Extra First Date Pt 3
If Leanne had been behind the amazing smells that hit us like a brick wall the second we walked in, Jade was definitely behind the mood lighting. Fake candles were littered everywhere, their flickering light casting the entire room in a warm glow.
“Well,” Aegis said, gesturing to the kitchen. “I just have to… read over her instructions.”
I followed him into the kitchen, feeling totally ridiculous. Aegis and I had slept together once already, albeit while I was in werewolf form and still incapable of control. The entire thing had been a whirlwind; emotions surging, awkwardly shaped bodies clashing… I couldn’t really remember the whole thing.
And since then, hardly a private moment to us.
This felt infinitely more intimate. It was planned and on purpose; it was entirely romantic, with no drama attached. There were no missing kids, no healing from trauma… just a romantic dinner, candlelight, and… a completely empty house.
I was totally keyed up.
Aegis read briefly over a note left on the counter.
“Garlic bread should be warmed in the stove,” he said aloud. “Only a few minutes at 350. Shrimp scampi- that’s one of my mom’s old favorites- that comes out of the fridge and into a pot for reheating.” He looked up and gave me a crooked grin; since dating, Aegis had become so much more expressive. “She’s got ‘keep stirring’ written in all caps and circled at least three times.”
I laughed. “To be fair, she saw the worst of all of us during the whole baking fiasco.”
“I thought you and I at least did fantastic at that.”
“That’s because we were following directions,” I said, sidling over and rubbing his arm. “As long as we follow directions, we’re good.”
Aegis snorted, but got started on setting things up.
This, unfortunately, left us with some time in between actions, because the oven had to actually reach the required time.
“You think Ivy’s kicking herself for the movie mixup?” Aegis asked, crossing his arms.
“Oh, absolutely. She’s probably kicking herself because we got to see it first.”
“It was a good movie,” Aegis admitted. “Got you a few times.”
I scowled. “They were cheap jumpscares, they’d get anyone.” His grin widened, and I rolled my eyes. “Right, yeah, not you, but you’re an Alpha. I’d hope a couple gore-fest zombie jumpscares wouldn’t catch you off guard.”
He laughed. It was deep, and he threw back his head, carefree and full of trust. “If we were facing off against real zombies, that’d be a whole other issue. Although… there’d be some pros.”
“Such as?”
“Maybe we’d get more time together.”
I snorted. “As if. We’d be stuck in a bunker somewhere, likely with half the town.”
“Mmm. You’re right. No zombies, then.”
“What, you have a virus stuffed into your back pocket?”
We both started laughing again, but the tension was thick. Thankfully, the stove let off a loud Ding! that made me jump. He moved over and quickly moved all of the food into place, then ran a hand through his hair once more.
“Hopefully, we’ll get to do this more often,” I said, reaching over to take his hand. Aegis turned to look at me, and the tension slowly eased out of his shoulders. His amber eyes turned soft.
“I would like that very much,” he said softly. “As often as we can.”
Everything about him caused me to want to open up. I looked into his face, and I saw the future. Smiling, I reached up, slid my arms around his neck, and before I could reach him, his own arms had snagged my waist, crushing me to him. His mouth met mine, and the kiss was filled with everything. Our mouths moved against each other, and I tasted the popcorn and the distant memory of toothpaste. A soft groan rumbled through his body, and he pushed me eagerly against the counter-
RING!
This time, we both jumped. Aegis groaned again- a sound of frustration- and ripped his phone from his back pocket, where it was going off at full volume. I knew the ring tone: it was Lawrence, and that was not a good sign.
“Lawrence,” Aegis growled out. “Buddy, I hope this is really important.”
Several long seconds ticked by, and I quickly moved over to the stove to check the food. The garlic bread was just starting to brown a bit too much, so I quickly moved those out and started stirring the scampi in an attempt to keep it from sticking any more to the bottom of the pot.
“Ugh.” I turned to see Aegis pinch the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezed shut. “Tonight? Seriously? Tonight?”
My ears unintentionally perked up, and I could suddenly- faintly- hear Lawrence’s voice from Aegis’s phone. There was real regret, from what I could pick up.
“I wouldn’t call if it weren’t major, Aegis… but this isn’t something Paul and I can handle alone. Even Ivy’s got her hands tied. I’m sorry, but we need you.”
“I… understand.” Aegis shook his head, hanging up and tilting his head back. He growled faintly, and his aura shifted; he was incredibly upset.
“What’s going on?” I asked, turning off the flames and moving over to him. “Is everything okay?”
“We got a pack in the area trying to take up territory. I don’t know why they think they’ll find any room here with three packs taking up space, but they’re trying to settle and claim land.”
I snorted in disbelief. “What land? There isn’t any to claim!”
“That’s the problem. They’re trying to claim territory from Wolftide.”
I frowned. “Wolftide’s not great at confrontation.”
“No- they’re the smallest of the three packs. Max- the Alpha- prefers to talk things over, and Lawrence thinks this other pack is seeing that as weakness.”
My eyes widened. “You don’t think they’re trying to push them out, do you?”
“They might be. I’ll have to see if I can get Greg out; three Alphas will be able to overpower one, even if they are aggressive.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Aegis looked at me sharply. “Absolutely not.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Last I checked, I’m your mate. Did Leanne stay home whenever your father had to handle things?”
His expression twisted. “No, but-“
“Aegis. You have to let me come.”
“There could be a fight.”
I raised a hand. “Werewolf, remember?”
Aegis let out an explosive breath. “We really cannot catch a break, can we?”
“Of course not. Now, come on. Let’s get moving. We can put the food in containers.”
“We… don’t have time to get changed.”
I grinned at him. “You don’t think a werewolf can be intimidating in a green dress?”
That made him laugh, though there was still bitterness in his eyes. “All right- but if I don’t get at least five minutes alone with you tonight, I think I’ll explode.”