“Uh-huh. There are others I did of you but this is my favorite.”
“May I see more?”
“Sure. I also sketched a bunch of my friends when we were in Scotland.”
Slowly flipping through the pages, Hunter studied each drawing, awed at the talent his mate possessed. Fionn’s ability to capture his subject’s moment in time was extraordinary. Pausing at one his mate had done of Kieran and Logan, he felt the love they had for each other radiating from the sketch. “What did your father think about your talent?”
“Until my mother died, he didn’t know I drew. He wasn’t around a lot; he was mostly at his chateau in France. When he was in Scotland, my mother made sure my teacher stayed away,” Fionn said, angrily. “One day he caught me sketching and he tore up the picture, saying I was wasting my time…that I had more important things to do, like learning about business.”
Reacting to his mate’s anger, Hunter looked up at him. “Jackson told me your father refused to help your mom when she was sick. He sounds like a real asshole for doing that. Couldn’t your mother access her hoard so she could get the medicine she needed?” Then Hunter quickly added, “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay too.”
“No, it’s all right. When my mother married my father, he took control of her hoard and put it in a trust that only he could access. I could never figure out why he did that, but I recently found out my mother’s family sold her to my father and I’m guessing that was part of the deal. And I couldn’t use my hoard because, until I was 16, it was under the control of our family’s attorney. So if I wantedanything from my hoard, I needed my father’s permission…which he never gave. After my mother died, I finally figured out why he refused all the requests I made when my mother was ill. The greedy bastard wanted it all for himself. He would have gotten it too, if Ki hadn’t rescued me.”
“I owe Kieran a lot for saving you, my pet.”
“Me, too,” Fionn chuckled. “He and Logan took me to Ian after he got me out of the cave. There wasn’t anything Ian could do because I just didn’t want to live anymore, at least not with my father. But Ki…he wouldn’t leave me alone. He got into my mind and just kept talking and talking and talking until I finally woke up just so I could tell him to shut up. I never met anyone who could talk as much as Ki does. My world changed that day…for the better.”
“So did my world when I found you,” Hunter smiled. “Luckiest day in my life.”
Gazing at his mate, Fionn lost himself in the love Hunter had for him. A love so wide and deep, he’d never find where it ended. Leaning forward, he softly kissed his mate’s lips, feeling the bond between them as Hunter responded.
Setting Fionn’s drawings aside, Hunter pulled his mate close to him, deepening the kiss. His body responded as Fionn’s heat ignited his need. Falling backward on the bed, Hunter took his mate with him, settling Fionn on top of him, his hands roaming down his mate’s back until they ended up on Fionn’s perfect bubble butt. Taking a globe in each hand, Hunter squeezed them, loving their firm resilience. Keeping his lips against Fionn’s, he murmured, “These are mine.”
Whimpering at Hunter’s declaration, Fionn felt his body respond to the mastery of his mate’s voice. Melting into Hunter, he relished the closeness, seeking to be one with his mate. Running the tip of his tongue along his mate’s lips, Fionn then pushed in, wanting to taste him again.
“Hunter, answer your damn phone!” Robin yelled, pounding on their bedroom door. “I’m not leaving until you do!”
The knocking echoed through Fionn’s head, interrupting his exploration of Hunter’s mouth. Finally, when he could no longer ignore it, he whispered against Hunter’s lips, “Mate, someone’s at the door.”
“Ignore it.”
“I think it’s your brother.”
“Fuck him.” Pushing his tongue into Fionn’s mouth, Hunter groaned as his mate’s tongue wrapped around his.
“If you don’t answer your phone, I’m kicking this fuckin’ door in,” Robin yelled, continuing his staccato pounding.
Approaching his brother in the hallway, Sawyer tried to make sense of the scene he’d stumbled onto. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Hunter won’t answer his phone, so I decided to get his attention this way.”
“Dude, you know he’s with his mate. You can’t fucking expect him to stop what he’s doing to take your call. If you need something, try Mase.”
“You don’t get it,” Robin said, by now pissed to the extreme. “I promised Quin I’d make sure Hunter and Fionn appeared at the dinner thing he’s doing for them. Look at the time, damn it! I’m pretty sure they’re not sittin’ around, showered and dressed, sippin’ a cup of tea,before they show up. And I’m sure as shit not gonna tell Quin the dinner is off.”
“Fuck. I see what you mean. C’mon.” Sawyer raised his fist, yelling and pounding on Hunter’s door along with Robin.
Pulling back, Fionn murmured, “Mate, now there are two of your brothers out there. Maybe something happened.”
Closing his eyes, Hunter muttered a stream of curses. “It better be an emergency or else there’ll be two less brothers for you to meet.”
Giggling, Fionn gave his mate’s nipple a quick pinch. “No way…I want as many brothers as possible.” Tilting his head, he listened, before saying, “They want you to answer your phone.”
Groaning, Hunter reached over to the nightstand. Grabbing his phone and putting it on speaker, he growled, “Robin, this better be good…or else.”
Grabbing Sawyer’s arm, Robin said, “Stop, he finally answered.”
“Robin, I’m hanging up in ten seconds,” Hunter barked.
