Page 2 of High Stakes and Soulmates
“Is that an option?” I ask, highly interested if it is.
“Why don’t you try going out on dates and see what happens?” Julian asks, like any part of that could possibly be fun. “There are a couple of wolves who’d go on a date with you for sure. Why are you so set on Cyrus?”
I run my finger down a crack in the table.
“It’s probably something ridiculous like Cyrus held a door open for him or something,” Casimir says.
“So?” Julian urges, clearly trying to get me to talk.
My mind flashes back to that beaming smile surrounded by flowers that almost seemed as hypnotized by him as I was. Theway the sun bounced off his dark hair, it’s almost like I can feel the rays of it.
The memory fades away as I try not to think about what came next.
“He’s a descendent of the man I loved,” I admit.
“W-What?” Casimir asks, nearly choking on his shock. “Why the fuck haven’t you mentioned this before now? Ezio, what the hell? You tell me stupid shit all the time, yet you never once thought to tell me something like this? Maybe I wouldn’t have made fun of you so much.”
“Because I thought that maybe you’d work out that we didn’t happen here by chance but because I gently… pushed you here,” I admit. “You hate doing things that are my idea. And then I knew you’d be like, ‘But just because he’s blood related to your partner who died, it doesn’t mean he’s anything like him.’ And I’m well aware he’s not! My love was… sweet, gentle… he adored me, and Cyrus is… feisty. And maybe it’s a bit creepy. Is it creepy? I mean… he’s like… a baby.”
“Am I a baby?” Julian asks, cocking an eyebrow. “He’s around my age, and Casimir is even older than you. Although if he’s the like… great-great-some more greats-grandson of the guy you loved, that would be a bit… hmm… let’s say different.”
“He had no children. His brother did, though,” I say. “Alas… I’m destined to always love him from afar. Really, it’s quite unfair of me. I’m putting expectations on him because of what I had. But don’t worry. I’m well aware he’s not the same man, and that’s not why I love him. I love him because he’s delightful and funny, and under that feisty layer, he’s kind of sweet. Woe is me. Julian, tummy rubs are required. Please?”
“Fine, fine,” Julian says as he starts whipping off his clothes, much to my delight. Casimir glowers at me the whole time, as though I’ve done something wrong. What could I have possibly done? It’s not my fault his lover is eager to strip for me.
Julian’s shift into a tall black wolf is quite fast, and I immediately forget all about Casimir’s glower as I drop down to the floor right there and bury my face in his fluff. I wrap my body around him and hug him to me before I pick up a foot and squeeze his adorable paw pads. He really does make all my worries disappear.
“Oh, the delight. The softness of your fur. The bountiful fluff! I was meant to love you?—”
I freeze when someone opens the door and then looks me right in the eyes. “C-Cyrus. It’s not what it looks like!”
Cyrus’s eyes narrow while he examines me where I’m hugging the wolf on the floor. Maybe if I hadn’t been crying so loudly about my woes, I’d have heard him enter.
“I’m going to be very honest, I have no idea what it even looks like,” he says as he sets that smolderingly sexy look on me. He’s such a handsome man with his dark eyes scrutinizing me, his black eyebrow arched in confusion, his black hair perfectly ruffled. “Casimir, I dropped off that paper you wanted. Julian told me to come right in.”
“You knew he was coming,” I hiss at the wolf who wags his tail, looking quite proud of himself. “You could have warned me so I could have been dressed to impress.”
“Who are you impressing? That mailman I saw Casimir glowering at the other day?” Cyrus asks, shooting down all of my hopes and dreams. Oh, destroyer of fantasies, why do I still adore you?
“Julian, do you have that M&M handy? I’m prepared to crack it for you,” I declare.
The wolf’s tail wags harder; apparently, he’s enjoying my misery. He’s such a simple man who simply enjoys abusing me. He shifts back, but since my arms are still around him, I’m left holding on to a very naked man. I decide that this is better thannothing and maybe Cyrus will get jealous until Julian stands up and my cheek is left skidding down his ass cheek.
“Julian, why?” I cry. “Now I look like a pervert.”
“You didn’t look like one before?” Cyrus asks.
“No. I simply looked like a depressed man before,” I explain. Meanwhile, Julian gives no shits as he gets dressed. Really, these wolves are borderline nudists… or maybe it’s just Julian.
Cyrus’s phone beeps and he glances down at it before his eyebrows knit. “I need to go.”
“Something I can help with?” I ask eagerly.
Cyrus points a finger at the window where the sun is still hanging in there for another hour or so. “Not unless you’re prepared to get fried first.”
“Aw, you care about me.”
The look on Cyrus’s face tells me that it doesn’t take much to care about someone to the point of not wanting to scrape their charcoaled body off the sidewalk.
