Page 18 of Scar Bonds: The Scars That Bind Us

“Me neither.” Senan nodded as Finlay winced –Oops -“But I’ve made my peace with that.” He inhaled sharply and then blew it out softly. “Look at this lovely restaurant – warm, inviting, intimate, and comfortable. You can tell from the color schemes of golds and warm brown tones, with the teal and cream accents, that the owners want you to feel soothed in this space. There’s nothing jarring. Nothing in this room is vying for our attention, allowing us to enjoy our food and conversation without being dominated by the space itself. Does that make sense?”

Finlay glanced around the restaurant. It was a place he was familiar with which is why he felt it was a good place to take his mate. “I never noticed the decor before, until you mentioned it. I just know I’ve always liked this place,” he admitted quietly. “But yes, you’re right. Don’t they have places like this on the fae realm?”

“Ah, the infamous first date on the fae realm is nothing like this.” Senan had a lovely laugh. “Picture a room…hmm for an intimatemeeting like ours, the room would probably be four to six times the size of this restaurant.”

“Sounds like a mini ballroom.” Finlay wrinkled up his nose. He was not a fan of formal events.

“Exactly, and for this small, intimate ‘getting to know your date’ date, the meal will be shared with around twenty to fifty close friends. You have to understand that every date, especially in the early days of a relationship, is an opportunity to showcase wealth, connections, and how admired you are by your intimate circle.”

“On a date?” Finlay couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but Senan was nodding. “How do fae actually get to know each other personally if there are so many people around?”

“They don’t.” Senan clearly found Finlay’s shock amusing. “But if you spend your life walking around as though you have a broomstick up your ass, then you really don’t want someone you want to be intimate with to know about that. So they hide their flaws among a room full of people who behave in the same way they do.”

Resting his elbows on the table, Finlay said, “But surely, if this dating proves successful, and I use that term loosely, but surely there’s going to come a time when those two people are in bed together, with no one else around. You know, getting to know each other intimately.”

“Ah, yes.” Senan paused for a moment, putting down his coffee mug. “I’m not going to discuss those aspects that I’ve had personal experience with. I am well aware that’s not the sort of thing I should mention to my protective wolf shifter mate,” –I resemble that remark –“but I can say that the bedroom side of things ends up being a similar production, just on a smallerscale. Mostly it’s a case of a lot of things said and done for effect, rather than genuine feeling.”

Finlay shifted in his seat, intimate memories of his own flitting through his head. If anything, he was someone who invested too much feeling into casual encounters, usually giving others the wrong idea. “Fair enough. Moving on.”

Senan laughed again and Finlay was sure some of what he was thinking must’ve leaked through their bond. Leaning over the table, Senan said quietly, “Did you see that older couple over by the window?”

Finlay nodded quickly. He’d scoped out everyone in the restaurant the moment they’d arrived.

“You probably ignored them, considering they weren’t a threat at all, and that’s understandable. A lot of older people are ignored or considered invisible in society. But if you really watch, can you see how much they love each other?” Senan sighed. “He touches her hand, they’re talking softly to each other, and they’ve shared food off each other’s plates. She laughs at his jokes, he’s showing he cares with every glance. They’re in their own happy bubble. In the world the way it is right now, wouldn’t you agree how sweet that is?”

Finlay looked down at their empty plates. “Was I meant to share my food with you as a sign of affection?”I might have to order double meals.

But Senan was shaking his head. “I’m not getting between a wolf shifter and his food,” he said with a chuckle. “However, I do know that if we were stuck in the woods somewhere, and I had no means of getting us food, your wolf would go off and hunt for me, making sure I was fed first. Am I right?”

“My wolf’s quite keen to get us lost in the woods just so he could do something like that.” Reaching across the table,Finlay took Senan’s hand, stroking over his slender fingers. He could see behind the glamour. Senan was a strong man and a wonderfully unique individual – someone else that others might underestimate. “I’m hoping you’ll like to meet my furry side real soon.”

“We should do that this afternoon.” Senan’s eyes sparkled as he pointed at Finlay with his free hand. “I have never had an after-date experience like that. I’d love to.”

Finlay and his wolf heard the word love, and Finlay sighed.This man is going to wrap me around his little finger, and I’m going to love every minute of it.

Chapter Fourteen

The first thing that struck Senan as he watched Finlay getting undressed in the forest clearing some miles out of town was how at home Finlay seemed to be in the great outdoors. Senan was feeling so much better - relaxed, happy, pleased to have a chance to share his passion for people-watching with his mate, and now it was time for him to share something that made Finlay happy as well.

“You don’t have to worry about the Luna Pack,” Finlay said. He pulled his shirt over his head, folded it loosely and dropped it on the hood of the car. “The pack is about thirty minutes that way.” He pointed to the right. “But we’re going the other way. The boundaries of the pack territory are at least a mile away from here, so we shouldn’t come across any wandering pack members.”

“I’m sure you’ll protect me from them.” Senan smiled and raised his eyebrows in an effort to hide his sudden onset of nerves. He hadn’t deliberately gone anywhere near the Luna Pack ever, and just knowing he was within running distance of the territory – at least in wolf terms – didn’t fill him with warm fuzzies.I’m doing this for Finlay.

“If there was anywhere else suitable where I could shift and run, then I would.” Finlay seemed to be doing a spot of mind reading.

“It’s fine.” Senan wasn’t lying. He understood Finlay’s wolf had to stretch his legs, and there weren’t that many options when it came to places he could shift and run outside of town. Senan’s back garden was barely big enough to host a flower bed, and from what he’d seen at Finlay’s when they went to get some clothes for him, there wasn’t much room there either.

“I’m sure you know this about wolf shifters, but I should probably repeat it anyway. My wolf looks like a natural wolf, he’s just a little bit bigger.”

Senan chuckled. Finlay was in the process of taking off his pants. “I think everything about you is a little bit bigger than the norm, don’t you?” He made a point of directing his gaze at Finlay’s crotch and waggled his eyebrows.

“Gods, you shouldn’t do that.” But Finlay was laughing, hopping around to get his left foot out of his pants leg. “You just have to look at me, and my cock goes boing and springs to attention. My wolf wants out, and that doesn’t mix with a hardon.”

“I can try not looking.” Senan hid his face with his hands, but then he opened his fingers so he could peep through them. “I thought shifters were fine with being naked.”

“We are. I am. But you rev my motor just by looking at me. I don’t usually have that issue when I shift.” Finlay finally got his pants off and put them with his shirt. “Okay, just a few quick things. You know my wolf is sentient.”

Senan nodded, dropping his hands so he could pay attention. Not exactly easy when his sexy mate was naked.

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