I didn’t evencarethat she was being a brat. She looked so damn good, shedeservedto be one, honestly. Fuck if I’d rain on her parade.
“Corvus might have a coronary when he sees you,” I admitted, grabbing her hand in mine, so we could get going. And so I wouldn’t do what I was sorely tempted to do—something that would also make us late to dinner with Corvus, which would be unforgivable. He was important to both of us already, and we needed to prove that to him.
She laughed. “I sure hope not. That would put a damper on my plans.”
I chuckled and gently squeezed her hand as I led her down to my car. After I opened the passenger door for her, she leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to my lips then angled into the passenger seat. I watched her fasten her seatbelt, then I closed the door and rounded the hood, so I could get into the driver’s seat.
“Can you text Corvus and make sure he’s still planning to come?” I asked.
She nodded and grabbed her phone out of her clutch.
I backed out of the parking spot, then headed for the restaurant about fifteen minutes away. It was a higher-end establishment that had a dress code and usually had a wait list for reservations, but Michelle and I had gone to high school with the chef, so he got us reservations without any hassle.
“He said he’s leaving now,” Michelle informed me.
“Good.” The boy was taking punctuality seriously this time, which I was grateful for. It was tacky to show up late for a reservation, but it also showed that, despite his wariness of us, he also wanted this.
Thursday had proven Corvus would take some work before we could get him to commit to us for anything more than a single night. He clearly craved our touch and attention. That couldn’tbe denied. I hadn’t missed how he’d leaned into my touch a little. He was so responsive to us that even a blind person could sense the way he sought us out. But it was clear his wanting terrified the shit out of him.
The fact he was still showing up for dinner and not canceling in an attempt to save himself was just further proof he wanted something with us. This was a step in the right direction. Tonight, we would spend time getting to know him and letting him get to know us better. I could already picture him trying to proposition us for sex because that seemed to be what he knew and understood, but Michelle and I had already agreed sex wouldnothappen until Corvus got on the same page as us.
I didn’t want to chance him turning tail and running from us as soon as we all slept together. Because he would. I knew that with certainty.
The drive to the restaurant was comfortable and quiet with only the soft sound of Sleep Token playing in the background. Michelle kept her hand on my thigh, her fingertips lightly tapping along to the song as she watched the scenery pass.
When I pulled up in front of the valet, my door was opened first, and I stepped out, handing the man my keys. Turning, I spotted another valet about to open my wife’s door, and I caught his attention, shaking my head at him, possessiveness streaking through me despite knowing he was only doing his job.
“Only I open my wife’s door,” I said, quickly rounding the hood.
He bowed his head and quickly stepped back. “My apologies, sir.”
Gripping the handle, I tugged on it then swung open the door. Michelle smirked at me, her eyes twinkling with humor. I held out my hand, my smile soft despite knowing she’d clearly tease me about how possessive I was of her. When her hand slidalong mine, her fingers curling around my palm, I helped her out of the car then waited as she adjusted her dress.
“No one but you opens my door,hm?” she asked as I enveloped her hand in mine once more, and we headed into the restaurant.
“Yes, until Corvus is ours,” I said, not even ashamed. “No other man but him gets to do things like that for you,tsuma.”
She squeezed my hand. “Some would call you a bit of a caveman, baby.”
“Is that supposed to make me less possessive of you?” I asked, arching a brow at her. “Because I don’t care about anyone else’s opinion of me. Never have.”
Before she could respond, we were at the hostess stand. The young woman smiled at us. “Welcome to Le Jardin Élégant Maison,” she said. “Name for the reservation?”
“Tanaka,” I answered.
“Ah, yes. The other member of your party has already arrived.” She waved her hand out in front of her. “Please follow me.”
“He’s already here?” Michelle whispered. “I’m impressed. Much better time management than Thursday.”
“I agree. I thought he would have waited in his car until the last moment.” I squeezed her hand. “Be gentle with him,tsuma,” I warned, my voice soft, so it wouldn’t carry beyond the two of us. “We don’t want to frighten him; he’ll be very out of his element here with us.”
She nodded and tightened her hand around mine. “I know, baby.”
I sensed Corvus before I spotted him. As soon as the hostess moved out of my way, there he was. He sat at a round table set for three, a black button down covering his torso and hiding the chest I’d caught a glimpse of the day Michelle had towed his carto the shop. The black contrasted his pale skin beautifully and made his icy blue eyes stand out.
Quickly, he stood, almost knocking down his chair in the process. He quickly grabbed the back of it, his cheeks heating in embarrassment before he smiled at us. Nervousness radiated from him, and I wanted to do nothing more than coddle and soothe him. But baby steps. Ihadto take baby steps.
“Hello,chibi,” I greeted as I pulled out Michelle’s chair for her. “Thank you for coming tonight. Go on. Sit.” I gestured to his chair, and he quickly dropped into it before scooting closer to the table.
