Page 33 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
Luc yipped when I addressed him thus. Then he sped up some more and I fell. I convulsed around him in a silent but mind-numbingly powerful orgasm.
“Oh, shit!” He only just pulled out and came all over my still contracting core. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” Luc panted and sank into my arms. His heart hammered frantically against mine. “Knotting at work isn’t a great idea and I thought—“
“That was so hot, Comte,” I breathed.
“I’m glad you liked it, Roe. Even though I talked you into it.”
We both giggled before we kissed each other again.
“Sorry for being a territorial ass earlier. It’s more difficult to keep my stupid animal at bay when I’m in rut,” he explained and hugged me closer.
For someone who had proposed a no-strings-attached deal, he was very considerate. And a little—maybe a lot?—over the top.
Not complaining, though.
I wasn’t sure I was made for sex without feelings, but I supposed I had to learn how to deal with it if Luc decided one day our deal was off.
Chapter 12
Luc
It surprised me how much I liked having Dawn in my house. After a few weeks of sharing a home, her little routines crept up on me and became comfortable. Her quiet steps in the hall, the low hum of her voice when she thought she was alone andtalked to herself, the way she always seemed to bring warmth with her, they made me…happy.
Late one night, I found her in the kitchen after another sweaty encounter in my bed. We’d gamed a bit and then things sort of spiralled out of control. I’d just got out of a cold shower, but my skin burned, and I thought I still tasted her slick cunt on my tongue. Dawn was curled on a kitchen chair, staring out at the yard. The soft light from the small lamp above the stove illuminated her outline.
She looks like an angel.
My chest went tight. Things between us were easy, at least physically. We’d found comfort in each other more than once since that frantic hookup in the server room. But the quiet between us now felt different. It was laden with everything we hadn’t yet said.
She looked over her shoulder, blinking quickly. “Luc, hey.” Her voice was thick, and she wiped at her face, pretending I hadn’t seen.
I filled a glass at the sink, letting the familiar routine calm me. “Mind if I sit?”
“It’s your kitchen,” she said, half smiling, but her shoulders were drawn tight.
“Maybe you’d rather be alone,” I offered, softer than I intended. “Just say the word.”
Dawn gave a tired little huff and motioned to the chair beside her. “Sit, please.”
I lowered myself beside her, our knees brushing under the table. “You okay?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s just… a lot.” Her laugh was small, barely there.
“Yeah. Same,” I admitted. I was still raw, like I left pieces of me with her whenever we slept with each other.
After a moment, I reached out and slid an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into me, pressing her cheek against my collarbone. Her hand found the fur at the back of my neck. I let myself breathe her in, just for a moment.
“It’s going to be alright, Roe. I promise.” The nickname slipped out easily. I barely called her anything else these days.
She hummed and settled closer. I wanted to be her anchor, even though I was barely holding my own shit together.
“You’re not alone in this,” I murmured and kissed her brow. “I’m here. And you’ve got Mia, Harper, and Des. We’ll figure it out, together. Teamwork makes the dream work,” I quoted some bullshit I’d read on a business blog once.
The quiet of the house settled around us. We sat together in silence for a while and looked out into the dark garden.
Usually, when my rut was at its worst, being this close would only make things harder. But with Dawn, this was the only thing that helped. Her warmth grounded me, and I breathed a little easier.
Eventually, I cleared my throat. “Hey, Roe?”
