7. First Date
Jax
She opened the door, and I swear I could feel my eyes budge out of my head. She looked perfect. Her light blue dress hugged her curves. Her skin practically glowed. Her hair was so white it looked like it sparkled. She stood there looking at me, and her face began to flush. Thank you, Apollo, she is perfect. I said in my head. I had to force the words out; I just wanted to stare at her for the next bit. "Are you ready to go?" She nodded, and I offered her my arm. She took it while looking nervous.
I was glad I brought the truck instead of my bike. There was no way for her to ride it with that little blue dress on. God, it was short. Her legs were on perfect display. I wanted so badly to run my hands up them and feel if they were as smooth as they looked. I opened the truck door for her, and she got in. I went around and hopped on my side. "This is a cool truck." She spoke quietly. "Yeah, I love her. She is a real classic; I restored her myself."
"You like to work on cars?" "Well, it is one of my hobbies." She smiled and nodded. "So we are going to a steak house in Ashville. Do you like steak? They do have other things if you don't." "I like all kinds of foods, well, at least the stuff I have eaten so far." I nodded. Cora was a little talker. She had to be one of the people who held things close to the vest.
From what John could dig up, there was little about her online. She grew up in a small town in Vermont. Her social media could have been more present. She had only created some profiles a few months ago and barely got on them. She had no credit cards or credit history. Her car had been her mother's. She was a mystery. She had never attended public school. Her mother had home-schooled her, and she had worked at a small resort for the past few years. Her mother had died six months ago, and that was all I knew. I figured there would be more. There was always a long list of information on people, but nothing was on her. That was all John could find.
We drove in silence most of the time. She really was a quiet person. I couldn't resist; I just wanted to touch her. I reached over and put my hand on hers that was resting on her thick thigh. I felt the sparks as soon as I touched her. I knew it was different for humans, but I thought she felt it, too. Cora did not remove my hand or anything. My touch had made her more relaxed. We pulled up to the building. The valet got the door.
I came around and, putting my hand on the small of Cora's back, I led her into the building. The restaurant was at a nice hotel. Cora leaned into me slightly as I guided her into the building. This place I liked and had been to more than once. They made good food. It tended to be on the high end of dining but was worth it. We were seated right away. I was glad I had the thought to make a reservation. Cora looked around at the whole place. I wonder if she had ever been to a place like this. By the way, she seemed so observant, and I would have guessed she had not.
The waiter gave us both menus. I could see her eyes widen. I didn't know what alarmed her, but I was sure to find out. "Do you want to start with a drink?" the waiter asked. "I will take water and a whisky." Then the man looked at Cora. "Can I please have some water?" The waiter nodded, and I didn't like that his eyes lingered too long on Cora. I shot him a look to get the hell out of here. Once gone, I looked at Cora, who looked nervous, looking at the menu again. "What is it?" "What?" "You look like there is a problem."
Cora bit her lip slightly like she was thinking about what to say, but that little action tightened my pants. How on earth was I supposed to take this slow when she looked like that. How was I supposed to reel myself back in when she bit her plump lip that I wanted to bite myself. "It is just that everything is so expensive." I gave her a smirk. She had no idea that I had endless money. This dinner would not be putting a dent in my fortune. "Cora, it is fine, really. Is that why you just ordered water." She looked around nervously.
"I like water." "Alright, that is fine. Really, don't worry about the cost. Really, it is no problem." She nodded. "Jax, what is good here? I don't know what to order. There is a lot that looks good." "The steak is what they are known for. But they have good seafood too. If you don't mind, I can order for you. If you are not too picky." "I would like that. I like all types of food." I shot her a smile. None of the women I dated ever wanted me to order for them. They also never seemed concerned about spending my money. In fact, Courtney,, reveled in using my money. But Cora didn't know that I was loaded. But even if she had, I don't think she would be a person who went out just to buy things.
The waiter came back and handed Cora her water and me my drinks. I placed the order, and again, he stared at Cora longer than I would have liked. It was starting to grate my nerves. "Is something wrong, Jax?" Cora asked with her grey eyes looking at me with concern. I had to tell myself not to be so territorial. In time, she would know about stuff like that. But now, she just needed to like me. God, this would be much easier if she were a wolf like me. "Nothing, just the waiter." "What about him?" "He keeps looking at you like you know." Cora just shook her head. She really had no idea how appetizing she looked.
"So you said you owned the house I rent. Is that what you do? You are in real estate?" I could tell she was nervous, and I didn't understand why. I mean, this was just a date. I knew humans always went out on dates and were not usually this nervous. "Yeah, I do some real estate. I don't manage the properties; I have someone for that. But my brother and I both own a lot in Hemmings. But what I do every day is own a distillery and run that. The real estate business was more inherited." "You own a distillery. What do you make, Vodka, Gin," She giggled as she said, "Moonshine."
God, that giggle was soft and gentle. "I make whisky." She just nodded. "I don't know much about whisky; I have never tried it. I have smelled it, though, and I don't think I could drink it." I laughed. "It is all about breathing out while you drink it." She nodded. "You keep telling yourself that. I think I will stick to vodka." I held up my hands in surrender. "So you said real estate is your family business. Do your parents own a lot of the town?" "My family actually founded Hemmings. It is named after us."
"Your last name is Hemmings?" I nodded. "I should have asked sooner." She looked embarrassed. "No, it is fine. Really, it is not that big of a deal." She nodded but looked away. "Now you like plants?" She raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, you said at the bar you are studying botany." "Yeah, I love them, actually; I have a mini garden in my room; I could show it to you sometime. I mean, if you like to look at plants." I gave her a smile. "Was that too forward?" She asked nervously and then nibbled on her bottom lip. "No, it was just fine, and yes, I would like to see your plants. Do you have a favorite?"
"I don't think I could just pick one." "Do you have any hobbies?" Cora smiled. "I read a lot. Mostly classics, but sometimes I read history and biography." The food came out, and she smiled at the food before her. We dug in and ate, not talking but focusing on the food. When we finished, she looked super happy. "Okay, Jax, that was so freaking good." "Glad you liked it. Now, do you want dessert?" She just adamantly shook her head, saying no. I shrugged and got the check. We finished, and I knew as we walked out I didn't want this date to end. We had barely gotten to know each other. There was so much more to do. It was still early.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" She nodded at my question. We left the restaurant, and I took her small hand in mine. The sparks shot through me. I saw how her eyes got bigger at the contact. "So you are not a big talker, are you?" "I am sorry, I just." "No need to apologize." I cut her off. "It is just I am new to this." "What do you mean going for a walk?" "No, I mean dating. I don't know what to say, how to act, or even why I am telling you this." She flushed. I knew why she was confiding in me. She trusted me. It came with the fact we were mates. She knew deep down I was trustworthy, at least when it came to her.
"New to dating, you haven't in a while or?" She looked away, and very quietly, she said. "I have never been on a date." I stopped walking and looked right at her. She had never dated anyone. I found that surprising. I mean, why not. It was apparent she was beautiful; men would have lined up for her, so why would she never date. Cora went on. "It is just I grew up kind of in a bubble. My mother didn't condone me dating or really anything that would have me get out of our apartment. So up until recently, I have kind of been living under a rock."
"Well, I am happy to be your first date then." I offered her a smile, and she reciprocated with one that filled her entire face. I knew I would be the only one she dated. It made me even more possessive now that I knew no one else had ever held her heart or her, for a matter of fact. Cora would be only mine. We walked in silence for a bit until she saw a small shop. We were downtown Ashville, and she had stopped in front of a shop. She looked in. I peeked from behind her. It was a crystal and plant shop. "Do you want to go in?" "Yes." She practically squealed.
Upon entering, she started to look at everything. Her eyes got big when she looked at some of the stones. "Do you want anything?" "You don't have to get me anything." "Cora, go on, pick some things out." "Are you sure?" "I am whatever you want." She smiled, picked out a few small stones, and then one plant called her. It was called a turtle vine, a mixture of pink and green leaves. We left, and Cora could not stop smiling. "Thank you so much, Jax. I love them." "You're welcome." She looked at the plant as it was placed in the little bag. "What do you think I should name it?"
I raised my brow. "The plant I name all of my own. I know it is weird, but I do talk to them. Research shows that talking to the plants helps keep them healthy." I couldn't help but smile at her. Who knew my mate would be like this. If someone had told me I had a mate who adored her plants like they were people, I would have never believed it. "I don't know any names for plants." "I was thinking Rosa, I know it is not a rose, but she is blush, and I think it is fitting." "Rosa the turtle vine, I like it." "Me too." She smiled and leaned into me. I couldn't help but be happy.