“Actually, we’re dating.”
I was kind of surprised and flattered that he would say that outright to someone who was clearly an important social figure in the area.
“What was that, son?”
“Giselle is my girlfriend.”
Wait,what?Did he just say girlfriend? As in official partner? As innotsomeone he was casually dating? Had my whole inner turmoil about not calling him my boyfriend been me overthinking things?
“Pardon? You need to speak up, remember?”
“This is mymate!”
“Mate? Well congratulations, son, why didn’t you say so?”
“My apologies. It’s new!”
Mate.
Mate, mate, mate!
Although I wasn’t the most familiar with the shifter world, I knew it was a culturally significant term.
And it was a term he’d just used to describe me.
My heart was picking up, and I knew my pheromones had to be going crazy, because several of the younger shifters’ heads turned towards me. Oh well. They could mind their own business because I had just been called agirlfriendandmate!
I was eager to get away, partially to ask Ben if he meant what he said, and partially to kiss him so hard that I left a lipstick print in his DNA.
“New? Ah, I remember those years of my youth. My darling Cecelia and I are going on a hundred and fifteen years! Most of the time we just argue about who has permission to go first.” The older man let out a hearty laugh. “We will let you go on your way. A first jamboree is something special!”
“That it is,” I agreed. I sounded downright dopey about it, but I didn’t care. “It was lovely meeting you.”
“It was lovely meeting you, my dear.”
The group headed off, and we continued our walk to the car. I was almost vibrating with happiness, my nerves dialed up to about eleven. There was so much I wanted to do and say, butI knew enough about shifter hearing that if I even whispered now, everyone would be able to hear me. And although Iverymuch had something I wanted to say to Ben, I wanted to say it privately. Or at least as privately as possible.
Somehow, I managed to wait all the way until we reached our chair spot, cooler included.
“Are you all right?” Ben murmured, his voice low.
“I’m perfect,” I said, throwing my arms around his neck and standing on my tiptoes. Ben responded almost immediately, wrapping his strong arms around my waist and lifting me slightly so I could brush my lips against his ears as I spoke. “I’d really,reallylike to spend the night with myboyfriend.” I let the word hang heavy between us. “If you’re ready.”
I could feel the bob of Ben’s throat as he swallowed, then he slowly, tenderly, set me down. The movement felt like a rejection, a soft no, so I braced myself for the impending heartbreak. It was going to hurt so much, I knew that, but I was still proud of myself for even asking.
“I’ll pack the car then,” Ben said in a near-croak, and when I looked up at him in surprise, I saw a lot of things, but rejection was not one of them. “You go get yourself comfortable, and we’ll get on the road as quickly as we can.”
“Yes, sir!” I said, giving a little salute. And if I noticed the way Ben’s eyes flashed at that and his chest rumbled, I kept it to myself.
The driveback went pretty quickly, even with me being awake the whole time, and I expected that was due to Ben flooring it a bit. I didn’t mind. I was more than eager to get back to his place.
My blood was rushing through my veins at what felt like Mach speed, making my fingers, face, and toes overheat slightly, but it was an entirely welcome sort of heat. Technically, spending the night didn’t guarantee anything would happen between us, but something in Ben’s eyes told me we were on the same page.
If I was thinking clearly, maybe I would have realized it would be prudent to talk about the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing and exactly where we were, but after so many weeks of aching for him, I was too thrilled with the idea that we were finally in the same spot, wanting the same things.
Unless, again, I was overthinking things. Or misinterpreting them. But I didn’t think I was. And if I was wrong, I’d be patient and wait as long as Ben needed, but I was really,reallysure I was right.
And that feeling was only confirmed as he parked in his garage. He was out of the car and at my door in the blink of an eye. Still a gentleman even when he was in a rush.
