The Bounty Hunter's Mate

Dinner

LUKE POV

I could tell that Lexi was angry with me when she walked through the door but, to my surprise, she said nothing. I was even more surprised when she asked one of the Omegas to lead her to the Luna Suite so she could get ready for dinner. Hagrid watched her go with Susan and then turned to me.

“Gonna have to have some patience.”

I didn’t say anything but appreciated his insight. It wasn’t news to me, though.

Hagrid wandered off, hopefully to shower and change for dinner and I walked into the kitchen to check on the progress of dinner. I had asked the staff to make chicken piccata, which I’m assuming is one of her favorites. I had my IT guy, Louis, hack into her credit card statements and do a little digging. Looks like she orders it fairly frequently, usually to be delivered to her apartment. My kitchen smelled divine and the cook, Eloise, was putting the finishing touches on a salad that could have stood alone as a meal, it was so full of different flavors. Her famous balsamic dressing was to the side and bread was warming in the oven, butter dripping over the crust. It looked perfect.

I headed up to my suite and closed the door to my room. My bathroom adjoined her bathroom and, through the wall, could hear that she was in the shower. I smiled a little at the thought of my mate in the room next to me. My wolf stirred, hungry for her. Patience, I whispered to him. She needs time.

I showered and put on a black pair of pants with a black shirt, adding a thin blue tie. I checked the mirror and knew that I looked good. I was hoping she would think so. My wolf was mocking me in the back of my mind. You’re acting like a teenager going out on your first date.

I opened my door at the same time that she opened her door and we met in the hallway. I wondered if it was accidental or if she had planned it. She was wearing a simple emerald green sundress that matched her eyes, square cut across the bust and spaghetti straps that crossed and recrossed in the back. Her dark hair looked even darker because of whatever she put in it to be able to pull it up in a sleek updo with a few curls escaping to frame her face. She was wearing black ballet flats that looked comfortable. I wondered why she didn’t wear heels but then realized she probably didn’t own any as she was so tall. Well, I was taller and her bodyguard was a literal giant. She would be fine tonight.

She smiled shyly at me and I offered her my arm. Together we walked down the stairs to the main hallway, not speaking. I liked that she didn’t try to fill the space with noise. I just liked being with her.

We met Hagrid in the hallway and I just stared. He had cleaned up his hair and somehow gotten it cut in the time it took me to shower. He was wearing a formal suit with a white rose in the buttonhole and a hankie square tucked into the pocket. He looked pretty dashing. Lexi started laughing so hard that she had to bend over double.

“What’s so funny?” I was genuinely perplexed. I didn’t see what was so humorous about the man making a huge effort to dress for dinner.

“Lex, don’t you dare!” Hagrid was gruff with Lexi and now I really didn’t understand. She stood up, gasping for air and waved her hand, muttering something under her breath between giggles. The Glamour dropped off Hagrid and he stood before me, looking exactly like he looked before I went upstairs to change, except that he now had a huge coffee stain down the front of his shirt. He looked sheepish.

“I only had one other set of clothes.”

“You over did it with the hairdo,” Lexi told him, waving her hand again and muttering a few more words. Hagrid now stood before me in clean khakis and a polo shirt, hair slicked back into a ponytail.

“Are you using the Glamour, too?” I looked at Lexi and she threw a mock punch to my shoulder.

“As if!” We all laughed and, for a moment, I could tell she forgot she was mad at me.

She forgot again when she saw what was for dinner. “Oooh! I love chicken piccata!” I glanced over at Hagrid who winked at me, knowing that I somehow figured that out beforehand. We took a minute to appreciate the good food that was in front of us and then Hagrid started telling us a story about something that happened to him when he was wandering around in Italy. I think it had a chicken in the story but the chicken was alive and I couldn’t understand him very well. He ate with his mouth full and he laughed while he was talking but Lexi didn’t seem to mind. I realized how kind she was when she laughed with Hagrid at his story but shrugged her shoulders at me when I asked her what he said. She didn’t understand him either.

Lexi told me about the chicken piccata that Nigel brought her after his shift was over to bribe her into introducing him to Hagrid. Lexi was pretty protective of her friend and bodyguard and I was glad to see that he was equally invested in that relationship. When Eloise brought out the dessert, flan with raspberries, Lexi gave her a genuine smile.

“Miss Eloise, the food was fantastic! You should have your own restaurant. I haven’t had a better chicken piccata ever and I’ve had a lot of them!”

Eloise blushed with the compliment. “Thank you, Luna. I look forward to making you many more meals.”

We all stilled, waiting for Lexi’s reaction. “I look forward to eating all the delicious foods you will make” was all that she said. Eloise left, not noticing the tension in the room.

After dinner I offered my arm to Lexi. “Will you walk with me? I want to show you something.”

She looked at me and lowered her eyes. “Sure,” she said. Hagrid grunted and pushed back from the table, standing up.

“Hey, man. Do you mind if it’s just us tonight? I’ll keep her safe. I asked my men to run an extra patrol tonight, just in case.” I wasn’t going to fight him if he wanted to come with us, but I was hoping he would let us have a bit of time on our own. It would be hard to woo my mate with a large giant hanging around.

“Yeah, man. I’m going to head up to my room and watch some TV. You guys have HBO Max. Pretty snazzy.” I gave him a grateful smile and he winked back. Lexi caught us.

“I feel like you are conspiring against me.” She didn’t seem angry, though.

I led her to the back of the house, stopping by a coat closet on the way. I selected a jacket for myself and pulled out my long fur coat to put around her. It was too big but it would keep her warm and that was all that mattered. I led her out on to the back patio and across the backyard, away from the lights that illuminated the swimming pool and expansive grassy area. We entered the woods and I walked with her along the trail through the trees, knowing this path by heart. I’ve been down this way hundreds of times, each time wishing I had someone to walk this with. Tonight I did.