Page 40 of Wolfgang

Over Wolfe’s undead body. “Mm. Well, we have that taken care of already, don’t we?”

Eric must have picked up on his miffed tone. He arched his brows, a new, challenging set to his posture. “People think I’m a bit of a slut.”

Wolfe waved a hand. “We’ve also already established people are idiots.”

“I do sleep around though.”

“Youdidsleep around.” Wolfe studied his mate, who now had his head turned away, avoiding eye contact. What exactly was Eric trying to make happen with this? Was he looking for some sort of hall pass, underestimating the fervor of Wolfe’s possessive nature? Wolfe thought not. Eric clearly lusted after Wolfe, if nothing else. Was he perhaps a glutton for chastisement? No, Eric was sensitive to barbs, even if he didn’t show it superficially. Or was he offering himself up for judgment before he could be blindsided by it?

Yes, that was it.

Wolfe tsked. “You know, darling, there is no inherent morality entwined with someone’s number of lovers. Zero, ten, a hundred. It means nothing, if all parties were consenting. Only misguided puritan attitudes say otherwise.”

Yes, Wolfe had gotten it right. Soft tendrils of relief emanated from Eric, more than Wolfe had expected.

And then Eric was no longer avoiding eye contact at all, instead grinning almost cheekily at him. “So you wouldn’t mind if I upped that body count?”

Wolfe stepped forward before he could stop himself, his voice coming out harsher than he would have liked. “Not unless you also want to up the number of corpses in Hyde Park. You aremine, Eric Monroe.” Wolfe cleared his throat, forcing himself to take a step back again. “Now collect your belongings.”

It was a meager sampling in the end. Eric’s laptop. The few clothes he seemed to feel some sentimental attachment to. And an assortment of medical textbooks he clearly referenced often.

Wolfe frowned at the half-full duffle. “Any other books, perhaps?”

Eric rubbed at the back of his neck, a flush darkening his cheeks. “Um, I don’t really read. Or, I read a lot, but it’s all medical stuff. These guys, some online journals, articles old classmates send me. I guess that makes me pretty boring, huh?”

Did Eric have a single thought about himself that wasn’t mired in feelings of worthlessness? It seemed not. Wolfe cocked his head, considering. “You value knowledge and expertise. If anything, it denotes a curiosity about the world as it is, not as it might be. We’ll stop at the bookstore and pick up a few nonfiction options for you. Medical-adjacent, to start. We’ll see what other interests we can perk up in that lovely brain of yours.”

He was rewarded with more of that soft, sweet feeling. It was so easy to bring up now that Wolfe knew the recipe. His physical presence and support, some logical reassurance against Eric’s insecurities.

Perhaps relationships weren’t so difficult after all.

Or perhaps it was simply that Eric was perfect for him, in all his imperfections.

And now Wolfe was becoming absolutely sentimental. He could rival Johann at this point.

Despite that sweet contentedness, Eric narrowed his eyes at him, suspicious. “Why are you being so nice to me? Like you…care.” He tilted his head. “You don’t care, right? Or you can’t?”

The “can’t” was debatable, and Wolfe wasn’t in the mood for debate.

He went for the simple truth. “I desire for you to be happy. Content.”

“Why? To stabilize the bond?”

Wolfe crossed over to him, threading his fingers in Eric’s hair and tugging gently to make sure he was listening to every word. “Because—as I believe I have made clear—You. Are. Mine. Given to me by fate herself.Madefor me. I take care of my possessions, Eric. Itpleases meto take care of you.”

There. That would ruin this new, sweet softness between them, wouldn’t it? People didn’t usually like being referred to as possessions. It may have been Wolfe’s particular brand of caring, but it wasn’t a popular one.

But Eric only shrugged, the suspicious cant to his expression easing. “Okay. That makes sense.”

Poor, emotionally neglected Dr. Monroe. But it was working in Wolfe’s favor, so he let it lie for the moment. He sighed, releasing his hold and taking the duffel from Eric’s hands. “What else do you do to relax, pet?”

Eric hummed in thought. “Maybe fishing? My dad took me a few times when I was a kid. We ate what we caught, which made my mom happy. She liked fresh fish.”

Not surprising that even in his relaxation, Eric felt he needed to be useful to his parents. “It’s winter, darling. The lakes are frozen over.”

“Oh, right. Um, I don’t know, then.”

Wolfe directed him out of the bedroom. “You were out the other night. The first time I saw you. With friends.”

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