"Like, just randomly?" Rafe asked, frowning.

"No. It's high-functioning instinct. When that compatibility arises and the emotions click… Well, we don't really know why it happens sometimes and not others," I said, giving up on my explanation. How could I explain to someone how Sunny suited me? She suited my cock and my claws and my tusks. She suited my need to nurture another. She was strong and brave, and she submitted as easily and beautifully as she took control when she wanted.

"I guess that's my question, then. Since when do emotions come into our work?" Rafe said. He was wearing a puzzled frown, staring across the street as a couple strolled by, their hands linked and shoulders brushing. "I can't imagine seeing a client as anything but…work."

I shrugged. "Neither could I." Until Sunny. It was as much a mathematical equation of what she asked for and how she responded, as it was the scent and feel of her or the instinctive itch in my chest to remain near her from the moment I'd walked into the dungeon.

Rafe hummed and then rolled his shoulders, his vast black and deep purple wings shuffling and rearranging themselves infinitesimally as he relaxed again. "Maybe it's the difference between what you do and what I do. I suppose you might get lost in role-playing."

I bristled at the suggestion but didn't bother correcting him. Rafe's work for MSA involved being available to…rougher clients. A gargoyle was about as indestructible as you could get, especially in their stone forms. And maybe he was right. The trust Sunny had granted me was personal. The act of satisfying her in a way she'd never known before was intimate.

"I miss her." I didn't mean to say it out loud, but once it was there on the air, I didn't really care.

"For the record, I think you made the right choice. Five days of fucking isn't the ground you build a relationship on." Rafe raised his hands to his side as I glared at him. "I'm not saying move on. I'm just saying, maybe take the girl out on a date and ask her about her hobbies before you tell her you're like, bound for life or whatever."

I grunted and turned away, resting my elbows on my knees and watching the neighborhood. There was a nice mix of species here. I'd been one of few non-humans in my old neighborhood. Ravenswood was full of species specialty shops—which were frequented by a wide mix of different folk—and nice parks. The nearest to me overlooked the Chicago River.

Sunny would like it here.