But Sarah was nothing like Temperance and Anna Victoria, so it was obvious he was going to have to figure this out.
“Don’t let her go, man,” Gabriel continued. “Do what you need to do to keep her. She’s human, but she seems like a smart girl. She wants to stay married for show? Use that to your advantage. Keep her close, get to know her.”
“And let her get to know you.” Damon’s tone turned serious. “Daniel, speaking as your friend and not just your boss, you’re a catch. Any girl would be lucky to have you as their mate.”
“You just have to convince her,” Gabriel said. “And something tells me she won’t make it easy.”
“They usually don’t,” Damon added with a snort. “But it’s all worth it, when you bond.”
A blissful look passed on both men’s faces, and Daniel’s gut twisted in envy. This was what he was waiting for his whole life, right? To find the other half of his soul and have a relationship just like his parents had?
“So,” Gabriel said. “What are you going to do?”
“She and I need to sit down and talk,” he said. “Work out what we’re supposed to do.”
“Take her to dinner,” Gabriel urged. “Giorgio’s. I’ll make the reservations for seven tonight.”
“I know you didn’t want to take the time off,” Damon said. “But if you need to take off early, do it.”
“Thanks, guys,” he said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He left Damon’s office and walked back to his own. Sarah was still at his desk, typing away at the computer. Sensing his presence, she looked up. “You’re back.”
His heart squeezed in his chest at how gorgeous she was. “Yeah. Um, don’t worry, I worked it out with my boss. He said take any time I need.”
Dark brown brows snapped together. “For what?”
“To, uh, work out our situation. He’s been urging me to at least make a statement of some kind to get the press off my back.” He walked in and sat on the chair opposite her. “I have to get some work done outside for a couple of hours before I can clock out. If you want, you can stay here or meet me for dinner tonight.”
“Dinner?” A dark brow rose suspiciously. “Like a date?”
“Just a meal,” he said quickly. “So we can talk about what this arrangement will entail. Seven o’clock at Giorgio’s on Main Street.”
She nodded, seemingly buying his explanation. “Sounds fair. I’ll go back to my motel.” Getting up from the chair, she walked around the table. He got up, too, at the same time, but the cubicle was so small that they bumped into each other as they both tried to get out at the same time.
“Oops!” She bounced back, but he caught her, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her to him.
His entire body tensed as his heart began to race at their closeness. There was something familiar about this, the way her curves fit into his body and her sweet scent teasing him. For a moment, he could swear he saw the recognition in her eyes, too, but she quickly pushed away from him.
“Sorry,” she murmured, brushing past him.
Damn it! “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“N-no!” she protested, then cleared her throat. “Too many people outside, they’ll see you,” she added. “I’ll slip out as quickly as I can.”
As the door closed behind her, he expelled a long-held breath. “Fuck.” He plopped back down on the chair, raking his hands through his hair. His bear roared at him, pressing him to claim and bond their mate now.
From what Gabriel and Damon said, it sounded like it wasn’t so simple. And Sarah had to want it, too, of course. He supposed if they had done this in the right order, it would have been easier. He could court her, date her, and their feelings would eventually develop. Now, he had to convince her to actually stay married, and accept their bond.
He wasn’t going to give up, not now. She was his to lose, and he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.
Daniel had never felt so nervous in his life. The rest of his shift seemed to stretch on, and the tension in his chest grew so much he thought he would burst by the time he was finally driving down to Main Street. There was no time to go home and get dressed, but he always kept a nice outfit in his locker at work. You never know when you’ll need to get all dressed up, Dad had always said. He was glad he had taken that advice to heart.
After parking his truck in the back of Giorgio’s, he walked to the front entrance. He was five minutes early, so he waited by the hostess station. Sure enough, at seven on the dot, the door opened, and Sarah stepped inside.
His heart nearly burst out of his chest at the sight of his mate. She was still wearing the same outfit, though he noticed her lips were glossy, and her hair was down in waves around her gorgeous face. Their eyes met, though she quickly turned away, glancing around her. “Nice place.”
Giorgio’s was a classic Italian restaurant, complete with dark paneling walls, cozy booths, and low lighting. It was pretty much where Blackstone’s couples had all their romantic dates.
“Uh, yeah, a friend made the reservation,” he said. “I hope you’re hungry. The food here is good.”
The hostess led them to their table, and Daniel groaned inwardly. It was one of the corner booths, away from prying eyes, lit up by a simple centerpiece of candles. Three red roses were arranged on the table, while a scattering of petals dotted the white linen cloth.
“Just a meal, right?” Sarah said wryly as she slid into the booth.
Damn it. He
