Page 10 of It’s A Little Bit Bunny (Fangs on Ice #4)

Nine

Nikolai

J ules’ face fell.

Don’t you see that I’ll never leave if you take me to your bedroom now?

“Next time, okay?” I needed to hear him say it.

“Yes, of course, Nikolai. Next time.”

I dashed back up to the guest room, grabbed my jacket and dead phone, and met Jules and an excited Barnabas by the door. As much as Jules had insisted it was no trouble for him, I didn’t want to overstay my welcome.

We walked for almost half an hour until Jules stopped in a spot in the middle of the woods that looked exactly like the rest of what we’d seen.

He hadn’t said a single word since we left his house.

“This is it,” he said, so downcast it hurt my heart to look at him.

“Okay. Thanks for bringing me back, Jules.”

“Sure.” He stared down at his boots. “Will you be back?” he asked in such a quiet voice I could have pretended not to hear him.

“If you want me to, yes.”

Jules swallowed hard, then nodded. First slowly, then it was so pronounced that his hair rippled like the wind tearing through the firs.

“I know it’s not my place to ask you to do that. Do I want you to come back anyway? Yes,” he answered his own question.

Stop being this cute, Jules. Please. You are a hot homesteader living in a castle. I’m a depressed mess who hits a rubber puck and other players for a living. Don’t get my hopes up, please.

“I can’t be back during the week, but on the weekend, if you like, I…” My voice trailed off.

“I would like that very much, Nikolai.”

It was weirdly sexy to hear him use my full name. Most people called me Nik or one of the fifteen nicknames my teammates and our fans had for me.

“Same,” I mumbled.

“You need to go through the archway.” Jules pointed to a spot behind me. I turned, expecting to see nothing but the forest.

“What the fuck? Where did that come from?”

“It’s a glamour, an enchantment,” he explained when he spotted my puzzled face. “Only I can lift it and let people through. See? You could never have found a way back.”

My curiosity got the better of me. “How did I get through if it’s enchanted? Or does it only work from this side?”

“I don’t know.” Jules shrugged apologetically. “It happens sometimes, but I haven’t been able to figure out what makes the people who end up in my forest different from the ones who don’t.”

“Maybe it’s a glitch in the glamour,” I suggested.

“It could be that. Every power has its limits, I suppose. You will be able to find it in the future, though, now that I have revealed its location to you.”

“Oh, that’s good.” I hummed. “Thanks for saving me, Jules.”

His bright smile lit up the morning.

“Thank you for being my guest, Nikolai. It was very special to have a friend in my home.”

Friendzoned by the hot hermit . Story of my life.

“It was my pleasure.”

God, the pleasure I want to share with you, pretty boy .

“Will I see you again next weekend?” Jules asked once more, and I nodded.

“Then I will be waiting for your return.”

Am I reading too much into this, or does it sound like he wants more than friendship?

There was only one way to find out. As I walked back to my car on the other side of the arch, I vowed to visit him next week. It might come to nothing, but I had to find out if he was interested in me.

At least then I’ll know.