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His smile was brilliant. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”
“Pick me up? But you’re staying here with me,” she said in confusion. “Where will you be until then?”
“Yes, I’m staying here. But I have an idea for our getaway, so I can’t tell you where I’ll be.”
She paused, looking up at him as if considering. In truth, she’d forgiven him. Nothing short of nuclear war could have kept her from accepting.
“All right.” Intrigued, she nodded. “Eight o’clock it is. How should I dress?”
“Whatever you want. All I’m going to say is, no fast food tonight. I’m pulling out all the stops. Does that suit you?”
“It sounds perfect. I’ll be ready,” she said, hoping her voice came off confident.
Through her renewed optimism, a dose of doubt crept in. Would tonight be the night? She’d tried to claim him before, with near-disastrous results. There was no guarantee it would be different now, even after their wonderful evening last night.
But the need for her mate was all she had to hold on to.
* * *
Late-afternoon shadows slanted across the porch of the cabin Nick had rented.
There had been no time to hire someone to clean, so he’d spent the last few hours scrubbing. Shirtless and dripping with sweat, he stood in the living room and surveyed his efforts with satisfaction.
Every piece of furniture shone and the fresh scent of lemon oil permeated the air. The carpets were vacuumed and everything dusted. There were fresh sheets on the bed, too. At the thought of Calla claiming him, he felt a twinge of unease, but he pushed it down, replacing his fear with thoughts of how sweet and sensual his mate was. He could do this. It was going to be fine.
A throb of pain shot through his almost-healed leg, reminding him of the basilisk, and the rogues and hunters doing their best to get rid of him and his allies. As he rubbed his thigh, his thoughts naturally drifted to their enemy—Ivan Cardenas.
“Very soon, you sick fucker, I’ll find out where you’re hiding. Then we’ll have a whole new ball game, asshole.”
Glancing around, he decided the place was ready. All that was left was to fetch his mate.
Jumping in the shower, he got cleaned up quickly. After drying off and getting dressed in a pair of black pants and a blue dress shirt, he took one last look around. Satisfied, he headed out the door.
Smiling to himself, he got into the low-slung Ford GT and fired it up. The engine started with a throaty purr, and he silently thanked Tarron again for loaning him the car for tonight. He wanted everything to be perfect. A hot car, a rented cabin, and a man determined to fully give himself to his mate—an unbeatable recipe for romance.
The drive didn’t take long, and less than half an hour later he pulled up to the entrance of the coven’s grounds. Recognizing him and Tarron’s car, the sentry there waved him through the gate. Reaching the end of the road at the main entrance, Nick swung the vehicle around in the driveway and saw Calla already waiting. Her expression lit up and she seemed glad to see him.
Hurrying over, she climbed into the car and leaned over, giving him a sweet, slow kiss. “I’ve missed you, even if it was only for the day.”
“It’s not like you haven’t seen me,” he pointed out.
“I know. But I felt like we were miles apart and I hated that.”
Taking her hand, he kissed the soft skin on the back of it. “Me, too. I hated feeling like I’d let you down. That’s why I pulled away.”
“Oh, Nick. You didn’t let me down. I don’t believe you ever could, unless you gave up on us without a fight.”
“Told you, not going to happen—in spite of my big mouth.”
“Good.”
“You look beautiful, by the way,” he said, eyeing her in appreciation.
“Thanks. So do you.”
She had on a classic little black dress, sleeveless, that fell just above her pretty knees. The material hugged her curves without being too tight. Her hair was loose around her face and shoulders, and her eyes sparkled. His heart did a weird lurch. His wolf may have claimed her, but it was the man who was falling in love.
Had fallen.
