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“Yeah. I’m in.”
“I have to say I’m relieved, but that was way too easy.” Bibi rose from the desk. “We have enough complicated around here, so I won’t try to make this harder than it needs to be. We’ll get started on your episode as soon as Stephanie arrives. But I have to ask, will you be okay working with Marissa after this if she doesn’t choose you for the episode?”
“Oh, I’ll make sure she’ll choose me.” I got out of my chair and tipped my empty coffee cup in salute. “Because she’s my mate.”
ChapterThree
Bibi
“Table for two,” Hugo said when we walked into the chalet. They were hosting a special dinner club, complete with low light, flower centerpieces, and a pianist.
Hugo was devastatingly handsome tonight. He was gorgeous every day, but for this occasion, he’d pulled out all the stops, and he wanted to be seen. I loved it, but it was an interesting move for my usually shy, wild wolf. He’d given me quite a scare last episode when he suffered a terrible head injury in an attack. It made this so much more than a dating show.
I wasn’t ready to lose him, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to commit yet, either. I was so glad that Marissa and Bjorn had said yes to starring in an episode. Of course, I was being presumptuous, thinking that she would pick him from her pool of three eligible shifters. Chances were excellent that she wouldn’t.
I hoped Marissa was ready to admit something I wasn’t.
Now we needed to wait for Stephanie to arrive from Sawtooth Forest. It wasn’t as easy as jumping on a plane anymore. Stephanie was a brand new mama, and adorable baby Josephina, who I couldn’t wait to spoil rotten, did not travel light. She already took after her Auntie Bibi and her mama, who was nothing if she wasn’t meticulously prepared. She and her mate Javier promised me they’d be careful when they drove their RV through the mountains, which could be treacherous this time of year.
Their trip gave me something I usually didn’t have. A few days off.
I waved to the couples at the tables as the maître d’ led us to our table. I was on Hugo’s arm tonight. He was all dressed up, with a black suit perfectly molded to his muscular body, a button-down black shirt, and a contrasting ice-blue tie that looked amazing with his tawny skin. The wound on his head was healed, and he’d shaved his head again. The wolf was usually all hard edges, except for when it came to me.
It terrified me to think I could be someone’s weakness.
But that wouldn’t mean I’d be any less fabulous for him. Tonight I wore a silver sequined dress with a hip-high slit that even I found scandalous and a platinum mid-mod wig that made me feel more glamorous than ever.
The wolf pulled out a chair for me and then sat in the spot beside me.
“I have a confession to make,” he said.
“Hugo! That sounds so scandalous. Tell me everything.” I put down my menu and leaned closer. He smelled amazing. Fresh snow, earth, and pine, like he’d come straight from the forest.
“I never thought I’d get you to come out on another date with me.”
Oh. As much as I loved watching relationships bloom between the couples onThe Mating Game, I wasn’t quite ready to do the same for myself.
“After the attack—”
He held up his hand. “A near-death experience is a terrible reason to tell someone how you feel about them. Imagine if we didn’t get this chance. So while I was lying in that bed, I vowed I wouldn’t hold back anymore. I would like to see you do the same.”
“Hugo, I don’t think anyone would ever call me conservative.” I took a healthy sip of the champagne the waiter had poured for us. These bubbles would go straight to my head if I was lucky.
“No. They would call you stunning, generous, perceptive, and fierce.” His words had that delicious rumble to them. Maybe I should pace myself with the bubbly. “Because that’s what you want people to see. I know you had a shit time with your pack. But I have to wonder who hurt you.”
“My pack let me down.” As much as I liked to be admired, I hated talking about myself. “They had expectations for me I could never meet. They didn’t value sparkle.”
“I do.”
My heart melted. “I appreciate that. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been so invested inThe Mating Game. So many people feel overlooked and forgotten, and I want to show them they’re worthy of love.”
Hugo took my hand in his. It was rough from a lifetime of outdoor labor. Defending his pack. “I don’t want to talk about work tonight.”
“We work together,” I reminded him.
“I want to talk about Bibi.” The wolf could be stubborn.
“Talking aboutThe Mating Gameis talking about Bibi. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this show.”
