Page 32 of The Shapeshifter’s Secretary (Charmed Away Temp Agency #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Zephyr felt strained by the end of the day. Being so far from Tony was harder than he expected. He missed the way the man cuddled against his side and smiled at him. Even a long flight over the ocean during lunch didn’t settle him. He missed Taron as well, but he knew better than to vocalize that. He still hadn’t reached a point where they could even be considered friendly yet, much to his disappointment. He’d hoped to make more progress by now at this point. He was struggling to come up with ideas on how to change that.

Sometimes he wondered if honesty was better, but then he thought of the fury on Taron’s face when they’d spoken for the first time in years. His hope that Taron might have missed him just as much as Zephyr did died a quick death that day. It hurt, but he wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Especially now that Tony was in the middle. How did he get back what they’d lost when Taron wanted nothing to do with him?

His phone rang a little before the end of his work day, and his tension settled a little when he saw Tony’s name on the caller ID.

“Hello, baby,” he said as he answered it.

“Hey. How are you?”

He could practically hear the bashful smile on Tony’s face. The man was criminally cute.

“Better now that I’m hearing your voice. How are you? Are you done working already?”

“Almost,” Tony replied. “I was calling to see if you wanted to join us for dinner at home. I… missed you today.”

His chest warmed, and a smile tugged at his lips. “I missed you too. But what does Taron say about it?”

“He’s okay with it,” Tony reassured him. “I walked around a bit more than normal today and he wants you to help. If you don’t mind. You don't have to. I just want to see you, but–”

“Relax, baby. I love helping you feel better. It’s not a hardship for me. What time will you be done?”

His poor boyfriend still didn’t get that it wasn’t any effort to help him and Zephyr enjoyed being a source of comfort for him. Taron might be more fun, but Zephyr helped him with his pain. Hopefully that made him just as important to Tony. He couldn’t help feeling a little jealous that Taron got to see him all day, while Zephyr needed to take a portal to join them at the end of the day. It would take a lot of work not to be selfish with Tony once they reunited.

They made plans to meet up after the work day was through, and Zephyr’s mood improved with that to look forward to. He finished up the paperwork he’d been neglecting while distracted, wondering how Tony was doing, and his assistant took care of distributing it where it needed to go. His company was nowhere near as big as Taron’s, but he did well for himself and often his prices were better. He was sometimes in direct competition with Spellbound and despite their clout, they didn’t always win the client over. They preferred Zephyr’s calm professionalism over Taron’s teasing banter.

Normally at the end of the day, he’d feel the need for a flight to expel some energy and magic, but knowing he was going to help Tony meant he’d be using his magic plenty. And if he got lucky, he’d expend energy in a more pleasurable way. They’d agreed to not overwhelm Tony too soon and potentially hurt him, so they hadn’t all been together since the first time.

Zephyr’s blood simmered with repressed lust. He was never usually this hard up for someone. The only time he was this lust-driven before now was when he and Taron were hooking up. Since Taron’s libido matched his, he never felt bad for being demanding. With Tony, he couldn’t make demands like that, so he was left with his right hand to take care of the problem.

As he made his way to the portal station and Taron’s apartment, he did his best to shove the feeling down. He didn't want Tony to think he only wanted him for sex. He enjoyed sex with his boyfriend, but he wanted the sweet man for so much more than that.

Of course, when Tony opened the door to let him in and his hungry gaze swept over Zephyr’s appearance, he couldn’t help his thoughts heading straight to the gutter.

“Y-You look… Wow…” Tony breathed, taking a hesitant step closer before stopping himself. Zephyr closed the gap between them, running his knuckles over Tony’s cheek.

“I’m glad you like it, baby. You look nice too.”

Tony looked down and back up, confused. “It’s just a button up.”

True. Tony couldn’t afford a full suit, so he wore a button up and slacks with a tie to work instead. He still looked adorable, though. Zephyr dipped his head, running his nose along Tony’s and smirking at the little gasp that escaped his boyfriend’s lips. Tony’s hand that wasn’t using the cane to support him fisted into Zephyr’s jacket, keeping him from pulling away.

“Going to give me a kiss hello?” Zephyr murmured, his lips scant millimeters away from Tony’s.

Tony whimpered a little, closing the gap and kissing him eagerly. Zephyr pulled the smaller man into his arms, supporting his weight to make him more comfortable and letting his magic free to ease some of Tony’s pain. He brushed his tongue along Tony’s thick bottom lip, smiling to himself when Tony opened up immediately for him. This was definitely not helping his libido, but he would never complain about this.

“Ugh. I hate how hot that is,” Taron complained from somewhere behind Tony. “Stop making out in the hallway. I have neighbors who love to complain about every stupid thing.”

At least he wasn’t interrupting to be a shit. And it was true that they had never made it past the doorway to the apartment. Zephyr drew back reluctantly, resting his forehead against Tony’s for a moment before settling the dazed man back on his feet. He didn’t let go until he was sure Tony wouldn’t collapse. He was a little smug about how lust fogged Tony looked already.

“You’re supposed to be resting, Tony,” Taron carped again.

Zephyr was ready to point out that Taron agreed not to interfere when they finally came in and closed the door behind them, but Taron actually looked concerned and explained himself as Zephyr pulled his jacket off.

“He was wincing by the end of the day, and he had to take pain medicine when we got home. He needs to be sitting down.”

Tony looked sheepish when Zephyr turned to look at him again. “I got distracted…”

A warm smile pulled at Zephyr’s lips as he guided Tony towards the couch. He did notice that Tony’s limp was more pronounced than it had been the day before, but he knew it bothered Tony when they focused too much on it, so he didn't bring it up. The man had to work.

He joined Tony on the couch, sending a steady stream of magic up his side. Tony let out a breath of relief, laying his head against Zephyr’s shoulder.

“Thank you.”

Zephyr kissed his temple, murmuring against his hair. “Anytime. What kept you on your feet all day?”

“It wasn’t all day,” Tony protested. “I just had to go to Supernatural Resources, and then to finance, then a few other departments, to get all the paperwork done. It isn’t like this often.”

He frowned, tipping his head to look at his boyfriend. “Paperwork for what?”

Tony’s cheeks pinkened a little. “I agreed to become Taron’s permanent assistant. He needs the help, and I don’t want him to end up stuck with someone who doesn’t understand him. I still don't get why people get so annoyed working with him. He moves around a lot, sure, but he’s way nicer than any of the other people I’ve worked with.”

Taron was in the kitchen cooking dinner, listening in. He glanced over his shoulder at Tony’s compliment, a soft smile on his face. Zephyr could imagine he didn’t hear that often. Even he couldn’t handle Taron all day like Tony could when they were friends. They always needed a break from each other after a while. It wasn’t a bad thing for them that they had to travel to see each other, because it gave them the time they needed to reset.

His brow furrowed a little. It was only after they started seeing each other that they stopped giving themselves time apart like that. They were in each other’s back pockets at that point. The sex was amazing, so they didn’t want to part for long, but maybe if they would’ve taken the time, they wouldn’t have driven each other away.

“We pushed a little hard today to get all the paperwork done so he’ll be put on company insurance as soon as possible,” Taron explained, breaking through Zephyr’s reflection. He looked over at his ex, watching him shoot Tony an apologetic smile. “I should’ve made you take a break. I got too excited. I’m sorry, a thaisce.”

Tony waved him away. “I’m okay. It’s still less painful than it was before. And I see Doctor Chapman again on Friday.”

“You do?” Zephyr asked, drawing Tony’s focus back to him.

Tony nodded. “He called today and said they had to get through a lot of the old scar tissue, so they want me to rest afterward. We scheduled my next session with him for Friday afternoon so I can come straight home afterward. Do you… Would you come with? It’s a little nerve-wracking that they think I’ll need so much rest. I’m afraid it's going to hurt.”

“Of course, I’ll be there,” he reassured the sweet man, cupping his cheek and drawing him in for a chaste kiss. “Just tell me when.”

Taron huffed a laugh, coming to join them with two plates balanced on one arm and a third in his other hand. “You’re going to have two boyfriends waiting on you hand and foot after your appointment. I hope you’re prepared for that.”

Tony didn’t take the warning for what it was. He was just happy that they’d both be there when he needed them. But maybe they should have been more clear. Both Taron and Zephyr loved to spoil their partners. Tony was going to get the brunt end of their attention head on. He didn’t know what was headed his way.

Zephyr took the plate Taron offered him with a polite thank you, then narrowed his eyes on the food. “What is this?”

“Shut up and eat it,” Taron growled automatically. His eyes widened when he realized what he’d said, and he wrinkled his nose sheepishly. “Sorry. Habit. It’s chicken paprikash. I’ve been experimenting with new recipes.”

It smelled good, but Zephyr and Taron had been fighting for so long, he automatically assumed he’d done something to it to make him hate it. He was hesitant to try it until Tony took a big bite and beamed at Taron, swallowing his food before showering the shapeshifter in compliments. Hesitantly, Zephyr took a small bite. His eyebrows came up slowly.

“This is really good.”

“You don't have to sound so surprised,” Taron grumbled, scowling at his plate.

He sighed heavily, summoning his patience. Why did he have to be such a brat?

“I apologize if I made it sound like I was surprised. Neither one of us could be trusted in the kitchen when we were younger. You’ve improved a lot. It’s good.”

Taron looked up, his brows drawn together tightly. Now it was his turn to look surprised, like Zephyr saying something nice to him was such a shock. Then again, with the way they constantly sniped at each other, even he couldn’t remember the last time he said something nice to Taron. He forced himself not to get annoyed with himself for the misstep, lifting his plate in emphasis.

“Thank you. I appreciate you feeding me, too.”

Taron’s frown deepened, and he looked away. Zephyr bit back another sigh, almost missing Taron’s quiet, “You’re welcome,” when he wasn’t paying attention. He studied him curiously. Was it too much to hope that was a sign that they were making progress?