It seemed like a baby step to him. Today, get her attention when it came to nearly bumping into her as he burst through the front door. Tomorrow, maybe he could tell her the drink was good and ask for a second recommendation.
Whatever it took.
Only it seemed as if someone was looking out for him.
Instead of asking for Maddox’s payment, the female barista automatically put in Evangeline’s; as a frequent customer, it seemed as if the coffee shop had hers stored.
That wasn’t part of the plan. Coming up with a reason to talk to her, that was what this was about, not scamming her out of six dollars.
While waiting for his drink to be made, he pulled his phone out. “Let me repay you. I’ll send it straight to your account.”
Evangeline waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. My treat.”
It struck him then. Be sneaky. Be smart.
Be ruthless.
His eyes brightened behind his shades. If she could’ve seen their glowing depths, he had no doubt Evangeline would’ve dropped her coffee and dashed straight for the door. “Then let me repay the favor instead. You come here often?”
“Now and then.”
She was hesitant. He didn’t blame her. That would change eventually, but for now… “I’ll be here tomorrow. Same time, okay? If I see you, I’ll get your coffee, then we’ll be square.”
It wasn’t about paying her back, not really; once Evangeline was his mate for real, Maddox would give her everything he had without her even asking for it. But he thought he had a good handle on this woman by now. She wouldn’t want him to be bothered by being in her debt.
“My lunch break starts at one,” she said with a shrug. She was smiling, though, and that smile? It nearly brought Maddox to his knees. “I can be here by ten after.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
5
They met for coffee the next day, just like they agreed. It was a Friday, and staying away from Evangeline—well, staying out of her sight, was more like it—during the weekend that followed was hell on Maddox.
He beat her to the coffee shop on Monday. Fuck baby steps, he decided when his aching cock kept him up all Sunday night. He needed to see her, talk to her, scent her. And when Evangeline’s forest green eyes lit up when she found him sitting at the same table they used on Friday, his heart nearly stopped.
They met every day that week for coffee. On Friday, Maddox invited her out to dinner on Saturday night. Evangeline accepted.
By Sunday, they were dating.
He took it slow because he knew he had to. She was still skittish, and even when she eventually referred to herself as his girlfriend, Maddox knew that she had no clue that she was so much more than that. Apart from stolen kisses that led to some pretty heavy petting, they never went any further—and Maddox was just happy to be allowed to hold her close.
Mating, he realized, could wait until she actually knew she was his mate. Besides, his cock might be impatient, and his wolf desperate to claim, but Maddox had grown to learn a lot about his Evangeline. Pushing her before she was ready would be the quickest way to sever their fledgling bond.
His wolf understood. Except for the few times he let loose in the forest, running off the edge of his impatience and his unending sexual hunger for her, his wolf allowed itself to stay tightly under Maddox’s control. Like the man, it understood what they could lose if Evangeline chose to walk away from them both.
Once he held his shift in check, every part of him committed to playing a part, Maddox gave up on the sunglasses when they were indoors, letting Evangeline see the affection he felt for her in the depths of his golden gaze. Outside, he’d never be able to hide the way they shifted in the direct light, but he figured he was safe inside.
And he was. Evangeline told him his eyes were gorgeous the first time she saw them. That was all. If she recognized them as a shifter’s eyes, she never said, and Maddox patted himself on the back for continuing to fool her.
Until one evening.
It was their two month anniversary, counting from the day Evangeline “accidentally” bought his coffee. They had been exclusive from that day—Maddox made sure of it on both of their ends—until their coupledom was just an accepted fact of life.
He knew he was being pushier than he should’ve been, his human act failing at times, and maybe his possessive nature needed to be checked once or twice where Evangeline was involved, but she was happy and, in turn, that made him ecstatic.
They were walking along a busy row of shops in Wolf’s Creek, the Para-human town where Maddox had his home. To Colton’s relief, once Maddox and Evangeline got together, they spent their time between Maddox’s rustic home and Evangeline’s cozy place. Within the first few weeks of making it official, she had him coded to her wards. Desperate to add another layer of protection for his mate, Maddox hired Cilla to set up a set of wards on his house.
Everything was going smoothly. He took her out to eat, choosing a strictly human place so that he didn’t risk running into a packmate, just in case. Even though Colt thought his brother was being ridiculous, he passed along Maddox’s message that—until Evangeline was fully bonded and claimed—he didn’t want any of his packmates interfering with his courtship.