“Hmph.”
He ignored the banter between his parents and pulled up to the pack house. His mom leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m happy for you, honey.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m pretty excited. What are you guys thinking about Alicante? As a pack?”
His mom glanced at his dad and they had one of those silent communications that seemed to last only seconds but conveyed an entire conversation.
“I think we’re pretty impressed. I liked Adam and Myra a lot. And if Cindy’s settling in here…”
“Yeah, looks like I will be, too. It wouldn’t be right to ask her to move to Mountain View when she’s having such a good time starting something new here. I like Mountain View, but it won’t be that hard to walk away, if I have a mate to walk to.”
“You’re a good boy.” His mom kissed his cheek again. “You go get your girl. Hopefully we won’t hear from you until morning.”
He smiled, knowing that meant he would be mated in the morning. That was the great thing about being a wolf. It might suck waiting years and years for your mate, but once you had, the dance was short. Though, to be perfectly honest, he was sort of enjoying the dance, was glad they hadn’t rushed it last night. Some wolves—the more powerful, like the hierarchy—could barely go hours after meeting without the need to mate overwhelming them. It was kind of nice knowing he had a little time to get to know Cindy, but he hoped at the end of the day, or evening rather, they would be a mated pair.
He followed the directions she’d texted him to her house, trying to be sure he’d thought of everything. He wanted the day to be special for her, wanted her to be completely happy if she was stuck with him. He knew that they wouldn’t be mates if they weren’t compatible, and everything about her so far made his blood sing and his cock stir. He just wanted to be sure it was the same for her. Well, sort of the same.
Laughing at himself, he pulled up to her house.
Cindy checked her list. Which was silly; she already knew she’d followed every step, without even looking at it. That she’d made it at all was silly, but she’d been nervous and afraid she’d skip something basic. Like brushing her teeth. The list made her a little less anxious.
She put the list back down, then picked it up again and took it to the kitchen. She turned on the stove and lit the paper on fire, turning it around a bit to get the paper really going, then dropped it into the sink. She would have been mortified if Jonas had picked it up and seen her ridiculousness.
She washed the debris down the drain and looked around, making sure everything was picked up. If things went according to plan, Jonas would be moving in.
Sometimes she envied the human process, the dating, the long engagement, the beautiful wedding. Sure, she could have a wedding, but it would just seem kind of frivolous when they were already considered to be married. Sometimes the human mates had them, and she always celebrated with them when they did, but she was a wolf, raised in this culture, and while the idea of it was romantic, so was knowing without a doubt that, if she found her mate, she would have a partner for life.
She wouldn’t trade that certainty for anything. But why had she told him they should take the slow route? What had she been thinking? If they’d had sex last night, they would know for sure they were mates and be starting the rest of their lives, right now.
Deep breaths. She checked her watch. Five more minutes. Maybe she should just drag him into the house and be done with it, rather than taking him to the restaurant as she had planned.
Her ears perked when she heard a car approaching. She checked out the window, thrilled to see him in the driver’s seat. Early was good. She opened the door and watched him come toward her. He was wearing nice jeans and a long-sleeved shirt that showed off his fabulous chest without quite looking like he was intentionally showing off his fabulous chest. She approved.
Butterflies danced in her stomach and she felt a little dizzy, but then she realized that was because she wasn’t breathing. She pulled in a lungful, just in time, because he strode right to her and kissed her. Kissed her hard and long and perfect, his arms tight around her, his delicious smell enveloping her, his hard body supporting her.
She didn’t know how long it lasted, whined a little when he pulled back.
“Public. If you want to wait, we need to get out in public.”
She debated. Hard.
His lips quirked at her indecision. “We have the rest of our lives to be mates. I want that, with you. I can hardly wait to start that. But we only have a little bit of time left to be two people getting to know each other.” He pulled back, offered her a hand.
She knew she could change his mind in a heartbeat. Remembered it had been her decision first. He was right. They would have forever together as mates, but only today as two wolves getting to know each other without the connection of being mated.
While she wanted that forever, more than anything, knowing it was coming helped her ease back, take his hand, and follow him to the car. She would enjoy this time of getting to know him just for himself. Then she would jump his bones and confirm what she already knew.
They were meant for each other, and would be bonded in a way that they would only ever know with each other.
He followed her directions to the nearby town of Silver City, and the diner she’d selected. It was on her list of restaurants to try. There were plenty of empty tables, so they were seated immediately. He held her chair for her, resting his hand on her shoulder for just a second. It had the odd effect of steadying her and heating her up at the same time.
“Tell me about what you do,” he invited.
She told him about her blog, how it had grown from something of a hobby to a full-time business that she loved. He was attentive, asking good questions to show he was listening and interested, but not talking over her. She almost didn’t order dessert, but he promised they would be using up a lot of calories soon, and needed the extra energy. From some, it might have come out creepy or smarmy. From the man she found herself tangling fingers with as they talked, she found it sexy as hell. She ordered a hot fudge sundae and he ordered a slice of apple pie.
“I can’t believe we spent that whole time talking about me and my job,” she said as they walked back to the car. “It’s your turn.”
“Okay, but first tell me how I’m doing.” His voice was teasing as he led her to the passenger door and reached for it. She blocked him, leaning against the car, and pulled him close to her with her hands fisted in his shirt.
