Page 38 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
By Thursday, I was missing my little makeshift family more than I expected. The office was busier than usual, and the days felt longer. I’d grown used to sharing the commute with Luc and having him near me all day.
Later that day, Mia breezed into our office, cheeks pink and hair slightly mussed. She perched on the edge of my desk, eyes sparkling. “Hey, bestie! Are you surviving without yourhousemates?”
I sighed. “Barely. I didn’t realise how much I’d gotten used to having them around.”
The grin she gave me plainly said “Gotcha!” She continued, “I get it. I’d miss him, too,”she added in a low voice and glanced at Desmond, who gave her a fond look from across the room.
I had stumbled upon them snogging by the broom cupboard earlier this week with Desmond’s hands everywhere and Mia giggling like a schoolgirl. The memory made me blush. I focused back on my task list, but the ache of missing Luc lingered.
“Harper’s waiting upstairs,” Mia said, already tugging me to my feet. “Come on, you look like you could use the break.”
Desmond waved us off with a knowing grin. “Enjoy yourselves.”
At Froth & Flurry, Harper was already set up at a table in the back, her cinnamon bun half-devoured. “Almost the weekend!” she sang, eyeing me over her mug. “You must be excited to go home and cuddle your...cat.“ She put great emphasis on the word and wiggled her eyebrows.
“Ruffles missed me,” I said, not bothering to hide my smile and choosing to ignore that I knew perfectly well she meant Luc, not Ruffles.
“Oh, I’m sure he did,” Mia teased, grinning behind her coffee.
“You’re both impossible,” I muttered, though warmth crept up my neck. They didn’t know just how much I was looking forward to a weekend with Ruffles and Luc.
The boundaries between us had blurred even more since we brought the cat home. All week, Luc’s messages, and the little selfies of him and our cat, had made my heart skip. It was silly, but I didn’t care. I was more than ready for a couple days with my two favourite guys.
But when the weekend finally arrived, Luc spent most of his time in his workshop, determined to build a gigantic cat tree for Ruffles. I adored him for it, I really did, but I couldn’t help feeling a little resentful. What I wanted was his attention, a bit of cuddling on the couch, and a dozen orgasms.
I ducked out to the shops on Sunday to pick up a few things and returned just as Luc was manoeuvring the cat tree into the living room. He anchored it to the wall so it wouldn’t tip over. He was completely absorbed in his work and oblivious to me slipping in over the noise of the drill.
A flare of resentment sparked in me. Was he ignoring me on purpose?
“I’ll only be a minute, Ruff,” he said, his voice soft and sweet. It was the same tone he used when we were tangled up in bed, coming down from our orgasms. I smirked when I remembered his lecture about Lupinians hating cuddles.Liar. Luc was the biggest cuddle bug I’d ever met.
I lingered in the hallway, not to spy, but to give him this moment with Ruffles.
“Daddy will just fix this mess, and then you can have fun with your new tree, yeah?” he crooned. I melted on the spot, and any lingering resentment evaporated.Daddy? Really?My heart squeezed and I felt a distinct rush of heat low in my belly.
How is this so hot?I had a vision of me coming home to him and a kid and finding him building a swing set in the backyard. He’d be such a hot dad.
Luc stilled and his head cocked. He sniffed the air. “Roe? Are you back?”
I barely managed to swallow a burst of embarrassed laughter. He hadn’t lied about how sharp his senses were.
“Yeah, hi.” I entered the room and made a beeline for him. “Wow, that tree looks amazing.” Luc put down his power tool and bent to kiss me.
“Hi, baby,” I greeted Ruffles and scratched his chin. He had already conquered his new tree.
When I turned my attention back on Luc, he gazed at me with an unsettling expression on his face.
“There’s something about you handling power tools, handsome,” I told him and stroked his neck suggestively. I loved the texture of his fur under my fingertips. It was mostly shaggy and soft but in the creases of his joints, on his neck and around his cock it was sleek and thin. The skin underneath was sensitive.
Then he pulled me into his arms. His chest expanded as he inhaled my scent.
“Goddess, you smell so good, Roe. I missed you.”
“I was just gone for half an hour.”
He ignored me.
“I feel like I barely saw you all week. I want to knot you so badly, Roe. Goddess, your scent drives me wild. You’re so wet, aren’t you?”
