Icing on the Cake Chapter 29

A gap of about two finger-widths. Cheriot whispered from exactly that distance. Because they were too close, Yuri’s gaze naturally fell to his lips. His lips were a vivid pink, unlike what one would expect from an alpha. The color was so incongruous with words like man or alpha that Yuri wondered if he’d applied something to them.

And yet, it didn’t look gross. On the contrary, the color was so strangely fascinating that it stirred an impulse to touch them, so Yuri averted his gaze and furrowed his brow. What am I doing right now. Letting an alpha he’d known for barely a day get this close.

It was too close. A distance he’d never allowed anyone. Even Alexei, whom he’d known for a long time, had never had the chance to face him like this.

Was it because of those sweet words stirring through his head? The strength drained from the hand that had been pushing Cheriot’s shoulder away. Feeling that, Cheriot lowered his gaze and quietly examined Yuri’s hand gripping him, then slowly raised his own arm and layered his hand over Yuri’s. Cheriot’s palm was warm and firm. The feel of calluses built up over years seemed to speak of another side to Cheriot.

Cheriot’s hand, stroking the back of Yuri’s, gradually moved down and grasped his wrist. Though Yuri’s wrist was by no means slender, it was easily caught in Cheriot’s grip.

Led by Cheriot, Yuri found his hand resting on Cheriot’s chest before he knew it. Through the moderately thick sweatshirt, he could feel the hot, firm muscle beneath. The distinct sensation of that body made his mood feel strange. Touching another alpha like this was unfamiliar, and the fact that he was touching exactly where the heart lay made Yuri tense.

Just what did he trust in himself to expose such a vital spot like this.

Cheriot, watching Yuri’s unsettled eyes, slowly lowered his head. Gazing at the pale back of Yuri’s hand pressed against his chest, he whispered.

“My heart has been pounding like this since last night. As much as right before a match. I’d like it to be because I’m excited, but that’s not the feeling.”

Cheriot’s breath touched the scarred, pale back of Yuri’s hand.

“Make this pulse slow down. Make me stop being afraid of being by your side.”

Who in the world makes a request like this—asking to be treated gently so they won’t be scared.

Cheriot looked like a beast exposing its belly. Like witnessing a lion that had lost its wildness choosing not to fight, instead willingly revealing its weakness and saying, protect me.

“Make me certain that when you touch my body, you won’t at some point wrap your hands around my throat.”

Someone else might see that sight and, as if waiting for the opportunity, plunge a knife into that exposed belly.

But Yuri hated hunting, didn’t like blood, and didn’t want to witness suffering.

In the end, he couldn’t push Cheriot away. Squinting his eyes, glaring at his own hand resting on Cheriot’s chest, he held his breath—and it seemed he could feel the heartbeat thrumming beneath the thick muscle. A pulse that was withdrawn and tense, like a frightened child.

For a moment, this man who lived a life so grand that Yuri couldn’t even compare felt pitiable. Yes, he’d forgotten. Ordinary people were afraid of blood-spattering situations.

No matter how strong an alpha, not fearing wicked and sinister deeds was a separate matter.

“Even if it’s just for a few days.”

Cheriot added that final line, then released Yuri. Slowly withdrawing his now-free wrist, Yuri turned his body away from Cheriot and pulled out the portable battery by the door. After disconnecting the cable and handing the battery to him, Yuri spoke without meeting his eyes.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘a few days’?”

“Ten days at most. While you were asleep, I contacted my family back in America.”

“…Wasn’t it supposed to be that this kind of news shouldn’t reach your family because of the trust?”

Not tarnishing the family’s honor—that meant a scandal would be a big deal. That was what Cheriot had said, if he remembered correctly.

“Right. To the extended family, it’s like that. But family is different. I didn’t want to worry my mother, so I tried to handle it on my own, but… since things have gotten this big, I can’t help it.”

At the word “mother,” Yuri fell silent for a moment. Perhaps because Alexei, T-Mac, and everyone around him had grown up without parents from a young age. It had been a long time since he’d heard the word “mother.”

Fortunately, Yuri’s father was still alive, but he called his mother Katya… and didn’t talk about her much in front of Yuri. Probably because the day his mother passed had left too deep a wound between father and son.

Yuri plugged the cable into the car’s USB port, connected his phone, and brought up the navigation destination window before speaking.

“Trustworthy, good people—unlike me?”

“Of course.”

Cheriot answered without hesitation.

“They’re people who used to be my bodyguards when I was young, and even after I transferred to Canada, they’ve stayed by my mother’s side—they’re like family. More trustworthy than my blood relatives.”

Yuri didn’t press further and simply nodded. He’d heard somewhere that every family is unhappy for its own reasons. Everyone had their own circumstances.

“Understood.”

Ten days at most. That much shouldn’t be a problem.

“For ten days, I’ll accommodate you to some extent. But you should be careful about suddenly approaching me like you just did. I sometimes have trouble controlling my reflexes against surprise attacks.”

“I already know that from experience.”

Cheriot, seemingly relieved by Yuri’s positive response, smiled brightly again like he had when he received the snack bag, and flopped back against the passenger seat.

“But why does it take ten days? Coming from America should only take a day.”

“There are adult circumstances.”

A vague answer came back. Yuri knew all too well about things one didn’t want to discuss, so he let it go without pressing further.

“We should get going now. Tell me the destination.”

Cheriot reached into the snack bag, pulled out a chocolate bar, bit off the end of the wrapper with his teeth, and answered.

“Paradise.”

“What?”

“Let’s go to Paradise.”

There was no way a city with that name existed in the world. As Yuri stared at him blankly, Cheriot laughed lowly.

“Type in Big Fox. Around here, there won’t be any tourists or nosy locals.”

It was a city he’d never heard of. Judging by how Cheriot said it, it seemed like a small town. Entering the name into the map showed a travel time of about an hour and a half. They weren’t far from their destination.

After inputting the destination, Yuri started the engine and pulled out without hesitation. As the car moved forward, Cheriot, as if he’d been waiting, rolled the window all the way down. A rush of fierce air swept through the car, scattering Yuri’s hair and fully revealing his pale forehead.

“Oh, right. I have one more thing to tell you.”

Since none of the news Cheriot had delivered so far had been good, Yuri answered with silence.

“I connected my phone to your car’s Bluetooth. So can I play music on the way?”

“…What?”

“I couldn’t help it—driving makes you sleepy, and on highways you barely get a signal, so the radio doesn’t work either.”

The fact that he’d touched Yuri’s car without permission for the second time was displeasing, but that was partly Yuri’s fault for falling asleep, so he could let it slide. But music was out of the question.

“No.”

“Fine.”

Cheriot backed down surprisingly easily.

“Then I’ll sing instead the whole way.”

Ha….

Yuri pressed the accelerator hard for a moment. As the car shot forward, Cheriot’s body lurched back and his head hit the seat. But instead of complaining, Cheriot laughed like a boy and began to sing.

It tastes like strawberries on a summer evening. It sounds just like a song.

I want more strawberries. That summer feeling too. So dazzling and warm.

Breathe me in, breathe me out.

I don’t think I can leave at all.

I’m just saying what I’m thinking.

I don’t think I can leave you at all.