Page 25

B ooks were a gift. Richard loved to read, but the recent changes in his life had complicated his routine in the best way. Instead of crawling under the covers at night to lose himself in a make-believe world where two people fell in love, Richard had a romance of his own. Playing with Lucas was delectable, but Richard had no intention of giving up reading.

So, while Lucas was finishing up his laundry, Richard was in bed trying to pick up the story he’d started weeks ago. It was one in a long series about all kinds of magical people and shapeshifters. David had recommended it to the family. Richard had adored every book thus far, and thankfully there were plenty yet to read.

The current novel Richard was up to was a lovely romance between two men who’d believed themselves destined to be nothing more than friends, but fate had intervened. Now they were soulmates. Despite Richard’s now-abandoned stance on staying away from relationships, his favorite stories involved men who were destined for each other.

Maybe his soul had been calling out for Lucas. It was a nice romantic notion and left Richard feeling a bit smug. But he refused to allow himself to take anything for granted. Things with Lucas were going well. However, they were at the start of their journey.

The bedroom door opened, and Lucas walked in with a pile of folded clothes. He grinned at Richard as he headed for the dresser. They weren’t officially sharing a space, but Richard had rearranged things so Lucas didn’t have to run down the hall for socks, underwear, and other essentials. His clothes for work were hung in the guest room, but little else remained in there.

“I’m expecting a full book report,” Lucas commented.

“Well, I apparently stopped at chapter thirty-two. The main characters have discovered they’re soulmates. I may have to go back a little to relive it.”

“Sounds like a pretty story.”

Richard made a sound of agreement as his jeans-clad lover walked into the bathroom. The man was beautiful. Tall and graceful, he moved sinuously. Although Lucas had disappeared, Richard sighed happily as he thought about what a lucky man destiny had made him.

Forcing himself to stop mooning over Lucas, Richard wiggled his shoulders and gave his attention to his book. He shuffled through the pages so he could pick up the story again prior to the scene where the two dragon shifters had learned the truth about their relationship.

From the corner of his eye, he watched Lucas return in a T-shirt and pajama bottoms. Lucas climbed on the bed and laid his head on Richard’s lap. Delighted, Richard set his book on the nightstand and threaded his fingers through Luke’s wavy hair.

“Tired?” Richard asked.

Lucas slung an arm on top of Richard’s legs, trapping him under the covers. “A little.”

“You could snuggle up with me to get some sleep while I read a few chapters of my book.”

“We both know that’s not going to happen.”

Richard chuckled. “Take a nap before I strip you?”

“How could I possibly rest knowing that you’re lying here without underwear?”

“Think with something besides your dick?”

“Impossible, he’s the one in charge around here.”

Grinning, Richard continued to toy with Luke’s dark tresses as he studied the inspirit’s gorgeous face. His eyes were closed so long lashes rested on his cheeks. There was a hint of a smile in his upturned lips, which deepened his dimple. A shadow of stubble did nothing to conceal the sharp jawline that added to his beauty.

“Wrestle control back from him, Lucas.”

“Says the man that didn’t let me shower in peace this morning.”

“When I designed the oversized shower in there, I didn’t consider how impractical it was to select glass walls instead of a traditional tub with a curtain. A handsome man was in my shower with water cascading down the long lines of his body. No one on the planet would blame me for climbing in there to touch you.”

“Do better, Dragonfly.”

Richard rolled his eyes. Lucas hadn’t complained. Their lips had met in a torrid kiss, then Lucas had fallen to his knees to suck Richard off. Thankfully, there was a seat in there, so Richard could sheepishly return the favor. Otherwise, Richard feared their height difference would’ve made it awkward.

“No more shower interruptions. Got it.”

“Now, let’s not be hasty. I didn’t say no sex in the shower.”

“What exactly am I supposed to get better at, Lucas?” Richard asked, hoping Lucas didn’t hear the quaver in his voice. Thanks to his horrible past choices in sexual partners, Richard had limited experience and feared he was adequate at best in expressing his desire for Lucas.

Lucas opened his eyes, and his brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“Did I say something to upset you?”

“No.”

“Tell me what’s on your mind.”

The gray eyes staring up at him were full of kindness and compassion. “I was practically a virgin when I met you. Sometimes I fear I’m not wowing you during sex.”

Shifting his weight to rest on an elbow, Lucas leaned upward, and Richard met him halfway for a kiss. “No one else has ever made me feel like you do, Dragonfly. If I’m ever not fucking delirious afterward, I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Have detailed notes so I know how to improve my performance.”

Lucas grinned. “Oh, is this like my fantasy? You tell me how bad I am at my job, then demand satisfaction from my mouth and hands?”

“Seriously, what is wrong with you?”

“You know it’s hot.”

“It’s definitely not happening in my office.”

“There is one thing I wish we could do,” Lucas said, his voice wistful as he propped his head on his hand.

“Tell me.”

“Since our relationship is a secret outside of this house, we can’t try a traditional date. It could be fun to stare at you over candlelight, share a few glasses of wine, and flirt with our dinner.”

It was a lovely idea, and Richard was immediately on board. “We can’t go out and do that, but I think we can arrange for something like that here in the house.”

“It’s the weekend. What do you say we have a date tomorrow night?”

“I think I’m adding bonus points to your performance evaluation.”

“That’s not really aiding my cause of groveling at your feet to keep my job.”

“Again, what is your problem?”

Lucas laughed, and the sound was so joyous that Richard couldn’t fight his smile. “You hate that you like me.”

“I don’t hate that, Lucas. I don’t hate that at all.”

Their grins met in another soft kiss, and Richard threaded his fingers into Lucas’s hair again as his lover moved. He pressed Richard into the mattress with his solid weight, and Richard held him tight. Having a soulmate had flowed seamlessly from nightmare territory to a beautiful dream.

???

The Marwoods loved the date night idea. Luke wasn’t sure what was in store for him and Richard, but he’d surrendered willingly. Everyone was so thrilled for them and wanted to do whatever they could to facilitate their date. Their approval of Luke and Richard’s relationship was a boost to his confidence.

He wanted to excel at being Richard’s soulmate. It was the most important thing in his life, and his feelings for Richard grew every day. Maybe it should’ve been frightening how quickly he was losing his heart, but Luke reveled in it.

Although it was tempting to spend the late afternoon hours mooning over Richard, Luke couldn’t forget the man who’d resurrected him. Richard was upstairs getting ready for their date, which left Luke at loose ends since he’d already donned a suit and tie. Sitting on the edge of the guest bed he had never slept in, he stared at his phone.

He’d sent Foxe numerous texts. They’d gone unanswered. His calls were ignored, and Luke had stopped leaving voicemails. He didn’t know where Foxe was or if he had any money. So, he was worried.

Scrolling through his contacts, Luke tapped Foxe’s name and put the ringing device to his ear. He waited patiently and wasn’t surprised when he heard Foxe’s short recorded message. Would the necromancer ever speak to him again?

A knock on his door had Luke standing and setting aside his issues with Foxe. Tonight was about spending quality time with Richard. Luke opened the door to find Gabe in the hallway.

“Come on,” Gabe said.

Luke followed the other inspirit to a car. They sped away from the mansion, and several minutes later they walked into a florist shop.

“Pick something out for Richard,” Gabe suggested. “I need to find something beautiful for Eric too since Rosalind says I skipped the courtship phase of my relationship thanks to my secrecy.”

“Ouch,” Luke muttered as the inspirit stomped off. A bouquet immediately caught his attention. They were roses in a mixture of purples with a few black ones to catch the eye. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but it immediately made him think of Richard.

Gabe was still scowling as he perused the selections, but Luke didn’t need to keep shopping. He grabbed the bunch and headed for the cashier.

“Did you need a card?” she asked after greeting him.

“Do you have anything with a dragonfly on it?”

“You know what, I think we do,” she replied, then handed him a white card with a black dragonfly stamped in the corner.

“Thanks, this is perfect. Can I trouble you for a pen?”

“Of course.”

She handed him the receipt and a pen. Luke shuffled out of the way of any other patrons and bent to write on the card. He opted to keep it simple.

Dragonfly,

If I was given a choice of soulmates, I would’ve picked you.

Yours always,

Luke

He slipped the card into the envelope and spotted Gabe. The other inspirit had nothing in his hands, and the crease between Gabe’s brows had deepened. Careful not to squish his bouquet, Luke joined Gabe.

“Have you narrowed it down?” Luke asked.

“Am I supposed to go with something that reminds Eric of the wedding? Or can I grab something else because it makes me think of him?”

“Richard and Rosalind picked your floral bouquets with some input from you and Eric,” Luke replied. “Pick something that makes you think of him.”

With no hesitation, Gabe grabbed a bunch of flowers. There were various blooms in the same pale blue of the irises Rosalind had passed along to both her sons. Gabe had picked well. Minutes later, they were back in the car and headed to the mansion.

“Do you ever get used to it?” Luke asked.

“Used to what?”

“Having a soulmate? Does it ever stop making you marvel that such a thing exists? That destiny decided us inspirits deserved more than an extra chance at life?”

“No,” Gabe answered firmly. “I haven’t figured out how I was lucky enough to get Eric. But I don’t waste time thinking about it anymore. I enjoy it, and loving Eric is easy. Everything about him makes it incredible.”

“I keep wondering why it isn’t harder. Maybe it’s not supposed to be. Richard fits me. It shouldn’t make sense. Our backgrounds are different. Besides our jobs, I don’t know what we have in common. But it works. Or at least it has so far.”

“You have intangibles in common. Caring for others. That’s a big one. Richard would do anything for his family. So would you, otherwise you wouldn’t have walked into the resort ready to take on a job without experience to help your necromancer.”

“Foxe still won’t talk to me.”

“You did nothing wrong, Luke. I can’t say anything against Foxe either. He has an addiction, and it’s winning right now. But that doesn’t mean it always will. At some point, Foxe may regain control of his life. It’s what happens then that matters. What he says. What he does. It sucks to wait for that day, but there’s really nothing else you can do at this point. Ensure him that help is here when he wants to accept it.”

His heart heavy, Luke nodded. “Yeah, I texted him and left him a voicemail with every place he can find me.”

“Forgive yourself for being happy without him.”

“Thanks, you may be smarter than you look.”

Gabe chuckled. “I’m not, but I appreciate the compliment. Eric is the beauty and the brains of our relationship.”

“I guess I’d have to say Richard is the same in our relationship too.”

After pulling the car to a stop and turning off the engine, Luke handed Gabe his bouquet.

“A piece of advice,” Gabe said. “Keep that information to yourself. Richard isn’t as sweet as Eric, and he’ll let that go to his head.”

“Too bad I enjoy complimenting Richard.”

“Right. Let me go see if your Prince Charming is ready for your date,” Gabe remarked as he opened the front door and waved Luke indoors. The door shut, and Clark appeared out of nowhere with a clipboard in his hands.

“Good evening, gentlemen. Welcome to the famous restaurant La Belle Femme , named for the gorgeous Rosalind Marwood, of course.”

“Oh, of course,” Luke replied, grinning.

“Do you have a reservation tonight, gentlemen?” Clark asked.

“I don’t,” Gabe replied.

“Then please leave, sir, we don’t have any space on our schedule for walk-ins,” Clark retorted.

“The staff here is rude,” Gabe commented as he stalked upstairs.

“At least the gentleman had a nice bouquet for his beau,” Clark said.

“Not just his beau, his husband,” Luke replied.

Clark’s brows flew up, and the mischief in his grin reminded Luke of Richard. “Someone married that man? The poor dear. How he must suffer. Anyway, do you have a reservation?”

“I certainly hope so. Do you have two for Wynnter?”

“But it’s barely fall,” Clark said. He guffawed at his own joke. “Forgive me, I couldn’t help adding a little humor. Last name is Wynnter? Spelled like the season, I presume?”

“No, do you really want me to spell it out?” Luke asked, wondering how far Clark was going to take his little charade.

Clark glanced at the clipboard. “Allow me to peruse my list for the evening. Ah yes, Wynnter. Here it is. Your table is ready, but it would appear you are missing your date.”

“That’s okay, he’s the kind of man you don’t mind waiting for,” Luke replied.

“I understand. I have a wife like that. Could I offer you a glass of wine so my boss doesn’t garnish my wages for the evening?”

“Sure.”

Clark left the foyer, and a sound on the stairs had Luke turning his head. He beamed a smile at Richard as he set one heeled foot on a step. Instead of a sensible boot, he wore sparkly heels that complimented the wide stripe down the side of his flowing trousers. A large silk bow rested below his collar, but the rest of his shirt was a lovely sheer that gave glimpses of the muscles Luke loved to kiss.

“You’re stunning, Dragonfly,” Luke said approvingly as Richard curved his red lips. His makeup was dramatically smoky with a hint of glitter. Something glimmered in the hair curling away from his forehead. Richard had made a considerable effort for their date, and Luke loved it.

“Thank you, you’re pretty handsome yourself.”

“These are for you,” Luke commented as he handed Richard the bouquet and bussed his cheek since he didn’t want to do anything yet to muss that tempting slick lipstick.

“They’re gorgeous.”

“You’ll want to save the card.”

Luke had snooped plenty in Richard’s room and discovered the first note he’d written to the necromancer in an otherwise empty decorative box. Someday, Luke would ensure Richard needed an entire pile of boxes to house keepsakes.

With a sly look, Richard plucked the card out of the flowers. A heartfelt smile bloomed on his face, and he held it to his heart.

“You’re right. I’m saving this. You would’ve been my choice too.”

“No one else for either of us.”

“Absolutely not.” Richard waved a hand to his eyes. “I didn’t wear waterproof mascara, don’t say anything else nice to me or I’ll ruin my makeup.”

“I promise to treat you like shit for the rest of the night.”

“You’re the best, thanks.”