"I got caught in traffic," he mumbled.
"Or did you get caught up changing your outfit a few times to make sure you looked your best?"
Wes glared over the top of the menu, but he paused for a long time. "No."
"Mmm hmm, I'm sure."
Marcellus chuckled under his breath and let Wes tell himself whatever he wanted. He knew eventually the omega wouldn't be able to hide how he really felt. No matter how hard he might try.
Wes glared at him, but it only pulled another chuckle from the alpha's lips. He could see right through Wes, and it showed. The omega cleared his throat and mumbled to himself as he looked over the food.
Marcellus couldn't care less about eating, though. He couldn't take his eyes off of Wes. He told himself to focus on dinner first, or he was going to be sorely tempted to climb over the table and devour the sexy little omega that couldn't stop taking peeks at him when he thought Marcellus wasn't looking.
The waiter popped over, and they ordered their dinner, both deciding on coq au vin and red wine. The waiter whisked the menus away, and the two of them were left alone again. Wes toyed with his napkin quietly and refused to look up.
"So, you came all the way here to meet me?" Wes' eyes flicked up to Marcellus.
"Yeah, is that so weird?" He raised a brow. "I wanted to see your art, and then I heard so much about you..."
"You just had to meet me?" His face was sceptical as he said this.
"Exactly." Marcellus smiled at him. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"I guess it's not horrible..." Wes smiled softly. "I still think you're a stalker, though."
"At least I'm a hot stalker." Marcellus winked, and Wes snorted, shaking his head.
Marcellus smiled at him. "I'm glad you decided to give me a date at least. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to get to know you better." He sipped at his wine and tilted his head. "You've been here on your own for so long. Do you miss your family?"
Wes glanced away but nodded slowly. "I do. I haven't seen them in a while. Usually, I'm travelling all over, so I only get to chat with them online or get the occasional call if I have mobile reception." He shrugged. "They're great brothers, don't get me wrong. I just haven't told them everything."
"Like the fact that you're a shifter?" Marcellus gave a pointed look.
Wes bristled. "You don't know that."
Marcellus shrugged. "I think I do. I can feel it. Feel him." He tapped the table. "It's like my wolf. I can feel it when he's moving around, and he's always aware of everything. What about yours?"
"My wolf?"
Marcellus nodded. "Of course."
"It's not a wolf," Wes mumbled. "It's something different."
That piqued Marcellus' curiosity. He leaned forward more. "What is it then?"
"It's a cat," he spat out. "A white tiger." He toyed with his wine glass. "I don't want to talk about that."
Marcellus tilted his head. He didn't want to talk about it? Why was he so ashamed of the shifter side of himself? It wasn't as if there was anything to be embarrassed about. Marcellus loved the fact that he was a shifter himself, and so did the rest of his family. He didn't fully know how to handle a shifter who avoided what he really was.
"Sure," he said quietly. "We can leave it alone."For now.It was the last thing that he wanted to do. There were so many questions just hanging in the air waiting to be answered, but he didn't want to scare the omega away. Wes sighed deeply, clearly relieved, and Marcellus was glad that he had made the right choice in letting it go.
"Thank you." Wes nearly whispered the words. His eyes lifted, and he smiled softly at Marcellus. "Thanks for understanding and not pushing."
The alpha smiled. "I would never make you talk about anything that you were uncomfortable with. That's just who I am."
Wes' face relaxed a little. "I appreciate that." He picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. "Can I ask how you know so much about art? Every time we talk, you seem to know about all of it."
Marcellus wondered what to tell him. He could explain that because their family spanned back centuries, he had originals of some of Wes' favourites, but he didn't want to freak him out. Instead, he simply smiled.
