How could he be in denial over the magic? He saw it with his own eyes. Lucien could control fire, and the plants followed Clay’s smallest whims. Calder could make the water jump and dance.
And Baer…geez…
Well, the giraffe made so much more sense now.
But Grey. The man had stood there with his head held proudly up and a sad smile on his lips. His loss of eyesight had meant losing touch with his own gift. Cort’s heart ached for Grey. He was part of something so amazing and yet cut off. It had to be killing him inside. He wanted to help him, but teaching him how to live and get around without his sight suddenly didn’t feel like enough.
Coffee. He needed gallons and gallons of coffee before he could turn his brain to this problem and all the others that were now resting on his shoulders.
Last night, he’d crashed on the couch, to everyone’s displeasure. There had been a lot of talk of shuffling around rooms and doubling up so that Cort could be more comfortable. It was clear they were all very uneasy about asking Cort to stay there against his wishes, and Cort couldn’t blame them. After the stories and knowing how Grey had lost his vision, he appreciated their need to keep him safe. And getting through his initial anger, he had to agree. It wasn’t so much worry about his own life, but what if he were enthralled and sent to hurt them? Of anyone, he had the best shot at hurting the Weavers. His stomach clenched. They could make him kill Grey, and he might actually succeed.
No, being hidden away from the pestilents was the best thing for everyone.
In truth, he didn’t mind the couch. Calder had crashed on an air mattress in what was going to be his room. Cort felt better about taking the couch since he’d known he wasn’t going to be getting much sleep. And as couches went, this one wasn’t bad at all. Just a little on the short side.
Sighing, Cort filled the carafe with water and started prepping the machine to make its lifesaving brew. He hadn’t been kidding when he told Grey that he needed coffee to get his brain going in the morning. After pushing the button, he briefly thought about shuffling to the couch to wait for the coffee to fill the pot, but he had a feeling that he’d just fall back to sleep. It was nearly eight now. On a normal day, he would have already been up for an hour.
Last night’s lack of sleep was definitely taking its toll. Leaning against the counter, he placed his elbows on the marble and rubbed his eyes. After some coffee, then he could think about finding a bathroom for a shower. Of course, the clothes he’d packed on his run to his apartment with Lucien were currently being stored in Grey’s apartment. Maybe he’d ask to use Grey’s bathroom. And maybe Grey would stumble in while he showered to help wash his back. And maybe…
Yeah, he needed to stop those thoughts right there.
But he didn’t want to. What the hell should he do about Grey?
Kiss him again. Kiss him a lot.
Nope, those weren’t helpful thoughts at all. Those thoughts just sent what little blood there was pumping around his brain down to his groin.
Should he be doing more to help Grey get his vision back? Or should he concentrate on what he did know and leave the healing to the magic users?
Was kissing off the table?
Cort nearly growled at his brain but just gave in. The kisses had been so unexpected but so wonderful. Yes, he was insanely attracted to the severe, grumpy man. He was devilish, charming, intelligent, caring, and so funny. There technically weren’t rules about him not dating a client simply because the vast majority of his clients were forty to sixty years older. Dating an older man would be nice, but forty years older was a bit much for him.
But in this case, he was the older man. Not that he felt like it. There was a reserved, somber quality to Grey most of the time that made it feel like Grey was the older of the two of them. In all their talks, Grey had never hinted at some past trauma that aged him ahead of his years. It was more likely that it was simply his personality.
So they kissed. Where did that leave them now? Was it just a one-time thing to help Cort get a grip on his shit? Did Grey want to kiss him again? Did Cort want to kiss him again?
Okay, that was an easy question. Finally.
Yes. Yes, he did. He wanted to try kissing Grey a hell of a lot more. He wanted to try kissing Grey standing, sitting on the couch, pinned against the wall, and lying on the bed. Then he wanted to try kissing all of Grey’s various body parts just to see what kind of reactions he’d get.