two
Lukyan had to force himself to walk across the bar. If his wolf had his way, he would run to her side, pull her into his arms, and carry her back to his room. He mentally chastised the beast and ticked off the reasons why man and beast should proceed slowly in pursuing their mate.One, from what Cate said, our mate is done with men. We need to romance her. Two, if she’s shy, we will only make her skittish by coming on too strongly. Three, we have the rest of our lives to be with her. Four, I want her to feel like she has a say in this relationship.His wolf growled at the last item.
Logic told Lukyan that Norah was fated to be his, neither of them had a say in the relationship. They were simply meant to be together. Still, he knew human women well enough to know that they all want to believe they have a say in their relationships. Usually, that was true, but mating a shifter was no normal circumstance. Still, it would be best to let her believe that she was setting the pace and choosing how to proceed with her mate.
When he arrived at the bar, she still had her back turned to him, slowly drinking her glass of wine. Lukyan knew she was giving the alcohol time to build some courage so that she could go introduce herself to him. He stood behind her and breathed in her lavender scent. Cate, Dimitris’ mate, was exotic in her looks and scent, but his mate was pure and natural. Her blonde curls fell down her back in loose ringlets. He briefly imagined them fanned across his sheets. He would love to see her like that, naked below him, her cheeks tinged pink from lust with her hair flowing about her like golden waves. Lukyan’s wolf responded with an appreciative howl.
“I’m not much for small talk, but this seems like a good time to use the line, ‘Is this seat taken?’”.
Norah started at his words. Turning her eyes to his face she stammered, “Ye- yes. All yours.” She blushed a deep, enchanting shade of pink. Lukyan immediately regretted his stance on the color pink. It was now one of his favorite colors.
Now that he was closer to her, Lukyan could see that her eyes were blue, a deep aqua color that reminded him of the Caribbean. Perhaps he would take her there after the mating. He could rent a villa and make love to her every night while they listened to the sound of the waves slap against the shore.
“May, I?” He gestured to the bottle of wine. She leaned in and gently pushed the extra glass toward him. He poured himself a generous serving and then held the bottle over her glass. “Would you like another?” She met his gaze and shook her head yes.
“Thank you for the wine.” Her voice was soft, a whisper in the loud bar.
“It gave me an excuse to come have a drink with you. I was worried you wouldn’t let me sit with you, otherwise.”
Norah blushed. “Is this your normal pick-up routine?”
Lukyan was genuinely shocked. He had never once used a pick-up routine. Not one for inane conversation, Lukyan generally avoided bars, clubs, and any other social event that generally favored idle chitchat over a genuine conversation. He wasn’t shy, as Alek often claimed, but he didn’t enjoy crowds or talking with people he didn’t know very well. Besides, he didn’t really need pick-up lines to get women; usually, they flocked to him. Lukyan thought of the blonde from earlier. He could have easily taken her back to his room. The thought almost made him shudder. He wasn’t vain, but he also wasn’t dumb. Lukyan knew what women thought about him. He was a good looking man, incredibly good looking according to some of the women he knew. He was never the aggressor in sexual pursuits, and he was never without company when he wanted it. No, pick-up lines were never a concern. Until now.
“No. I don’t have a pick-up routine. I can say with one-hundred percent honesty that you are the first and only woman that I have ever sent a drink to. You are the first and only woman that I have ever even approached in a bar.”
It was clear from the look she sent that she didn’t believe him. “So I’m the only woman you’ve ever sought out in a bar?” He wanted to kiss her, to wipe away all her doubt with his tongue. Instead, he nodded.
“Why me?”
He sat his glass down on the counter and turned so he was fully facing her. “Because I have been waiting a very long time for you, Norah.”
Norah choked on the wine she had been drinking. “How do you know my name?”
He smiled. “I asked someone.”
“You asked someone?” Norah looked around the bar. There was not a single person in the room that she knew. Even the bartender hadn’t gotten her name. How could this man possibly know who she was?
“Yes. You’re Norah and I’m Lukyan. Sometimes my family—” he tipped his chin to the four people in the back booth — “call me Luk.”
Norah turned and looked at the people in the booth. Apparently, she and Lukyan were tonight’s entertainment, none of them even tried to pretend they hadn’t been watching the meeting at the bar. She could feel her face heat at the realization. She absolutely hated to be the center of attention.
She turned back to Lukyan. Somehow he had edged his seat closer while she wasn’t looking. She felt crowded by him, and yet not close enough. “I don’t think I understand.” She shook her head as if the movement would lend clarity to the situation.
“There’s nothing to understand, Norah. I am here to get to know you. To sweep you off your feet. You are here to get to know me and to be swept off your feet. I suspect that this will be one of the best weeks of both our lives. And before you know it, we’ll be back here celebrating one of our future anniversaries, trying to recapture the moment.” He took her hand and kissed it. Norah’s body responded in a thousand ways to the small gesture.
Pulling her hand from his, she picked up her glass and swallowed the last of the wine before pouring more. So much for one glass. She used the time to find her voice, which had been stolen by his simple kiss on her hand. “If that is your first attempt at a pick-up line, then I’m going to tell you that it is fantastic. I’m not overly experienced with pick-up lines, but I can honestly say that I have never heard, nor heard a tale of one that could outdo yours.” She took another swallow of the wine. The alcohol was lending her courage. Or getting her drunk. But drunk courage was better than no courage at all.
Only five minutes ago she had promised her best friend that she wasn’t interested in men. Now she sat side-by-side next to the best looking man she had ever seen, while she tried to convince him that his talk of sweeping her off her feet was absolute nonsense and secretly hoped that it was all the truth.
“It’s no line, Norah. I don’t do lines. I honestly don’t know how.” He took her glass and set it on the bar, before capturing her hands in his. Her heart drummed a staccato beat. “Let’s start again. I’m Lukyan. And you are?”
She smiled shyly at his charm. “Norah.”
“Hi, Norah. Can I buy you a drink?”
She smiled again. “Yes. I would like a drink.”
“Then you are in luck. I have a wonderful Pinot Noir waiting for you.” He released her hands and handed her glass back to her. She took a small sip.
