Part Forty-Eight

I opened the bedroom door just as Sierra stepped out of the dressing room. She looked me up and down and I looked down at my jeans and boots and sat down on the bed.

“Where are you going?” I asked her.

“Griffin,” she said and narrowed her eyes at me.

“I’m kidding! Give me ten minutes,” I said to her as I headed to the bathroom and put the shower on.

I showered and pulled on dress pants and shoes with a shirt and a jacket. Sierra crossed her arms over her chest and pointed her finger towards the dressing room. I sighed and grabbed a tie, she stood next to me and smiled as I put it on.

“Better?” I asked her.

“Slightly,” she said and laughed as I kissed her neck.

“Stop trying to seduce me, we have a reservation,” I said to her and hurried out of the dressing room as she tried to slap me on the back.

“Now I understand your mother’s need for a taser,” she said and laughed at the horrified look on my face.

I took her hand and kissed it lightly before leading her out of our room. I haven’t been able to move into the Alpha room and the room still had both of their stuff in it. I hoped they were watching me tonight, finally doing the right thing, finally stepping into the Alpha shoes.

“Where are we going?” Sierra asked me.

“The diner,” I said and she laughed as I smiled at her.

“Be serious Griff,” she said.

“That Japanese place you’ve told me about a thousand times that you want to eat at,” I said and she grabbed my arm.

“I love you!” she said excitedly.

“I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet,” I said as she smiled.

We got to the restaurant and she instinctively pulled her coat tighter around her as we climbed out of my car. I put my arm around her shoulders and opened the restaurant door for her. Inside it was warm, the atmosphere was lively and everyone walked around with smiles on their faces.

“Woods,” I said to the woman smiling at us.

“Right this way,” she said and grabbed two menus.

We followed her to our table and Sierra smiled when I pulled her chair out for her. I glared at a few men that were looking at her but she didn’t even notice as she perused the wine list. I ordered scotch on the rocks and a bottle of wine for Sierra.

“You look really beautiful tonight,” I said to her when our drinks arrived.

“Thank you,” she said with a genuine smile.

“How did I get so lucky?” I asked her.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she said and lowered her gaze to the table.

“I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you,” I said to her just as the waitress returned.

Sierra blushed slightly as the waitress wrote down our appetizer order and I cleared my throat when she left. I felt nervous suddenly, the small box poking a hole against my ribs where it lay nestled in the inside pocket of my jacket.

I looked around at the crowd and spotted Jett hiding behind a menu at a table in the back. I shook my head as I smiled and looked away from him. I looked at Sierra and the slight smile on her lips told me that she was waiting for me to ask her.

“So…” I began as her smile widened.

“Yes?”

“I just noticed Jett at the back of the restaurant,” I said to her.

“And now you don’t want to ask me because Jett’s going to make a scene,” she said.

“You know he’s going to completely ruin this moment,” I said as she laughed softly.

“He means well,” she said.

“I know, I love him but fuck sakes he’s infuriating sometimes,” I said.

“Griff, you can ask me whenever you want to, it doesn’t have to be here or even tonight, he just wants to share in your happiness,” she said.

“What if I just slide the ring over to you and if you put it on I know it’s yes and if you don’t well then this tie was really overrated,” I said as she laughed.

“Fine, hand it over,” she said and held out her hand.

I slid the little box from my pocket and placed it in her hand. Her fingers curled over the box and she opened it on her lap. She looked up at me and then back at the ring.

“Griff, you pulled me from that lake, not knowing who I was to you, looked after me, fought my case, believed in me when I had nobody and nothing. Even after I rejected you, you were still there for me, fighting in my corner, you waged war on the Hastings for me, how could I ever say no to you?”

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” I said, “but I believe I was supposed to be the one that gave a speech.”

“Yes, Griff, the answer will always be yes,” she said and raised her hand wearing my ring.

The rest of dinner was quite peaceful as we glanced at each other and kept smiling and I noticed that Jett was looking at us a few times, waiting for me to go down on one knee. I laughed internally that this wasn’t going to happen.

“Oh hey Jett,” I said as we stopped next to his table and I looked at the girl sitting across from him.

“Griff, what a nice surprise,” he said.

“Were you spying on us?” I asked him.

“What? No! I’m on a date,” he said and motioned his hand towards the girl.

“He was spying on you,” she said and I laughed as I looked at her.

“I like her already,” I said to Sierra.

“Geez thanks Tanith,” Jett muttered.

“We’re headed back to the house, you should bring Tanith by so we can all meet your bonded half properly,” Sierra said and smiled at the girl.

“Enjoy your ‘date’ Jett,” I said as we turned and Sierra lifted her hand in a wave.

“Is that a ring?” Jett yelled but I kept walking as Sierra laughed.

“Wait! Griffin! How did I miss it?” he kept yelling.

“Will you shut up, everybody’s looking at us!” Tanith said as we exited the restaurant.

I was still chuckling when we reached my car and sped towards the house. The heater was blasting warm air into the car for Sierra and by the time we reached the house it had started to snow lightly. Kane was sitting on the porch waiting for us and he rubbed himself against her as soon as she climbed out of the car.

Kane was not happy at finding himself locked out of my room when I closed the door in his face and threw Sierra on the bed. She got up on her knees and gave me that smile that I knew meant she was going to give me shit about something.

“Did you lock the door?” she asked me.

“No, why?”

“Because Jett’s probably on his way back and we both know he’ll barge in here the moment he arrives,” she said.

“Damnit,” I said and stood up to lock the door.

Sierra was in the dressing room putting her pajamas on and I looked at her with a frown as she pulled the fuzzy fleece pajama top over her head. What did I miss? Why was she putting on pajamas when we were about to celebrate?

“Uhm why are you putting pajamas on?” I asked her.

“This is what I normally sleep in,” she said.

“Who said anything about sleep?” I asked her.

“According to nymph tradition, once a woman gets engaged to her bonded half, they refrain from intimacy until the wedding night,” she said looking at me seriously.

“Are you being serious right now?” I asked her.

“Of course I am, why would I make something like that up?” she asked.

“Give me back the ring,” I said as she clenched her fist.

“No, I like it,” she said and shrieked loudly as I jumped on the bed and tried to force here hand open.

“Fine, we’re doing the ceremony tomorrow,” I said to her.

“What? No! It takes months to arrange the ceremony properly,” she said.

I was mumbling under my breath as I took my clothes off and climbed into the bed next to her. I lay down on my side and pressed myself against her. She moved against me slightly as I gritted my teeth when she burst out laughing.

“You’re fucking with me aren’t you?” I asked her.

“Of course I am,” she whispered and tried to push me away as I rolled on top of her and pinned her down beneath me.

“Griffin!” Jett’s voice sounded from the other side of the door.

“Don’t even breathe,” I whispered to Sierra as she tried not to laugh.

“I can hear your heart beating brother, come on open the door!” he said and tried the handle again.

“Go away Jett!” I said loudly when he knocked again.

“Can’t I just say congratulations?” he asked.

“You just did, now piss off!” I yelled.

“You’re so mean!” he complained.

“Jett! If I have to get out of this bed I’m killing you!” I threatened him.

“The upside is you’ll have to open the door for that,” he said and laughed, “I won’t even open my eyes or anything, I just want to see the ring.”

I rolled off Sierra and she started taking her clothes off slowly and I froze as I stood next to the bed watching her. She had that devious smile on her face, torturing me as she pulled her pajama bottoms down revealing that she wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“If you don’t get back into this bed right now, I’ll go open that door and then Jett might as well just watch,” she said to me. She smiled in victory as I pulled my boxers off and climbed back on the bed grabbing her.

“Wait, what?” Jett said.