I glanced at my watch as I stopped at the traffic light. Right on time. I smiled, pleased with myself. Every time I return to Fayoak I have a nice dinner with Red my first night home. Some visits dinner gets cold before we get to it, our hunger for each other too strong to wait. Other visits we’re able to keep our hands to ourselves and explore each other’s bodies as a leisurely dessert. I felt my body harden. If I didn’t get myself under control, we might miss dinner entirely.

I brought my mind back to my plans for the night to distract myself. Tonight was going to be special. I called in a favor or two, and I knew Red would be impressed. I’d gone above and beyond myself with this one. By the time we finished dinner, I’d be the only man Red was thinking of.

My smile faded. I knew Red dated. We talked about her dates and mine. It was only fair. But was Red thinking of other men while I was home? Men like Alexander? Well, if she was, he wasn’t invited, not even as a distant impression in the back of her thoughts. In fact, I planned to do my best to excise him from her mind like the cancer he was. I clenched my jaw, anger threatening to get a hold of me. My claws released and I felt my eyes change, knew my panther was in my gaze.

The Peach’s parking lot wasn’t as full as it had been this morning, and I was able to find a parking space close to the entrance. I parked and took a deep breath to get control over my anger. I wouldn’t get anywhere if I walked in ready for a territorial fight. Besides, Alexander couldn't take me on anyway. He was lucky this fight had to be waged in subtle steps. I was a cat. We excelled at subtle and sneaky.

I stepped out of my truck and closed the door. In a few strides, I was back in The Peach, the wooden door closing behind me. I couldn’t stop myself from snarling at the plants as I walked past them. By the time I stepped into the diner proper I had myself under control. I took a deep breath and relaxed when Alexander’s scent was faint, telling me he hadn’t been here for hours.

I glanced around. Most of the tables were empty, and Red was bent over wiping one down. My body immediately responded as I thought of the night we were about to have, but I had to push back against my reaction. Plans, I reminded myself. I had plans. And if I pounced on her like a horny teenager, they would all go down the drain.

She stood up and glanced over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine. I saw surprise flash across her face.

"Maddox," she said as she walked over to me, a smile lighting her face, "you came back."

"Of course," I said. "I told you I’d pick you up at the end of your shift."

"Let me finish wiping down these tables real quick." She glanced at the clock. "It'll only be a few more minutes."

I nodded and took a seat at the counter. I deliberately turned my back to the room and looked into the kitchen. If I watched Red’s ass wiggle around as she wiped down the tables, I’d be forced to drag her off to the cabin and my dinner plans would be ruined.

I liked looking at Red’s ass, what could I say? Hers was as shapely as they come. And when she bent over, her clothes hugged her curves.

Had she bent over in front of Alexander? Had he ogled her curves? I felt my anger return and had to fight to keep my expression calm.

I studied the kitchen in an effort to distract myself. Sam was nowhere to be seen, so he must already be gone. A conversation with him would have been a welcome distraction. Instead, I watched the cooks bustle around the kitchen. I knew Red, and she’d leave when she was done. She wouldn’t shirk on what she felt was her responsibility.

I glanced over my shoulder as I heard the door to The Peach open.

"I’m here, I’m here," Amber said as she rushed in. She’d grown up in Fayoak like we had, but was a few years younger than my sister, so I only knew her well enough to associate a face with a name.

"Glad you made it," Red said. "And you’re not late yet. I'll stick around until you're ready."

"Thanks so much, Rose," Amber said as she rushed to the back. "You're a lifesaver."

I couldn’t help myself and glanced over my shoulder at Red. With mixed disappointment and relief, I saw she wasn’t bending over anymore and stood in front of one of the tables with customers. Anger still smoldered at the thought that Alexander had ogled her shapely body. Red turned and took a step toward me, and paused. I must not have been as successful at keeping my expression contained as I thought.

Amber came flying out of the back before we had a chance to talk. "I'm ready!"

"Let me clock out and get changed," Red said. She gave me a wary look as she passed.

I nodded, knowing better than to argue. She always insisted on changing before she left The Peach. I didn’t see why. The wait staff all wore white T-shirts with The Peach’s logo on the upper corner, black half-aprons, and tan capris or pants. Take off the apron and it didn’t look like a uniform.

A few minutes later she was back and I smiled, glad that she changed. The flirty dress she wore had a skirt that flared around her legs, ending a bit above her knees. The top was modest with lace half-sleeves.

"I’ve not seen this dress before," I said as I stood up.

She grinned. "I bought it last week. I was thinking about you when I saw it, even though I knew you weren’t supposed to come home for a while."

She twirled around and the skirt flared. She’d let her hair down and the dark red looked like a ruby waterfall against the emerald green of her dress.

"Ready to go?" I asked, eager to see what she thought of my surprise.

"You know I am," she said, her grin even brighter.

I gestured for her to go first and followed behind her. I watched her walk in front of me. I was so enthralled with the view, I forgot to snarl at the plants as we left.

We stepped outside and she headed for my truck.

"Why didn’t you think I’d come get you?" I asked. I wondered about it when I arrived, but I didn’t want to ask the question in front of everyone.

She shrugged, something wary in her gaze. "I dunno."

"Red." She had to know she wasn't fooling me. She had the worst poker face and couldn’t hide what she thought.

"Okay," she said with a huff. "You were so angry when you left, I figured you might not show up. Or something."

"When have I ever not kept my word?" I asked, a little hurt that she’d think that. My annoyance regarding Alexander must have been more obvious than I thought.

She shrugged and gave me an apologetic smile. "Never. I should have listened to myself. I knew I was going out with you tonight, I saw it. But I didn’t actually realize it until now. Why else would I have brought this dress with me today?"

"You should listen to that part of your head more often. She knows what's right." I grinned.

"Yeah, I know," she said, then started to fidget a little. I could tell she was nervous about something. "So, what put that scowl on your face?"

"What scowl?" I asked as I opened the door for her. I lifted her into the truck. It had running boards she could step on, but over the years we got into this habit of me helping her in when she dressed nicely.

Her eyes narrowed. "I’m not buying it, Maddox. I saw your expression when I was talking to Alex. What's the deal?"

I gave her my best innocent expression as I stepped away and shut her door. I hurried around to the driver’s side. She already had her seatbelt on and her door shut when I got in.

"Where are the pansies Abner gave you?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Alex. And they're at The Peach. I left them in the staff room for everyone to enjoy."

"I’m glad we’re in the truck, then," I said as I reached behind her seat. "That way you won’t leave these there, too."

I pulled out the bouquet of snapdragons and watched her eyes widen and her jaw drop. A satisfied smile crossed my face.

"When did you get these?" she asked as she took the flowers from me.

"I have my secrets," I said as I started the truck.

"Maddox, these are beautiful." She admired the bouquet with soft eyes. "Oh, I’ll need to get them in water soon. I want them to last as long as possible!"

"I’ve got it all taken care of," I said smugly.

She gave me a curious look and then smiled. "Of course you do. So, where are we going?"

At times like this, I was thankful for her erratic clairvoyance. It meant I could surprise her. I was sure if she focused, she could see where we were going. Then again, even if she saw it, it would still be a surprise. I had to pull a lot of strings for this one.

I grinned. "You’ll see."

She peppered me with questions as I drove, and anticipation ran through me. I topped myself with this one. There was no way Alexander would ever be able to woo my Red like this.

"Why are we at the Arboretum?" she asked as I pulled into the empty parking lot. "They’re closed. Today’s the day they are only open in the morning."

"Hmmm, I guess you'll just have to trust me," I said. "Come on." I got out of the truck and walked around to her door. She’d opened it and took off her seat belt. As I helped her down, pleasure ran through me with how carefully she clutched the snapdragon bouquet in her arms. I closed the truck door and put my arm around her shoulders.

Happiness coursed through my veins as she cuddled close. I led us to the side door and turned the knob.

"Maddox," she said as she looked at me with suspicion, "what are you doing?"

"Taking you to dinner, what else would I be doing?"

"There’s no restaurant here," she said, "and they’re closed. Are we going to get arrested for trespassing? What are we even going to eat, flowers?"

I chuckled, excited about my surprise. "We have permission to be here. And I don’t think we’ll have to eat the flowers."

I led her through the doors and to the right, into the greenhouse. I flipped the switch that had a piece of blue tape on it. Only a few lights came on, and I knew as the sun went down the Arboretum would ease into a soft glow.

She gasped as she looked around. This was the orchid display, and the delicate flowers were arranged in tiered flower beds around the room. The center area was open and a blanket was carefully laid out with a cooler next to it. A vase with water sat next to the cooler, waiting for her bouquet.

Red turned to me, her eyes shining. I knew I’d gotten it right.

"Maddox," she said softly, "how did you make this happen?"

"It’s our dinner," I said trying to act as if this was nothing special, but I was pleased that all of my efforts had paid off.

She walked over to the blanket and gently placed the flowers into the vase. I followed and opened the cooler. I wanted to put my hands on her, but this dinner wasn’t one we could eat later.

"Sit, I’ll get the food," I told her.

Her eyes lit up in anticipation. "What are we eating?"

I grinned and pulled out the carefully labeled to-go boxes. The stylized logo said Ichiban, the name of our favorite sushi restaurant.

She made a small sound of pleasure, one my body recognized and responded to. When I glanced at her, I saw the knowledge in her eyes of what she did to me.

"We need to eat first," I insisted. It was hard enough to control myself as it was, and if she kept looking at me like that, it would be impossible.

"Sure," she said with a saucy smile. She wasn't going to make this easy on me, was she?

Faster than I planned, I had the food out and we were sharing the sushi. As we started to eat, she asked me about the latest project I finished and what I had planned next. As we talked, I couldn’t help but think how much more I liked talking with her in person. Our nightly phone calls were great, but I missed seeing the light in her eyes as she laughed, or the way she scrunched her eyebrows in thought. I reached out and ran my hand along her arm, and she smiled at me, hitting me in the gut. Then she told me about the various scandals going on in Fayoak, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I was so focused on her, I couldn’t have said what I ate. Something shifted in her gaze, and heat ran through my veins. I carefully held up a piece of sushi and watched her lips as they opened and she took it into her mouth. When she held up a piece for me, I took it from her, licking and nibbling her fingers.

We shared the rest of the meal like that, and as we ate I smelled her arousal grow stronger. It was all I could do to make sure we finished the sushi. By the time we finished dinner, I was so hard I could pound nails.

She looked at me, her eyes shining with desire, but I wanted this to last a little longer. Tonight was one of those nights that I had to savor every single moment with her.

"Ready for dessert?" I asked as I tried desperately to keep myself from pouncing on her right then and there.

"I'm so ready," she replied, her voice husky. "I've missed you, Maddox."

I bit back a groan. The things that sweet voice could do to me. It was never easy for me to control myself when I had her alone, but today was worse than usual. I wanted more. I needed more.

"Chocolate first," I forced myself to say, my voice thick.

I reached into the cooler to take out the small box. The delicate confections came from a family-run specialty shop. They were the best chocolates I’d ever had, and I knew Red loved them.

Her mouth opened and I held up a piece. As she took it, her lips closed over my fingers. She sucked on them as I let go of the chocolate and left it in her mouth. I reached for another piece, but the next thing I knew, she was on my lap and straddled my legs. She pressed a hard kiss to my lips as she ground herself against me. Her heat was so close that I couldn’t resist thrusting up to meet her. She moaned into my lips.

That was all it took to break what little control I had left. I gripped her hair and tilted her head back to give her a hot, open-mouthed kiss. Her natural sweetness was only enhanced by the rich chocolate on her tongue. Her response was as fierce as mine. Our tongues battled against each other, as if we were trying to prove who missed the other the most.

She pushed back on my shoulders and I laid down, with her on top of me. My hands ran up her legs, reaching her panties. I released a claw and carefully cut away the offending fabric and tossed it aside.

"Maddox," she protested, "you have to stop destroying my underwear."

"You could stop wearing them," I said as I slid my finger inside her. She was hot and wet, ready for me. I couldn’t wait a second longer. The look in her eyes told me she didn't want me to, either. I reached down and freed myself from my pants, her hot core waiting for me.

As I slid into her, I thought, I’m home.