Page 22 of The Vampire’s Receptionist (Charmed Away Temp Agency #4)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Kian’s head snapped up, and he looked sharply at Harlem, who was oblivious to his surprise. Dorian didn’t notice either, sitting beside Harlem with an affectionate smile. “Will I get to meet this one?”

Harlem wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know. After what happened with my last boyfriend, I’m not sure I trust you.”

Dorian sighed, exasperation heavy in his tone. “He wasn’t right for you. He only met with me to posture and treated you poorly. He deserved what he got.”

Kian sat up a little more, both riveted and eager for more information. It sounded like Dorian and Harlem weren’t in a relationship. He couldn’t be that lucky. Right?

“What did he get?” he asked, looking between the two of them.

Harlem, who had just taken a big bite of his dinner, covered his mouth with his hand as he spoke. “Dorian went all scary vampire on him. The poor guy was human, and it scared him shitless. Seriously, he peed his pants.”

Kian’s jaw hit the floor as he let out a startled laugh. “Wait, seriously?”

Dorian at least looked a little embarrassed.

“Not one of my finer moments, I’m afraid.

Granted, I didn’t realize that he was unaware I was a vampire.

Harlem only told him we were friends. He saw me as a threat, since we are very close, and said some terrible things.

I reacted. I did offer to wipe his memory of the event, but he wouldn’t answer Harlem’s calls after that night.

” He shrugged, leaning his arm over the back of the couch with an expression that leaned a little too close to smug.

He might try to sound embarrassed or ashamed, but Kian could see right through that.

He was happy with how that night turned out.

“So… you two aren’t together? Because I’ll admit, I can see why the guy got jealous. You two do seem close.”

Harlem made a face. “No way. I love Dorian but like a friend. He’s way too stiff for me. He doesn’t know how to have any fun.”

“I know how to have fun,” Dorian disagreed with a frown. He didn’t seem the least bit upset about Harlem’s rejection, only the slight on his personality. Kian leaned forward eagerly, soaking in every word as they bickered with each other.

“Fun for you is a night with your puzzles. I want to go dancing, meet new people! Just because you’re older than dirt doesn’t mean you need to act like it.”

Kian cracked up at that, nearly dumping his mostly full plate on the floor, he was laughing so hard.

“You’re such a brat,” Dorian said with a scowl.

“You love me anyway,” Harlem countered with a cheeky grin. “And Kian seems to like me. I’m just that awesome.”

Wiping tears away, Kian nodded. “Dorian’s right. You’re a brat. I feel like someone needs to warn your boyfriend.”

Harlem sniffed dramatically. “Who says he doesn’t already know? It’s not like I pretend to be someone I’m not.”

While Dorian seemed to accept this, Kian couldn’t help poking a little fun. “If he knows already, then you shouldn’t have a problem with him coming here to meet Dorian. Call him. I want to meet him, too.”

The way Harlem’s eyes widened made Kian crack up again. He looked nervous, which made Kian think Harlem was still in the stage of the relationship where he was on his best behavior. He didn’t want either of them to meet the man and spill the beans on what he was truly like.

In a desperate move to get attention off of him, Harlem narrowed his eyes on Kian. “What about you? Do you have a significant other?”

Kain just grinned. “Nope.”

“Seriously? No one who should know you’re laid up in bed?”

He pursed his lips, giving Harlem a smug look. Granted, he probably should have told his parents when he got hurt, or maybe Morana, but he preferred to keep his business to himself. He didn’t need to worry them over nothing. He was fine.

“Nope. No one. I guess I haven’t found someone willing to put up with me yet.”

Harlem huffed, crossing his arms. “I don’t believe you. You’re too cute to be single. You’re lying to keep the focus on me.”

Chuckling, Kian shook his head. To spare Harlem, he turned his focus to his food, taking a big bite. So far, everything Dorian had made him was delicious. He was going to miss being pampered like this once the doctor figured out what was wrong with him.

His gaze flicked to the vampire automatically, only to find Dorian watching him.

He got caught in those penetrating dark brown eyes, and he felt his cheeks flush under the attention.

Now that he knew Dorian was single, it was even harder to hide his attraction.

This situation was awkward enough. He didn’t need to add sex into the mix.

Harlem’s phone rang before he could keep pestering Kian about imaginary relationships. He pulled it out of his pocket and squeaked, nearly launching himself off the couch as he hurried to answer.

“I’ll be right back!”

He hustled out of the room without a backward glance, leaving Kian and Dorian alone. Tension dialed up, and Kian wanted to squirm under the scrutiny. He forced a laugh, trying to appear unaffected.

“How much do you want to bet that was his boyfriend? You should follow him and find out.”

Dorian finally looked away, glancing towards the doorway that Harlem had run out of. He didn’t look the least bit interested in following his friend.

“If the man ends up being someone important, I’m sure Harlem will introduce us. I don’t need to rush him.” Those dark brown eyes swung back his way again. “Is what he said true?”

Kian frowned, studying him. “What part?”

“The part where you said no one needs to know you’ve been hurt.”

That almost sounded like Dorian was asking if he was really single.

His laugh was a little awkward as he waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m not worrying my parents over something so small.

And since I’m technically still under contract, the only boss I need to inform about my leave of absence is you. I’m good.”

Dorian pressed his lips together, and his eyes tightened ever so slightly.

He didn’t seem happy about Kian’s answer, though Kian wasn’t sure why.

Did he want him to have a boyfriend? Or did he not like that Kian was leaving his parents out of the loop?

He’d have to get over it either way. Kian’s parents had enough drama to deal with between their two families.

He didn’t need to add to their stress by telling them every time he got hurt.

And he wasn’t interested in dating. It always ended poorly, so why bother anymore?

He was okay with how things were. He didn't answer to anyone other than himself. He didn’t need anyone else.

Dorian didn’t like the way Kian spoke about himself.

Like he was fine with having no one at his bedside.

It slipped Dorian’s mind to ask if there was someone he should call since all his friends had been there from the beginning.

Kian had no one. And it bothered him a great deal.

He deserved to have someone supporting him. He shouldn’t have to recover all alone.

His chest filled with an overwhelming determination to be that someone. Kian needed to be cared for. No matter how this turned out, Dorian wanted the man to know he had someone to call, should he need it.

He took in the man sitting across from him, his hair slipping from the haphazard bun he’d tossed it in.

Harlem was right, he still looked pale, despite the transfusion earlier.

If he could, Dorian would skip tonight’s feeding just to give him more time to recover.

Since it would only risk Kian further if he did, he decided instead to take as little as possible.

He could survive until morning. Kian’s recovery was more important.

“Stop it,” Kian murmured, frowning down at his plate.

Dorian frowned at him. “Stop what?”

“I know what you’re thinking. I don’t need you to rescue me. I’m fine on my own.”

“Are you?” he asked. It was a genuine question. He wasn’t sure he knew one person who could thrive solely on their own. And Kian had yet to come forward with any kind of support system. He even kept his own parents at a distance, despite nearly losing his life the day prior.

Lilac and sapphire blue lifted to lock on him, full of stubborn defiance. “I don’t need to be rescued.”

Dorian shook his head. “No. But you do need a friend.”

Kian’s head jerked back, surprise written all over his face, but before they could continue the conversation, Harlem came back, a slight flush to his cheeks and a bright smile on his face. He plopped onto the couch between the two of them, completely unaware of the tension between Dorian and Kian.

“Okay, so maybe he doesn’t know I’m a brat. I think he can handle it, though. I just need to introduce him to it slowly.”

Kian latched onto the new topic, giving his full attention to Harlem. “Smart. Ease him in. What’s the plan?” he asked.

Dorian saw the walls go up, the way Kian refused to look at him. Being something more than Kian’s patient would not be an easy task. It was a good thing Dorian liked a challenge.

He gave Kian his space while Harlem was visiting, letting the two talk about different ways Harlem could show his new boyfriend his true self without scaring him away.

Dorian’s suggestion to just be honest was met with derisive snorts from both men, and he was effectively shut out from suggesting anything more.

He didn’t mind. He wanted to figure out how to get Kian to open up around him. The man deserved a true support system.

Harlem left after teaching Kian and Dorian how to play a few human card games that seemed like they were for children but were still enjoyable with Kian and Harlem’s teasing commentary.

He walked his friend out and made sure he was safely in the back of a cab before heading back inside to bring Kian to his room.

He wasn’t the least bit surprised to find Kian trying to climb the stairs himself.

“You’re going to hurt yourself,” he pointed out as he stopped beside him.

Kian shot him a dirty look over his shoulder. “It’s one flight of stairs. I’m fine.”

As Dorian wasn’t a doctor, he couldn’t say whether Kian was right or not. But Doctor Chapman did put him on bedrest for a reason, and Dorian wasn’t willing to risk Kian’s health because of stubbornness.

“Let me help you.”

He was already out of breath five stairs up. He needed to rest.

“I’m fine. I can handle it. Just–”

Dorian saw when Kian’s knees wobbled, and he lost his balance. He sucked in a sharp breath of surprise, but before he could even fall an inch backward, Dorian caught him in his arms and pulled him into a bridal carry. It only seemed to embarrass Kian further.

“I said I’m fine!”

“Kian…” He did his best not to berate the poor man.

His independent streak was a mile wide, and Dorian understood the need to rely only on himself.

He tried his best to do the same most days.

Their current situation was evidence of that.

But he didn't want Kian’s determination to end up hurting him.

“You risked your life to save mine. Let me help you get better. Please?”

He could see the war in Kian’s eyes, the need to take care of himself clashing with his natural urges to care for others. It wasn’t just his health he worried about. Dorian’s issue caused its own set of troubles. The reminder of that swayed the man in his arms.

“Fine. But I’m not actually tired yet.”

The underlying meaning was clear. He’d intended to avoid Dorian. A reaction Dorian fully intended to fix, as long as the man let him.