Read Online Winter's Knight by H.J. Raine, Kelly Wyre - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: H.J. Raine, Kelly Wyre
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understand the what or the why of current happenings, but he knew he was gratefulwhen the door under his upraised fist opened without him needing to knock.
“Jesus,” Clark said, and the tone made Lucian want to shrink in on himself. Clark yanked Lucian into the townhouse, and Daniel rounded the corner. The professor and Clark wore matching black robes and studied Lucianwiththe same intensity.
“I’ll make cocoa,” Daniel said softly, retreating downthe narrow hallway.
“Thank you,” Lucian mumbled, and he clawed at his tie and shirt. It was suffocatinglyhot.
“Here,” Clark said, undoing the fuzzy robe. “Let’s get you--”
“I’mfine,”Luciangritted.
“You’re not.” Clark put an arm around Lucian’s shoulders.
“Go fuck yourself.” Lucian tried to spin away, and Clark caught himbefore he fell. Just like Shea had done not an hour ago. A thousand stumbles and always a hand to catch him, and Lucian hated with such purity that his visionblurred.
“Lucian...”
“Don’t... just... d-don’t do...” Lucian’s teeth wouldn’t quit chattering, and Clark wouldn’t let go of him, and the damnable man wrapped the robe and warmbody around Lucian, winning the struggle without contest.
“We’ll make it right,” Clark promised, and Lucian heard the oath in Clark’s voice. “Whatever it is, whatever happened, we’ll make it right and get him back to you.”
“Damn it,” Lucian whispered, knees giving out, hands grabbing Clark’s resolute form, and Clark was there. Holding Lucian up and protecting himlike Lucian was twelve, in love with the dark-haired sensei, and Clark thought affection was tugging Lucian’s hair and callinghimLittle Prince Luke. “Damnme.”
“Got you,” Clark said, and Lucian didn’t know when they’d sat down, when Clark started rocking him, or when the professor had appeared to rub Lucian’s back. But it felt so good, and Lucian was so tired. So very, verytired.
“We’ve got you, sir. Just rest.”
And Lucianclosed his eyes and obeyed.
Chapter 4
Lucian rested an elbow on his desk in his office at A Time for Peace, the Gray family benevolence organization that Lucian had started after law school, and he watched it snow. The narrow windows overlooked a side street, cars covered in snow piles a foot deep lining the road. The slush on the walk was smog-soot dirty, and he idly counted the heads in a cluster of smokers standing near the rear entrance of an office building next door. He thought about the view of the city he had in his penthouse office of Gray Tower, how the skyline and the harbor shrouded in low clouds would be clearly visible out ofthe two walls offloor-toceiling glass, but his father was there, today. The last thing Lucian needed was an encounter with Hendrick to inspire another panic attack.
Daniel was the one who filled Lucian in on the details of Lucian’s Friday night fit. He calmly explained all the symptoms, including Lucian’s shortness of breath, chest pains, and the feeling like Lucian wasn’t going to live until morning. Clark fed Lucian a Xanax, told him to rest, and Lucian had spent the weekend in the spare suite of the couple’s townhouse. Lucian would have argued harder to leave, and if it had just been Clark insisting, Lucian was sure it would have worked.
Daniel, however, turned out to be completely unreasonable when it came to recovery and selfpreservation, and Luciancaved beneaththe man’s deep ocean gaze and Clark’s gentle insistence. Lucian had to admit, the sleep had done himwonders, and Danielwas a genius inthe kitchen.
A knock sounded at the door, and a woman with blonde curls stuck her head into the room. “Sir?” Melody, Lucian’s secretary, said. “Maxwell Clark here to see youfor your teno’clock.”
“Thank you.”Luciansmoothed a hand over his hair, caught back ina half-tailbya metalclasp, and tugged at the rolled cuffs of his white dress shirt. The narrow black tie matched the dullshine on the leather pants that Lucian
“Jesus,” Clark said, and the tone made Lucian want to shrink in on himself. Clark yanked Lucian into the townhouse, and Daniel rounded the corner. The professor and Clark wore matching black robes and studied Lucianwiththe same intensity.
“I’ll make cocoa,” Daniel said softly, retreating downthe narrow hallway.
“Thank you,” Lucian mumbled, and he clawed at his tie and shirt. It was suffocatinglyhot.
“Here,” Clark said, undoing the fuzzy robe. “Let’s get you--”
“I’mfine,”Luciangritted.
“You’re not.” Clark put an arm around Lucian’s shoulders.
“Go fuck yourself.” Lucian tried to spin away, and Clark caught himbefore he fell. Just like Shea had done not an hour ago. A thousand stumbles and always a hand to catch him, and Lucian hated with such purity that his visionblurred.
“Lucian...”
“Don’t... just... d-don’t do...” Lucian’s teeth wouldn’t quit chattering, and Clark wouldn’t let go of him, and the damnable man wrapped the robe and warmbody around Lucian, winning the struggle without contest.
“We’ll make it right,” Clark promised, and Lucian heard the oath in Clark’s voice. “Whatever it is, whatever happened, we’ll make it right and get him back to you.”
“Damn it,” Lucian whispered, knees giving out, hands grabbing Clark’s resolute form, and Clark was there. Holding Lucian up and protecting himlike Lucian was twelve, in love with the dark-haired sensei, and Clark thought affection was tugging Lucian’s hair and callinghimLittle Prince Luke. “Damnme.”
“Got you,” Clark said, and Lucian didn’t know when they’d sat down, when Clark started rocking him, or when the professor had appeared to rub Lucian’s back. But it felt so good, and Lucian was so tired. So very, verytired.
“We’ve got you, sir. Just rest.”
And Lucianclosed his eyes and obeyed.
Chapter 4
Lucian rested an elbow on his desk in his office at A Time for Peace, the Gray family benevolence organization that Lucian had started after law school, and he watched it snow. The narrow windows overlooked a side street, cars covered in snow piles a foot deep lining the road. The slush on the walk was smog-soot dirty, and he idly counted the heads in a cluster of smokers standing near the rear entrance of an office building next door. He thought about the view of the city he had in his penthouse office of Gray Tower, how the skyline and the harbor shrouded in low clouds would be clearly visible out ofthe two walls offloor-toceiling glass, but his father was there, today. The last thing Lucian needed was an encounter with Hendrick to inspire another panic attack.
Daniel was the one who filled Lucian in on the details of Lucian’s Friday night fit. He calmly explained all the symptoms, including Lucian’s shortness of breath, chest pains, and the feeling like Lucian wasn’t going to live until morning. Clark fed Lucian a Xanax, told him to rest, and Lucian had spent the weekend in the spare suite of the couple’s townhouse. Lucian would have argued harder to leave, and if it had just been Clark insisting, Lucian was sure it would have worked.
Daniel, however, turned out to be completely unreasonable when it came to recovery and selfpreservation, and Luciancaved beneaththe man’s deep ocean gaze and Clark’s gentle insistence. Lucian had to admit, the sleep had done himwonders, and Danielwas a genius inthe kitchen.
A knock sounded at the door, and a woman with blonde curls stuck her head into the room. “Sir?” Melody, Lucian’s secretary, said. “Maxwell Clark here to see youfor your teno’clock.”
“Thank you.”Luciansmoothed a hand over his hair, caught back ina half-tailbya metalclasp, and tugged at the rolled cuffs of his white dress shirt. The narrow black tie matched the dullshine on the leather pants that Lucian
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