Dungeon Master by Golden Angel

Chapter Twenty

Leah

Back at work after such an intense second session with Dr. Silverwood, Leah surprised herself by having no trouble focusing and being able to knock out some stellar ideas for the Boson account. Maybe some of the stuff that came out during the appointment had also jogged her creative side. Or maybe she was feeling better about her and Gavin in general, so she wasn’t as distracted.

Either way, it was a productive afternoon.

Swinging by home to change her clothes and feed Oliver before she headed over to Gavin’s for game night, she found herself picking out slightly sexier clothes than she might have a few weeks ago. Not for armor… she wanted to be attractive to him.

Which, considering how emotional their session had become, might not make sense to some people, but she actually felt closer to him than ever. They’d both had their faults, and now they could both see how they’d contributed to the situation. She still felt guilty for her part—especially for not recognizing the part she’d played—but she knew Gavin did as well. That put them on the same page about everything for the first time… and it felt good.

Brushing out her hair, she decided to leave it down. A quick touchup to her makeup. Adjust the ‘girls,’ so her cleavage looked good in the sky-blue shirt she was wearing. Ready to go.

“Bye-bye, cutie pie,” she said to Oliver, giving him a little kiss and a stroke on his head. He opened his eyes but didn’t deign to move. Now that he’d been fed, he was all sleepy and happy. “Be a good boy. I’ll see you when I get back.”

Humming happily all the way to Gavin’s building, for the first time in a very long time, she showed up before everyone else. At least, she didn’t see anyone else’s car in the parking lot.

Heart thumping in her chest, she made her way to his door and let herself in. Since Aiden was in charge of dinner this week, she wasn’t surprised to find Gavin sitting in the living room rather than in the kitchen. His head came up as she walked in the front door and the surprise on his face, followed by his appreciation as his eyes traveled over her body, was very welcome.

“I didna expect to see you here this early,” he said, his brogue a little thicker than usual as he got to his feet, and Leah grinned.

“I was surprised I beat everyone,” she confessed. She stood awkwardly as Gavin came toward her, unsure what to do. Normally, everyone greeted each other the same as everyone else did, hugged if it felt appropriate, but she had no idea what to do when it was just the two of them.

Thankfully, as usual, it seemed Gavin did. Cupping her face in his hands, he dropped a kiss on her lips, not long or deep, but a sweet kiss that made her insides fizz. He pulled away, but his hands remained where they were.

“Can I get ye a drink?”

“Water would be great.” She smiled up at him. Considering how hungry she was, going straight for the wine probably wouldn’t be the best idea.

Jax and Esther showed up while Gavin was getting her water, cutting off any chance for intimacy. Feeling a little disappointed, Leah chatted with them while they settled in on the couch. A few minutes after they arrived, Cyana came in before Aiden finally showed up, arms laden with several pizza boxes, about ten minutes late.

“It’s about time,” Cyana complained, jumping up to help him with the boxes.

“Well, I would have hurried if I knew you were so excited to see me, sunshine,” Aiden replied, grinning and winking at her. Cyana rolled her eyes and didn’t deign to reply.

“That smells amazing,” Esther said, coming over to help arrange the boxes on Gavin’s island while he passed out the plates.

It really did. Leah tried to eat pretty healthy the rest of the time but considered game night her cheat days, sometimes ending in heartburn, but it was worth it.

Something felt different about tonight. The camaraderie or… she wasn’t sure, but when Gavin sidled up next to her, sliding his arm around her waist while they waited for their turn to pick up their slices, she didn’t stiffen or pull away. It felt… right. Good.

She ignored the little sidelong looks their friends were giving each other.

* * *

Gavin

“Okay, so I’ve created a chart for the dog.” That damn dog, who still didn’t have a name since no one could agree on one. Gavin had started calling it TDD in his head, short for ‘that damn dog.’ He’d needed a mechanic to figure out who the dog would listen to when given conflicting orders, and it made sense the dog was most loyal to whoever commanded it. There wasn’t a whole lot of guidance on having a pet, so he was making it up as he went. The chart gave him a bit of structure.

“What kind of chart?” Cyana asked, frowning. Out of all of them, she’d been the least interested in the dog. She’d been amused by its presence and Aiden and Esther’s attempts to slather affection on a fictional pet, but nothing more. Leah and Jax had both spent some time interacting with the dog, although not as much as Aiden’s and Esther’s characters.

“We’ll call it a love chart. It’ll help me keep track of how much loyalty the dog feels for each of you based on your interactions with it.”

To his surprise, Cyana straightened up with interest.

“You’ll know who the dog loves the best?”

Next to her, Aiden scowled and shot her a dark look.

“He already loves me the best. I’m the one that’s been paying attention to him.”

“Hey!” Esther protested from across the table. “I have been, too! He might love me the best!”

“Stop it!” Gavin roared before the conversation devolved into an argument over who the fictional dog loved the best. Mouth quirking with amusement, Jax reached over to put his hand on his wife’s shoulder, but Esther shrugged him off, still glaring at Aiden. “I didn’t have this chart before, so we’re starting at a baseline out of ten. Right now, Xidria and Morag are the same are at a four. Then Leandrin at three, and Doklos at two. It has no interest in Ysolde.” Naming off everyone’s characters, based on who had shown the dog the most interest in the last game, Gavin glared at all of them.

Esther and Aiden looked pleased, although they were still giving each other dirty looks about their characters being tied. Jax was frowning, but it was impossible to tell if it was because Doklos was behind Leandrin or if he was annoyed Esther had shrugged him off.

Cyana looked ticked.

“I didn’t know there was going to be levels,” she muttered darkly before turning to look at Gavin, her chin tilting up. “I want to give the dog… a treat.”

Gavin wanted to pound his head against the table because he’d somehow managed to make this a competition, and now even Cyana was going to be obsessed with the dog. Probably should have seen that coming, but it had annoyed him that Esther and Aiden had kept trying to get the dog to ‘like’ their characters without having any actual measure for how it was going.

Ah, the life of a Dungeon Master.

“Fine.” He sighed. “Roll for Animal Handling.”

Cyana tossed her dice into her tray and frowned.

“Shit. Two.”

“Yeah, the dog just bit you.”

* * *

Leah

After one of the more entertaining—and utterly useless—evenings they’d had in a while, Leah lingered again, letting the others leave before her. She knew she couldn’t stay, but she wanted that bit of alone time with Gavin before she left.

Closing the door behind Aiden, Gavin turned and raised his eyebrows.

“I dinna suppose I could talk ye into spending the night?” His voice had gone a little deeper, the question coming out as a seductive invitation, made all the more so by his deliberate leaning into his accent. Leah smiled ruefully at him. There was no expectation in his gaze. He didn’t think she would say yes, yet he’d made the invitation all the same.

Asking.

Something she was going to try to be better at.

“Not tonight. Walk me to my car?” By now, the others would have already driven away, giving them at least a modicum of privacy. She wanted him to walk her to her car. Such a simple request, one she knew he would say yes to, yet she still felt oddly uncomfortable asking instead of waiting for him to guess that’s what she was hoping for, the way she had last week, but she did it and oddly felt like cheering.

“Absolutely.” He held out his arm, and Leah wrapped her hand around his elbow, stifling a giggle at his faux-courtly manners. “Can I take you out again this weekend?”

“I have some plans to work in my garden… want to come over and help with mulching?” Two asks in under five minutes. This one didn’t feel as difficult, maybe because it wasn’t something she cared too much about—and certainly not something she expected him to say yes to, though she would like it if he did.

“Sure, why not?”

“Really?” Part of her had thought he might say yes because he was trying to show her his best side, another part of her had assumed he would say no. He’d hated mulching when they were married, but he’d always come out to do it when he’d seen her out there.

It occurred to her she hadn’t asked him to do so back then, but he had, anyway. He hadn’t liked seeing her struggle. She’d always felt torn when he did because she liked having him out there with her but also felt guilty he was doing something she knew he didn’t like doing. Now, looking back, she could see he’d done it for her. She shouldn’t have felt guilty. It wasn’t as if she’d forced him or even asked him.

Hmmm, maybe that was another reason she had trouble asking for what she wanted. She didn’t like to be a burden to other people, especially not to her romantic partner. Oi. All sorts of revelations were coming out today.

“Yes, any excuse to spend time with you.” He winked at her, and she found herself giggling and blushing. When he said it like that… “Besides, I had a good time at the Botanic Gardens with you. I like to see you enjoying yourself, and I know you enjoy gardening. Hell, now that I’m older, maybe I’ll like it better.”

“Which is why you moved into a condo, completely devoid of yard or plants?” Leah teased. They stopped at her car, Gavin tilting his head to the side as he considered her words.

“You know… I don’t think I’d really thought about it like that when I bought this place, but yeah.”

Leah laughed.

When Gavin pulled her into his arms, she ran her hands up his biceps, enjoying the feel of his muscles tensing beneath her fingers, his hard body supporting hers. It was a softer body than in their younger years, but that didn’t bother her. A little more cuddle quotient never hurt anyone.

“Think you’ll come by the club this weekend?” he asked, stroking hair back from her face.

“Maybe Saturday night. If I’m not too sore from mulching, and if you’re not too sore from mulching.”

“Lass, the day I’m too sore is the day they bury me.” He kissed her hard and fast, and a thrill went through her body, heating her veins—a tease before the weekend, turning her week into a slow burn. Pulling away, there was a definite twinkle in his blue eyes. “Besides, if I’m too sore, I’ll put you on top and make you do all the work.”

“What if I’m too sore?”

Gavin shrugged nonchalantly.

“Then I’ll spank you till you decide it’s worth it.”

Cracking up, Leah slapped her hand against his chest, still laughing when he caught her lips for another kiss. She felt like a teenager, making out in the parking lot with her boyfriend. It was fun, exciting, and way better than being a teenager. When she was a teen, orgasms had usually been self-applied, but she knew Gavin would be able to deliver.

Leaving her breathless, Gavin finally pulled away again, turning her around and giving her a swat on the butt.

“Text me when you get home, love.”

“Alright.” Leah got into her car, surprised at how sad she felt to be driving away from him. She blew him a kiss through the front window, laughing again when he pretended to catch it and put it in his pocket. The big doofus. Sometimes, he could be so silly, and it always caught her off guard… in a good way.