in his tussle with Eagle, he called Mrs. Hooper to see if she could help with the other plans he had.
The living room had been completely revamped; Dian had worked hard to create the right ambience he was looking for – romance and comfort. Cam had preferred functional furnishings with very little color. Dian wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling Kee was more colorful. He was totally relying on his gargoyle side for inspiration. The curtains were now a deep vibrant red, which lifted the room, matching a furry rug on the floor. In the middle of the rug, Dian had surrounded the new table with large plush cushions. Their meal, provided by the lovely lady Hazel in the diner, was sitting on hot plates on the table. Mentally checking off his list, Flowers in a crystal vase, cutlery shining, napkins and glasses, a dim lamp in the corner of the room, giving the room a romantic vibe… It was all done.
“You like it?” Dian was feeling a bit shy. This wasn’t something he did for partners as a rule. Taking time in the bedroom was one thing but setting up a romantic meal for his mate was a whole different level.
“No one has ever…” Kee turned, the tears in his eyes making them gleam like emeralds. “You’ve done so much.”
“You’ve been working hard all afternoon, my lovely mate – work you were only doing because I behaved so badly earlier. I felt you deserved a treat.” Resting his arm on Kee’s shoulder, he guided his mate towards the cushions, but Kee stopped him and turned so they were facing each other.
Reaching up, Kee’s hand was firm on Dian’s jaw. “I don’t know what to say,” he said, stepping into Dian’s personal space. “You thought about me, really thought about what I’d like and then you made it happen. In my life, that is so incredibly rare it’s precious. You are precious, my wonderfully sweet mate.”
Kee stood up on tip toes, his intent obvious. Dian bent his head down, and then, because he didn’t want a cramp in his neck, he picked his mate up, cupping his butt as their lips met. Worries - the worries Dian carried as a rite of passage - dropped away as Kee pressed softly against him. There would be passion later; Dian could feel Kee’s cock pushing against his stomach. But Kee’s kiss promised a lot more – a depth of feeling that had Dian’s gargoyle curling in on himself in pleasure.
“Come on,” he said softly when Kee pulled back slowly. “I’m sure you’re hungry. Your sandwiches were lovely, and I did put some aside for you at lunchtime, but now… shall we eat?”
/~/~/~/~/
This is how a mating should be. Kee snuggled into Dian’s side, the pair of them cuddled up on the cushions, Kee eating one handed so he could keep touching his mate. The afternoon had been shit – there was no other word for it. Tired, grumpy, feeling as though his heart was breaking and he’d burst into tears if someone even looked at him wrong… Definitely shit. Cuddling up to Dian was like plugging his soul into an electrical socket for a recharge.
“This is really good,” he said between mouthfuls. “I haven’t eaten at the diner yet, but after tasting this, I will.”
“We will.” Dian grinned down at him before shoving another forkful of roast beef in his mouth.
Gods, he’s sexy even when he’s chewing. Kee knew he had a serious case of the feels for Dian, and while it wasn’t easy to know if his mate felt the same, given they didn’t share a mind-link, the effort Dian put into the romantic dinner was a huge indicator. He didn’t want to bring the mood down, but he didn’t know his mate well enough to just accept the whole “I’m not going” part of Dian’s job. “So,” he said, drawing the little word out, “what did your boss say when you said you weren’t coming back after all?”
“He didn’t have a chance to say anything. I left him a voice message.” Dian winked as he filled his mouth again. Chewing solidly – I’ve really got it bad if all I want to do is watch – Dian swallowed and added. “I’ve worked with Burton, my immediate supervisor, long enough to know his office hours. I worked out the time zone differences and called ten minutes after I knew he’d have left his office. I simply told him, I was