a nice meal, sitting in chairs, sharing a bottle of wine.
But they’d been ravenous when they drove back into town, and though Caleb had made several suggestions, Elena had insisted she didn’t want to sit politely in a public place with everyone staring at her. She also didn’t want him to cook tonight. She was hungry. Now. And burgers sounded perfect to her.
So, he’d gotten her burgers. He’d do anything for her. Did she have any idea how tightly he was wrapped around her finger?
She was smiling at him as he turned off the car, neither of them making a move to exit the vehicle. Finally, she squeezed his hand and released it to unbuckle her seatbelt and jump down from the SUV.
Elena grabbed their food. Caleb grabbed the box of letters from the back seat.
He led her to the door that opened into the kitchen, reaching over to close the garage door with the touch of a button.
The moment they stepped inside, his house turned into a home. Her scent had been missing from his space, and he couldn’t wait until it permeated every corner, especially his sheets.
She glanced around his kitchen as he flipped on the lights and set the box on the counter. He watched her intently, wondering what she thought of his space. He would change anything for her. Or sell it if she hated it.
Her expression was warm, a slight smile spreading before she stepped farther into the kitchen and turned around slowly.
He wished he could know what her thoughts were, but he waited, following her gaze to his stainless-steel appliances to his gray and black granite counters to his white cabinets to his gray tiled floors. He didn’t own many small appliances, so his counters were mostly clear. Luckily, he’d started the dishwasher that morning.
Who was he kidding? He’d left his house earlier that day praying he might come home with her.
Her smile grew too wide. Too bright. Her eyes were dancing when she looked at him. It seemed as though she was on the verge of laughter. “This is not what I pictured your lair to be like. I imagined something underground, dirt floors, maybe a cave.”
He laughed. “Then I guess it won’t take much to impress you.” He set their bag of food on the island as she stepped into his arms.
“I love it.”
“You haven’t seen much yet.”
“Don’t need to. It smells like you.”
He lifted a brow. “Since when are you so in tune with my scent? That’s supposed to be my thing.” He winced as he spoke, reminding himself Elena was not entirely without powers. Did she realize that? He wrapped an arm around her, and she pressed her cheek against his chest, giving him a moment to pull himself together.
He’d had an amazing day with his mate, everything about her beyond his wildest expectations. Thirty years of wondering if he would find her and what she might be like. Now he had her, and he was keeping a fucking secret from her. One he’d only let slide into his consciousness a few times so far.
He had to tell her. Sooner rather than later. Why the fuck hadn’t he done so yet? Right… Because he was greedy, and he wanted her to realize she was meant to be his so badly that he refused to face any other inconvenient fact.
Her stomach growled. “I’m starving.”
He released her slowly. “You grab the food. I’ll grab drinks. Soda?” he asked as he stuck his head in the refrigerator.
“Sounds good.” She padded across his kitchen to the breakfast area and unpacked their food onto the table.
Shaking unwanted thoughts from his mind, he joined her. He couldn’t help but feel the rise of contentment that swelled inside him. She belonged here. In his home. In his life. Seeing her making herself at home in his kitchen was a dream come true.
They devoured the food in no time, and Caleb was pleased that his sexy little mate didn’t pretend she wasn’t hungry, pick at her food, or any other ridiculous antic many women seemed inclined to on a date.
Not Elena. She kicked off her flip flops, curled one leg up under her, and dug in.
He almost forgot to eat a few times while he watched her. Everything about her intrigued him, including the messy curls that had gotten more tussled as the day wore on, especially when he flattened her into the back of his SUV.
“Will you stay?” he asked as he wadded up his sandwich wrapper