“The gardens are out there. She’s already outside.” He motions to the door.
I realize I can see outside and there she is, the enchanting redhead who bumped into me a few nights ago, looking as beautiful as she did then, simply sitting on a bench, enjoying the last hour of sunlight.
“I guess that means this is goodbye,” Shadow mutters, feigning upset.
“More like see you soon,” I assure him, knowing it’s what his dramatic Omega heart needs to hear. I hug him because he needs that, too.
He hugs back and sighs. “Okay. Go get your girl.”
I let go and glance at Pete, half expecting him to issue some kind of threat.
He doesn’t. He nods at me, a subtle gesture of approval but better than nothing.
“Thanks,” I murmur as I push the door open.
“And think about it,” Shadow adds. “What I asked. Okay?”
“I will,” I agree, leaving before I can let his offer cloud my thoughts.
Tonight is supposed to be about getting to know Robin.
That’s what I need to be all in on.
So I step outside and close the door on my brother and his pack.
Robin’s dressed a bit more casually tonight, but her long auburn hair is clipped back from her face, giving her an elegant touch. It shows off her slender throat, too, which is something I definitely shouldn’t be noticing this early.
We haven’t even had a conversation.
My teeth shouldn’t be tingling with the urge to mark her.
I clear my throat and make my way over to where she’s sitting, feeling seven kinds of nervous while I convince my teeth to quit trying to tell me what to do.
She looks up as I approach, her bright eyes sparkling.
“Shayne!” she exclaims, as if she’s surprised to see me.
“Hi, Robin,” I greet. “Sorry, if I’m a little early. I was with my brother. He’s your guardian’s Omega, Shadow. His Beta was with us, too. That British guy, Pete. Sorry. I’m rambling. It’s a thing I do when I’m nervous. I’ll try to stop. How are you doing?”
She smiles. “I’m good. I don’t mind if you ramble. You can sit, if you want to. Or we could go for a walk around?”
I sit down, because she offered that first. There’s a little space between us, and now I don’t have to look at her the whole time, which is probably a good thing considering my teeth won’t stop tingling no matter how much I try to force them to.
Ignoring it is going to be a pain, but it’s all I can do.
“It’s a nice night.”
“It is,” she agrees. “I spend as much time out here as I can.”
“I would, too,” I admit.
“You like spending time outdoors?” she asks.
I glance at her. “Uh, yeah. I’ve never really thought about it, but I do. I like to go out running, and for walks. We don’t have a garden where we’ve been living, but I think if we did, I’d spend a lot of time outside.”
“It feels nice to be out in the fresh air. I’ve never been running, but I like to keep busy.”
“What do you do to keep busy?”
