Chapter Thirty-Four

All Very Casual

Rafe

I woke up before my alarm, warm and comfortable and feeling that sweet sense of relief when I realised I still had a little more time to sleep.

I'd slept hard, my face smushed into the pillow, and I smacked my lips when I felt drool on my chin, but I was too comfortable to move and wipe it away. I was lying on my belly, splayed out, and when I dragged my knee higher, I realised there was something on my ass.

A hand.

My eyes opened, gut bottoming out when I remembered that Dan was asleep in my bed. He'd stayed the night. He'd been passed out when I got back into the bedroom last night with a damp cloth. Evidently, falling asleep made him automatically shift back into his true form, because his head had been separated from the rest of him, limbs flopped carelessly.

I'd hovered awkwardly beside the bed for a few moments, not sure what to do. It wasn't like I was opposed to him sleeping here. It wasn't like it bothered me. But I hadn't been sure if Dan would've wanted me to wake him up so he could go home to his own bed.

In the end, he'd looked so exhausted that I hadn't wanted to disturb him. I'd carefully cleaned the lube and cum off his front, lain down beside him and pulled the comforter over both of us. It had taken me a little while to get to sleep, just because I'd been so aware of him lying right beside me.

Now, I carefully rolled onto my back and looked over at him. His head was still in the exact same place as last night on the pillow, but his body had twisted around to face me. The hand that had been on my ass now rested on my hip, long fingers just an inch from my morning erection. It twitched eagerly, but I ignored it.

Swallowing, I stared at his profile, fully awake now. He was so handsome it made my belly flutter. The way it had started to flutter every time he called me kitten, or flashed me his beautiful grin, or cupped my face as he leaned down to kiss me.

My throat bobbed again, heart beating a little faster.

Oh no.

I liked him.

A lot.

A burst of nervous energy had me carefully climbing out of bed, trying not to disturb him. Rubbing the sleep grit from my eyes, I left the bedroom and went into the bathroom to start my morning routine, trying not to think about the naked dullahan in my bed.

I turned on the shower so the water could heat up as I brushed my teeth. Once I was under the hot spray, some of the jitteriness in my gut melted away and my shoulders unclenched.

So I liked him. It wasn't that big of a deal. And it was understandable. I was having sex with him. He made me feel great. Of course I was going to start liking him.

It's fine , I told myself as I scrubbed my armpits with shower gel. Once you stop messing around with him, the feeling will fade and he'll go back to being the annoying guy next door.

Except the thought of no longer doing this with him made my stomach twist into knots. I didn't want to stop.

I didn't like the thought of going back to just being neighbours. Never speaking to each other. Barely even seeing each other. Living completely separate lives aside from work, where we hardly ever interacted anyway.

I jumped and quickly turned around when I heard bare feet padding into the bathroom, my heel almost slipping. Dan ambled into the room naked, his head tucked under his arm as he yawned.

"Morning, kitten," he rasped in a sleep-rough voice. My cock twitched at the sound of it.

"Morning," I croaked back, trying not to stare too hard at his naked body.

He set his head down on the edge of the tub and lifted the toilet seat, idly scratching his chest. I huffed in amusement and turned back to finish rinsing off as he took a piss. I could feel his gaze on my ass, his head having a clear shot of me in the shower.

I finished up and turned the water off before he flushed, but before I could climb out, Dan's headless body was getting in behind me. His cock twitched against my ass as his hands smoothed over my belly and up my chest.

I quickly looked over to see his head still resting on the edge of the tub. He grinned at me. I exhaled sharply when one of his hands slid back down my front to cup my balls.

Just a few minutes later, I had my palms flat on the shower wall as I gasped and whimpered while Dan's conditioner-slicked fist shuttled over my cock at a fast pace. His equally slippery dick was sliding between my ass cheeks, rutting frantically as his other hand played with one of my nipples, lightly pinching and plucking.

His big body shuddered with pleasure against my back. I could feel his eyes on me from the edge of the tub. It was almost like there was a third person in the room, watching me fall apart, and the thought made me whine as I pushed back into him.

Dan's hips stuttered as a guttural groan came from somewhere to my right. My cock throbbed in his fist when I felt his cum splashing onto my lower back, and then I was shaking and spurting my release onto the shower wall, my knees almost buckling.

As I pressed my forehead to my arm, trying to catch my breath, Dan turned the shower back on and carefully cleaned the cum off me, hands gentle and almost reverent as they smoothed over my skin. My breath hitched when he slid his hand between my ass cheeks to wash away the conditioner making me slick there. His finger glided back and forth over my hole a few times until it twitched, fresh pleasure spiking through me.

I wanted him to push his finger inside. His cock. I'd almost lost my mind when he ate my ass last night. I'd never felt anything like it.

Once I was clean again, Dan wrapped his arms around me from behind and lingered for a few seconds. I heard myself sigh, leaning back and resting my hand on his strong forearm. He smoothed his palm over my chest before slowly releasing me and reaching for his head.

"I'll let you get ready for work, kitten," he said as he stepped out of the shower, head now attached to the rest of him.

"'Kay," I said vacantly, my legs trembling a little as I climbed out after him. "Uh… are you going in today?"

"Yeah. Want to make sure Vince is alright. He was in a shitty mood all weekend." He handed me a towel and used another to quickly dry off.

I eyed him with mild concern, remembering how exhausted he'd been last night. "How are you feeling?"

He grinned at me. "I feel great, kitten. Slept really well." Stepping closer, he cupped my chin and leaned down to kiss me. "Thanks for letting me sleep over."

I mean, I hadn't really had a choice, but I didn't want to say that.

I kind of wanted him to sleep over again.

Just so I could get a handjob in the shower in the morning. Not for any other reason.

This was still just casual. All very casual.

"Let me get dressed and I'll be out of your way." Dan ambled out of the bathroom with the towel slung over his shoulder, his ass and thick thighs flexing with every step.

I frowned a little as I followed, parting my lips to tell him that he wasn't in my way before I stopped myself. I usually hated my morning routine being messed up, but… I didn't mind this. Him being here.

Probably because of the shower handjob. That had to be why.

"So, uh…" Dan sounded a little hesitant as he pulled on his clothes in the bedroom, which surprised me. He never seemed unsure of himself. "Do you still want to hang out later? Even though I kept you up late last night," he added in his more usual self-assured tone, flashing me a grin.

"Yeah," I said quickly, then flushed. "I mean, I'm still up for it. If you are."

"Yeah," he said, maybe just as fast as I had. "I am. I doubt I'll see you at work, so… I guess I'll see you tonight."

"Okay." My belly swooped when he approached, cupping the back of my head and leaning down to kiss me as I clutched the towel around my hips. It went on for a long time, slow and lingering. Almost like neither of us wanted to say goodbye.

But that was stupid. This was just casual.

When our lips finally parted, he nuzzled my cheek before pressing another soft kiss there. "See you later, Rafe."

"Bye," I said hoarsely, my mouth still tingling as I watched him saunter out of the room.

—

That afternoon at work, I blew out a slow breath as I reluctantly headed for Holt's office.

It wasn't that I disliked Larkin and Seb, but the hyperactive fae liked to talk. A lot.

And I did not like to talk a lot. Especially when I was concentrating at work.

The door was partially open, so I pushed on it and stepped into the waiting room attached to Holt's office. Seb was sitting on the couch doing a crossword, and he noticed me instantly, flicking his eyes up and giving me a brief nod.

Larkin was lying beside him upside down, his long legs thrown over the back of the couch and his head dangling off the edge of the front cushion, a waterfall of glossy pink hair trailing to the floor.

His face, normally a pale blue, was turning dark navy, and I realised why when he said in a slightly strained voice, "How long do you think I can stay like this before I pass out?"

"I'd prefer it if we didn't find out, sweetheart," Seb said calmly, then tapped Larkin's leg with his pencil. "Rafe's here."

"Wha?" He lifted his head and spotted me. "Oh, hey, Rafe!"

He struggled upright, almost nailing Seb in the jaw with his knee as he turned. The big werewolf didn't even react. Just calmly wrote something on his crossword and absently rubbed Larkin's thigh when the fae got comfortable right beside him.

"Hey," I replied politely. "I was just wondering—"

"Hair still looks good," Larkin interrupted cheerfully. "But I think the pink is fading a little bit, bro."

"Uh." I reached up to touch my head, trying not to eye Larkin's natural bright pink hair with envy. "Yeah, pink is harder to maintain. I'll dye it again soon."

"So how's it going?" Larkin leaned forward and grabbed a donut from the box on the coffee table. "Are you here to see Holt? He's having lunch."

"No," I said quickly, because I did not want to get sucked into a conversation with Holt in his office. He'd tell me his password had changed itself again. Or he'd start showing me something as weird as the custom-made ironing board cover with a printed pattern of his face on it—a gift for Taylor, apparently—that he'd eagerly shown me the last time I had to go in there.

Flicking a nervous glance at Holt's office door, I said, "I just need—"

"Do you want a donut?" Larkin interrupted yet again, enthusiastically picking up the box, and I just about managed to suppress my irritated huff.

Then I realised I did, in fact, want a donut, and stepped forward to pick one.

"Do you know where we keep the spare office supplies?" I finally managed to ask. It should've been a given that he would, seeing as he was Holt's assistant, but I was guessing there was a good chance he had no idea.

"Yeah, there's a cupboard." Larkin scooped some jelly out of his donut with a finger and popped it into his mouth. When I noticed Seb side-eyeing him with a very specific gleam, I realised I needed to hurry this along.

"Where is it?" I asked as patiently as I could. "I just need a stapler."

"Down the corridor where your office is. Right at the end." Larkin noticed the way Seb was looking at him and blushed.

"Great. Thanks." I turned and left as quickly as possible, making sure to close the door behind me.

The corridor was quiet as I headed back down it, taking a bite of my donut. Taylor's office door was shut, but I couldn't hear him inside. There were two more doors at the end of the hallway, and I opened one to reveal the supply closet—some cleaning products stashed away alongside a few shelves of office supplies that were a complete mess. I rolled my eyes. Probably Larkin.

After grabbing a stapler and a couple boxes of staples, I elbowed the door shut and turned for my office. A faint sound from behind the door opposite made me pause and look over. It kind of sounded like a muffled voice, followed by some hissed whispers.

I grimaced and quickly started walking away, figuring it was Taylor and Holt busy fucking in there. But then I paused again when I remembered Larkin saying Holt was eating lunch. When I heard some shuffling sounds and something being knocked over, followed by another hiss, I frowned and glanced back.

Who was in there?

None of the wrestlers came to this end of the building except to speak to Holt. I didn't even know what was in that room. I'd just figured it was empty, because I'd never seen anyone coming or going from it.

Curiosity got the better of me. I walked back over and hesitated. Because I was still holding my donut and the staplers, I used my elbow to knock on the door.

"Uh… everything okay in there?" I called cautiously, wondering who the fuck I was talking to. Some unseen member of Goliaths who never showed their face? Who hid in their office even more than I did?

There was a burst of whispering inside that abruptly cut off. No one answered me. When I heard a creepy little giggle a few seconds later, my frown deepened. I awkwardly bent and used my elbow again to push down the door handle.

The door swung inward, revealing a dark room with chairs stacked to the side and a conference table pushed into one corner. The lights were off, but my ghoul eyes let me see perfectly well in the dark.

Which meant I immediately spotted the two small, murky yellow shapes standing by the table.

Frank and Beans were both frozen in place, like they believed that if they just stood still enough, I'd think they weren't in here, even though I was staring directly at them. They both wore identical guilty expressions.

Like I'd caught them doing something they shouldn't.

I flicked the light on with my elbow and frowned at them. "What are you doing?"

"Nothin'," one of them answered quickly. He was hiding something behind his back.

"What are you holding?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," he repeated straight away. The other one let out a tiny snort. "Beans, shut up," Frank hissed.

"Show me," I told Frank sternly, because they were definitely doing something they shouldn't.

Then I froze as whatever he was hiding behind his back made a noise. It didn't sound like an animal, which had been my first worrying thought. It almost sounded like that muffled voice again, speaking furiously around something in its mouth.

My nostrils flared when I recognised it.