Page 44 of Orlando
“Your friends invited us for dinner.The least you can do is wear clothes without holes in them,” Liam gently scolded.
“Babe, they saw me naked.They wouldn’t have cared.”
Liam frowned.“How many chances are there that they’ll see you naked again?”
Orlando grinned.“Why?Are you jealous?”
Liam’s cheeks flushed.“I know I shouldn’t be.You’re a shifter, and you need to undress to shift.”
“I do, but I could carry around a blanket or towel if it makes you more comfortable.I don’t have to strip in front of my friends.”
“I don’t want you to change that kind of thing for me.I’ll be fine.”
Nothing was far in town, so they were walking to Seymour’s house.They were holding hands, and Orlando used his hold to get Liam to stop walking.He waited until Liam was looking at him to smile.“I’d do anything in my power to make you more comfortable.You know that, right?”
“I do, but you don’t have to.I’m a shifter’s mate.I’ll just have to get used to it.Besides, most of your friends are bonded, right?”
“Not all of them, but yes.Seymour’s mate is Jimmy, Lewis is with Kennedy, and there are a bunch of others, too.There are a few single guys and girls in the group, though.”
“You’ve never been with any of them?”
“God, no.I trained with most of them, and I always felt it would be too much trouble to start something.”
“Aren’t your friends bonded with people they worked with?”
Orlando laughed and reached up to kiss Liam’s cheek.“They are, but they’re not dating.They’re with their mates, so even though they worked together, it makes sense for them.”
Liam nodded.Orlando hoped he’d reassured him, but if he hadn’t, Liam would soon see that he had nothing to worry about.“Liam, you’re my mate.I’d rather cut off my arm or never shift again than hurt you.You don’t really think I might cheat on you, do you?”
Liam instantly shook his head.“Of course not.Just ignore me, okay?”
Orlando wouldn’t, but it was a conversation they could wait to have.Liam had briefly told him about the failed relationships in his past, so Orlando understood why he was a bit wary, even though they were mates.He wasn’t a shifter, and even though he knew what being mates meant, maybe he didn’t fully understand it.Orlando hadn’t been lying when he’d said he’d rather hurt himself than Liam.If there was anything he could do to make sure that his mate never felt pain again, he’d do it.
Orlando reached up to kiss Liam again.Liam gave in, and Orlando felt his smile against his lips.His mate knew he could trust him.
“Let’s go,” Orlando said, pulling Liam along.“You didn’t want to be late, so maybe we shouldn’t start kissing in the middle of the sidewalk.”
“I don’t know.I’m starting to regret not taking you up on your offer earlier.”
Orlando groaned.“Of course you tell me now that it’s too late to go back.”Orlando got more serious.“But you really don’t have anything to worry about.They’re going to love you almost as much as I do.”
Liam sucked in a breath.Orlando had known what he was doing when he’d said those three little words.They hadn’t told each other that they were in love yet, but it was what Orlando felt.He wanted Liam to know it, especially in a moment in which he felt insecure.He didn’t need his mate to say it back.He could feel the love coursing through their shared bond.
Liam got tenser when they reached Seymour’s house.There was nothing else Orlando could say to reassure him, so he just squeezed his hand and knocked.He didn’t wait for an answer.He opened the door, ignored Liam’s whisper to wait, and walked in.
Seymour was coming toward them from the kitchen.He was drying his hands on a towel, and he looked delighted.
“Liam!”he said.“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Seymour bypassed Orlando completely in his rush to shake Liam’s hand.Orlando could only step aside.“I’m here, too,” he complained.
Seymour narrowed his eyes at him.“I see you almost every day, but I’ve never met your mate.Let me enjoy his company.”
“You think you’d enjoy mine, too.”
“Considering you’re insufferable, sometimes, I wonder why I became your friend.”
Liam made a strangled sound, but when Orlando looked at him, he was smiling.He winked, enjoying the way Liam’s cheeks turned pink.“See?I told you there was no reason for you to worry about meeting Seymour and the others.”
