Page 8 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
“Luc?”
“Mm?” His eyes were glued to the screen. I hesitated, then reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Luc’s head snapped around so fast I jumped. His sharp teeth and intense look made me pull my hand back immediately.
“Sorry, I…” I had no idea what to say, mostly because, damn. He washotup close.
“I’m sorry. You startled me.” Lucien rubbed a hand over his head, flattening his ears. He looked as awkward as I felt.
“Sorry,” I repeated. “I’m usually not the one to pull someone out of their flow, but you should really take a break.”
He stared at me for another long moment before checking his watch. His eyes went wide.
“Shit! Yeah, you’re right.” I took another step back as he pushed his chair back and stood.
Gosh, he’s so tall!
Luc stretched his arms overhead, groaning as his shirt tightened across his shoulders, biceps, and chest. He’d looked fantastic in a button down, but I loved his punny nerd shirts, and particularly how he filled them out these days.
Phew.
He was chubby but solid, and he’d been bulking up a lot since I started at Frostfire four weeks ago. I’d overheard him telling Desmond he’d been hitting the gym, but he hadn’t lost all his softness.
Pure perfection.
My mouth watered.
“Thanks, Dawn.”
“Oh, uh, sure. That’s my job,” I muttered.
He huffed a laugh. “No, it isn’t. You’re not our babysitter.” Thank fuck he didn’t say mum. I’d sneaked a look at his birthday on his badge when he left it lying on his desk. Luc was two years younger than me; he’d turn 32 in a couple of weeks.
“Thanks,” he repeated, grinning wide and showing off those wicked canines. “You’re not our babysitter, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need one now and then. Bathroom first.”
I watched him leave for the hall bathroom.
His ass should win awards.
Luc came back a few minutes later with a cup of coffee and a fresh bottle of water that he half-emptied on the way to his desk.
“I love hyperfocus, but I needed that.” He chuckled, set down the bottle, and finished it off. For some reason, watching his throat undulate inspired me.
I opened my KrakenDocs and jotted down a quick paragraph for “Dial D for Dragon.” They were only a few lines, but it was a start.
Is Luc Atkins my muse?
When I glanced up, he was watching me with a little smile and a suspicious look.
“Writing another book?” There was a slight edge to his voice.
“Oh, uh, yeah. I just had an idea I had to write down or I’ll forget.”
He nodded and, with that, his mask slipped back into place.
“I need to get back to work.” He dropped into his chair and glanced back at his code. “I get it, by the way,” he told me. “That’s what I do with my code.” His eyes went wide. “Shit the bed! I just had an idea for that fucking bug.” He rolled his shoulders like a gymnast about to try a difficult exercise, then typed furiously.
Yes, this man was absolutely my muse.
I didn’t know how long it would take, but I was sure I could write this next book; it would be a workplace romance with a Dragon, inspired by one of the investors of Froth & Flurry who’d shown up to the grand opening wearing a corset with a dash of Luc’s hot nerd vibe.
