Page 12 of Fated Mates and How to Seduce Them (Fated Mates #4)

Watching André this past weekend at the group home had been…

enlightening. Ian couldn’t think of it in any other way.

He watched the man hand out toys and clothes like Father Christmas, delighting as much as the kids in what they received.

Then, in almost the same breath, he turned around and had a serious discussion with Mary, Emma, and the contractor about what repairs needed to happen.

Which was the real André? The easy playboy or the responsible man who talked business for orphaned children?

Ian gave himself a headache trying to figure it out.

When he left the group home late Sunday afternoon, only one full day after Hurricane André blew through, they were in much better shape than…

ever. The kitchen appliances had all been replaced, the plumbing issue was fixed, and there was a schedule in place to have the damaged bathroom, roof, and windows all replaced.

Getting all of the outside work done before winter hit was the number one priority.

Ian could literally see the stress leave Mary’s and Emma’s shoulders as André came in and waved his wand.

The man spent money like water, but at least here, it was money well spent.

Monday morning was pretty, the leaves turning golden yellows and striking reds for fall, the weather not truly cold yet, so he walked across campus, trying to not think of André and pretty much failing.

The most famous playboy on campus had told him forthrightly that if Ian were the type to be easily bought, he wouldn’t be pursuing him in the first place.

Ian wasn’t sure if he believed André, but then, he couldn’t wrap his head around why André was interested in him at all.

Yes, he said it was rare for him to meet someone he could trust—Ian could understand that—but wouldn’t it make more sense to be friends with Ian?

For heaven’s sake, André was surrounded by drop-dead gorgeous peers on a regular basis. Something Ian was not.

Ian was a 5’8” somewhat chubby nerd who liked reading books over being around people.

He wore his dark hair in a buzz cut because he had no patience to style it, wore clothes he’d bought off a sale rack, and his only forms of exercise were herding kids and moving kegs. He was not model quality like André.

And yes, apparently he was attracted to André, but even he wasn’t sure why.

Normally the rare guys who caught his eye were kind of like him, nerds with cute quirks to them, not some drop-dead gorgeous vampire.

But he couldn’t ignore how he reacted to the man every time André even casually brushed up against his shoulder.

Like his entire body was a live wire coming to life with that simple touch.

The attraction was too strong to be mistaken or passed off as something else.

All right, so, he might be bisexual? Ian still felt ambivalent about the label, but he was clearly into men, whatever he identified as.

He needed to give his libido a stern talking to though.

André? Off-limits. He was so off-limits.

For one thing, Ian didn’t have time for distractions.

He worked full time at the bar, went to school full time, was now raising a cat, and still went to Second Sun as much as he could to help out there.

A boyfriend who would likely break his heart was the absolute last thing he needed.

Dating could wait until after he’d graduated in the spring.

André was drama waiting for a stage call. Just, no.

Ian gave himself a light slap against the cheek. Stop. Stop thinking of André. He had a project to turn in this morning, a meeting with a professor, and then research to do in the library. He had no time to think of the man.

The universe chose to throw a monkey wrench into this plan immediately.

Ian turned a corner of the building and walked into the courtyard and spied André almost dead ahead of him, standing at the top of the stairs leading to the pre-law building surrounded by four female students.

They stood with their side profiles facing Ian, so he could see them all perfectly.

The newcomers were pretty, of course, all vying for André’s attention.

Ian’s heart clenched at the scene. See? André had plenty of people more suited to him right at hand.

His interest in Ian came from the challenge he presented as probably the first person ever to say no to André.

That’s all. Any second, André would lose interest. The girl right in front of him was a model; Ian had seen her face in advertisements plastered on buildings and at bus stops.

She was sure to catch André’s eye. Look at how gorgeous she was—thick auburn hair in a light wave down her back, the pert nose, flawless skin, perfect figure.

Her girlfriends were of similar types, with the same skinny builds, perfect makeup, hair done just so.

Then André lifted both hands in the air, backing up, almost like he was trying to escape. Surely not?

“—I hate to turn you down,” André said while sounding quite insincere, “but I really can’t, ladies.”

“Why ever not?” the model demanded. She didn’t sound pleased, her tone growing hard and impatient.

“Because I have a date tonight.”

“Well, that’s only going to last until the condom hits the trashcan. We know you, André.”

Ouch. Brutal. Likely true, but still brutal. On the other hand, Ian didn’t like André’s answer, either, which was ridiculous. What did it matter to him if André had a date or not?

André used his vampire speed and twisted slightly away from her to keep out of her grasp, and as he turned, he spied Ian.

The change was instantaneous. He went from an irritated scowl to delighted, his smile bright enough to put the sun to shame.

Seeing his smile aimed at Ian made his heart skip a beat.

Damn, André was blindingly gorgeous when he smiled like that, joy personified.

“Ian!”

Look at him, bouncing down the few steps to Ian like an overeager puppy, which made no fucking sense , by the way. Why the hell would he escape four beautiful women to come to Ian? He did, though, his delight in seeing Ian blatant.

“André!” Model snapped after him, and she looked mad enough to start throwing things. She had her hand still outstretched as if to snatch him back, only she grasped air instead of arm.

André ducked against Ian’s side like Casper did when seeking shelter. He leaned in, hand on Ian’s arm as he whispered, “Help! They won’t take no for an answer, but I’m not comfortable going to a party with alcohol after what happened.”

Oh . All right, Ian couldn’t blame him there. If André needed him to be the excuse, he could do that. After everything the man had done this weekend, he owed him, at the very least. Although watching the tough vampire run to the human for protection tickled Ian’s funny bone.

The girls fumed, but Ian bore their glares stoically. “I’m sorry, he’s not available.”

“Why?” Model demanded.

“Because my date is with Ian,” André retaliated immediately. “So sorry, do play again. Come on, Ian.”

Ian, still reeling from André’s announcement had no choice but to follow as André snagged his hand and towed him away down the rest of the stairs.

It was the first time a man had ever held hands with him, much longer than André previous playful grabs, and it felt strangely nice.

He hadn’t noticed last time, but André’s fingers had more calluses than he expected.

Larger than a woman’s hand, so it should have felt oddly different, but it somehow didn’t?

Like it was natural for those fingers to be twined with his.

André’s fingers felt cool, though. Not cold, but not quite the natural warmth of a human’s fingers.

Why the hell was Ian thinking about this?

André existed to confuse him. Ian would swear to this.

Ian waited until they were far away from the girls, rounding the corner of the building, before speaking.

He pulled André to a stop, using the secluded area to speak candidly.

“You know, you don’t have to use me as an excuse.

No is no.” Ian tactfully decided not to ask whom he actually had a date with, or if that had just been an bald-faced lie.

His tangled feelings preferred ignorance.

“Yeah, but they weren’t taking a no.” André shrugged, manner defeated. “I tried that first. Besides, it’s not an excuse. Can I come over tonight? Are you busy?”

Unable to hold the question back he blurted out, “I, uh, thought you had a date.”

André’s expression morphed into confusion, then a smirk played across his lips. “I do—”

Ian locked down the sharp sting of disappointment. See? He knew it was only a matter of time before André moved on.

“—if you agree to one. I said that earlier as wishful thinking you’d say yes.”

Oh.

Ian nearly face-palmed due to his own stupidity. He needed to get away from this confusing man. “Sorry, I work tonight.”

André’s face immediately fell. “Oh, I see.” He pouted a bit before adding, “I bought Casper a collar. I’d hoped to give it to her soon.”

He’d…what? Ian cocked his head and studied him. “Wait. You bought her a collar?”

André perked back up. “Yeah. It’s red with white cherry blossoms on it. Really cute. I think it’ll complement her coloring perfectly.”

“Why would you buy her a collar?”

André rolled his eyes. “Because I want to be her friend. Easiest way to make friends with girls is to give them something pretty.”

This damn playboy. What was Ian supposed to do with him? “Well, you’ll have to wait.”

“Sounds like it. It’s okay. I can be patient.” André suddenly snapped his fingers. “Hey, give me your number.”

Ian did not immediately reach for his phone. “Why?”

“Well, how else am I supposed to coordinate with you on when I can come over?” André had the perfect “duh” look on his handsome face, as if him coming over was a done deal.