Page 86 of Moody as a Minotaur

Parker pulled back abruptly, dragging his heat and the soothing feel of his body away. I sat up too. When our eyes met, he said, “That’s ridiculous.”

I frowned. “You deserve the best, Parker. You deserve to find your fated mate. The other half of your soul.”

Parker rolled his eyes. “That isn’t up to you to decide.”

“But…”

“Is that the only reason? Is that why you keep putting distance between us?”

“Well, yeah…”

“Don’t you think I get a say in what happens between us?”

“Well… I…”

“Just say yes, Levi.”

“Yes. I guess, but…”

“Nope. There is no but. I’m a grown man. I’m old enough to know my own mind. I’m not sure what to think about fated mates and magical blessings and all that. But I know I’ve been drawn to you since you ordered a coffee from me the day I opened the Flying Rowan. I know thatI’ve been flirting with you ever since. No one else has ever caught my eye. That might not mean we’re fated mates in your eyes, but after knowing one another for all these years, don’t you think I’d have moved on by now if my feelings were… I can’t think of the right word. Transient? Temporary? Inconsequential? Choose one.”

“But…”

He put his finger over my lips to stop me from saying anything more.

“You’ve said that the Eternal Magic brings supes together, but humans don’t believe that. We put our trust in dating. Most of us have to kiss a bunch of asshole frogs before we find our prince.”

“You kiss frogs?” That sounded… awful.

“No. Not literally.” He huffed out a short laugh.

“Right. I knew that. That’s from a fairytale, right?” Maybe I was too tired for this conversation.

“My point is, that even for people who believe in soulmates, I don’t know of anyone who literally believes in love at first sight. But I always wondered if that’s what happened to me the first time I saw you. So, for a while, I tried to ignore my attraction to you and give myself time to see if what I was feeling was just lust or something more.”

Love at first sight sounded a lot like meeting your fated mate.

“Usually when humans meet, conversations happen,” Parker continued. “They get to know one another. They look for ways to confirm if they’re compatible. And sometimes people think they’ve found their soulmate only to find themselves divorced seven years later.”

“That is weirdly specific.”

“That’s because my mom always says that my father was her soulmate. But that didn’t make their relationship easy or sustainable. They chose to go their separate ways. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Maybe?” I really didn’t, but I wasn’t going to say that.

Parker shook his head as he did the unthinkable and crawled into my lap. I blinked up at him as he straddled me and settled his weight on my thighs. My hands came to rest lightly on his legs. It felt so satisfying and right, being with him like this. It didn’t matter that we were both still clothed.

“Let me explain my thoughts another way.”

“Okay?”

“You see, the way I see it, soulmates might exist, love at first sight might exist, but what really matters is what you choose. And Levi?” He had both his hands cupping my face as he peered into my eyes.

“Yeah?”

“I want to get to know you.You. Just you. I might not be your fated mate, and I accept that. But Ichooseyou.”

My breath caught in my throat. My heartbeats crashed together in a chaotic rhythm. Was he serious?