Page 5 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
Dawnwasfucking hot. Those curves? Top tier. And her smile was cute as hell. She wore her natural hair pulled back today. I caught another whiff of the creamy, almond-sweet scent that clung to her hair and had to fight the urge to lean closer and inhale.So good.
“Luc?”
“What?” I flinched hard when she addressed me. Dawn pursed her lips, nose scrunching in a way that made me zero in on the tiny stud in her nostril.
“Would you let me through, please? I need the bathroom. Could you hold that for me for a moment?”
I took the Froth & Flurry paper bag with a heavenly smelling cinnamon bun, and my ears flattened. “Yeah, sure. Sorry.” I stepped aside, trying not to look as flustered as I felt.
“Cheers, Code Mage.” She winked, strutting past with just a bit of swagger.
By the Moon Goddess.
I knew she was just teasing me about the shirt I’d worn yesterday, but I could get used to her calling me that. My gaze clung to her like a dewdrop to a blade of grass as she wove through the crowd. She lit up a room like the morning sun.
Damn it. Dawn reallydidturn me into a dumb old dog. But I couldn’t deny she did us good. With her on the team, it was like every day started with a fresh promise.
See?
We made our way back to the office. Dawn still grinned, and icing from her bun smeared on her thumb as she bit into it. “Holy shit, whoever made these is really into cinnamon,” she said, mouth half full. I tried not to stare at her lips but probably failed.
Then, Dawn wiped her hands, slid into her chair, and woke her screen. The low noise she made in her throat made me look over. “Oh, crap. Code red in HR,” she said, squinting at her monitor. “Their MFU’s down. Looks like the whole department’s stuck.”I checked my inbox. The system flagged the task bright red.
Before I could say anything, she was already tapping out a message. “Desmond, can you take this one?”
“Sure thing.” My cousin drained his coffee, stood, and punched my arm on his way out.
I exhaled, rolling my shoulders back. So much for a smooth afternoon. At least she made the work feel less painful.
When it was just Dawn and me again, I panicked a little at the silence. I wanted that easiness to last, to stay in that softer space where things felt simple between us.
“So, uh… got any plans for the weekend?” I asked, hoping I sounded casual and not like a desperate wolf. Then I remembered it was only Thursday.
Fuck.
She looked up. Her smile hit me right in the gut. “Not much. I’ll probably work on my garden, if you can call it that. Mostly overgrown grass and a moss pear tree that refuses to give me fruit. Once a year I tidy it up, but that’s about it. Not exactly Dreamboard-worthy.” I grinned. “I bet it’s better than you think.” She laughed softly. “Maybe. At least it gets me outside.”
Desperate to keep the conversation going, I blurted out, “Are you working on anything new? With your writing, I mean?”
“Oh, uh, not really. I’m in my idea-finding phase,” she dodged my question.
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be nosy. Hec just mentioned that you’re a writer.”
Shit, too obvious.
She pressed her lips together, but not unkindly.
“It’s okay. You two are related, aren’t you? Brothers?”
“We’re littermates. Twins, you would call it.”
Dawn looked really uncomfortable, and I dashed on to change the subject.Why on earth did I bring up her writing in the first place?“Anyway, if you ever want someone to dig up a flowerbed, I can lend a hand. Not pretty, but I’m good at digging.” That got a real laugh, and I tucked it away like a win.
A win in what game exactly, Atkins? Why the hell are you flirting with her on the job?
With nothing else to say, I nodded awkwardly and went back to work. Desmond had been running IT solo for so long, he’dpatched a few things. They had been quick fixes that worked but weren’t pretty. I’d agreed to focus on those in my downtime.
“Ugh,” Dawn groaned. “Can anyone explain why the booking system never works?”
