“Lots of time.” He was nodding in agreement now.
“Right. You have to be fair. Give each girl their turn. Three months exclusive dating for each one. And that’s just for the first round. Then you eliminate one girl from contention and date the remaining two more seriously. Say, another three months. That’s a year of dating altogether. By then, you should know if you’re meant to be mates… or not.”
“A year.” It seemed impossibly long to put up this charade, and at the same time, far too little time left in his life as alpha of the River pack. But it would give him enough time to get some major operations underway—and get the pack headed in the right direction. Not to mention get his brothers ready to carry on the pack duties without him. “I can work with a year.”
She smiled. “Great!”
“There’s only one problem.”
Her face clouded. “What’s that?”
He winced as he saw the hole in the plan. “There’s this idea among shifters that finding your mate is a love-at-first-sight kind of thing.”
“Really?” Her nose scrunched up. “A little archaic, don’t you think?”
“Not really,” he admitted. “It has to do with your inner wolves knowing when they meet their mates. There’s an instant attraction. Something powerful, almost undeniable sometimes. It’s part of the magic.”
She frowned. “And you’ve already met these girls?”
“Oh yeah.” He sighed. “Our packs have been working together for a while.”
“And no instant sparks? No choirs of angels opening up the heavens?” She gestured wide with her hands.
He shook his head.
“No wonder you don’t want to rush into this mating thing.” She nodded like it was all becoming clear to her. But then she waved that away. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll just put it in the statement that your wolf is equally smitten with all three—that’s why you’re taking the unusual human step of actually dating the women you’re going to potentially marry, er, mate with.”
His eyebrows lifted again. “Actually, that’s kind of brilliant.”
“Kind of?” she scoffed. “It’s a wonder you guys got along without me here for so long.”
He smiled wide. “Truly.”
“Okay, you need to get started right away.” She twirled her fingers at him. “Get me set up with a desk. I’ll need a computer, names, and contact information. Before you know it, I’ll have a dating schedule set up and a statement for you to give.”
He rose up from his seat. “Yes, Ma’am.” He smiled all the way to his office.
A year. A year to keep the mating pressures at bay, from both the other packs and his own. Twelve months to get some key operations under way and lay plans for the future of Riverwise without him. And three-hundred-and-sixty-five days of having Olivia Lilyfield in his office with her soft skin and sharp mind.
This was going to work out even better than he thought.
Jaxson stared into the eyes of the red-haired beauty across the table from him.
Her name was Morrigan, she was the daughter of the alpha of the Northern pack, and she had an MBA from Northwestern and a body to die for. Only she really would die if Jaxson claimed her for his mate. But she didn’t know that—couldn’t know that—and with the sizzling hot looks she was sending over the oyster appetizers, he was pretty sure she was picturing them in bed at this exact moment. Her eyes were half-lidded and kept roaming his body. She was probably imagining the best orgasm of her life—which was no doubt what a normal mating would be.
Jaxson sighed and waved over the waiter. “Another please.” He held up his club soda.
“Of course, sir.” The tuxedoed waiter slipped away.
“Wouldn’t you like something a little stronger?” Morrigan asked, raising her glass of red wine.
“Have to work tomorrow.” He gestured to the crimson liquid. “How’s your Merlot?”
“Delicious.” She took a long, luxurious sip, probably thinking it was sexy—all it did was remind Jaxson he’d rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else.
The Café Mer had a glittering view of the bay and was one of the fanciest restaurants in Seattle—the perfect first-date spot for someone serious about finding a mate. At least, that’s what Olivia said when she made the reservation two days ago. Riverwise’s clients frequented places like this, but Jaxson didn’t have much use for the extravagance. However, Olivia was determined to make the ruse convincing, and he had to agree the setting was beautiful—brass fixtures, polished wooden floors, artistic lighting that complemented the cityscape below.