“How?”
“Quin has a knack of understanding what peoplereallymean when they say something; he can suss out the motives behind their words.”
“And you think I do that?” asked Fionn.
“In a way, yes. But getting back to my brother…Quin’s a special soul; kind, loving, always seeing the world through rose-colored glasses that can lead to trouble if he runs across someone who uses his trusting nature against him.”
“Has that happened to him?”
“Yes, several times.”
“Do you think he’ll like me?”
“I think he’ll love you, my pet.”
“What about your other brothers…will they like me?”
“Absolutely. However. they just better remember you belong to me,” Hunter growled.
Giggling at the possessiveness in his mate’s voice, Fionn felt cherished and loved. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Go ahead, pet. What do you want to know?”
“Well…do you work?”
“I do. My company does investment management, trust services, financial and estate planning.”
“A numbers man.”
“Yup,” Hunter replied, puzzled by his mate’s tone. “Is that a problem?”
Looking down at his mate’s chest, Fionn thought about Hunter’s question, wondering how he should answer it. Going with the truth, he said, “My father was always angry at me because I wasn’t interested in learning finance. He’d yell at me that he didn’t give a shit whether or not I liked it, I had to learn it since I needed it to manage my hoard.” Glancing up at his mate’s face and not seeing anything but love, he continued, “But I don’t. I have more money than I could spend in ten lifetimes so why the hell should I have to manage it?”
Hunter thought for a moment before saying, “Then why did your father push you to do something you obviously didn’t want to do?”
“Because he found out I wanted to be an…” Fionn stopped, not sure he was ready to tell his mate about his dream.
Seeing his mate’s hesitation, Hunter linked his fingers through Fionn’s, putting them against his heart. “Can you feel my heart beat?”
Fionn nodded.
“My heart beats for you…whatever you need, I will get you. Whatever you want to do…I will support you. Whatever I can do for you…I will do…because you are my everything and I want you to be happy…and only if you’re happy, can I be.”
Tears filled Fionn’s eyes. It had been a long time since someone loved him just as he was. The years of his father’s hatred fell away, pushed out by his mate’s love and, in that moment, Fionn’s heart finally opened wide, giving him back his ability to trust.
Chapter 27
Taking a deep breath, Fionn blurted out, “I want to be an artist!”
Moved by Fionn’s trust in him, Hunter kissed his mate’s forehead. “I think that’s great. The world needs more beauty in it.”
“You do?”
“I do, pet. Theo mentioned you draw and I’d love to see your work…when you want to show it to me.”
“Most of my drawings are with my hoard because I was afraid my father would destroy them, but I bought myself a sketchbook in Scotland and I can show you those,” Fionn said, excitedly climbing over Hunter to reach his backpack on the floor. “I began when I was very young…I was sick and had to stay in bed a lot. My mother gave me some paper and pencils to keep me busy. When she saw what I’d drawn, she hired a teacher who taught me how to use different mediums, but in the end, I loved using my drawing pencils best.” Yanking the bag off the floor, Fionn sat back on his heels, looking at his mate. “I haven’t shown these to anyone else.” Opening his backpack, pulling out his sketchpad, flipping through it until he found the first one he wanted to show his mate, he then handed it to Hunter. “When I was at my hoard, all my muse wanted me to do was to draw you.”
Hunter’s eyes looked at the drawing, astonished at a portrait of himself, so realistic he felt he was looking in a mirror. Fionn had captured him perfectly. “Oh my gods, pet, this is fantastic! You are so fucking talented…I’m impressed, really, really impressed. It would be a terrible shame to deprive the world of your talent.” Shaking his head, Hunter continued, “You did this after seeing me just once…from memory?”
