Page 59 of The Companion Love Trap

“He’s different,” Cruz said, echoing my own thoughts. The possession I felt over Kieran had dwindled over the week as I’d watched Cruz and Everly with him. I’d been worried that Cruz would eat him up and spit him out once he was done. But so far, that hadn’t been the case, and I prayed I wouldn’t have to destroy Cruz if that ever changed… for Everly’s sake.

Yeah, because she’s the only one who likes the possessive asshole.

Distracting myself from the feelings I didn’t want to look too closely at yet, I turned to him and studied his face. His dark brown eyes were trained on Everly, enjoying how she squirmed when he set off the vibrations. But occasionally, his eyes would flick up to Kieran, and a softness would appear around the edges of his face, his lips tilting up slightly.

Me and Cruz stood in the back against the wall, Everly sitting up front at a table chatting with a few of the wives, while Kieran went over his presentation on his latest developments with his smartwatch and what he hoped to achieve with it.

“How so?” I asked, curious as to what he saw in Kieran. Cruz turned to me, his eyes meeting mine. An inferno swirled in them, and I lost myself as I waited with bated breath for his answer. It felt like it was more than just an observation.

“He’s more like he is as Phantom. He’s confident and absorbed in what he’s doing with a singular focus. Before, he often deferred to you, almost like you were a shield for him to hide behind. His strength came from your bond, but now it’s coming from himself.”

Cruz put into words what I’d been trying to decipher, twisting something in my heart. His face softened, and he reached out and slid his hand over my jaw. His thumb traced over my cheek, and I fought to close my eyes or sway into him.

“He still needs you, Meu Dengo. I don’t think that will ever change. You both give each other something only the other can. But it’s like he’s found his own story to live instead of reading someone else’s.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what that means, Gato?” I asked with a smirk to avoid the heart flutters I felt. Cruz was a dangerous addiction I didn’t know I’d be able to quit. He pushed me out of my comfort zones, taking away all the carefully laid nets I’d constructed for myself over the years.

Be in charge—no one can see how scared you are if you’re in control.

Be fun—people will want you around if they enjoy your company.

Be unflappable—show them there’s nothing that will scare you away.

Be flexible—you’ll always be included this way.

Be strong—you’ll make yourself invaluable.

Be whatever they need, and you’ll never be alone.

It was pathetic to hold on to those things all these years, but they’d worked for me so long that I didn’t know how to operate without them. Being the bastard child of a wealthy man meant I’d been surrounded by the best of everything my whole life and made to feel never worthy of it. Everyone reminded me of my shame, something I had no control over. But that didn’t matter to the other rich kids.

It wasn’t until Kieran that I found a true friend. He always believed he needed me more, but that wasn’t true at all. I probably should’ve told him that sooner, but I’d grown safe in our dynamic.

Everly had enhanced our bonds, forging us together and bringing us closer in many aspects. Everly had made me feel safe and accepted, bolstering the positive things in my life. She had become the fire in my life, heating me within and reforming me into the man I wanted to be.

But Cruz was also changing the shape of me, refining my edges like a blacksmith. He’d jumped into the fire and wasn’t afraid of the heat, thriving off the clashing of metal and applying pressure where needed. Cruz was unapologetically himself. He had to be one of the most secure people I’d ever met. He didn’t make excuses and embraced his flaws, never giving up on what he wanted.

And it seemed that now included me.

Gulping, I held his stare as his thumb pulled the corner of my lip down. Everly wasn’t the only one who’d been edged over the past few days. Cruz and I had spent time together at wine tastings and shuffleboard, smiling and schmoozing investors together like a well-oiled team. Our clothes had stayed on the whole time, but my dick hadn’t gotten the memo.

Cruz had a way of touching me every chance he could get; a simple graze as he reached across me. Picking lint off my shirt that I knew couldn’t possibly exist. Moving me out of the way of someone.

Each time he touched me, his fingers left an imprint on me and burned their presence into my body. He’d been slowly marking me as his without me even knowing it until I couldn’t possibly ignore it any longer.

“I’ll tell you when you’ve earned it, Meu Dengo. When I know you’re ready.”

“I’m ready,” I blurted, my cheeks heating at the admission.

Cruz smirked like I’d walked right into the lion’s den. At the beginning of this trip, I’d told him I was the king of the jungle, but it was clear who I really was. I think Everly had been right with Timon for Kieran, but wrong about me being a trash panda. Clearly, I was the warthog and Cruz, the lion.

Whether or not he was Simba or Scar was still to be decided.

“It’s cute that you think you get to decide that.” He leaned forward and nipped my lip between his teeth. “You’ll be ready when I say you are. Understand, Meu Dengo?”

The challenge in his eyes sent shivers through me. I’d never given control to someone before, and I didn’t think I’d want to. But Cruz’s energy dwarfed mine, promising safety, security, and release. It was the release that intrigued me the most.

“You want to play, Gato? Okay, let’s play.” Maybe I should take a page out of Everly’s book and tease the hot asshole until he caved. Sounded like fun.

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