Page 53 of Charmed By Destiny

“Depends on what pants I choose because I’m not in a thong and I hate a line to ruin the aesthetic of my outfit.”

Wiggling in his seat, Luke focused on the road and wrestled his mind away from the dangerous territory of recalling exactly how Richard looked naked. The man was gorgeous from the top of his fruity-smelling hair to his slender, arched feet.

“Don’t paint me a picture, Dragonfly, I can’t eat dinner if I wreck my car.”

“Drive safely, damn it.”

“Doing my best. How come you told me I didn’t have to dress up but you have to change out of sweats?”

“Ask my mother,” Richard said dryly. “We need to talk, okay? Because of what happened this afternoon, I had to do something before speaking with you. Or maybe I was wrong, and I should’ve called you first. I’m not sure, so I’m asking for your forgiveness.”

“I’m confused, but okay. What happened?”

“I told my family that you’re my soulmate. We didn’t discuss how we’d announce it, and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Luke insisted. “You already told me you didn’t want it to be a secret. I didn’t need to be there for you to tell your own family.”

“You’re being very considerate, thank you. I wanted to wait for you. But…well, this afternoon, it was…emotional.”

Luke didn’t need to be told that; he could hear the distress in Richard’s voice. “What happened, Dragonfly?”

“I like that nickname,” Richard said. “Douglas asked to come over. Lucas, he…he thought something was happening between him and I. That was news to me. He wanted to find out if we were soulmates.”

Shock had Luke’s mouth dropping open. But he snapped it closed a second later. He’d wondered if they were a couple, and he couldn’t blame Douglas for trying. Richard was wonderful and sexy.

“I felt so bad for him,” Richard continued. “The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. But I had no choice. And the truth is, even if I didn’t already have a soulmate, I’m not attracted to Douglas. He’s my friend. My dear friend. He’s like family to me. Gabriel mentioned he had suspicions, but he didn’t tell me. He didn’t know for sure. Douglas was so angry, he stormed out. Tomorrow is going to be so awkward.”

“Wow, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Me too. I don’t want to lose my friendship with him, but what happens now will be up to him. He deserves to dictate how our relationship unfolds. I can’t force him to be my friend if he’s not ready to do that.”

“I hope you don’t lose your friendship with him either.”

“Thanks for not freaking out and throwing some fit because I want to remain friends with someone who just asked me to have sex with them,” Richard said.

Luke shook his head though he was alone in his car. “It’s easy for me to understand why he’s attracted to you and the importance of finding a soulmate, so I can’t blame a guy for trying. Plus, you’ve known him for years. We met three months ago. Our first night together was…well, this morning. Not that I’ll ever have a right to dictate how you live your life. That’s not fair.”

“This is why I like you more every day. Now, brace yourself, I picked out my clothes and I need to switch to a thong.”

“Did you tell me that so I’d be thinking about you naked?”

“I’m no expert on relationships, but I know how to flirt, Lucas.”

Charmed by Richard, Luke stopped at a light. “Once you’ve stopped teasing me, maybe you could make sure I’m headed in the right direction so I make it to your house before dinner?”

“Oh please, do you think anyone is going to eat without you? They’re probably downstairs creating a list of questions to pepper you with right now.”

With some guidance from Richard, Luke took a few turns and was soon in the fancy neighborhood the Marwoods called home.

“Tell me what kind of questions your family is going to ask me.”

“Lucas, I don’t want to frighten you, but they’ll probably hit every important subject in a rapid-fire interrogation that will make you wonder why you ever wanted to have sex with me.”

Despite how happy Luke was to find himself paired with Richard, the whole family thing was intimidating. Luke had no experience being part of one, and he wanted to impress the Marwoods. Did they approve of a rescued inspirit being with their eldest son? What would happen to his relationship with Richard if they didn’t like him?

Luke reassured himself that he’d attended a wedding between a Marwood and a rescued inspirit the previous day. While he wasn’t comfortable comparing himself to anyone, there were parallels between Gabe and Luke’s relationship and Richard and Luke’s. That offered him some hope that the Marwoods wouldn’t reject him without cause or make him mysteriously disappear.

“That’s terrifying,” Luke managed, fear making his stomach clench.

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