“He’s not reserved when he needs to be, I’ll tell you that much. But otherwise, yes. He can be a bit uptight, so I try to ruffle his feathers whenever possible.” Sophiepulled her eyes away from where Lachlan leaned over the table, the denim stretching tight over his bum. Admittedly, it was a very nice bum. “Now, tell me. How’s it going with Luch? You two are so cute together.”
“Are we?” I flushed, unsure of how to handle such an open assessment of my relationship with Luch. It felt all too … new and fresh and untouched. A part of me had wanted to keep our dating a secret, something just for us, untainted by the opinions of others for a while longer.
Luch told me he’d be fine either way, but he’d also been very clear that he was proud to have me on his arm, a comment that had landed us back in bed. Who even said things like that?Proud to have me on his arm. I grinned, remembering his words.
“Oh yeah, you’re a smitten kitten.” Sophie tapped a finger on her lips, and I almost squirmed in my seat.
“I don’t know. I justlikehim. And I like Loren Brae. And I’m making friends, and it’s just … och, it’s just things feel like they’re finally falling into place, you ken?”
“I mean, you certainly balance each other well. You’re both in the health professions, you care about the well-being of others or animals, so I’m sure that’s something to bond over. What’s he like though? I’m having a hard time getting a read on him. Munroe said he’s tried a few times to invite him out for drinks, but he keeps to himself.”
“Yeah, he’s a bit of a homebody. The hospital’s understaffed, so long hours and a draining job will do that to you. I think he’s peopled out when he gets home. He takes a lot of long walks to de-stress. I like that though. Even on days where we don’t talk a lot when we walk, it’s just … nice, you ken? To walk in silence with someone. Like you’re sharing space, but not taking up mental space, I guess.”
“Is that something you need?”
“Mental space?” I leaned back, absentmindedly stroking Sir Buster and ignoring his growls, because I’d quickly learned as soon as I stopped petting him, he’d get annoyed with me for not giving him attention. “Aye, I do at that. Being in my profession, people need you all day long. You answer so many questions, you field a lot of high emotions, and then you go home and somehow just need to … turn it off. Just exist. And I think if I was dating someone who needed a lot from me, in the way of full mental focus after a long day? It would be tough. It’s nice not having to explain that to Luch. We can be together but not drain each other.”
“Plus he’s a hottie.” Sophie fanned herself, and Lachlan turned to her, an eyebrow raised.
“I heard that,” Lachlan called.
“Just appreciating the view, love.” Sophie blew him a kiss, and I was absolutely delighted to see Luch’s face flush at the attention.
“As I said, Ilikehim.” I lowered my voice, leaning into Sophie. “And that kind of scares me. I haven’t dated in a long time.”
“Why?” Sophie turned to me, her face devoid of judgment.
“Always moving. People aren’t that accepting of magick. Finding friends with powers? It’s been …” I shook my head. “Life-changing, I would say.”
“And he knows?” Sophie murmured, breaking off a piece of cheesefor Lady Lola.
Sir Buster stood up on my lap, immediately taking offense.
“Stand down, little man.” I reached over and gave him a small sliver of cheese to appease him. “And yes, he knows.”
“And?”
“I …” I shrugged. Luch and I had had a long talk about the healing, when I’d been ready to talk to him about it, and he’d since followed up with thoughtful questions. I kept sensing I was missing something with how he’d phrased his questions to me, but I never pushed it, since he’d told me the story about the healer and his mum’s injury during childbirth. It felt like I was slowly retraining him to think differently, and we’d had a few lively discussions about the blend of magickal power with science. I had to admit, one of my favorite things about Luch was his brain. We bounced ideas back and forth, and our discussions, when we were up for them, were often lively and varied.
Luch met my eyes from across the room, as though he knew we were discussing him, and my insides warmed.
Part of the reason we didn’t always talk a lot was because we were busy doing other decidedly delicious activities. After the first time he’d made love to me, so very gently and sweetly after my healing disaster, he’d gone on to show me he had another exceptionally interesting side to him.
Holy hell, but I had been right to be a touch nervous of him the first time we’d met. There was an undercurrent of energy to Luch that, when unleashed, was frankly—wild. Any chance he could, he was bending me over and having his way with me, leaving me panting and begging for more. Or he’d drop to his knees and savor me until my thighswere shaking and I was coming in his mouth. It was like once he’d had a taste of me, he was insatiable, and even now, just thinking about his hands on me, a warm rush of excitement went through my body. I crossed my legs and picked up my drink, needing to cool my suddenly dry throat.
“Hi. I’m Sophie, your friend?” Sophie snapped her fingers in my face, and I dragged my eyes away from where I’d been watching Luch lean over to take his shot.
“Oh my God, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“I know that look.” Sophie laughed. “I’m very much guilty of it myself. Right, I was asking how he was, with the magick? Obviously not upset if he’s here, right?”
I didn’t know if his mum’s story was one to share with others, so I just bit my lip and considered my words carefully.
“I’d say he’s reserved in his opinion on it but open to learning. He asks a lot of questions, and I appreciate that he’s trying to understand how the magick blends with science.”
“That’s fair.”
“Ladies.” We both gaped up at Luch, not having heard his approach, and Luch held out his hand to me. Sir Buster immediately leapt from my lap. “I’m on early tomorrow.”
