“Oh,” she said, sounding almost disappointed, the tone nestled deep in my core.
“But I-I’m glad I did,” I managed to stumble out. “It’s great to hear your voice.”
She was silent for a moment, and I thought that was the wrong thing to say until she said, “It’s great to hear yours too. Your call came at a good time. I just finished up with a potential buyer.”
“Yes, I saw your photos. It looks like a great place.”
It was as if I could hear her blush through the phone. “Oh, yes. It’s the nicest house I’ve listed. My manager gave it to me for doing so well last month.”
I smiled. “That’s amazing. I’m sure you’ll have no problem selling that house. Who could resist you?”
She went silent again for a moment. “Hoping flattery will get you a date?” she asked.
“Maybe,” I said easily. “I would love to take you out this week.”
Leo was all but standing on the couch, his knuckles white with how hard he gripped the edge. “I would love to,” she said. “But I have to see if…” She trailed off. I waited until she finally spoke again. “I have to make sure, but I think I could do Friday.”
I glanced at Leo, who nodded vigorously. “Friday would be great. Can we pick you up at eight?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I mean, I can meet you there.”
Her response struck me as odd, but I wanted her to be comfortable. “That’s perfect. I’ll send you the address. We’ll see you then, Harper.”
“See you then.”
The line went dead, but I still held it to my ear. It was pushed away when Leo jumped into my lap, kissing me hard. “We have a date with our mate!” he squealed.
I smiled against his lips. “That we do." I wasn’t sure if I would admit she was our mate just yet, but I could say I was excited.
“You were smooth,” he said, pulling back.
Heat warmed my cheeks, but my beard covered most of it. “I called her on accident.”
“You know what Bob Ross says about happy accidents,” he said.
“No, I don’t.”
He laughed, though I had no idea what he was talking about. “You were real smooth,” he said again.
I cleared my throat. “I don’t know about that. I think it went okay.”
“Okay?” Leo lowered his brow, which he did when he was pretending to be me. “It’s great to hear your voice,” he said, his voice lowered dramatically. “Who could resist you? Where was this wooing when I was practically biting at your tail?”
Guilt flooded me for a moment. I knew I didn’t do much in the way of showing I wanted to mate with Leo, or with Jasper. I was a bumbling mess of an adolescent when we met, my limbs outgrowing the rest of me. I was awkward and had no idea what to think of this bundle of joy and confidence. And even though Jasper was also quieter, he seemed to open up a lot back then when it was just us.
But I tried to make up for it by being a good mate now, and just because Harper may potentially be fated, I didn’t want Leo or Jasper to think I would push them to the side.
“I apologize, love,” I said. “If I was able back then, I would have chased you very hard.”
He snorted, running his hands through my hair. “You don’t need to apologize to me,” he said. “That was hot.”
Leo ground against me, his back to my front, and my hands moved easily to his hips. His thighs were so muscular and firm. Though it was fall, he still wore gym shorts around the warm house. My hands rode up the sides until I felt the edge of his briefs.
“You liked that?” I asked.
He hummed his agreement. “Her voice is very pretty.”
“I agree. Almost as pretty as you.”
