Page 76 of Wolfgang

He wasn’t sure what else to say on the matter. A certain lack of empathy had always meant he didn’t have to—or care to, in truth—feel others’ emotions as his own. But now he did, in the most basic sense. He felt Eric’s distress, his discomfort every time that dreaded phone rang. Heknewhow anxious those calls from his mother made him.

And it was horrible, really. If this was how the general population felt, running around with everyone else’s emotions tangled up with their own—well, no wonder the world was as mad as it was. But Wolfe was a practical man; he’d simply do everything he could to keep the unhappiness to a minimum.

Why should his mate ever bear such suffering when he had Wolfe to protect him?

He settled himself in a corner of the love seat, smoothing out his robe and patting his thigh as he did so. “Lay your head on my lap, pet.”

Eric gave him a dubious look. “You know I’ve never actually cock warmed before?”

“Did Iaskyou to cock warm?” Wolfe smirked at him, ignoring the way his cock did twitch at the thought. “I’m only asking you to lay your head on my lap. To stretch out, read, and relax. Let me run my fingers through your hair.”

“Petting your pet?” Eric quipped. But he did as Wolfe requested and lay his head on Wolfe’s thigh, curling up his knees to fit his broad frame on the love seat.

Wolfe didn’t miss the little sigh of pleasure as he settled in. He was a very tactile creature, his mate. He would require plenty of physical attention outside of the sexual, Wolfe was sure.

And Wolfe would be more than happy to oblige.

“Enjoying the presence of my beloved,” Wolfe corrected, tangling his fingers in Eric’s freshly washed strands.

A catch of breath at the word. “Is that so?”

It was. Wolfe hadn’t known love before; he hadn’t been lying to Johann there. As a rule, he wasn’t sure how much he understood it, or how comfortable he was throwing the word about. It seemed to him one so overused by the masses that it had lost all meaning. Except, perhaps, when it passed Eric’s lips. But whatever depth of feeling Wolfe was capable of, he knew enough to know it all went to Eric. His passion. His obsession. His care.

Eric rubbed his cheek against Wolfe’s thigh, fingering the fabric. “I can’t believe we’re wearing matching robes right now.”

Wolfe had no idea what the issue was. They made a fetching pair.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, Wolfe running his fingers through Eric’s hair while Eric pretended to read his book, barely ever turning a page.

Eventually Eric tilted his head up to catch Wolfe’s eye. “So I’m your fiancé?”

Wolfe tried to contain his smirk. He’d been wondering if his clever mate would bring that up. “We’ll keep it simple. A civil ceremony, I think. You can choose which of the rabble you’d like as your witness, but I’m sure Johann in particular would jump at the chance.”

Eric barked an incredulous laugh. “A civil—is this your idea of a proposal?”

“There’s no need. It’s a fact. You’re mine. We’re eternally bound as it is. And you love me.” Wolfe couldn’t help but inject an incredible amount of smug satisfaction into that last bit. It pleased him so, when Eric said those words. “And there’s the fact that you, as a doctor in a small town, are a public figure. I’d like my claim to be public as well.”

“What if I wanted a big wedding?” Eric was wide-eyed, but whether in disbelief or consternation, it was hard to tell.

The bond didn’t lie though.

“You don’t,” Wolfe pointed out.

Eric kept the wide-eyed act up for a long moment before he relaxed back again with a happy sigh. “That’s true.”

Wolfe’s lips quirked. His mate was remarkably complacent after sex and a hot bath. He would have to keep that in mind.

There was more companionable silence, more absent-minded page turning. Wolfe was sure there was something more on his mate’s mind—something beyond their pending nuptials—but he was willing to wait it out.

He didn’t wait much longer before Eric spoke, his voice deliberately light. “I might not want to go back to work.”

There it was. Wolfe wasn’t exactly surprised. Eric had been remarkably unhesitant about his forced vacation. He clearly didn’t live for his work, not like others Wolfe had met in his profession. He’d followed his family’s instructions in forging his career, he’d found security in the identity, but it didn’t give him any joy.

And now Wolfe’s beautiful, clever man perhaps wanted to stretch his wings in other directions. Wolfe would have applauded had he thought it welcome. Instead, he kept his voice as even and carefree as his mate’s. “As I’ve said before, you don’t have to.”

Eric ran his fingers around the edge of his book. “I think I’m done being Dr. Monroe for a while.”

“Then you’ll simply be Eric.”

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