Arrow Inferno
Chapter 14: Stanley ‘STAN’ Norris vs. Ian ‘WILL’ Williams ~ Danger and charm… Background!

***

Stan stood and left the dining room without a word. He returned with a fork and took the seat closest to Will. He noticed the soldier had still not started eating. Stan cut into a soft buttery ball and put it into his mouth, his eyes on Will. "Want me to feed you?" He asked, his gaze lightly teasing. "It's really good."

Will raised his eyes to look at Stan then. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" Stan continued to eat.

"You know."

"Not until you tell me. Eat."

Will took his first bite. "All the attention. Even what you're doing now."

"You had an encounter you were not ready for. I'm only helping." Stan shrugged.

"Not ready for?" Will scoffed. "I wasn't expecting that shit. Tell me about yourself."

"There's a lot to tell." Stan chuckled. "What exactly do you want to know?" He gestured at the food, prompting Will to eat.

"I know you own some security companies and some clubs, right?"

"And a couple of hotels, yes." Stan nodded.

"You must really love to have fun if you own that many clubs. Or that's just business."

"I love to have fun." Stan grinned. "My clubs are the place to be if you want to have fun. You should check 'em out when you get the chance. In fact, I insist."

"I'll do that. So tell me about your childhood. How was it like growing up? Did you have a large family? Brothers? Sisters?"

"My parents died when I was just a boy."

"Sorry."

Stan shrugged. "I was okay because we believe in the extended family system."

"Like Ghanaians." Will took a sip of water. "They are of the view that kids are the responsibility of the entire family or clan and not just the parents."

"I'm told that's how Africans in general operate. It's a good thing. In my situation, I was never alone although I was an only child. To be honest, I had a lot of fun as a child. Played a lot of silly pranks just like you did with your sister." Stan grinned. A grin which faltered when he saw the surprise on Will's face. "Rosanne told me about how close you are with your sister." He added quickly before Will could ask anything.

Will still looked surprised. But he nodded when he remembered his conversation with Rosanne earlier that day. He still found it strange though because he didn't expect Rosanne to talk about his personal life with Stan. When she said they talked more about him, he'd assumed she was referring to stuff that had to do with work. And pranks? He didn't remember ever telling Rosanne that. Maybe she'd assumed because of all the pranks he played on the squad. Stan noticed the moment Will shrugged it off and heaved a sigh of relief. He heard his wolf calling him stupid and wished he could flip the mutt off.

"Have a lot of friends?" Will asked.

"A lot. But three are more than friends. I see them as my siblings." Stan chuckled.

"Guys?"

"Two guys and a crazy lady. You'll like them." He saw the weird look Will gave him and added, "They are regulars in my clubs so there's a high probability that you'll meet them when you come." "Right. I hope they'll like me too."

"They'll love you." Stan relaxed into his seat and watched Will. "In fact, I'm sure Paige will give you a kiss the first time she meets you. Did I mention she's crazy?"

Will laughed. "And why would she want to kiss a total stranger?"

Stan stared for a moment, his lower lip caught sexily between his teeth. He heard the betraying increase in heartbeat and decided to put his mate out of his misery. "She's also a sucker for dimples." Will swallowed audibly. "I'll remember not to smile or laugh if I ever see her then."

"When."

"Huh?"

"When you see her," Stan said. "I did invite you to my club, remember? You will meet her."

"I hope she doesn't have a jealous husband or anything though 'cause I'll kiss the shit out of her if she attempts to kiss me." He managed to flash a naughty smile.

It was meant to be pure banter but Stan's expression instantly turned cold. Will frowned when those eyes met his without their usual humour.

"Did I say something wrong?" His eyes were wide with confusion. Then it hit him suddenly. "Wait, is this Paige the one you have your eye on?"

"What? No." Stan rasped, getting to his feet. The intensity of the sickening feeling of jealousy that Will's words had roused in him was scary. He was shaken by his reaction. He grabbed their plate but his grip was too strong the plate cracked in his hand.

"Jesus, let me..." Will gasped as he shot to his feet.

"I've got it," Stan said tensely as he turned to leave. "Go to bed. Or go and fuck your woman. Whichever floats your boat."

"Stan!" Will's bellow stopped Stan in his tracks. "Look at me." He watched as Stan slowly turned around to face him. "What was that?" He breathed.

"Nothing. I'm sorry." Blue eyes flashed with regret.

"That wasn't nothing."

"Drop it, Will." With that, Stan turned around and left the dining room.

With a shake of his head, Will went to his room.

And in the kitchen, Stan kicked himself mentally. Why the fuck had he lost his cool? Will talking about kissing the shit out of Paige had been mere banter. And in as much as he hated the idea of Will fucking some woman, he had no right to call him out like that. That wasn't how he wanted to handle issues with his mate. Showing jealousy and anger wasn't his best bet. Apart from the fact that it would only leave Will confused, if he was unable to control those emotions, there was a high probability that he would shift and turn Will. He was thankful the plate hadn't cut him because he wouldn't have been able to explain how his wound could heal so quickly. He had to watch it if he was aiming at keeping it natural. Neither man got enough sleep that night. Each tossed and turned, thinking about all that had happened that evening. Both agreed on one thing, albeit for different reasons: that had been a close call!