Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Isaac had expected a confrontation the following morning when he returned to work. He didn’t expect Mr. Van Buren to come to his apartment. He considered refusing to admit the man into the apartment, there were wards up to prevent a magical attack, but if Mr. Van Buren was going to fire him, he might as well get it over with. At least he’d be able to sleep in the following morning. Maybe enough sleep would kill this stupid headache.
Since he’d arrived home, Maeve had been fussing over him. He’d done his best to stay until the end of the work day, but even he could admit he didn’t get much done. Between looking out for Mr. Van Buren to return and the headache, he couldn’t concentrate for long periods. He ended up leaving an hour early. He’d never left work early in his life, so Maeve had been shocked, to say the least. When he told her what had happened, she forced him onto the couch and gave him an ice pack for his head. After that, she made him dinner and pestered him to report the incident to SR. Isaac still couldn’t say why he refused to do that. He just couldn’t.
When the intercom buzzed, neither of them had been expecting any visitors. Maeve didn’t like ordering out either, so it wasn’t like there was food being delivered. She refused to let Isaac get up to answer the door, but he could hear just fine and when Mr. Van Buren’s terse voice spoke through the intercom, Isaac had been shocked. Maeve looked at him over her shoulder, a questioning look on her face. He nodded once, letting her know to let the man up. At least with him here, they could discuss what happens next. Isaac didn’t want to lose his opportunity to work for Spellbound in the future because of this.
Pushing off the sofa, Isaac shuffled towards the door as Maeve opened it to allow Mr. Van Buren inside. He was dressed exactly the same as he had been that morning, a sharp navy blue suit, white button down, and striped tie. His hair was a little more disheveled than usual, like he’d been running his fingers through it, but otherwise he was immaculate, like always. It was the look on his face that was out of place. It looked like a cross between shame and irritation. The combination didn’t do him much justice and mostly just made him look constipated. Secretly, Isaac took pleasure in the look. Uncomfortable was the least he deserved to feel.
They stared at each other, the tension rising in the room, but neither said a word. It was another standoff, much like the one that morning, except this time Isaac knew better than to make any sudden moves.
Maeve looked between them, her brow furrowed tightly. “Um… Are you going to come in? You’re letting all the warm air out.”
Mr. Van Buren broke their stare first, giving his focus to Isaac’s roommate. It irritated him for some reason, and he felt his fist clench at his side. Mr. Van Buren stepped into the apartment and out of the way of the door so Maeve could shut it behind him. The building was heated, but if they wanted the apartment comfortable, they didn't leave the door open for long periods. Isaac abhorred being cold, so he kept the apartment temperature just under sauna levels.
When neither of them made any move to speak, Maeve spoke for them, gesturing to the living room. “Isaac should really be resting right now,” she said with an edge of accusation to her tone. “You should talk in the living room so he can sit down.”
Mr. Van Buren’s gaze moved to the ice pack Isaac had pressed to his head, and the shame came back. He still didn’t speak though, and Isaac was irritated enough to lose his professionalism. He spun on his heel, marching back to the living room, and plopped onto the couch. He immediately regretted the action, since the jostling wasn’t pleasant. He winced, gritting his teeth against the pain.
A low growl filled the room, and Isaac looked up in surprise. What now? But Mr. Van Buren wasn’t looking at him. He was looking at his phone, a light amount of smoke billowing around him. Isaac didn’t want his apartment to smell like smoke, so he snapped his fingers, his magic cracking the door to the terrace long enough to force the smoke outside.
“Don’t do that. I don’t want to lose the deposit on the apartment because you can’t control your temper.”
A muscle ticked in Mr. Van Buren’s jaw, but he didn’t reply aside from drawing in a breath and letting it out slowly. The smoke stopped and aside from the dark look on his face, he seemed more in control of himself. Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he crossed his arms over his chest. To intimidate him? That only irritated Isaac more, and he glowered back.
Maeve stood in the kitchen, watching them both with a confused expression. Isaac could admit what they were doing was a little strange, but he wasn’t going to be the one to break first in whatever this standoff was.
“Okay… Well, I have a study session I need to get to. Isaac, did you need me to stay or–”
“I’m fine. Thank you,” Isaac answered politely. Maeve was a good roommate and always had his back, but she knew he could take care of himself. She watched them warily as she gathered her things to go meet her study group, but eventually she left, leaving Isaac and Mr. Van Buren alone.
Fed up with the silent staring, Isaac glared at his boss. “Did you just come here to stare, or did you have something to say?”
Mr. Van Buren’s expression darkened, and he scowled. “I came to apologize. I overreacted. It shouldn’t have happened. You have every right to report me to SR, if that’s what you want to do.”
If he was here, he probably already knew that Isaac refused to do that.
“I’m fine. Anything else?”
A low growl filled the room, only to be cut off a second later. Mr. Van Buren was fighting to keep himself under control, and Isaac’s foul mood wasn’t helping. Too bad Isaac truly didn’t care. The man shoved him into a bookcase a few hours ago. He didn’t deserve politeness.
“You’re obviously not fine,” Mr. Van Buren snapped. “Why didn’t you report me?”
“Why didn’t you report me?” Isaac countered.
“You’re dodging the question.”
“And you’re being obtuse,” Isaac growled. “You weren’t the only one who acted rashly in there. I wasn’t going to let you take all the heat. And I didn’t want to lose my job. I don’t have the kind of backing you do. If I get fired from a law office, I can kiss my future goodbye.”
Mr. Van Buren didn’t seem to like that answer, if his snarl was anything to go by. “So you will just take the abuse without question? Are you stupid?”
Launching off the couch, Isaac went chest to chest with the dragon, ignoring the fact that Mr. Van Buren was at least a head taller than him. Being short meant he wasn’t very good at being intimidating, but he never let that stop him before. Short didn’t mean weak. His magic swelled, matching the vibration coming off the dragon.
“Just because I didn’t report you doesn’t mean I’ll take the abuse! I should’ve known better than to assume we could have an adult conversation about it, since you’re too busy having tantrums to actually realize I did you a favor!”
“I didn’t ask for your favor!” Mr. Van Buren bellowed. “I will not be beholden to you or anyone else, so if that’s what you were hoping for, then you should report me instead!”
Oh, this man was on his last nerve. First, he called Isaac stupid, then he accused him of blackmailing him. What the hell did Isaac do to make the man see him that way? Isaac felt his last threads of patience fray. Like before in the office, all the self control he normally possessed went out the window. There was just something about this dragon that set him off. Which would explain the idiocy that came next.
Poking a finger into the dragon’s chest, Isaac glowered at him. “I am not an asshole who blackmails people. I have no interest in getting anything from you. I’m not risking my job for anyone. If you’ve got nothing else to say, then get the hell out. I’ll call my boss in the morning and ask her to send in a replacement. No one has to know what happened.”
Mr. Van Buren’s eyes widened, but Isaac was done discussing it with him. It felt like his magic was out of control, crackling along his skin and fueling his anger. If he didn’t get Mr. Van Buren to leave, he might do something drastic like fight the man. The wards in the building might prevent an outside attack, but it would do nothing now that the dragon was already inside. Isaac wasn’t going to let the asshole force him out of his apartment, as well as his job.
Isaac headed for the door, intent on forcing the man to leave, but he didn’t get far before Mr. Van Buren grabbed his arm and spun him around. He reacted on instinct, his magic surging. Electricity, like a static shock, snapped at their point of contact, zapping the dragon and forcing him to release Isaac’s arm. Like before, in the office, Isaac realized the instant he made a mistake. He watched as Mr. Van Buren bared his teeth and Isaac braced himself for another hit. It never came. The growling warning was there, and smoke billowed from Mr. Van Buren, but he didn’t shove him. Instead, he advanced slowly, forcing Isaac to back up until he was pressed up against the wall. Mr Van Buren crowded him, the air vibrating so intensely that it made the hair stand up on the back of Isaac’s neck.
“Challenge me again, little mage. I dare you.”
The dragon wasn’t so smart, either. That only pissed Isaac off, and he lifted his chin, glaring at him. “If you want a challenge, then we should go outside. I told you, I’m not going to let you intimidate me. But if you damage my apartment, I’m going to hurt you.”
The tension shot through the roof, both of them poised and ready for a fight. Isaac’s heart raced, pounding so loudly he couldn’t hear himself think. He glared up at that stupidly gorgeous face, wishing not for the first time that Mr. Van Buren’s personality matched his good looks. Instead, his handsome features lured Isaac into a false sense of security until he opened his big, stupid mouth.
Tired of letting the dragon push him around, Isaac shifted to move past him. What happened next stunned the hell out of him. Mr. Van Buren moved faster than Isaac could blink, forcing him back against the wall, a hand on the back of his head cushioning the blow. Isaac opened his mouth to protest, but he was cut off with Mr. Van Buren’s mouth on his.
It was fierce, rough, and bruising. Isaac grunted in surprise before pushing back, biting as much as kissing. Mr. Van Buren thrust his tongue between Isaac’s lips, dragging a groan from him. How long had it been since someone kissed him like that? With passion and fury and dominance to spare. It was an all out battle, and it made Isaac’s blood sing.
Isaac wasn’t sure who moved first, too distracted by their tongues tangled together. One moment, they were kissing, the next they were stripping each other, ripping the clothes from each other’s bodies. Isaac heard several buttons scatter across the floor, though he wasn’t sure if it was from his shirt or Mr. Van Buren’s. Maverick’s. If they were doing this, it made sense to use the man’s first name. Isaac wasn’t willing to look too far into why they were doing this. They hated each other up until a few minutes ago. Hell, Isaac still hated him a little for what he’d done. But he was revved up and aching, and he wasn’t willing to stop to examine his feelings on the matter.
Using Maverick’s belt loops, Isaac dragged him a few feet to the left and into his bedroom. Maeve would probably be out for a few hours, but Isaac wouldn’t put it past her to rush things just to get back here and check on him. He didn’t want to be interrupted. He had no doubt that when Maverick came to his senses, he’d go back to being the grumpy asshole, determined to bring down everyone’s day. He wanted to enjoy this while he had the chance.