“Now, I told her that if she couldn’t work with you, then I would fire you.”
Caz jumped up out of his seat. “You’re going to fire me?”
“No, you idiot. Just listen. I just told her that and you should have seen her face. She told me I couldn’t fire you and she would get along with you and make sure she worked with you. But I also told her to try and get to know you, that the mating pull wasn’t as strong with her as it was with you and that happens sometime. I talked her into getting to know you so if I were you, I would try to go on some dates with her.”
Caz got up and paced again. “So, I just need to ask her out and take her to dinner. That’s what you’re saying, right?”
“Exactly. Give her some time. It doesn’t always happen as fast as it did with you. Give her some time. Are you listening to me, Caz?”
Stopping, he ran his fingers through his hair. “Sure, I can do that. I can take her out.” Caz stood in front of his alpha. “But what if she doesn’t like me? What if I’m mistaken? What if she decides that—”
Slamming his hand against his head, Lennox screamed, “Please tell me I wasn’t this pathetic. Tiger up, Caz. Look at me and tell me the moment you smelled Raven your whole body didn’t go haywire and you just had to touch her. The only thing you can think about is her. And all you want to do is make sure she is safe.”
Cosmo and Leo both watched Caz as he thought about it. “It’s driving me crazy. I need her to be near me or I think I may rip something apart. I dream of her. Every time she walks in a room, she smells like hot spices and rum.”
Lennox glanced at Cosmo and nodded. “Yeah, she’s your mate, but she really smells like rum?”
“I love rum and I love spicy food. And I love that woman. Even though she drives me crazy and drives me to want to drink rum until I puke,” Caz said, still pacing.
“Interesting. Okay then, we have a plan. Take her on dates, find out what she likes and buy it for her. Tell her how pretty she is—”
“But she is pretty and beautiful. She smells wonderful and—”
The alpha and his beta stood. Lennox begged Cosmo as they walked off, “Please tell me I wasn’t like that. Please?”
“Unfortunately.” Cosmo held his hands up in surrender. “Hey…you asked.”
Caz continued to tread a hole in the floor, and Leo just watched him.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Caz stopped and stared at Leo who had his hands behind his head and his feet up.
Leo smiled. “This is great. I can’t wait until y’all mate and I get to torture my sister with how you were acting. She’s the best sparring partner and this time she will try to rip my head off. It’s great to practice with a predator who would rather kill you than listen to you and that's my sister.”
Caz glared at him. “That’s your sister. You idiot.”
“Have you met my sister?”
Blowing a deep breath, Caz sat beside Leo. “Yeah, I have, and this is going to be so difficult. You know she’s going to say no.”
“Well, you don’t know that until you ask. I’m going to throw you a bone. My sister loves movies, especially the dramatic ones. You know where you cry at the end and someone always dies. Buy pizza and chocolate ice cream and then pick out a movie and tell her that you want to have dinner with her and watch a movie, with chocolate ice cream. I will make sure nobody is in the house tonight so you two will be alone. Don’t push her to make a decision and whatever you do...don’t talk during the movie and ask her questions. Got it?”
“Got it...I think, but what if—”
“You are so pathetic.” Leo huffed, and walked off. Now he had to find Raven. He got up then sat back down. What was wrong with him? He was a tiger, an alpha male. You are such a wuss right now. Just go ask. But Leo said Raven liked to fight and she could easily take his head off.
Caz got up and went in search of his mate. He patted his hair down. Maybe he would still have it after he found her.
Raven looked up from the kitchen cabinet as the scent of peaches floated inside her nose. Caz stood at the entrance, just staring at her. She looked down at the sandwich she was making. “I guess you want one too?”
Caz cleared his throat and walked in. “That would be great, but only if you want to. I can make it.”
Clearly something was very wrong with this situation. Caz Milton was a tiger, a big fat head tiger. And, of course, he wanted her to make him a sandwich. He was just like the lions who only sat around on their butts and made the females wait on them. But today, something was different.
She pulled another hoagie roll out of the bag and started putting all the different types of meat on it. Caz cleared his throat again. “I was thinking that tomorrow we could watch a movie and I could cook dinner for you. I was going to make a pizza and then just have some chocolate ice cream.” When he glanced up at her and found her staring, she could see the panic in his face and eyes.
Hmm, he knew she loved pizza and chocolate ice cream. “What kind of movie?”
“You pick. I do like dramas though, but it really doesn’t matter to me,” Caz said, sitting at the table.
“Boy, if you think for a moment I don’t know my brother put you up to this, then you’re crazy.”
“I’m not a boy and I am crazy...about you. So, do you want to eat pizza and watch a movie with me tomorrow?”
“With chocolate ice cream?”
Nodding, he smiled. “As much as you want.”
“Okay.”
“Really? You will?” The man looked shocked, and she liked that. It kept him on his toes.
“Why not, but I pick the movie.”
“Of course.”
Sliding the plate across the table to him, Raven sat and bit into her sandwich. She carefully watched as Caz picked up his and moaned as he chomped into the sandwich. “This is delicious.”
“Thanks.”
They didn’t talk as they ate until she finished and put her plate in the dishwasher. He said, “I’m sorry about today. I should have found a better way to tell you.”
“What other way was there? But just so you know, I don’t feel the pull like you do, and yes, I know that it may take some time. That’s the only reason I’m going to eat dinner with you. Just to see.”
Smiling, he got up and walked around the table and put his plate in the dishwasher. “Fair enough. Thank you for the sandwich.” He shocked her when he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
She watched as he walked out of the kitchen. The scent of peaches still lingered in the air and her face tingled where he had kissed her. What if he was her mate? Jeez, she was in serious trouble.
Chapter Twelve
Looking at the ingredients on his list, Caz decided to get the good kind of cheese, but he didn’t know which kind she liked, so he got them all. He loved this little grocery store; it had everything. Every cheese known to mankind, this store had it. He had heard that the owner, Mr. Lutz, was going to let his granddaughter Luna take over. She lived in Arizona and had already been working in her parents’ store since she could walk.