We sat in a private room, and they asked her what she liked to use a purse for. They looked absolutely flabbergasted when she said she didn’t have one. They quickly schooled their expressions and told her they had the perfect purse for everyday use. And they did. It was very practical but also high quality. She was going to get a lot of use out of it.
“Did shopping make you hungry?” she asked.
My hands were full of bags, not holding hers. I didn’t like that part. “No, but that high tea did. Let’s drop these off at the hotel room and go find pasta. Lots and lots of pasta.”
“That sounds perfect to me.”
We dropped them off and ended up finding an Italian restaurant that had the best garlic bread on the planet. As we headed back to the hotel, the first day of city fun over, I couldn’t remember a day when I had been happier than this one, here with my mate.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Bonnie
I’d had time alone with each of the guys here and there, but never alone-naked time with Justice, and my wolf had been very insistent that we complete the mating so we were all ready to go forward with life. It wasn’t as if I disagreed, but somehow the time had never seemed perfect. My nights with Archer and Dallas had evolved more or less naturally and had been special. But having made him wait until last held a certain amount of guilt. Like choosing someone last in a game—not that I had any experience in that personally, but I’d seen lots of old sitcoms online to give me context.
And of course it was ridiculous. He’d never shown the least indication of feeling left out, but how could he not? Because of his work in cybersecurity, he spent a number of hours of each alone in his office, and we weren’t even allowed to bring him in lunch if he didn’t emerge to eat. Archer would generally leave a sandwich and chips and a drink outside the door and send a text to let him know, but I hated him eating alone.
As we rode up in the elevator, I leaned against him, breathing in his scent, subtly different from the others but equally intoxicating. I still hadn’t managed to identify what made them not the same, but it probably didn’t matter. There might not be words to describe it.
“You’re very introspective, omega.” He slipped an arm around my waist. “Did you have a nice time today?”
“Better than nice. And you know the best part?”
He brushed his lips over my hair. “You smell good.”
“You do, too, but that’s not it. Or at least not all of it.”
“It was fun getting your supplies, right?”
The floors were falling away below us. “Yes, and they were the first ones that were ever new. Before that, if they weren’t available in the thrift store or happened to be in the shed or something, I didn’t get them.”
“And yet you created such beautiful things.”
The doors slid open, and he guided me out, our feet immediately sinking into the thick carpet that made me want to speak in a whisper. “The best part was spending all day with you. I feel like I got to know you a lot better today, and I’ve been looking forward to tonight, too. But a little nervous.”
“Not about being with me.” He tapped his thumb on the panel next to the door. So fancy! I’d been in such a rush earlier, I hadn’t noticed much about the room, except the size, but it was so nice. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“That’s just it. I want you so much, but I’ve been afraid you might have felt like you were picked last for kickball.”
His laughter rolled down the hall, the carpet absorbing some of it. “Did you pick me last for kickball?”
“No. Archer and Dallas weren’t picked in any particular order. It was just the moment was right. But I never want you to think I want you any less. So I’ve been trying to find the perfect moment for us.”
“Oh, omega.” His lips brushed over mine as he stepped backward into the room, bringing me with him. “And did you? Find the perfect moment?”
“Kind of.” I rose on tiptoes, wanting more kisses, and when we finally pulled apart to breathe, he frowned down at me.
“Kind of? Because if it’s not perfect, I am not going to strip you naked and have my wicked way with you.”
I laughed, hugging him around the neck. “I mean, today was so much fun, but I just realized that any moment would have been perfect. Because it’s you.”
“Mate, you know I love you, but that might have been a little corny.”
I slapped at his chest playfully. “Yeah? So no wicked ways for us tonight? Okay. I guess I’ll go take a bath in that big tub the check-in clerk told us about. Your loss.”
“Not a chance, mate. There will be no losses here.” His lips descended on mine in the wickedest possible way before he swept me up in his arms and carried me into the bathroom. Where there was only an ordinary tub.
A little more exploration revealed the big one on the outdoor deck, and by then, we were naked anyway. Justice turned on the double taps, and we made out on one of the loungers while we waited for it to fill.
