Page 19 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
“Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
I wasn’t a domestic goddess, but the Spaghetti Bolognese I whipped up from fresh ingredients turned out great.
I hope he likes it.
Luc came home from the gym at seven, looking exhausted but quite pleased with himself.Maybe I should join a gym.
I usually walked on my walking pad when I wrote my books, but that was at my house, of course, and I hadn’t been writing in far too long. The idea for that Dragon book still haunted me, but I hadn’t got around to doing something about it.
“Hey! Wow, it smells amazing,” he said and poked his head into the kitchen. He was sweaty, and wow, it made him look even hotter than usual. Especially with his new glasses. As fogged up as they were, he was the stuff of my dreams.
“Uh, yeah, I hope you like it. I think it tastes okay.”
“I’m sure it’s gonna be great,” he grinned at me. “I’ll just have a quick shower, and then I’ll be back downstairs, okay?”
He disappeared upstairs, and I remembered that I had wanted to check my phone. I’d left it in my room. My brother Owen had a new job in Edinburgh, and I wanted to hear how his first day went. I checked the clock on the wall; I probably had just enough time to give him a call.
I followed Luc upstairs, went into my room, grabbed my phone, and was just about to go back downstairs when the bathroom door opened and out came…
Holy shit, Lucien Atkins.
He wore a towel slung low around his hips.
“Oh, I—I’m sorry,” I stammered, trying to avert my gaze from his thick arms and pecs.
Oh my gosh, those pecs!
My hungry eyes roamed over his fur-covered stomach. He was perfect.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to grab my phone.” I held it up and squeezed my eyes shut, embarrassed at how much his almostnaked form unsettled me.You ogled him, Dawn!“I just wanted to call my brother real quick. I’ll see you downstairs, Luc.”
I dashed past him and thundered down the stairs, knowing full well that I had just made a complete fool of myself. As soon as I arrived in the kitchen, I called Owen. He picked up after a few seconds.
“Hey, big sis! How’s it going?” he greeted me, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I loved my baby brother. I remembered being elated when my parents told me I’d get a brother. We’d always been the best of friends, but we’d lost touch over the last year and a half or so. Owen had just lost his job and found a new position at another company in Edinburgh. It had been a tough year for all of us.
“I’m good, thanks. How are you? How was your first day?”
“Oh, it was okay.” He didn’t sound like he was, but I had no mental space to dig further.
“I’m so glad to hear that.”Why do you pretend you can’t hear that it sucks?
“Yes, it’s great,” he lied.
“I promise I’ll call you on the weekend, okay? Then we can catch up and you can tell me everything.” I could ask him about his job then. I’d always thought Owen would get a job where he worked with people. He was such a caring person. Engineering had been the most sensible choice, but I knew he didn’t enjoy it. “I’m just waiting for my roommate to come downstairs so we can have dinner.”
“Your roommate?” Owen inquired. I could almost hear his elegant eyebrows arching high. He’d always seen straight through me.
“Yes, roommate,” I said in a low voice. “He’s a colleague. I wanted to tell you, but I totally forgot over everything that’s been happening. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, I’m just glad you’re okay. I thought you were staying at a hotel.”
“No, I can’t really afford that, and I’m glad I don’t have to pay for it.”
“So, yourcolleague”—Owen pronounced the word in such a way that indicated that Luc and I were fucking—“lets you stay in his guest roomfor free.“ His words dripped with innuendo.
“Yes, he lets me stay here for free.”
“So how do you pay him back?” Owen teased.
