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Speak for yourself.
I was.
Opal rolled her eyes inwardly, following Benton’s lead into the casino’s Italian restaurant. She wondered if he had considered her desire to stay close to the event space before making his choice. Her chest grew tight. The thought of a man she barely knew being considerate of what she valued dangled like fruit in the desert.
Opal cast her emotions aside. She knew enough to know she couldn’t exactly trust herself this close to her mate. She was about eighty percent sure that they were both drunk on mating hormones.
The last thing she wanted was to end up underneath him on the first date.
She ate him up in her peripherals. His shirt did nothing to conceal his lean muscular form. Benton's shoulders were wide and hard.
When he held the door open for her, the material of his T-shirt pulled tightly around his well-developed chest. She followed the sinewy curves of his biceps down to his forearms. Resisting the urge to lick her lips, she risked a glance up at him.
In the same breath, he looked at her, a sly smile teasing his lips. She yanked her face forward, the warm bubble of lust settling between her thighs. On second thought, maybe being underneath him wouldn't be so bad.
Maybe that was exactly where she wanted to be.
They were led through a soft, dim dining room to a table by the window. Once they were seated, her eyes drifted to everything else but him. A sudden onset of nerves left her on the verge of a never-ending flush. She couldn't believe she got caught staring at him.
Opal slipped an innocent look on her face, ignoring the front door incident, and hoped he would do the same. She looked up and saw Benton watching her intently. His airy, gray eyes danced with amusement.
“So tell me, Opal, why do you need me to win so badly?”
Opal didn't know what to say. She was expecting the conversation to take a whole other turn. She took in his earnest expression and decided it was time to get to know her mate.
“I want the money for my senior citizens' nonprofit. It would really be a big help in expanding the reach of our resources,” she said earnestly.
“Why senior citizens?” he asked, genuine curiosity curling around his words.
His warmth disarmed her. It was impossibly natural. The ease that lulled her, allowing her to open up and be playful. He was lighthearted and funny. The more they spoke, the more they had in common. He was a loner, no different from her, really, minus the traveling all over the world part. She could barely leave her office, let alone the state. Opal had decided this was a great idea after all.
The night was a dreamy ravine that twisted the delicate chords of their bond. Every laugh and meeting of eyes cast them in an infinite ebb and flow of each other. She loved how they danced around the fire, close enough to consume yet far enough to preserve what they were. Opal allowed herself to enjoy the bait of his lips during moments when their laughter died, and their tigers would catch glimpses of each other through shifted eyes.
Opal glanced at the time and blinked. When had it gotten so late? It was past midnight, and she needed to be back in the casino early to prepare for the tournament.
“Is something wrong?” he asked in that deep baritone she was starting to enjoy.
“Oh, no, nothing’s wrong. I just realized how late it was,” she said with a laugh.
Benton looked at his phone, and his eyes opened in surprise before setting into an amused glint.
“Let me walk you to your car,” he said, standing.
They walked a short distance to the parking lot. The vast space looked triple its size without the flood of parked cars. The warmth from Benton’s body wrapped her like a hug. Her body leaned in instinctively, her tiger purring from the proximity.
“Sorry about keeping you so late.”
“Don't be. I had a great time,” she said as they approached her car.
Her stomach sank. It moved further and further down until it settled so deep she wondered if it had ever truly hit the bottom. She didn't want to leave. The thought of being separated from her mate so soon left her suspended, searching for grounding. She felt her tiger’s agitation at the night's end.
If it were up to her tiger, there would be no goodbyes.
They reached her Prius, and she turned to him. His eyebrow rose for a moment as he noticed the color.
“I like blue,” she said, red-faced.
He smiled, showing his perfect white teeth. “It suits you.”
