Matthieu rose from the sofa he’d been sitting on. He pointed a finger at Geoffrey. “Arrête çatout de suite!”
Stop it right now.
Matthieu then turned to Ian and spoke in rapid-fire French. “He adores you, you fool. How can you not see that? Are you blind?” Matthieu threw up his hands in disgust. “Dragons stupides,” he spat. “This is not that hard. Why must you make it so hard? This catastrophe has happened. Done. All that came before,c’estfini. We must deal with now.” He paused to pick up his glass and take a large swallow of brandy. “You will both cooperate now, or so help me…”
I’m listening, Geoffrey thought very hard at Matthieu and got an eye roll for his pains.
Ian said softly, “I’m listening, Mattie.”
Matthieu huffed. “Matthieu.”
“Yes. Matthieu. What did you want to tell us?”
“I thought we needed to talk,mes dragons. I see now I was wrong. What we need is skin.”
Geoffrey frowned. “Skin? Whose?”
Matthieu gave a very Gallic shrug. “Mine, of course.” Then, right in the middle of Ian’s study, the omega began to undress.
14
Matthieu
Matthieu simmered with irritation at hisdeux dragons stupides, and he fell back on his training, which was ingrained into him like any other muscle memory. He began to disrobe.
“Matthieu, what are you doing?” Ian asked.
“He thinks he can fix things with sex,” Geoffrey answered, “and he says we're stupid.” Under Geoffrey's dry tone lay an ocean of churning emotions. If Matthieu wasn't careful, he'd drown in Geoffrey's depths.
Matthieu dropped his shirt on the floor. He put his hands to his waist and undid his belt, then unfastened his slacks. Even though he didn't remove them, both men would've been blind not to notice that he wore no underwear.
He knew how Geoffrey felt, or at least had a fairly good idea, so instead Matthieu focused on his second stupid dragon. Ian stared at Matthieu, then his eyes cut to Geoffrey, then were drawn inexorably back to Matthieu.
Matthieu took two steps forward then knelt at Ian's feet and lowered his head. “We need you,monsieur dragon.”
“I…” Ian swiveled to face the opposite direction, apparently so he wouldn't have to see either Matthieu or Geoffrey. “I don't know what to think. I want to make this work, but you and Geoffrey are mates. I thought we could… but I can't… and it'll be better…”
Kneel! Matthieu thought at Geoffrey as hard as he could.I know you want to. I can feel it. Just kneel beside me. We can do this, but it has to be together.
Slowly, but still gracefully, Geoffrey knelt. Matthieu couldn't make out actual thoughts, but he could feel Geoffrey's emotions almost like they were his own: fear, guilt, longing, hope, desire, need, shame, and love. So many feelings for a man who appeared, if you weren't paying attention, to have no emotions at all.
Matthieu reached out and took Geoffrey's hand. He willed Ian to turn around.
Still facing away, Ian said, “We've been selfish, Mattie. I apologize. Get up and put your shirt back on. Sex won't fix anything.”
“Matthieu.My name isMatthieu. And this is all I know.” Matthieu felt impotent frustration suffuse him, and, more faintly, Geoffrey's alarm and concern. Matthieu made himself become calm, also a thing he'd been taught. The Pedigree had to know anything and everything to please a dragon and be able to do so even in the most frustrating situations.
Geoffrey squeezed his hand, the gesture awkward and almost painful and still achingly sweet.
“What do you want, Mattie?” Ian asked, his back still to them.
“Matthieu, pas Mattie. How many times must I say this?”
“In my case,” Geoffrey said, “thousands. He still calls me Geoff even though he knows I dislike it.”
“Mon Dieu! And have you given up correcting him, then?”
“No,” Ian said, and Matthieu was glad to hear amusement in his tone. “Have you, Geoff?”
