His voice was out of this world, like a deep body massage caressing me in all the right places. I sat back, blinking rapidly to get a hold of my thoughts.
"So," I said while drumming my fingers on the desk. "How has retirement been treating you?"
Dorian shook his head, and I laughed at the comical way he rolled his eyes. It was such an odd thing for him to do, but it was clear he was letting his guard down. That was the only way he allowed himself to be a feeling, charming and funny person if he trusted you to see that side of him.
It was nice to know that hadn’t changed between us.
Yes, we were over, but what good would harboring hate do for me now? I'd already clarified where I stood about him hurting me, and he apologized. We weren't going to become best friends, but we had good history too, not just the bad.
I wasn’t going to let the bad parts of our past guide my future. Not anymore.
"I've chopped so much wood I might level the forest in a few weeks," he grumbled, and I laughed. "There isn't much to do here."
“Well,” I said when a thought occurred to me. "Since you have an abundance of time and strength that's going to waste, I have a bit of work to do in the storeroom. It'll be a change of scenery from chopping wood, right?"
I grinned, and Dorian laughed as I batted my lashes.
"And payment?" he asked while leading forward, and I frowned. "Did you really think you'd put me to work for free? My labor isn’t cheap either.”
“Coffee,” I said while crossing my arms.
"Dinner," he countered, and my brows rose to my hairline.
“Don’t be slick, Dorian,” I said while standing up. “That's a horrible idea, so coffee it is. Let's go. We have boxes to move."
I walked around the desk and towards the door, trying not to be affected by the way he watched me. More importantly, did Dorian just ask to have dinner with me?