “He’s here. Try not to worry so much. It’ll be fine.”
Dorian glanced up at Kian, who flashed him a soft smile before turning toward the front of the restaurant and waving his hand to catch the human’s attention. Dorian stood as the human pointed them out to the hostess and came to join them. He hadn’t taken a good look at the human the first time they’d met, too hungry to really care who was around them. The human was young, with messy brown hair and sharp features. If Dorian didn’t know he was human, he would’ve expected there to be some pixie in his bloodline. He looked a little nervous to approach, his footsteps hesitant, but Kian met him halfway, pulling him into a quick hug. It seemed to bolster him enough to join them at the table.
“Uh… Hi. I’m Morgan…” the human greeted uneasily. Dorian deserved that reaction. It was up to him to make it up to the man.
Giving a small bow in greeting instead of shaking his hand gave the human the excuse to not get too close. “Thank you for meeting with me.”
Morgan’s hand fluttered at his side for a moment, showing his anxiety. “I knew Kian would be here, so…”
Dorian’s gaze darted to Kian, who winced a little. He hadn’t mentioned that his presence was to make the human feel safe. If Dorian had known the human would be that reluctant to meet with him, he would have just asked for an address to send the basket to. He could have sent it to Charmed Away as well, if Morgan wasn’t comfortable with him knowing more.
“Why don’t we sit?” Kian suggested, nudging Morgan into a chair. Kian sat next to him, with Dorian on his other side, as far from the human he could possibly get. This was a horrible idea.
They waited until the waitress had taken their drink orders and left before Kian broke the silence.
“So, Morgan. How have you been? How was the job at that security gig?”
Morgan flicked his gaze uneasily between the two of them before answering. “It was fine. The owner was nice. I was a little worried at first dealing with another werewolf, but he was great. He never let me work late and escorted me to my car at the end of the day to make sure I was safe.”
“That is nice,” Kian agreed with a nod. “It’s always a relief when the bosses you get for jobs turn out to be good people. Even if they have bad first impressions, it’s better than some of the assholes we’ve had to work with.”
Kian was obviously giving him an opening, though he was reluctant to take it. He was reluctant to speak much at all. Hedidn’t want to frighten the human by forcing him to interact with Dorian.
