Page 20 of Blazing Joysticks
Keir reached across the island, taking her hand in his. She gave him a grateful smile before continuing.
“One day, a classmate pulled me aside after a lecture. She looked so uncomfortable, like she’d rather be anywhere else. That’s when she showed me the video.”
Cat’s voice cracked slightly. Keir squeezed her hand, offering silent support.
“It was Richard, at a party I’d been too busy to attend, with one girl riding him and his tongue down some other girl’s throat. When I confronted him, he didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. He said...” Cat took a shaky breath. “He said he had ‘needs’ and that I was boring. That if I couldn’t fulfill something as simple as sex, he had to look elsewhere.” She let her shoulders drop. “He said it was never very good with me and I wasn’t very interesting. That he dated me because of our families, but that he couldn’t keep doing it. He needed someone with some heat and I was cold.”
Keir felt his dragon roar to life inside him, a protective rage surging through his veins. How dare anyone treat his mate this way? He wanted nothing more than to hunt down this Richard and show him exactly what happened to those who hurt what was his.
But Cat needed his support now, not his anger. He pushed down the dragon’s fury, focusing on her words.
“The worst part was, when I really thought about it, I realized it had probably been going on for months. All those late nights at ‘study groups,’ the secretive text messages. I’d been so caught up in my work, I hadn’t even noticed I was being betrayed. And I really thought he understood.”
Cat’s free hand clenched into a fist. “I felt so stupid, so naive. After that, it just seemed easier to focus on my career. At least code doesn’t lie, you know?”
Keir’s heart ached for her. He stood, moving around the island to kneel beside her stool. Looking up into her eyes, he spoke with quiet intensity.
“Cat, what that boy did to you was inexcusable. You weren’t stupid or naive. You were trusting, and he abused that trust. That’s on him, not you. As for you being cold, he lied. He just didn’t know how to turn you on.”
Cat gave him a watery smile. “I know that, logically. But emotionally...” She trailed off, biting her lip.
“I worry,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper, “that someone like you - successful, handsome, charming - might grow bored with me too. That I’m not enough.”
Keir felt as if his heart might shatter. He cupped her face gently in his hands, his hazel eyes boring into her brown ones.
“Catrina Reeves, listen to me very carefully,” he said, his voice low and fervent. “You are brilliant, beautiful, and endlessly fascinating. You’re the hottest woman I’ve ever met. In four hundred years, I have never met anyone who captivates me the way you do. Your passion for your work, your quick wit, the way your eyes light up when you talk about coding or anime - it all enthralls me.”
He brushed away a tear that had escaped down her cheek. “I could spend eternity learning about you and never grow bored. You are more than enough. You are everything.”
Cat’s eyes widened at the raw honesty in his voice. “But your lifestyle, the glamorous events, the beautiful people you’re always surrounded by…I can’t do that, Keir. I can’t be those people. I can barely function in small events...”
Keir shook his head, a rueful smile on his lips. “Window dressing, all of it. Necessary for business, perhaps, but meaningless to me personally. Do you know what I have been looking forward to most at the end of those long, tedious events since I met you?”
Cat shook her head slightly.
“Coming back to the office and seeing you, still hard at work, completely absorbed in solving some complex problem. In those moments, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
A blush crept up Cat’s cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Every word,” Keir affirmed. “Cat, I’m in this for the long haul. Dragons mate for life, and even if we didn’t, I’d still choose you. Every day, for as long as you’ll have me.”
“I don’t know. What if you fall in love with someone else?”
Keir’s heart broke at the vulnerability in her voice. He stood and gathered her in his arms. “Cat, listen to me. That’s not possible. There is nobody but you. You’re everything to me. My mate, my partner, my equal in every way. I’ve lived for centuries, and I’ve never met anyone who fascinates and challenges me the way you do. You’re brilliant, beautiful, funny - how could I ever grow bored?”
Cat buried her face in his chest, her arms tightening around him. They stood like that for a long moment, the connection between them almost palpable.
“I’m scared,” she whispered. “But I want to believe you. I want to try.”
Keir’s heart soared. He knew they had a long road ahead, but this - this willingness to try, to trust - was everything.
“That’s all I ask,” he murmured. “We’ll take it one day at a time. Together.”
Finally, Cat pulled back slightly, meeting his gaze. “So... what happens now?”
Keir smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Now, we take things one day at a time. We get to know each other better. And,” he added, his expression growing serious, “we deal with some pressing business matters.”
Cat’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”