“Well, I think…” Leas leaned in till he rested his blond head onto her shoulder, the mere contact made her nearly choke on her sandwich mid-bite. His wavy locks tickled the side of her face and neck, he smelled just like a sunbath on the beach. The alluring sweetness comes from furthest beneath that layer of baking sand. Almost like the sweet smell of shaved ice, yet even then it wasn’t the right comparison. No shaved ice could ever make her feel so out of control. “That you know more about my songs than anyone else.”

His teasing didn’t sound like teasing, it was an endearing compliment with him getting closer by having their legs pressed against each other. This sent her mentally reeling, trying to fight down her temptations by eating the rest of her sandwich in a rush and swallowing in a dry, partly choking fashion.

“Mmhmm! Leas. I worked on a ship for half a year. Our past time is listening to the radio. You’re always on.” Idonea tries to hide more of her dirty little secret. It wasn’t working.

Leas had the knack of choosing to use his brain cell whenever it inconvenienced her. He laced his long-freckled fingers with her free one. The smile on his face grew, “You like my radio station enough to listen to it at work. And gave me a very accurate description of my unfinished song. I am flattered beyond belief.”

“Come on…I doubt I am the only one that told you so.” Idonea didn’t know how to handle this outright affection. This felt different than just lustful or even flirtatious displays he does on a regular. She caught the whiff of longing. Then something else crept up after she finished her sentence, the smell of loneliness.

What is that!?

“Not in person.” His voice forced that jolliness this time, and she sensed it had something to do with what she said.

Right. He keeps his identity a secret.

Idonea almost forgot about the one thing he mentioned on their first date. Leas doesn’t have a lot of faith in people, apparently enough to go on everyday as if he wasn’t someone extraordinary. Although he may drive a Toyota MR2, it is still an older model to play off this image that he is some rich adult visiting Kilkeel. Not someone who is highly popular and sought after by fans of his own radio station.

This man’s loneliness made more sense the more she got to know him. But he never gave her a solid enough reason why he keeps himself shut out from the public.

“Leas...do you have anyone that you can talk to like you do to me?” And why me? Idonea would really like to know the full truth about his decision to stay isolated. She didn’t expect he would be quick not to give her an answer.

“I am simply not ready to let the world know who I am.” This reason sounded as fake as her story of the ‘dog’. The sourness of deception made her twitch her nose again.

Leas was hiding something.

“Idonea~!” This man wasn’t going to let her ruminate in front of him, rubbing his freckled cheek against the slant of her shoulder. Her skin reddened when she could feel his nose poke at her shoulder, then his lone kiss on her shoulder. She was so glad there were clothes between the kiss and her skin, or she would have burst into a sexually frustrated smoke. “I don’t want this lunch outing to end~!”

“Leas…” She was tempted to pry him off. It's best to do so that way she can get her sandwich. But there was no more room in her stomach for food, all she was thinking about was that random kiss on her shoulder. “You said only three dates…”

“Oh, my sweet strong lady. This isn’t a date. We were just having lunch at the same place which would happen…more than once.” This adorable and devilish radio host moved his head from her shoulder and sloped in so close that way she could see the very dark purple speckles of his eyes. Even the way his smiling pink lips curved, showing the very whites of his teeth, his nose wrinkled with it. His eyelashes matched the blond of his hair, but this close she could tell they were thicker than her own. He is beautiful and radiant, bringing this vibrancy on this dreary day.

At this point she would usually look away in fear of the raptor of radiance that she faced, feeling unworthy under his light. Not this time, she was too obsessed by every little detail of him. She wanted that light so much it vibrated this warmth through her. The warmth of this lust birthed by the bewitchment of his radiant self and the sweetness of his musk caused achiness in her body. It frightened her. She couldn’t see the escape, reminding her of what happened on that first date.

And this time, she wasn’t the first to cave in. He got even closer, mere centimeters from claiming her mouth again. This time she braced for it, expecting to lose herself again to the strength of each other’s arousal, the oddest of places started to clench and ache too. Places she wanted more than anything for him to use that singing mouth of his to lick or suckle.

AAARGH!? You are better than that! These pragmatic senses were overridden by more lustful fantasies. This potential kiss could really…

Leas landed his puckered lips on her cheek; she inhaled her breath in shock. The kiss on the cheek felt nice, making her really clenched frame relax.

Yet it really disappointed her wild side. She WANTED more. Her wolf whimpered from the pain of the anticipation.

Rather than feel more joy out of the random affection, her brows furrowed out of pure annoyance and when he pulled away, he started to chuckle.

“My lovely, did you want a kiss on-” He tapped the bottom of his lips to indicate her first expectation with a sly wink.

Yes!? “Nope.” Her gaze forced away, with a dejected groan. How is she going to survive with all his antics?

“Ouch. I am sorry. You look so cute that I couldn’t resist myself.”

“Uh huh. Well… that was nice. We should go…” Idonea's defeated mumbles received her another kiss on the temple this time. “Hey!?”

“Really gotta stop being cute!” Leas tried to defend his actions but the way he was beaming proved that he wasn’t innocent.

You are no angel! She huffs at her own thoughts slipping out of their locked hands.

That was when he cupped her cheek, gently running his thumb over her lips. “These will be great to taste…perhaps on our next date.” He really wasn’t hiding the fact that he wanted to kiss her terribly, settling with multiple touches for now or an occasional kiss on the skin. By the way his smell changed into the sultriness of arousal promised her one thing, he really meant his attraction.

“Bah. You’re something else…” She couldn’t take it anymore, forcing his intruding hand to lace with her fingers. Holding hands is less heart pounding than him touching her lips sensually. This was her max capacity of Leas being a sensual romantic. After all, he took full advantage of her earlier folly.

“Haha! Okay, just eat first, then I’ll drop you off.“

Idonea nodded, agreeing to the terms, since they didn’t involve any more of his devastating teasing.

Each bite of the next sandwich followed a mental chant that she only had two more dates with him. Though, by the sound of things, he doesn't want to have a single meal alone.

Despite her earlier grievances, Leas was brave to ask what her schedule was like to accommodate more time to spend together. He's lonelier than she could ever have expected...making her concerned that his infatuation was only for the side of her that wasn't truly herself. They ended the hang out with not even a kiss goodbye. She almost expected it with the way he handled her in her apartment or on their lunch date.

No, he had a different approach now. More respectful, giving her the time for her to process whatever this relationship is. As if he understood that she was still having a hard time.

To her, he is still just some mortal with good looks and finances that make him above average from the rest. Her heart screamed at these pragmatic thoughts. Such a crazy ingrained notion that she must fight constantly even as she dresses down for the night to relax.

When the night came, she hung out in her wolf form on the unfolded futon. Her vacant eyes were watching a rerun of “Wheel of Fortune” until the phone on the wall started ringing. Her black lips curled into a snarl. No one had ever called her this late. Surely it was some random prank call from a teenager.

The ringing only continued, and she changed back into human form to answer the phone. Tired from the earlier activities, she forgot to change her tail and ears back to normal. Naked in front of the phone with her tail bristling behind her toned rear, just as the rage on her face contorted the muscles: displaying some very sharp teeth. This she-wolf answered the call with a growling voice, hoping to scare them away. "Who dares call me this late?!"

"Sorry Idonea... I couldn't help but call. I may be too excited to sleep right now and don't know how else to pass the time. You do sound…a little hoarse. Do you have a cold?"

It’s Leas...crap!? She gulped, her tail wagging behind her now, clearing away the snarling she was doing in a flash, even her sharp teeth retracted. "No cold...I thought you were just some kid trying to mess with me. So, I tried to sound terrifying. Is... there something I could maybe help you with?"

"Huh, interesting.” There was a short moment of silence, as if he was trying to mull over her excuse. He was good at bouncing back to normal. “Nothing at all. I kept thinking about your suggestion earlier and it sort of amped me up to work more. Jotted down a few notes for my next song. Nowhere near ready. I can’t help but be excited anyway. My avid listener seems to know more about music than my own self~!"

Idiot... She blushed at the compliment, anyway, pulling a chair over to sit next to the wall phone. Her tail wraps over her lap, wolf ears twitched down on her head. She must look grotesque with the added wolf features, but no one is in this room to remind her. A chuckle escaped her blackened lips, "You give me too much credit. I believe you would have figured it out on your own."

"Still. I needed someone like you to add innovative flairs to my melody. Making the suggestion of using my ancestral tongue in my verses might actually stand me out more than other artists." He mused; she could hear him fumbling with something at the other side. It sounded like he was placing aside paper, then moving to get comfortable. "I'll play for a couple of hours. My guitar can handle it, but no matter what, I'll make sure you'll be the first to hear it."

"No n-need, Leas. I always thought your talents should be shared with the masses. I am content just to be able to hear any of it." She nervously started trying to make sure that he didn't cut himself short with one audience member. She isn't special and he deserves his own large following, fame that keeps growing every day.

Silence between the corded lines and for a second, she thought she had lost the signal. Then his sweet voice emerged from the silence, promising to calm her nerves.

"Fame isn't everything...and I have grown attached to you now. I can’t see the time spent differently" He said this with what she thought was confidence, but there was something he was hiding in between those words. Leas isn't a loner in nature, not like her at least. His lifestyle seemed so odd to her.

Talking through the cellphone increased her confidence to ask, "Is there a reason why my company is better than others?"

"Hmm....I can tell you" He fell silent afterwards then continued right back with a sing-songy tone. "But~! I will save that on our next date. Or...maybe the date after or even the one after-"

"Okay. You could just say you will never tell me." For a very split second she thought about hanging up on him, even her weird wolf tail puffed up to show her agitation. All she heard after was laughter from the other side.

"Oh. Idonea! I don't mean to anger you; my actions are very desperate. I am afraid if I just lay out my feelings or thoughts right away, you may just find no reason to stay with me. So this is my way of keeping you close..."

She thought deeper at what he meant, confused as to why he was trying so hard to be elusive about it. The whole display earlier was enough to remind her of his attraction. It is too much effort just to sleep with her. On top of it all, Idonea still cannot explain why he smelled so good to her and why that affects her at a deeper level. 

He started talking again, waking her up from her stupor. "There's a concert at the Point that I would like to take you out to next week. It's Sting's first show here in a while."

Idonea knew the band and their high popularity in Ireland alone. Certainly, a man of beautiful voice and talent, she has caught herself singing along to a few of their songs. Nevertheless, her heart will always pine towards the radio host who likes to keep his talents local. Then she remembered...those tickets were sold out.

"How...?"

"I have my resources." The man on the corded line chuckled. "How about it? Next Sunday?"

"Hm. Okay, count it as the second date." She grinned, finding it fun to challenge him in trying to change her heart. It is hard to convince an old wolf out of something. And she is no different than her mother when it comes to stubbornness.

"Hah, of course. Just pack some clothes...we could see the sights in Dublin before we come back."

"Wait...how long are you going to keep me there?"

"Only one day. Dublin is a beautiful city if you've ever been."

She had been in Dublin once before and she carelessly blurted out the timeline, "Last I've been there was during the invasion caused by mercenaries..."

Silence fell between the two and through the panic she corrected her comment. "I was joking."

"Haha, your jokes are odd, Idonea. I will keep my schedule open. My listeners will understand if I am away for one day." He muttered the last bit, as a sign that he was just talking to himself. Then he exclaimed, "I can't wait for it. Now I'll be home most of the day tomorrow just to work on this. Feel free to call me anytime."

I can't promise anything. Yet she is still sitting there on the chair, hurting to keep their conversation going. She had already been at his house and the lonely lifestyle he kept. Such a lonely mortal, she couldn't deny him even the brief phone time he invited her to have. "Sure...Leas. Good night..."

"Great! Good night, my lovely warrior!"

He hung up the phone before she could comment on his choice of words. She sighed dreamily instead, looking down on her naked body with a shiver. "Gods...I am an idiot."

Her fingertips traced over the Norse tattoo just above her left breast. The rune of power and war. The rune that stamped her heart to be exactly that, a wolf warrior. It was cute that he stated something so true. Yet it doesn't make this interaction any easier.

A mortal with her is going to be an unhappy one for sure. Look at the last feller that got too close and he paid his life for his acts of betrayal.