Page 63 of The Monster Inside Me

“Okay, that’s great! Although, taking her out doesn’t need to mean that you took her shopping. It can be any number of things. Walks in the wood–”

“That is extremely dangerous, especially given our history.”

“A nice picnic at a park–”

“Aragnokans do not publicly share meals.”

“A romantic stroll through the city at night–”

“Not likely as the dissenters could be lurking–”

“Alright!” Delilah rolled her eyes. “I get it. The point is that you spend timetogether. Maybe play a game, something that you can both enjoy. Cards, charades, Simon Says. Anything like that.”

“I am unfamiliar with all of those things,” Ezul admitted quietly, feeling less confident in his abilities to court Cordelia than he had only moments before.

What if he did not perform his duties adequately as a mate and Cordelia found him lacking after a while?

Do not stress, you have already mated her,he assured himself.

Delilah waved a hand, dismissing his statement. “Cards might be a no go, but I can teach you how to play charades or anything like that. Better yet, we can have a double date and just have a fun game night.”

“A double date?”

“It’s when two couples get together and do the same activity.”

“But we would not be expected to court the other couple, correct? I do not wish for Cordelia to think of Sahin romantically,” he all but snarled, grimacing at the thought.

“Oh, gross! No, no, that’s not what that means at all! Okay, scratch the double dates for now.” Delilah sighed. “Let’s just move on, okay?”

She pointed to the third item on her list.

“Dates. This is not the same thing as number two on your list?”

Delilah squinted, her lips turning down in a frown as she thought. “Yes and no. You can take Cordelia out on dates, but the two are not mutually exclusive. Going out is more about spending time together in a general sense. Going on a date means that you’re doing something romantic. Cooking, going to a restaurant, taking her to a movie.”

Ezul winced. They did not have anything like that on Aragnok. “I made her a meal but she was not enthused.”

“Okay, well, we’ll work on it.”

Next on the list was acts of service.

“You wish me to service my mate?” Ezul smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest nonchalantly. “I do not need assistance in that regard. Cordelia is always satisfied.”

Delilah snorted, leaning across the desk to swat his arm. “I don’t mean sex, Ezul.”

He curled his lip, grumbling. Just when he thought he was doing well, he was quickly humbled. “What can you possibly mean then?”

“Like a foot massage, taking out the trash… Small things that you do to help her out that makes her feel appreciated.”

“You have given me several ideas and things to think on. Thank you for your help, Delilah.”

She smiled, flashing a set of those blunt little fangs again. “Of course! And don’t get overwhelmed if we started off too strong. There is plenty of time to court your mate, and Cordelia is already so happy with you. I’m sure this will just be the icing on the cake.”

Ezul furrowed his brow, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Now I need to bake?”

“You’re being awfully quiet,” Cordelia commented, eyeing her mate speculatively.

He’d woken her up only a few minutes ago with a sweet kiss that he trailed all the way down her body. She’d been expecting him to spread her legs and dive between her bare thighs, but his hands had traveled lower instead, sliding past her knees and calves.

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