Page 8 of Restoring His Howl

Cinders had made progress. “So you’re quiet. I’m not. You’re super-cautious. I’m blunt. It balances out. We’re good for each other.”

He could’ve sworn Dillon saidthank you, but he hadn’t seen Dillon’s mouth move. Maybe, he’d imagined the words. Possible.

“We’ll take it slow. If we’re only meant to be friends, then cool. We’ll be tight. If we can be more, I’m game. You won’t break my heart if you’re not ready right now.” He brushed his nose along Dillon’s. The wolf shifter confused him, but Cinders understood his caution. The guy was a master at mixed signals, though. One minute, he seemed scared to death, and the next, more than a little turned on. Cinders wanted to know what was happening when he moved and wanted to get inside Dillon’s head to figure him out. “I’m patient.”Most of the time.

Dillon splayed his hand on Cinders’ chest. “Okay.”

“Okay.” He wasn’t sure what he’d agreed to, but he’d go with it. The tension lessened, but a new anxiety formed. Was Dillon trying to please him? Or was the attraction mutual? “You’re good with trying whatever this is we’re doing?”

Dillon nodded.

“Fair enough.” Cinders wouldn’t push any more at the moment. He switched subjects. “Do you have any ideas for your costume?”

“Does it have to be cheesy or sexy? Can it be us in our animal form?” Dillon’s forehead crinkled. “I’m not good at role play.”

“I don’t think we have to do that, but I don’t recall any rules, either. A costume might not be required.” He’d have to check.

“What about you?” Dillon asked, his voice stronger and a light flickering in his eyes.

Well, fuck. Not two hours ago, he hadn’t planned to attend the goofy party, but now, he couldn’t wait for it to come around. Two hours ago, he hadn’t thought he’d be alone in a bedroom with Dillon, either. Funny how life turned out.

“The cop, right?” Dillon smiled. “And you’ll want me to be the robber?”

Ah, too cliché. Fun but used too much. “I was thinking more like a partner—like cheesy 70s cop show kind of partners.” He had two button-downs in his stage collection—one for a naughty sheriff and the other for a naughty city cop. He could be one and Dillon the other. He’d have to cobble together other parts of the costume, but he’d make it work. “Would you like to be my date and my partner in fighting sexy crime?”

Wow, did that sound cornball…

Dillon laughed. The throaty sound echoed in the room and was louder than Cinders had expected. When Dillon let his guard down, he appealed twice as much to Cinders. When he was guarded, he was still sexy.

Dillon nuzzled Cinders’ hand. “Sounds like fun. I’m in.”

Had he just marked Cinders? Why wasn’t the jaguar upset about it? Because he liked Dillon and wanted to explore the magnetism. Cinders drank in the view of Dillon. He’d completed step one in his ultimate plan to snag the wolf shifter. Now for step two—the costume. Warmth spread through Cinders, and his jaguar calmed. The big cat lolled, contented. “Why don’t we go through some of your stuff and see if you’ve got anything that’ll help round out your costume?”

“No.” Dillon put space between them and let go of Cinders’ hand. “I don’t have any clothes or whatnot that would work. I didn’t bring anything from my former life with me.”

“Well…we can use my stuff. No problem.” He offered his hand and stood. “Why don’t we go over to my room and get the box?”

“Okay.” Dillon held hands with Cinders and followed him to his suite.

There was no sign of Cinders’ roommate. Cinders blew out a ragged breath. He preferred the extra alone time with Dillon. He let go of Dillon and knelt on the floor beside the box of costumes. “I doubt Ryan brought anything here with him. I think he left his outfits back at the club. He wasn’t big on holding onto his stuff. I have too much of my own money invested in my clothes, so I kept them. I’ve kept a few things that weren’t mine because they were discarded.” He rummaged through his gear then pulled out the blue shirt with police patches sewn on it. “This one is the city cop version. I’ve got a tan sheriff one, too. Try this on, though. It’s a little smaller and should fit you.” He handed the garment to Dillon. “I’ll hunt for the other.”

He busied himself with the search. Part of him wanted to watch Dillon change, but the rest of him opted to give the wolf shifter privacy. He located the tan shirt then glanced over his shoulder.

Dillon finished buttoning the garment and grinned. He held up both hands. “No?”

The blue brought out the paleness in his eyes and played well off the silver in his hair. The cut of the shirt showcased his thin frame. Cinders wanted to say something, but Dillon had rendered him silent.

“Well?” Dillon wriggled. “Do you think since this is a stripper shirt, we’ll be expected to…strip?”

“No.” Thank God, Cinders had found his voice. He had something to talk about that didn’t involve him drooling over Dillon. “Ryan won’t expect that. He’d be pissed if we did.” He didn’t understand why Dillon might think someone would want him to strip. “Ryan wants us to have fun. He’s not involved in the old life and frowns on anyone trying to bring it to the Sanctuary. If you want to stroll the grounds nude, he won’t say dick, though. It’s kind of hard to shift and immediately be dressed.”

“True.” Dillon toyed with the hem of his shirt. “Does this look okay?”

“Better than okay.” Cinders stood and smoothed his hands over Dillon’s chest. “I love it.”

Dillon blushed. “Thanks.”

“Wear my black shorts with it and some boots, and you’ll be a knockout.” He’d rather keep Dillon here with him and not share him. “I’m jealous. I never filled out that shirt the way you do.”

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