“No,” she grits out, shaking her head. “Don’t.”
I furrow my brow in confusion.
Definitely getting mixed signals here.
“Just…” she trails off with another heavy sigh, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. “Can I try something?”
“Of course,” I reply without hesitation.
Chey nods slowly, her expression shifting to one of determination as she squares her shoulders and lifts her chin. “Okay,” she breathes, striding in my direction.
I remain standing still as she approaches, cautiously optimistic when she spreads her arms and goes in for a hug.The warmth of her chest bleeds into mine as she presses herself close, resting her cheek against my pounding heart.
Fuck, it feels so good to be close to her like this.
“Can I…?”
“Yes,” she whispers, and I loop my arms around her body, a contented growl rumbling in my chest as I hold my mate for the first time.
Sure, it’s just a simple hug, but something profound settles between us as we linger in that embrace. She’s lowering her guard, letting me in, and I’m determined to take this slow and do it right. Earn her trust, bit by bit.
Thankfully, this hug doesn’t result in another panic attack. In fact, when we break apart, Chey looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen her. An easy smile spreads across her face as she gazes up at me through her eyelashes, tipping her head toward the door. “We should probably get back out there.”
“Probably,” I chuckle, stepping aside and gesturing for her to lead the way.
The date goes a whole lot better after that. We return to the table, and Javi and Lo play off our absence like nothing happened. We order more drinks, have some food, and listen to Javi tell a ridiculous joke about a talking muffin. The conversation flows easily, and I laugh so hard that I give myself a stomachache. All in all, I’d call it a success, even if it did start out rough.
But thebestpart?
When the date’s over and we’re about to part ways, Chey goes in for another hug; one that isn’t stilted or forced. It feels natural; righter than anything in my life ever has.
It’sperfect, just like she is in my eyes.
CHAPTER SIX
the second date
CHEYENNE
Afirst date panic attack would send most men running for the hills, but not Iver Anderson. Rather than running away, the man ran after me.Shit, does that make him as crazy as I am?
Jury’s still out, but even if he’s certifiably insane, I doubt it’d make me any less smitten. My fated mate checksallthe damn boxes, and now I’m just wondering what someone as perfect as him sees in someone as flawed as me.
I really thought I blew it with that date, but Iver started texting me before I even made it home. We kept right on texting until the wee hours of the morning, talking about everything and nothing until I couldn’t physically keep my eyes open any longer. Then when I woke up this morning, we picked right back up where we left off, every message notification giving me butterflies.
Considering my issues with physical intimacy, communicating with him through text message is a lot easier than talking in person. It alleviates the pressure and embarrassment. I feel like I’m really starting to get to know Iver, and I’ve yet to find anything that’s not to like. He’s gorgeous, he’s kind, he’s easy to talk to. The man is a walking green flag.
I still don’t know why he’s attracted tome, but I’m trying really hard to open myself up to accepting good things when they come along. The fact that I have a fated mate is agoodthing. I shouldn’t be sabotaging that with my own self-doubt, so here I am, trying to be an optimist and leaning into fate’s plan.
Within reason, of course. No matter how much Iver and I like each other, there’s still the physical aspect of sealing our bond to contend with. We’ll have to mark before the next full moon if we want to make this permanent, and considering how I reacted to a simple hug, the prospect of that is daunting.
It wasn’tjustthe hug that launched me into a panic attack last night, though. I’ve hugged people before without losing my shit. It was the combination of my anxiety going into the date, the unexpected hug, and the subsequent stares that tipped the scales and sent me into a full-blown meltdown. It’s amazing I was able to come out of it so quickly.He’sthe reason I came out of it so quickly.
Turns out, Javi was right. Iver is acatch, and I’d be stupid not to give this a chance. As scary as it is, I’m slowly letting him in. We’ll see where it goes.
“Alright, that’s enough for today!” Iver calls out, his deep voice carrying across the practice field.
I pop up to my feet, wiping sweat from my brow as I glance in his direction.
