Page 26 of High Stakes and Soulmates
“Not now!” he says before shifting.
We roll into the driveaway and a few minutes later, Maeve pulls up. Not too far behind her is another car that I’m not expecting. I see that it’s Zach and his partner William.
Zach hurries right over to Ezio and holds a cup out to him. “I got you a coffee.”
“Oh…” Ezio tentatively takes it from him like he thinks Zach might be holding out a rattlesnake. Like the “competition” is just going to strike him down. Weirdly enough… the “competition” wants him and not me, but he hasn’t realized that yet.
“I got both of you coffees as well,” he says offhandedly, clumping me right in there with Maeve, and still, Ezio stares at him like he’s considering what he might taste like.
Icouldtell him that Zach is interested in him, but really, what fun would that be? Instead, I just stand here as Ezio glowers at him but also seems a bit taken aback by his kindness and can’t glower too hard.
“T-Thank you,” Ezio tells him before he proceeds to pretend to drink it. It’s actually pretty good acting, and he even gives him an approving look. “Very good.”
“I’m glad!” Zach says, all smiles as I wonder what he has to be so damn happy about.
And then why am I being so damn judgy?
While I’m over here contemplating this, Julian is over there choking himself on the leash as he tries to drag me after him.
“I think Pawficer Sniffington caught a scent,” Maeve announces sinceno one elsehas noticed.
“Oh, right,” I say as I hurry after him. He starts with the car, scrutinizing every inch of it while Maeve acquires the keys to get it unlocked. I can tell without even talking to Julian that he’s found something. And then off he drags me back to the house, but when he doesn’t gointhe house, I’m a bit thrown. No, he takes off at a lope and I have to rush after him. He zips into the backyard and scales a fence like he thinks I’m just over here hopping tall fences with these legs.
“Hey! I can’t just?—”
Ezio hoists me up as I flail, startled. Because I’m not expecting it, I don’t go over the fence, but instead accidentally elbow Ezio in the face with enough force his lip starts bleeding. “I really think I could have taken the gate!”
“Nonsense!” Ezio says, licking the blood like that’s a normal response.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you,” I apologize as I realize I’m hugging his head, and he’s still holding me up like he’s offering me to some fence god or something.
“Your hand is on my ass! It’s like… right up the crack,” I say while I try not to think about his hand anywhere near my nether region that should be off limits to him. Definitely off limits. Definitely not a place he should explore while my boss, the man who’s into him, and Pawficer Sniffington stare at us.
“You flailed and it kind of just… settled there. It’s not my fault.”
“Isn’t it?” I ask rather skeptically.
Julian growls and I look over as I realize that during all of this, we’ve ended up choking the wolf who is still on the other side. I drop the leash as Zach rushes over like I need more hands in this mess.
“Let me help,” Zach says.
“Nah, I got it,” Ezio insists, turning to body block Zach. Does his jealousy really need to run so deep?
“Really, you guys could just put me down, and I could, you know… goaroundto the gate. Like are we all just going to hoist each other over?”
“Do I even ask what’s happening?” Maeve wonders as I’m awkwardly cradled in Ezio’s hands who, strangely enough, has moved mefartherfrom the fence to keep Zach from touching me. Zach just wants to help while Ezio juggles a coffee and my body.
“Just put me down,” I urge as Ezio eases me over the fence and finally releases me.
“There you go!” Ezio declares, as though any part of what just happened was a job well done. He even gives me a thumbs-up.
“Are you boosting me over as well?” Zach asks while Ezio hops over with ease.
“Oh, sorry, didn’t hear you. I was already in motion.”
Zach just laughs like Ezio is the funniest man he’s ever met as I look over and catch Julian’s eyes. I grimace a bit before giving him a wave. What the wave is for, I don’t even know. To cover up the fact that I’m not correcting Ezio’s confusion?
“Go on now, search,” I say while Zach runs around to try to find a way over the fence since no one is volunteering to ram their hand in his ass crack and hoist him over.
