She blinked at him. “What…what?”
“I promised I’d take you out for dinner tonight. We need to decide where and what time. I have to work tonight so it can’t be too late.”
Braelyn released her hold on his shirt and leaned back into the circle of his embrace. “Right. Okay. How about you pick me up at seven? And why don’t we eat at the Supperclub? You know the restaurant where you get to recline on beds while you eat instead of sitting at tables?”
Skylar wasn’t sure if it would be such a good idea to be anywhere near a bed with Braelyn when they would be doing nothing more than eating. He’d be more tempted by her than the food.
At his hesitation, Braelyn asked, “Have you ever been there before?”
“No. I can say I have never eaten food on a bed in a restaurant.”
She smiled. “Then we should go.” Braelyn used a finger to draw circles on his chest. “It’ll be fun. We could take turns lying down and feeding each other.” Her eyes took on a sexy, slumberous look. “Wouldn’t you like me to hand feed you, Skylar?”
Could his cock get any harder? Her words, and seeing the look in her eyes, were enough to have his dick hard enough to leave a permanent mark of his zipper on it. And the idea of her feeding him while he lay on a bed next to her made him want to throw back his head in a long, loud howl.
“The Supperclub it is then,” he said.
“Great.” Braelyn rattled off her address. “I’ll see you at seven.”
As she stepped back, Skylar dropped his arms and followed her to the driver side of the BMW. Once Braelyn got in, he moved out of the way when she drove out of the parking lot. After the BMW disappeared from sight, he walked out to the sidewalk and headed in the direction where he’d parked his motorcycle. He had more than enough time to return to the Protectors’ mansion and get ready for his date. And, if he were lucky, leave again with his family being none the wiser about him finding his mate.
Chapter Three
When Skylar arrived at the mansion in Marin County, he groaned when he saw the black Mercedes-Benz parked in the drive near the large detached garage. The car belonged to Beowulf, Roxie’s mate, which more than likely meant the pair of them was there. With Roxie’s due date a week away, Beowulf accompanied his mate wherever she went.
Skylar parked his motorcycle in the garage and then headed for the front door. Roxie’s presence would make things a little more difficult for him to slip back out unnoticed. She’d see him dressed for his date and would start with the third degree. Actually, he’d be lucky if he could even make it to his room before she cornered him. With Braelyn’s scent all over him, the others would be able to smell it. Werewolf sense of smell was three times stronger than a mortal’s. His family might let him get away without questioning him about whom he’d been with, but the same couldn’t be said about Roxie.
If she realized his mating urge rode him, she’d try to lay down the law in regards to how he should act around his mate. Roxie had come up with a bunch of rules she expected the males in the house to follow when it came to claiming their mortal mates. If her rules weren’t followed, she tended to get pissed.
Skylar walked into the mansion and quietly shut the door behind him. No one was in the large open-concept foyer. He crossed the black and white checked marble floor and made a beeline line for the blond oak staircase that curved to the upper level. He’d just managed to put one foot on the bottom step when someone behind him loudly cleared their throat.
Recognizing that someone’s scent, Skylar stepped back down and turned to face the one person he’d hoped to avoid. “Hey, Roxie. Where’s Beowulf?”
She put a hand on her distended belly. “He’s with the others in the kitchen.”
In an attempt to shoo Roxie off before she started to ask questions he really didn’t want to answer, he said, “Then don’t let me stop you from going to him.”
Roxie narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No. I’m just in a bit of a hurry is all. I have to go back out soon.”
“Really now. And does your soon-to-be quick departure have anything to do with the woman whose scent you’re wearing?”
Shit. Skylar didn’t think he’d be able to talk his way out of that one, but it didn’t mean he still wouldn’t try. “Maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. I just have to go out for a while, but I’ll be back in time to take my shift over at your place.”
“Uh-huh. And why do I get the feeling you want to avoid the whole topic of the new scent I smell on you? Whoever she is, she’s not a werewolf. Is there something you’d like to tell me, Skylar?”
“Not particularly. If you must know, I have a date. Nothing more.”
“A date? With the mortal woman?”
“Yes. What of it?”
“So you’re telling me you just have a simple date with a mortal woman, and that there isn’t a chance of her being your mate?”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s about it.”
Roxie closed some of the distance between them. “All right. Then prove it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Then prove to me you haven’t found your mate.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “And how would you want me to do that?”
“Easy. I want you to take the front of your shirt, hold it up to your nose and take a big old whiff of it. I have a feeling that’s where the woman’s scent is the strongest from you holding her against you.”
Double shit. “And what do you expect to happen if I do it?”
“If she’s your mate, you’re mating urge will be riding you. A good strong dose of her scent will be enough to get a reaction out of you. I’m betting it will make your eyes glow, and you won’t be able to control it.”
“I’m not going to smell my shirt.”
“Yes, you will, because if you don’t, I’m going to assume you’re too chicken. Come on. I dare you to do it.”
Skylar gritted his teeth. He was no chicken and daring him to do anything usually meant he’d do it just to prove to the person doing the daring he could. “Fine, I’ll do your silly test.”
Mentally bracing himself so he hopefully wouldn’t react to Braelyn’s scent, Skylar jerked up the front of his t-shirt and buried his nose in it. He took a deep breath. The smell of his mate’s scent mixed with his caused his control to slip. His eyes closed, and he drew in more and more of the mixture, filtering out his own scent until he fixated on Braelyn’s. Against his will, his body reacted. His cock filled with blood until the front of his jeans became uncomfortably tight.
“Open your eyes, Skylar,” Roxie said. “I need to see them, but as how other parts of you have suddenly gotten bigger, I’m pretty sure I know what I’ll find.”
He opened his eyes to find Roxie smiling while she gazed at him with an “I told you so” look. After one last whiff, he dropped his shirt and tugged it back down into place. “Not a word,” he said to her.
“You’re such a liar,” she said with a smirk. “Those glowing peepers of yours tell the truth. Not to mention certain other body parts.”
Skylar frowned and tried to turn the tables onto Roxie. “That’s twice now you’ve brought the subject of my manhood into the conversation. I wonder how Beowulf would feel about that.”
She laughed. “Manhood? Now you’re really showing your age. And keep Beowulf out of this. I know what you’re trying to do. You just want to steer me off the topic of your mate. And there is no use in denying it. The way you smelled your shirt, you looked like a starved man who’d just found a big juicy steak.”
“All right, you win. So I found my mate.”