Page 48 of Charmed By Destiny

There was more Luke wanted to write, but he didn’t want to terrify Richard. It’d only been a matter of hours since they’d learned they were soulmates. They had plenty of time to get to know one another and figure out how they felt about each other. Luke didn’t have to give his entire heart away in a single day.

Luke finished dressing, stuffed his tie in his pocket, and studied Richard. He hadn’t moved. The man was exhausted. Luke’s grin was feral. It was his fault Richard had stayed up nearly all night. Walking to the bed, Luke gave in to the temptation to bend and kiss his head again. He whispered a goodbye, placed the keycard to the suite on top of the note, and left.

Since he was a sucker for coffee and cookies, he grabbed both at an almost-empty shop near the lobby that had just opened. He nibbled on his treats as he headed to the garage. It took him a minute to recall where the hell he’d parked, and his good mood carried him nearly the entire trip home.

But as the distance spread between him and Richard, fatigue set in. Despite the coffee he drank as he drove, he yawned plenty as he entered another garage—this one in the same building as his leased condo. Luke trashed his cup and napkin, then took the elevator up to the fourth floor.

Once he’d let himself into the empty apartment, he distinctly recalled the telephone call he’d taken before he left for the Wolfebrier-Marwood wedding. What would Foxe think about Luke finding his soulmate? He wasn’t likely to find out anytime soon. Despite the seismic shift in the course of Luke’s future, nothing had changed between him and his former best friend.

Plus, Foxe would be interested in one thing, and that was Richard’s wealth. Perhaps someday Foxe would be ready to tackle his addiction. That was the only aid Luke would ask Richard and his family to provide for Foxe. With another yawn and his heart aching for the relationship lost between him and Foxe, Luke headed for his bedroom.

Foxe would have to come to his senses on his own.

As for Luke, he had a soulmate to get to know. Everything was different now, and Luke wished he knew who to thank for such a bountiful gift. Was destiny a goddess of sorts? If so, Luke owed her a wealth of gratitude.

He planned to do whatever it took to build a future with Richard. After stripping to his underwear, Luke fell into bed and was asleep within seconds.

Chapter 18

Acreature of neatness and habit, Richard had unpacked the minute he returned home. The little note Lucas had left him was resting safely in a decorative box that had sat empty for the past few years. Richard had picked it out to make his shelves look aesthetically pleasing, never knowing it’d one day house a precious memory of his soulmate.

Richard had slept little, so perhaps that was why he was feeling sentimental. Or it could’ve been finding the one person on the planet that his soul wanted. A soulmate was something Richard had claimed not to want, but everything was different now. Although obstacles lay ahead, Richard refused to allow himself to stress about the future.

For one day, he’d revel in the unexpected.

An impulse to give in to desire—along with Maribeth’s unwavering need to ensure Richard didn’t hide—had changed his life. Time would tell if it’d be a positive thing or if he’d wind up miserable, but for twenty-four hours, Richard refused to overthink it. Lucas was his friend and coworker. However, they had a lot to learn about each other.

And Richard wanted to explore the incredible passion that had flared between them the previous night. Their second climax had happened nearly as quickly as the first, but they’d devoted extensive effort to kissing. Touching his lips to Lucas’s was easily Richard’s new favorite thing.

“Ow,” Richard complained as his cousin interrupted his delightful recall of his nocturnal activities.

“Someone is wearing a secret little smile today,” Maribeth whispered.

Richard cast her a side-eye look. “Today is about Gabriel and Eric.”

“At least tell me if it was good.” Color heated Richard’s cheeks, and he nodded. Maribeth responded with a feral smile. “Yay. Details, please.”

“Later.”

“Fine, but the longer you put me off, the more information I’ll want,” Maribeth insisted.

Richard didn’t bother to reply. His cousin wouldn’t be satisfied by anything other than every minute detail no matter what, and he hoped she was sticking around long enough to get them. With Gabriel and Eric leaving in a few hours for California, he expected Maribeth to head to New York soon. The teleportation crystal she’d left at her condo would make her return trip take a matter of seconds.

The phone in Richard’s pocket chirped, and he yanked it out of his comfy pants. But before he could read his screen, Maribeth’s head blocked his view.

“Who is it?”

“I can’t see through your thick skull so I can’t tell you,” Richard stated dryly.

“Oh, it’s Douglas.”

Maribeth moved out of the way, and Richard tapped the screen to peek at the message. The inspirit wanted to talk. Richard hoped everything was okay.

“What’s wrong?” Maribeth asked.

“Not sure, Douglas wants to talk to me.”

“Tell him to come over. Rosalind and Clark are going to hog Gabriel and Eric today, so we don’t have shit to do.”

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