“Now, now. That wasn’t a very nice thing to do to my boyfriend. You don’t lie about people to get ahead. But I’m guessing that’s how you do things.” Wolf flicked an imaginary bit of dust from his lapel, then took out his phone and took pictures of Donald. “What do you think Christo will do when he sees these? You, hogtied on the dressing-room floor.” Giving a wild-eyed Donald a venomous smile, Wolf slipped the phone into his suit jacket pocket. “Nice meeting you. I think I’ll pass on the ties this time.” He patted Donald’s cheek and walked out, leaving the man squirming to get out of the binds and to his feet.
Time to find out where the hell Spencer was hiding himself.
A sales associate approached him. “Can I help you with anything, sir?”
“No, thank you. I got what I came for.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The spot where his mother was buried was peaceful, and Spencer laid his bouquet of flowers by her headstone. He squatted on his heels to pluck a few weeds from the grass.
“What do you think, Mom? A job offer from Webster Properties to be a director is huge. Me. A nobody.” He smiled. “I know what you’re thinking. I’m not saying I’m really a nobody. But I never expected them to hire me. I would’ve helped Bianca no matter what. She’s like the sister I never had.”
Footsteps sounded in the distance, and he waited for them to pass before speaking again.
“I’ve made some stupid choices, but going to work for Webster Properties isn’t going to be one of them. You always told me to follow my dreams, and they’d show me the way. But what if I can’t do it?” He rubbed his face. “What if I fuck it up and fall on my face?”
“All roads lead to home. With me.” Startled by Wolf’s voice, Spencer lost his footing and fell on his ass. Wolf reached out a hand and helped him up, his eyes sparkling golden in the sunlight. “And I like seeing you fall at my feet.”
Spencer brushed off the seat of his pants. “How did you know where I was?”
Continuing to hold his hand, Wolf played with his fingers. “I have to admit it took me a while. I called and called, but you didn’t answer.”
“I needed to be alone to think.” He liked holding Wolf’s hand. It was a sweetly romantic gesture he’d always snickered at, but now that he and Wolf were together, he understood the appeal.
Wolf gazed at him with solemn eyes, once unreadable, until Spencer learned the reason for the shadows he hid behind. “Are you sorry I came?”
“Never,” he answered quickly. “But I still don’t know how you found me.”
“I tracked you on my phone through that stupid app Elliot made us all download,” he grumbled, and Spencer’s heart squeezed because all he could think was how fucking adorable Wolf looked. “You can’t go dark on me. It’s not normal for you, and I got worried.” The glow in Wolf’s eyes drew him closer, and they held each other tight.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I’m used to being on my own.”
“Not anymore. We’re both learning and evolving. I thought I had a full life, but what I had was an empty heart. I didn’t like when I couldn’t reach you. I need to know where you areall the time.”
Spencer rested a hand on Wolf’s chest, feeling the thumping of his heart. “I’m here. With you. All these years you’ve been a part of me, like blood running through my veins.”
“Is this crazy? Or are we finally getting it right and recognizing what was always in front of us?” Wolf brushed their lips together. “You’re as familiar to me as my own reflection, yet I feel like I’m seeing you for the first time. Who are you?”
“Who I always was. Yours.”
The late-afternoon sunlight beamed down on them, and if anyone passed by and saw them kissing in front of a headstone, they might’ve thought it strange or inappropriate, but Spencer didn’t care. His mother would be happy he’d found everything he’d been looking for.
“Let’s go home.” Wolf’s arm rested over his shoulders as they walked toward the entrance. Wolf called a car, and they remained mostly silent for the ride.
Once in Spencer’s apartment, they kicked off their shoes, and Spencer made himself a vodka soda and Wolf a Scotch on the rocks. He looked around, but Wolf had disappeared.
“Where are you?” he called out. “I don’t want to drink alone.”
“Since when?” With his hands behind his back, Wolf walked out from the bedroom, a strange smile on his face.
“What’re you doing?”
“Sit with me for a minute?” He tipped his head to the couch and headed toward it, but Spencer, a bit suspicious, stood his ground.
“Wolf, what’s going on? What do you have in your hands?”
“Can’t you ever do something I ask without questioning me?”
