Just a friend. He’s just a friend. You agreed to keep things platonic. Youaskedto keep things platonic. So stop fantasizing about this shit every chance you get.
“Here you go,” Mason said cheerfully, proffering a fresh tumbler of whiskey and sitting back down beside me.
A little closer this time, I noted. Our thighs were almost touching now, though there had been plenty of space for us both. That would normally bother me, but I didn’t really mind with all the alcohol swimming in my veins. Still, I silently thanked the damn Source—and Mason Park—for interrupting my train of thought yet again.
“You know, Ark,” Mason murmured again after a while. “It sounds like you and I might have some compatible tastes.”
“Do we now?” I mused, contemplating whether or not I wanted to encourage where this conversation was headed. Perhaps I did.
“And what gives you that idea?” I asked, turning to face him.
Between the ever-flowing drinks and our previous conversation, I was admittedly feeling touch-starved. Mason Park was handsome enough. He wasn’tKieranlevels of alluring, but then again, who the fuck was?
I couldn’t avoid the truth that my best friend was at least partially to blame for my lack of a sex life. I enjoyed sex. It was arguably one of my favorite pastimes, and it’s not like I was saving myself for anyone or anything… I would just often prefer my dumb little adventures with Kieran—and his good company—over the risk ofbadsex. Though, from what I could gather, it was starting to sound like Mason could offer an evening that actually aligned with my preferences.
“Call it an educated guess,” Park offered.
He spoke with a slight accent, I realized. Vindyrst, if I had to guess. There was a subtle lilt, and a pleasant sort of musicality that most people from the mountainous region of Northern Atlas tended to have.
I smirked to myself as I took yet another sip of whiskey. I was well on my way to being drunk at this point, but I was also overdue for a bit of recklessness.
“Would you like to find out for certain?” Mason asked.
The confidence in his tone left me intrigued. That was the voice of a man who knew how to…
Fuck it.
“You know, I think I just might take you up on that,” I purred.
A distant part of me recognized that I would not receive what I wasactuallycraving tonight—but then again, that particular craving of mine was unlikely to ever be satiated. I mean, so what if when I spoke of submission earlier, I had only imagined offering mine to Kieran? There were a great many things that this mind of mine could conjure, and there were plenty of desires and daydreams that I could never, ever have. But I could have this.
“Lucky me,” Mason replied, eyes darkening with desire.
I knocked back what remained of my whiskey, eager for the liquid courage to assuage my nerves and chase away what remained of those stupid, useless thoughts.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Kieran
So far, this evening had been a total wash.
I had successfully resisted the urge to pester Arken immediately after I got off work. I had already dragged the poor woman out with me and my lieutenants almost every evening this week, traipsing about the town. And though she had given me no indication of her boredom, I couldn’t bring myself to monopolize all of her free time. Onlymostof it.
I was a selfish bastard, after all—but she had her entry exams tomorrow. I could behave. But I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I kicked my boots up, resting my legs on the desk.
For the past several weeks, at her request, I had been running Arken through daily strength training drills and exercises intended to improve her endurance for Physical Arcana. If shewanted to test into such a high-level course, the scholars were going to test both her arcane aptitude and her physical strength.
At first, the Little Conduit fucking hated me for holding her to it. The first time I had her run laps, I think she was about ready to strangle me. Every time I saidanother one, those golden-brown eyes had been brimming with adorable animosity. But Arken Asher was nothing if not stubborn as Hel. This morning, she could almost keep up with my pace as we ran around the Student’s Quarter.Almost.
I had used the last several hours to catch up on tedium—missives I needed to read, reports to file, notes to review from various sources across the city. Even cities as grand as Sophrosyne had their seedy underbellies, and I had informants lurking in every dark corner. I had been a littletooefficient though, and didn’t have much else to work on, leaving me restless.
It was right about now that I would be typically headed to a tavern, on the hunt for some pretty distraction. But, for whatever reason, that impulse felt less than savory.
For whatever reason.
I scoffed at my own thoughts. I knew damn well why those distractions weren’t appealing lately.