Page 70 of Chasing Savannah
Chapter 23
He’d resorted to pacing. Him, big bad, Beta Panther was pacing the living room in his Alpha’s home, anxious to pick up their mate. It was a first date, something panthers as a rule didn’t do. Maybe that’s why he was nervous.
Convincing Savannah to mate with them was nerve-wrecking for him. He had to remember that so far, he’d gotten everything he set out to get. They’d doubled the size of their prowl, thereby giving them greater safety. All that was left was convincing their mate that she belonged with them.
“Do you have everything ready?” He asked the Felix, not for the first time.
“Will you chill, please?” Carlos walked from his bedroom. “I washed and changed the sheets, but it’s no guarantee we’ll even sit on that bed, much less have sex with our mate on it.”
Derrick shrugged, a burning certainty telling him that their mate would be theirs, soon. “Are we picking her up or meeting her someplace?”
“We’re going to pick her up. I got a list of shifter run restaurants from one of her cousins. We can go there and not be bothered.”
He nodded. While they lived out among humans, some of their customs left the humans confused, judging. They wanted to avoid that, on their first date with their mate. He was excited. Carlos grabbed the keys and they headed downstairs.
It took them twenty minutes to reach Savannah’s house. Carlos turned off the truck and they both sat in the quiet darkness.
“What’s with you, your buzzing nerves are driving me nuts.” Carlos put a hand on Derrick’s shoulder.
“You know how long I’ve wanted this, Carlos.” He wiped a hand over his face.
“I do, and we’ve worked hard to get here. I promise, we’ll have our family. We’re doing this your way because I love you and want this for us just as much.”
“I know, and now we can share that love through Savi and this land and these people. It’s a lot to deal with suddenly. I thought I understood what I was missing, but having our own territory…”
Carlos nodded. “It’s all I’ve thought about since we got here.”
Derrick sighed and shook out his hands to release his nervous energy. “Let’s go.”
They got out the truck and walked up to her doorstep together. Carlos rang the doorbell and he fiddled with the buttons on his suit jacket until she answered.
She opened the door and Derrick’s cat sprang to attention. She looked amazing. She wore a pair of red pants that were wide legged, but fit her waist, emphasizing her curves. The off the shoulder blouse was white and he was nearly certain she wore no bra beneath it. He breathed out, would they make it to the restaurant? She sighed and her nipples beaded, poking out of her blouse.
Derrick stepped forward, his every intention to push her into her house and ravish her. She put a hand to his chest to stop him, before trailing it down to the front of his pants.
“You can wait.” She whispered, as she tiptoed and kissed his cheek.
His body trembled, could he wait? Her scent wafted to him, a dark honey fragrance that gave away her arousal. Waiting seemed harder with his every inhale. She smiled at him, before turning around and grabbing her keys off a small table at the door. She closed and locked the door, her hands trembling.
Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail, her sleek hair bouncing as she turned back to them. “Are you going to say anything?”
“You look…phenomenal.” Derrick managed past the lump in his throat.
If possible, she smiled bigger. He tilted his head, his cat wary and curious. Something about her had changed. She seemed, lighter, eager, as she grabbed both their arms. He looked over at Carlos who had the same bewildered look on his face.
“Where are we going?” She was chipper, and the two men were certainly put off guard.
“I heard about this place called Lana’s.” Carlos said.
“Ooh, that’s awesome, I love that place. Its shifter run, so everything will be yummy and the portions will be big enough to feed you two.” She paused by the truck.
Derrick lifted her into the front seat and he went into the back. Carlos cranked up the truck and they were off. She kept up a steady stream of chatter which was so unlike her, he was struck mute. Carlos handed over the keys to the valet when they reached the restaurant, sliding his hand on her lower back. She greeted the hostess by name and they were quickly escorted to a secluded table towards the back. The lighting was dim enough to encourage intimacy. They slid into a booth, the three of them crowding into the middle. He spotted their security detail and relaxed. They were good at their job, blending into the restaurant without standing out.
After another look around at their surroundings he focused on their mate. “So, how was your day?”
She smiled. “I had an amazing day and am excited for our date.”
Derrick’s eyebrows winged up. “You mean this date we had to coerce you into?” Carlos chuckled on the other side of her. “I mean, no complaints, I’m just curious about the one eighty.”
