10. Nix
Nix
Iwas buzzing with excitement. Even though Rowan was calm, this was a date. Maybe not the most exciting date, but it was still a date. Mostly because I’d decided it was way before I went and asked her to join me.
Emmeline had been a huge—colossal—fan of ice cream, and that was a facet of her personality that I highly doubted had changed. I’d been thrilled to find out I was right.
When we parked in town, she let go of my hand for a moment to slide out of the truck. I rushed over, intending to open her door, but she was too quick. Glowering at her playfully, I snatched her hand back up.
“Let a guy at least attempt to be smooth.”
Rolling her eyes, Rowan effortlessly redirected, “Okay, where to first?”
I shot her a disbelieving look, scoffing loudly. “To ice cream, of course. Where else would we be going?”
She shrugged, unable to bite back her smile. “Hey, I’m not the one with the plans here. For all I know, you have a few errands to run before ice cream.”
“There are a few shops we should pop into while we’re here, but my thought is, we go get ice cream first, then we do the errands, and after that we go back and get another ice cream and fill up the cooler to take back to the den.”
Her eyes widened, the corners of her mouth curling. “I like how you think, Nix.”
Chuckling, I leaned down and kissed the top of her head, relishing in her closeness for a moment. “I’m a genius, really.”
I chose to ignore her snort of disbelief.
With her hand firmly in mine, I pulled her toward the ice cream parlor.
She leaned into my side happily. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but something had changed during the drive.
I’d been ecstatic at the idea of two uninterrupted hours with my mate, but I hadn’t imagined I would end up explaining my entire history again.
Emmeline had known everything about us, after all.
She’d been told one evening while we all sat around a campfire.
We had told her together, desperate for our mate to know what we were.
It hadn’t really occurred to me that the details of my past would need to be repeated.
We knew so much about her, and once again, she knew next to nothing about us.
It was weird. We’d done this dance before, but Rowan didn’t remember.
While part of that hurt, it was almost nice to be falling in love with her all over again.
“Okay, what flavor would you like?” I asked, tugging her toward the counter.
Her eyes widened as she took in the variety of ice cream in front of us. For a small-town ice cream shop, they really had a fantastic selection.
“There’s too much to choose from,” she whispered.
“I guess we’re just going to have to come every week and try something new. They make it all in-house. It’s amazing.”
She bit her lip, and my mind immediately went to the gutter.
Nix, behave. Come on. You can do it.
“How many scoops is too many scoops to get in one day?” Rowan looked up at me, her brows raised as she fought a grin.
I tapped my chin thoughtfully. “We could each get two different scoops now, and then the same when we finish our errands. That will give you a variety to try out.”
She beamed at me. “Yet again, that brain of yours is on point.”
It was the second time she had complimented my ideas in the past few hours, and there was something about it that made me want to puff out my chest.
“Also, I would recommend the triple chocolate chip with a fudge swirl. There was an ice cream place we used to visit before… You were obsessed with that flavor.”
“Really?” she asked in surprise. “I always assumed that would be too sweet for me, so I never really touched it.”
“What’s your go-to now?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Strawberry and white chocolate,” she said as her eyes softened.
I looked at the teenager behind the counter, who was clearly overwhelmed by the task of waiting on customers, and smiled, trying to put them at ease.
“Hey, can I get one scoop of strawberry and white chocolate in a cup, one scoop of triple chocolate chip in a cup, one scoop of cotton candy, and one scoop of cookies and cream?” I rattled off the order easily.
For a second, I worried that Rowan would be pissed that I’d chosen for her, but the way she gently squeezed my hand and smiled made me think she appreciated it.
We settled into one of the booths in the corner with our haul and immediately dug in.
There was something about the way Rowan’s eyes widened as she took her first bite of the triple chocolate chip that made me endlessly happy.
Not to mention, the little moan she let out was enough to get me standing at semi-attention where it counted.
“Oh my God, this is amazing,” she moaned.
I was probably grinning like a lunatic, but I was thrilled I’d introduced her to something she loved.
Nodding, I scooped up some of my own. “I’ll make sure I grab some of that flavor for the cooler.”
Rowan giggled as I shoved more into my mouth, doing a happy dance in her seat. “You say the best things.” She sighed, taking another bite, her eyes rolling back as she groaned again.
Christ, I’m not going to make it.
We spent fifteen minutes in the ice cream parlor, both ravenous and devouring our ice cream quickly. Brain freeze hit us both, but I didn’t care in the slightest.
“Do you want some real food?” I asked when we slid out of the booth.
I didn’t let her get far before clasping her hand. This was technically a date, after all; I reserved the right to hold on to my mate’s hand tightly.
Rowan wasn’t complaining, though, so I took that as a good sign.
“Maybe not right away. I’m not a dragon.” She laughed, patting her stomach as we walked. “I’m going to be full of ice cream for the next hour.”
I made a mental note to swing by the diner after a few errands. Feeding her simply meant we would have more time together, and in my mind, that was the best thing ever.
We made quick work of the hardware and farm-supply stores.
They were the best spots to snag the regular items needed to keep a house in tip-top shape.
With Griffin getting his own cabin, there were so many boards, nails, and paint to drag home.
There was a reason I had a truck, and I was especially glad for it today with our mighty haul.
After that, I walked with Rowan to the health supply store and pharmacy. I was right by her side as she perused the aisles, looking for essentials. About five minutes in, she had an armload, and I ran off to grab a cart.
“Is this too much? I’m sorry. I wasn’t really thinking about it.” She put her hand on the back of her head, making the most adorable face.
I waved off the concern. “This is still much less than Jenkins had us spending, remember?”
Rowan grimaced, the guilty expression immediately replaced with one of annoyance. “I still can’t believe he was doing all that behind your back. Ugh, good freaking riddance.”
“Agreed, princess, but you still don’t have to worry. Get what you need.” I took the supplies from her and put them in the small red cart, smiling. “This is for the horde, after all. We both know there are a lot of people who need it.”
“You continue to be brilliant.” Rowan beamed. “And you really can’t have enough bandages and antiseptic.”
I tagged along as Rowan collected everything she deemed necessary, pushing the cart as she loaded it.
“What’s that?” I asked, frowning when she grabbed a few boxes of medication.
“Human drugs,” she whispered playfully.
“Why? I thought we were avoiding that stuff?”
Rowan nodded. “You guys have to. Me, on the other hand? This stuff will be a lifesaver if I get sick, and I’m only being slightly overdramatic. Dragons need dragon medicine, humans need human medicine,” she explained.
Huh. That made sense.
“It’s almost like we are entirely different species,” I laughed.
“Exactly!” she agreed, throwing a few more boxes into the basket.
When we’d gone through the entire store, Rowan turned back to me, that adorable face there again, and she agreed it was time to head to the register.
At the front, I helped Rowan put the items on the counter, but it was the clerk who stole my attention this time.
“Find everything you need, miss?” Rowan bobbed her head at the guy, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his eyes were drifting to the trailing neckline of her shirt.
“Yup. More than that, even.” Rowan turned around, grabbing the stuff at the bottom of the cart, and Mr. Eyeballs zoomed in on her ass.
“We have a lot here, all right if I pull my truck up to the door?”
The sales guy hardly made eye contact with me, nodding as he waved by the door. “Sure, man. Go for it.”
Rowan put the last roll of elastic bandages on the counter, stepping up to it, waiting for the guy to actually get to scanning the stuff. “How much is it all?” I could hear the urgency in her voice, as if she were trying to get the guy to get moving.
The guy’s eyes flicked to me briefly, and I glared.
“So, who’s this? The wallet?” The clerk’s eyes locked firmly on Rowan this time.
His intense gaze was hungry in a way that made my skin crawl, anger rising as I fought the urge to step in front of Rowan so all he could look at would be me. “No, I…” Rowan trailed off, uncomfortable.
“None of your business,” I growled, glowering at him. “How about you focus on doing your job?”
I hadn’t meant to, but seeing Rowan recoiling had tripped something inside me. I found myself standing against the counter, towering over the little punk as my dragon snarled within me, clearly pushing out “I will fuck you up” vibes.
The clerk backed off immediately.
“Thanks.” I hoisted the numerous bags up from the counter, making a show of how easy it was for me, and gestured for Rowan to walk in front of me. She did, wide-eyed as hell, and hurried to the truck.
After throwing the stuff in the back, I covered everything with the tarp to keep it all in place, then met Rowan at the passenger door.
She hadn’t opened it, staring between the car and the store.
As I stood near her, that scent of hers infiltrated my nose, and all I could think about was the way that asshole had looked at her.
I spun Rowan around, cupping her face, as I peered into her green eyes. “I realize this is jealous as hell of me, but I don’t care.”
“What do you—”
But she didn’t finish because I kissed her, pulling her close as I leaned us both against my truck. A surprised noise left her, her body stiff, but then she melted into me, giving in to the kiss.
A second later, she pushed back to say, “What if that guy is watching us?”
“God, I hope so,” I whispered, nipping at her lips. “I want him to know exactly who I am.”
Rowan looked up at me, eyes lidded, her breathing short. “And who’s that?”
“Yours.”
With my lips crashing against hers, I embraced the moment, feeling like a damned teenager again as I made out with my mate against my truck. As far as dates went, I really liked where this one ended up.