Chapter Three

Ian's black panther purred at the sound of his mate's laughter. A liquid sunshine sound that brought to mind bursting rainbows and shimmering diamonds.

"So much for trying to impress you." Which Ian had been attempting to do since realizing the human was his mate. With one deep inhale, Ian had been transported back to the snowy slopes, crisp, clean air filling his lungs and waking his senses.

Ian was gut-punched in Jace's presence. Intoxicated off the fact that his mate was right in front of him. Jace's eyes had become guarded for a moment at the invitation for a walk. Ian had no clue what that had been about but was glad the wariness had slipped away.

"You d-don't need to impress me." Jace looked around the diner, his hands clasped in his lap. His body was slightly rigid as he chewed his plump bottom lip.

"I do if I want a second date with you." Ian tapped his foot against Jace's. It was the only contact he dared take liberty with. As skittish as his mate was, he might actually faint if Ian tried to kiss him.

Jace's eyes rounded slightly. "You want a second date with me?"

A pink dusting spread across his mate's cheeks, growing brighter as he maintained eye contact with Ian.

"And a third, fourth, fiftieth, millionth, and so on."

Julian brought their drinks to the table. "Sorry it took me so long. Things picked up quickly. I'll be right back with your food."

Ian hadn't noticed how packed the place had become. He'd been too busy focusing on Jace. In less than two minutes, their food arrived.

"You guys need anything else?"

Jace simply shook his head.

"Looks good. I'll flag you down if we need anything." Ian stole a fry off of Jace's plate, grinning when his mate scowled then snatched a broccoli floret off of his.

"Enjoy your food war." Julian was off to the races, bouncing between his tables.

"That's really good." Jace licked his fingers.

Ian's eyes devoured that pink little tongue darting out. His panther tried to purr. Ian forced it back, telling his cat to behave.

"Then we'll share." He scraped some of his broccoli onto Jace's plate and stole some fries in return.

"You have two potato choices now."

"Mashed and fried have totally different tastes." Ian ate another one, wishing he'd ordered them instead of the mashed potatoes. The French fries were somehow better since they were Jace's.

His mate kept glancing briefly at him before looking away.

"Something wrong?" Did large crowds bother him? If so, why had he chosen the diner over coffee?

"No. Nothing," Jace said quickly. He used Ian's steak knife to cut his burger into four even sizes. As if realizing what he'd done, he glanced up at Ian, slowly returning the knife. "It's, uh, too big to handle. The mushrooms would have spilled out."

"You don't have to explain anything to me." Ian cut a portion of his steak and set it on Jace's plate, stealing one of the mini burgers. "I like bite-sized things." Ian kept eye contact as he bit into the juicy burger. When he swallowed, he nodded at his mate's food. "Try the steak."

Jace's lips were slightly parted. His breath was coming out in small pants as he concentrated on Ian's mouth. It didn't take a genius to figure out his mate wanted to kiss him.

A dish somewhere in the diner shattered to the floor. Jace jumped and looked over his shoulder. He turned back around and transferred his focus to his food.

Ian had never met anyone so shy. His foot kept tapping his mate's in a slow tempo. The guy's shoulders visibly eased. It was good to know their connection wasn't lost on Jace, seeming to help him somewhat relax.

Ten minutes later, Jace groaned and sat back. "I'm stuffed. A burger, steak, broccoli, and fries just about took me out." His hazel eyes turned mischievous. "Now I want ice cream."

"Does that count as our walk?" Ian drained the last of his iced tea. What he really wanted was a run. That would have to wait. He could just imagine Jace's reaction at seeing him shift into a black panther.

Jace lowered his head and picked at his thumbnail, seeming deep in thought. The question, when asked, was spoken softly, timidly. "Will you make me be sociable?" His head rose. He made eye contact with Ian. "If you haven't noticed, I'm really not a people person. I'm stunned I'm talking to you so easily when we just met this morning. That's totally out of character for me."

It was the pull. Their deep connection as mates. A force that drew them together. Ian felt it, too. The need to be near Jace. To talk to him. The feeling of safety that flourished inside, along with Ian's overpowering need to protect him.

Owen needed to consider himself lucky his throat was still intact after the way he'd spoken to Jace.

"As long as you don't clam up around me, you don't have to talk to a single person." Ian waved a hand to gain Julian's attention. "I told you, Jace. I'll never force you to do anything you don't want to, and I mean it."

"Getting ice cream counts as our walk." Jace seemed to have banished whatever plagued his mind moments ago.

Ian wanted to know what those thoughts were. It would help him better understand his mate. Had someone tried to force Jace into something?

After paying the check, Ian left a sizable tip for Julian's blatant flattery and good-spirited service through the frazzling dinner rush. No sooner were they out of the booth than the table was cleared, wiped down, and re-occupied.

Ian walked ahead of Jace, making a path through the people waiting to be seated. His mate stuck close behind him, using Ian as a shield until they stepped outside.

"I think next time we have dinner an hour earlier or two hours later to avoid the mob."

Jace shoved his hands into his front pockets, lowered his head, and appeared determined to make it to the ice cream hut unseen.

"My eyes are up here."

"Huh?" Jace blinked himself out his thoughts and stared up at Ian. His brows were wrinkled in the cutest way. "What was that?"

Ian stopped. "We're taking a leisurely stroll. Enjoying the evening, right?"

"Am I missing something?" Jace asked. "We were walking. I was putting one foot in front of the other."

"While concentrating heavily on the crack in the sidewalks."

"I…" Jace pulled his hands from his front pockets. That pretty pink blush that Ian liked made an appearance. "I'm not used to walking with other people." He looked around as if some overzealous chatterbox would jump out and attack him with pleasantries.

Ian took Jace's hand. "Is this okay?"

"Yes."

"Walk at my pace, hon. Look straight ahead so you don't run into any utility poles or cane-wielding grannies. Pretend you're enjoying my company as we stroll slowly toward some delicious ice cream. The sun is dipping behind the mountains. The crickets are out." Ian drew in a breath. "Someone's barbequing, and now my mouth is watering."

"You just ate," Jace pointed out.

"I'm trying to paint a pleasant picture for you so you'll derive some pleasure in the moment." He squeezed Jace's hand.

"I am enjoying your company." Jace returned the squeeze. A small victory. His mate cleared his throat. "I hear the birds, though I don't smell any barbeque."

Ian's heightened senses had detected the aroma.

"I smell freshly cut grass. I like it." Jace squinted at the sunlight piercing directly into his eyes. "I hear kids playing somewhere nearby. It's warm out instead of scorching."

"Your shoulders are relaxed, Jace." Ian smiled at how calm his mate's features were. The strain totally gone. "Now you're walking like you're experiencing the moment instead of plowing through it."

"I get anxious when I'm in public." Jace peered skyward at the overhead trees. "I'm no good with small talk. I end up standing there, feeling both panicked and brainless. I wouldn't blame you if you thought I was a flake."

"Everyone lacks confidence in one area of their life or another." Ian spotted an empty park bench across the street from the ice cream hut and guided Jace to it. He stretched out his legs in front of him. Then he rested his arm on the back of their seat. Jace sat back, his left shoulder blade touching Ian's hand. "Talking to people isn't your strong suit. Not a big deal."

Jace eyed him. "You don't seem to lack confidence."

"Not in that area of my life." Ian watched a small dog chase a Frisbee. "Families make me anxious."

"Do you mind me asking why?"

"Never knew my parents. Family structure is foreign to me," Ian admitted. "Holidays are something other people celebrate. They hold no meaning to me."

He'd never known a mother's hug. A father's pride. Sibling rivalry. What family gatherings felt like. Ian had been abandoned as a kitten, raised by the streets, and he was jaded in so many ways. He was self-taught in every aspect of his life.

"But if you never knew it, you don't miss it, right?" As Ian played with the ends of Jace's black hair, he wondered what the holidays would mean now that he'd found his mate. Would Jace choose to spend them with his family, leaving Ian home alone? It might seem like a ridiculous worry to most. It wouldn't if anyone had spent the last 243 years never experiencing the warmth and laughter around the table at Thanksgiving or Christmas. His birthday had been just another day of the week. The Fourth of July was nothing more than a dazzling display in the night sky as he tossed and turned in bed.

"I'm at a loss for words, as usual." Jace plucked at the material on Ian's left knee. "My family is small. It's just me, my mom, and my paternal grandma. Holidays aren't a massive gathering in my house, but…" Jace focused on Ian's knee as the skin puckered between his eyes. "I mean, if you want, you're more than welcome at my house to celebrate with us."

Ian tilted his head back and cleared his throat. He blinked several times to clear away the tears from his eyes, concentrating on the shape of the clouds lazily drifting by.

Celebrate a holiday with his mate's family. Why did that scare him so much?

"Ice cream." Jace patted his knee. "It's calling to me from across the street. I can already taste the swirls of strawberry melting all over my hand and sticking to my chin." He stood. "Be prepared for my embarrassing way of wearing more of it on my shirt than getting it into my mouth."

"We'll make you a bib out of napkins." Ian took Jace's hand and crossed the street once a few cars passed by. "If anyone snickers, I'll accidently drop some on their shirts."

Jace gasped. "Would you really do that?"

"In a heartbeat, kitten." He stood behind Jace at the order window, his arms around his mate. Jace was slowly becoming comfortable with Ian touching him. His mate was also talking more around Ian.

"What can I get for the two of you?" the teenage girl behind the window asked.

"Strawberry cone," Jace said.

The girl looked at Ian with a spark of interest in her eyes. "How about you, honey?"

Jace stiffened. Ian wanted to snarl.

"The same as my husband." He ran his hand down his mate's arm.

If anything, Jace became even more rigid. Ian paid, wondering if he'd just screwed up. When they stepped aside to wait for their order, he bent to whisper in Jace's ear.

"How mad are you at me?"

"I'm not." Jace shoved his hands into his front pockets. Ian pulled them out.

"Be honest with me." He held his mate's hands so he wouldn't try to hide them again.

Ian didn't mind Jace's shyness or the way he needed a moment to form his thoughts. He always wanted to know what his mate was thinking, even if it took him a while to answer.

"You're just…" Jade waved a hand to encompass Ian's body. "And people like her…" He tossed his hand behind him at the order window.

"Look at me, kitten." Ian cupped his face. "You're my date." My mate. "I have eyes only for you. Also, I'm sorry if I shocked you about the husband thing. I forgot to tell you we eloped while I stole your French fries."

Jace chuckled. The humor didn't reach his hazel eyes. "Our cones are ready."

"I'm going to get our cones. Then we can reclaim our seat on the bench and see who's the messiest eater."

Ian walked over to the window and accepted the cones. The same female gave him her most dazzling smile.

"Young lady, if you disrespect my husband one more time, I'll have a talk with your father. Bryce Cyril, correct? He works at the bank."

Her eyes widened. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again, Ian."

"Mr. Grant," he corrected. "See that it doesn't." He grabbed a handful of napkins off the stack inside the window. Then gave her a polite smile because he wasn't a total jackass. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Miss Cyril."

Ian turned and saw that Jace was already seated on the bench. He crossed the street and handed his mate his cone. "Since we eloped, that strawberry ice cream is your wedding band. Don't eat it too fast, or I might think that you believe the whole eloping thing was a sham."

Jace licked up the side of the piled-high ice cream, his eyelids fluttering before he licked down the other side.

Ian nearly lost his mind.

His panther purred.

His dick whimpered.

"The flawless dessert." Jace chased the ice cream off his lips and below his mouth with that wicked tongue. For sanity's sake, Ian handed him a bunch of napkins. "Strawberry is the best flavor."

His mate was clueless how sensual he looked eating ice cream. He was simply enjoying it. Ian was simply hard as fuck.

Then Jace mouthed the top of the ice cream. Ian's cone cracked in his hand. Tiny rivulets of pink seeped down his fingers like little fuchsia streams.

"Your ice cream!" Jace used his napkins to wipe at the mess. "They gave you a busted cone. Your hand is going to be sticky now. Hurry up and lick it before it trickles onto your crotch."

Sticky. Lick. Trickle. Crotch. Ian's mind was living rent-free in the gutter. He imagined Jace doing all those things to his crotch . If he didn't stop that train of thought, it wouldn't be the ice cream making the front of his jeans sticky.

His mate plucked the cone from Ian's hand. He gave Ian his to hold then wrapped napkins around the cracked one. "This isn't a great fix, but if you eat yours fast enough, you can avoid making things stickier."

Ian groaned. Stickier. Fuck.

Jace took his cone back and handed Ian his. "We can find some water to wash your hands after we devour these."

Nope. Devour wasn't going to be added to the list of erotic ice cream words. Ian concentrated on the dog with the Frisbee. The smell of exhaust fumes. Solomon Turne.

The cone crushed in his hand.

Ian shouldn't have thought of that vile piece of shit.

"Crap!" Jace tossed his cone into a nearby trash can then covered Ian in white paper napkins, turning his lower arm and lap into parts of a mummy. "You don't know your own strength. The cone was already broken. Too much pressure and it didn't stand a chance."

Ian's brow rose as Jace used the napkins to wipe the ice cream frantically from the front of his jeans, inadvertently rubbing his cock. With a soft grip, Ian circled his fingers around Jace's wrists and lifted his mate's hands away.

A frown pulled his mate's eyebrows together.

"You're creating another issue, kitten." Ian glanced at his growing problem then back at Jace.

"Oh!" Jace's eyes widened to the point they should have fallen out of his head. "I, uh, see. Maybe you should…" He cleared his throat as his gaze darted around. They continually landed on Ian's flourishing situation before bouncing away. "I think…" He twisted his lips to the side. "Err, uh…" The pink blush turned red. "We need cock." He squeaked. "Water! I mean water! We need water."

Ian smirked as he just sat there watching Jace's mind ping-pong around. His fingers tightened slightly over his mate's wrists. "Take a deep breath. Gather your thoughts." He used Jace's wrists to guide his mate to sit back down on the bench.

"That was… I didn't mean…" Jace stared straight ahead. "I can't believe I rubbed your cock on our first date. My grandma is going to kill me."

A bubble of laughter stuck in his mate's throat.

Ian laughed.

Jace laughed harder.