Page 8 of Code Mages & Empty Pages (Frostfire #2)

Dawn

“ I ’ll take my own car to work today,” Luc told me over a shared cup of tea the next morning. “I have something this afternoon.

“Oh, okay.” I had no idea why it unsettled me so much. It wasn’t that I thought he had a date.

What if he has a date?

Luc called himself my “emotional support wolf” last night, and it made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

He still treated me with… not contempt, but a careful distance.

Like he was keeping himself on a very tight leash around me, never letting himself slip.

Sometimes, I thought I caught glimpses of something softer underneath, a flash of real vulnerability, or maybe just exhaustion.

Maybe I was imagining it, and he was just being polite.

But a part of me hoped it meant more, that he trusted me enough to peel away the layers and reveal the real him, if I just waited long enough.

“I have a meeting with my coach at the gym later,” he explained and took another sip, running his free hand over his neck fluff.

“With your coach at the gym?”

“Yeah, I’ve been working out,” he said, looking a little sheepish.

Gosh, he’s so cute. “I didn’t know you went to the gym. Is that why you sometimes get home later?”

“Yeah, exactly. I’ve been on a bit of a ‘getting my shit together’ kick lately. You know, I’m over 30 now, and it feels like that should be something I should do.”

“I see, that’s cool. Yeah, have fun. I’ll see you at home later. I don’t know, maybe you want to hang out? Want me to cook something for us? I bet you’re hungry after your workout.”

Don’t sound like you’re trying too hard, Dawn.

“Yeah.” Luc gave me a half smile, and it melted the flesh of my bones. “That’d be amazing. Thanks, Dawn.”

“You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do. I mean, I’m not great at cooking, but I’ll try not to poison you.”

“I’m sure it’s going to be fine.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

I wasn’t a domestic goddess, but the Spaghetti Bolognese I whipped up from fresh ingredients turned out great.

I hope he likes it.

Luc came home from the gym at seven, looking exhausted but quite pleased with himself. Maybe I should join a gym.

I usually walked on my walking pad when I wrote my books, but that was at my house, of course, and I hadn’t been writing in far too long. The idea for that Dragon book still haunted me, but I hadn’t got around to doing something about it.

“Hey! Wow, it smells amazing,” he said and poked his head into the kitchen. He was sweaty, and wow, it made him look even hotter than usual. Especially with his new glasses. As fogged up as they were, he was the stuff of my dreams.

“Uh, yeah, I hope you like it. I think it tastes okay.”

“I’m sure it’s gonna be great,” he grinned at me. “I’ll just have a quick shower, and then I’ll be back downstairs, okay?”

He disappeared upstairs, and I remembered that I had wanted to check my phone. I’d left it in my room. My brother Owen had a new job in Edinburgh, and I wanted to hear how his first day went. I checked the clock on the wall; I probably had just enough time to give him a call.

I followed Luc upstairs, went into my room, grabbed my phone, and was just about to go back downstairs when the bathroom door opened and out came…

Holy shit, Lucien Atkins.

He wore a towel slung low around his hips.

“Oh, I—I’m sorry,” I stammered, trying to avert my gaze from his thick arms and pecs.

Oh my gosh, those pecs!

My hungry eyes roamed over his fur-covered stomach. He was perfect.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to grab my phone.” I held it up and squeezed my eyes shut, embarrassed at how much his almost naked form unsettled me. You ogled him, Dawn! “I just wanted to call my brother real quick. I’ll see you downstairs, Luc.”

I dashed past him and thundered down the stairs, knowing full well that I had just made a complete fool of myself. As soon as I arrived in the kitchen, I called Owen. He picked up after a few seconds.

“Hey, big sis! How’s it going?” he greeted me, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

I loved my baby brother. I remembered being elated when my parents told me I’d get a brother.

We’d always been the best of friends, but we’d lost touch over the last year and a half or so.

Owen had just lost his job and found a new position at another company in Edinburgh. It had been a tough year for all of us.

“I’m good, thanks. How are you? How was your first day?”

“Oh, it was okay.” He didn’t sound like he was, but I had no mental space to dig further.

“I’m so glad to hear that.” Why do you pretend you can’t hear that it sucks?

“Yes, it’s great,” he lied.

“I promise I’ll call you on the weekend, okay?

Then we can catch up and you can tell me everything.

” I could ask him about his job then. I’d always thought Owen would get a job where he worked with people.

He was such a caring person. Engineering had been the most sensible choice, but I knew he didn’t enjoy it.

“I’m just waiting for my roommate to come downstairs so we can have dinner. ”

“Your roommate?” Owen inquired. I could almost hear his elegant eyebrows arching high. He’d always seen straight through me.

“Yes, roommate,” I said in a low voice. “He’s a colleague. I wanted to tell you, but I totally forgot over everything that’s been happening. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m just glad you’re okay. I thought you were staying at a hotel.”

“No, I can’t really afford that, and I’m glad I don’t have to pay for it.”

“So, your colleague ”—Owen pronounced the word in such a way that indicated that Luc and I were fucking—“lets you stay in his guest room for free .“ His words dripped with innuendo.

“Yes, he lets me stay here for free.”

“So how do you pay him back?” Owen teased.

There he is! There’s the baby brother I know.

“Not at all.” I laughed and checked the stairs because I did not want Luc to overhear this.

He wasn’t there, thank fuck. “He just lets me stay here so I can stash my cash and pay for the fungus removal, you know.” I turned towards the stove to give the Bolognese another stir.

“It’s not like we’re colleagues with benefits or something. ”

A choking sound came from the door. Oh my gosh. Luc stood in the doorway to the kitchen, an unreadable expression on his face.

Holy shit, fuck my luck.

I bet he only heard the last bit and he thinks I called us colleagues with benefits.

I wanted to evaporate on the spot but somehow had to keep it together. “Love you, little bro, I’ll, um, talk to you on the weekend, okay?”

Owen did not ask any more questions. He heard in my voice that I wouldn’t give him any more information right now.

“I’ll talk to you on the weekend. Love you, big sis. Bye.”

I hung up and steeled myself for Luc’s wrath.

It never came.

Luc raised an eyebrow, still half-damp from his shower, but wearing his usual cargo trousers and another one of his punny shirts that read “Will Code For Snacks.” “Colleagues with benefits, huh?”

Heat crawled up my neck. “That was just my brother. He thinks he’s funny.”

Luc grinned, then sobered a little, running a hand through his neck fur. The tips still dripped with water. “I mean, if you’re offering, I could be persuaded.” He sniffed. “The benefits here seem pretty decent.”

I snorted, equal parts mortified and relieved. “Shut up, Luc. The only benefit you’re getting tonight is spaghetti.”

He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I guess I’ll take what I can get. But for the record, you make living with a colleague a lot more interesting than I expected.”

His words hung in the air a beat too long.

I fished around in my head for anything to say.

Luc cleared his throat before I could find the right words. “Don’t worry. Your brother’s just looking out for you, right?”

I nodded, grateful for the rescue. “Yeah. He just…worries.”

Luc’s smile softened a little. “You’re safe here, Dawn. I mean it. No strings, no expectations. Just make yourself at home.”

“Thanks. It means a lot,” I said, meaning it more than he probably realised.

I watched him pull two bowls from the cupboard and grab forks. “I like that you’re close to your brother. It’s good to have some family you can count on.”

He just grinned. “I’m starving,” he admitted, which reminded me I hadn’t eaten all day, either.

“Me too. How was your training?” I grabbed the parmesan from the fridge and started dishing up spaghetti.

Luc snorted. “I think my coach wants to kill me. Mio is this ultra-fit Jaguar hybrid, an ex-MMA fighter. He kicked my arse.”

I slid a bowl in front of his spot at the table. “Enjoy.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What, the spaghetti or getting my ass kicked?”

I grinned. “Maybe a bit of both?”

He shook his head and sat down, still smiling.

After a pause, I hesitated. “I wish I was closer to my brother, honestly. Owen’s younger. He works in engineering in Edinburgh.” My voice came out smaller than I wanted.

Luc’s expression softened again. “I'm sorry.”

“Thanks. We kind of lost touch during my engagement. Everything became about Morgan, his important job at the bank, his colleagues, his wishes. My family just faded into the background. But I’m trying to fix things with Owen.

I want to support him, but look at me. I can’t even finish a book to make some money. ”

Luc shook his head. “You’re not a bad sister. You’re doing your best. Sometimes life just knocks everything out of order. Doesn’t mean you can’t find your way back.”

“Maybe,” I said softly. “But I still feel guilty.”

We fell quiet for a moment. Luc reached for the cheese, adding a generous heap to his spaghetti.

“We all get it wrong sometimes,” he said quietly. “Family’s fucking complicated. But you’re trying. That counts for something, Dawn.”

His words settled over me like a cosy blanket. I let myself believe him and took a bite.