Crush glowered. Hansel batted his eyelids.
“So... Are you going to keep the cart?” Killian said slowly.
Crush hugged Killian closer. Killian was still so aware of where they were joined, and Crush’s arms surrounding him. “I thought we might both adopt the cart together. Would you like to name it?”
Killian’s heart fluttered. Wasn’t pet adoption for people who were serious about each other? Was Crush serious abouthim?
After spending two days together?
Killian craned his neck to look Crush in the eye. “You want to adopt the cart with me?”
Crush blushed. “Yes?”
“Oh.” Killian blushed too.We haven’t even kissed!
What would Crush’s kiss feel like? Crush’s lips looked soft and damp, and they had felt like bliss on Killian’s throat. If Crush had pressed them to Killian’s mouth instead, if he had wanted to taste Killian and let Killian feel his tongue...
If Crush wanted to kiss Killian like a mate, how would Killian react to it?
“Your pulse is all the way up,” Crush murmured.
Killian panicked. “I wasn’t thinking about your mouth!”
Crush’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? What about my mouth?”
Crap crap crap!
“There’s saliva on your lips,” Killian said before he could think. “I don’t mean you’re drooling like a dog! Or a wolf! Oh gods. I just meant your mouth looks wet like you just took a swim in an oil slick! But a clean oil slick, maybe olive oil? But it’s notthatwet!”
Crush stared at him. And his chest began to vibrate again, his lips tugging up. “Gods, you’re one of a kind.”
Killian buried his face in his hands. “This is humiliating.”
Even Hansel was cackling in the background.
“It’s adorable, actually,” Crush murmured. “But let’s go back to my question. What would you like to name the cart?”
The cart wandered over, looking curious.
“Wonder Cart,” Killian said after some thinking. “It has great potential to be a hero. But no rushing into danger!”
For a heartbeat, he wondered if Crush would think the name was too corny. But Crush laughed and said, “Alright. Wonder Cart it is.”
The cart rolled back and forth, making sharpgrr-grrnoises with its wheels.
“Do you disagree with the name?” Killian asked the cart. The cart wriggled side to side, as though shaking its head. “Is it the danger thing?” Killian asked next. “Do you want to rush into danger?”
The cart raised its flap.
Killian groaned. “We want to keep you safe!”
But the cart shook itself, as though it wasn’t concerned about its own safety. Killian sighed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it’s safe, too,” Crush said, nuzzling his hair.
Killian couldn’t help the relief he felt.
“Cart, your name is now Wonder Cart,” Crush said, patting the cart’s side. “We have a hero in our midst.”
