"You want to know how to get rid of me?" Marcellus quirked a brow at him.
"Please," Wes mumbled under his breath.
Marcellus closed the space between them in a few short strides. "Then go on a date with me." He smiled. "Just one date. If you don't want to see me after that, then I'll leave, and I’ll never bother you again."
Wes snorted. "That's all you want? You're going to be in for a big disappointment if you think it's going to go anything other than bad."
Cellus stepped nearer until their bodies were so close, Wes could feel the heat pooling between them. His teeth worried his bottom lip. Everything in him screamed for him to step back and walk away, but instead, he was rooted to the spot. Wes rubbed a hand up and down his arm.
"Okay." He blurted out the word without even meaning to do it. "One date, and that's it. If it's sucky and I don't enjoy it, then you have to leave."
"And what if you have a good time?" Marcellus' voice was deep and shot straight through Wes' body. "What do I get then?"
Wes' tiger growled low in his throat. He wanted to break free and lunge after Marcellus until he was curled in his lap and the other man was all over him. He could smell Marcellus’ amazing scent, and he wanted to bury his nose into his chest and just take in his aroma until his head spun.
"W-what do you want?" Wes managed to choke out.
Marcellus smiled. "I'll tell you after our date. You just have to promise to be honest." He reached out and caressed Wes' cheek. "No lying about whether or not you had a good time. You seem like the stubborn type, but I know when people are lying."
The words were stuck in Wes' throat. He couldn't say anything when Marcellus touched him that way and looked at him so intently. Marcellus smiled, pulled away, and glanced up at the art on the walls.
"Here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a napkin. When Wes took it, he saw a phone number scrawled across it. "Call me tomorrow, and I'll let you know when and where our date will be. Don't be late." His eyes lingered on Wes before he smiled up at the wall again. "You really are an amazing artist."
Wes was still too stunned for words. Marcellus pushed a hand into his pocket and strolled into the main part of the gallery where the crowd swallowed him back up. He wondered for a while if Marcellus had left, but when he walked around, he caught glimpses of him here and there, looking at the art and speaking to other people.
Every nerve in Wes' body was on fire. He wanted to dunk his entire body into an ice-cold bath. The white tiger that he'd suppressed for so long was on the warpath. He wanted out, and he wanted out now.
"Stop it," Wes whispered to himself as he picked up a drink from a waiter and pressed it to his lips. "Stop itright now."
The last time Wes had seen his tiger, he had only been a teenager. It felt like ages ago, and in all honesty, it really had been a long time. That was because Wes kept it that way. Every day he worked to keep the animal side of him at bay and far from the surface. It was never easy, but he had learned to calm both himself and the animal with ease.
Now Marcellus had agitated something in him, and he was back on edge. That was disconcerting. Thankfully, the door opened and Carla breezed in, Sandra following close behind her. Both of them smiled and waved when they saw him.
That was right. He'd pushed all that shifter nonsense aside so that he could have a normal life. So that he could live and just be human the way that he wanted to be. Marcellus wasn't about to change that. No one was. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
When Wes opened his eyes again, he smiled and waved at his friends. He wasn't going to let Marcellus drive him crazy, not tonight. It was his time to enjoy all of his hard work and show the entire world just what he had in store for them.
His eyes cut to the side. Marcellus glanced at him, those bright eyes drilling into his core. Wes shivered. Nope, he just had to concentrate even harder. That was all it was. He could ignore it. Whatever was going on with him and his overheating body.
Five
Marcellus
Were those... butterflies? Marcellus swallowed thickly as he waited at the restaurant for Wes to show up. He couldn't believe he was going on a date with the stubborn little omega. He knew that Wes was fighting the link he felt between them, but he didn't totally understand why. Didn't he want to give in to that urge, that overwhelming desire that drew them together? Marcellus did.
He pulled out his phone and checked it. Wes was supposed to have met him ten minutes ago, but he still hadn't shown up. He wondered if the omega was just going to skip it. The thought of that happening brought a frown to his face, and he sighed. That wasn't the way he wanted his night to end.
"Hey."
Marcellus glanced up. Wes stood beside his table wearing a button-down black shirt and dark jeans. His dark green eyes roamed over Marcellus as if he was taking him in. Marcellus hopped to his feet.
"Hey," he smiled. "I thought I was going to have to track you down."
Wes cracked a small smile. "You're a stalker, you know that, right?" He settled into the chair that Marcellus pulled out.
"You say that like I'm going to feel bad about it, but…" Marcellus shrugged. "I don't."
When he was seated once more, Wes smiled softly but tried to hide it as he quickly snatched up his menu. Marcellus bit his lip. His omega was fucking adorable. Even though he tried to hide his attraction, it was impossible not to see it from the look on his face.
