By the end of dinner, Seth had devoured a whole large pizza and half of another. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. “That was really good. I think I’m going to go play some video games.”

“Don’t stay up too late. You have school tomorrow,” said Audrey. She was shaking her head, wondering where he put all the food he ate.

“You just had to ruin my night,” groaned Seth. “Can’t I just stay home sick tomorrow?”

Audrey smiled. “Sure.”

Seth grinned. “Yes!” He did a fist pump.

“But if you don’t go to school tomorrow, you’re obviously too sick to go anywhere this weekend.”

His face fell. “You’re joking?”

Audrey raised an eyebrow. “Do I sound like I’m joking?”

“Fine. I’ll go to school tomorrow.” He got up. “And I’ll put my cup in the sink. You play dirty. Just thought I should let you know.” He grabbed the cup and disappeared into the kitchen.

Forrest chuckled. “How did you do that?”

“Years of practice. Plus, he will have a list of chores to do, which includes cleaning his room, when he returns home Saturday from his overnight stay at his friend’s house.” Audrey smiled. She quickly covered her mouth to hide the yawn that snuck up on her. “Sorry about that. It’s not the company.”

“You’ve had a long and eventful day.”

She nodded. “And tomorrow’s going to be longer. I have several files that have to be transcribed and submitted tomorrow.” She saw the puzzled look on Forrest’s face. “I’m a medical transcriptionist. I transcribe audio notes. The best part is that I work from home so my commute time is from the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and then to my office.”

“You have a shorter commute than I do. Why did you choose that profession?” asked Forrest.

“When Seth was little, I didn’t want to leave him with anyone because I didn’t know who I could trust. So I had to find something that I could do from home, make my own hours, and paid well. I happened to have a friend from college who worked part time doing medical transcription. She was working towards a medical degree. Anyway, I contacted her and she hooked me up with everything I needed to get started.”

The gears in Forrest’s head were already turning. His home office would be perfect for her. It had a great view of the woods. He just needed to find out exactly what it would take to set it up for her. As soon as he could, he would get a peek at her current office, but for now, she needed to get some rest. It was difficult, but he was going to honor her request of time so she could get to know him. “Would you have dinner with me tomorrow evening?”

“I can’t exactly leave Seth alone. I know he’s old enough, but…”

“But tomorrow’s Friday, and I’m supposed to go over to Teddy’s house for a sleepover,” interrupted Seth. “That is if I’m not grounded.”

Audrey turned and looked at Seth. “Aren’t you supposed to be in your room playing video games?”

“I decided to get a soda.”

“We are going to have to have a talk about listening to other people’s conversations.” She knew Seth had been listening earlier when she was telling Forrest about his parents.

“I know I shouldn’t have been listening, but you should go out with Forrest. If I’m at Teddy’s house, then you don’t have to worry about me.”

“So Seth is going to a friend’s house, that leaves you free for dinner.” Forrest grinned at her.

Audrey shook her head. “You look like a kid who’s just been told he can have all the candy in the candy store.” She looked at both of them. Those two were going to keep her on her toes.

“What I’ve been given is way better than candy, and definitely sweeter.” Forrest waggled his eyebrows at her.

“I was making it easier for you, and you just had to go and ruin it with that sappy stuff.” Seth shook his head and walked away. “Let me know if I can go to Teddy’s or not,” he hollered as he disappeared in the direction of his room.

“Looks like I’m going to dinner with you tomorrow,” said Audrey. “I don’t do the fancy dress up stuff. I’m more of a jeans or leggings and t-shirt kind of girl. I prefer comfort over fashion.”

“Good. I’m more of a jeans person too. Though I’m not much into leggings for myself, I think they’ll be really cute on you. How about I pick you up around 5:30 tomorrow?”

Audrey nodded. “That would be good.” She stood up and started stacking the empty boxes while Forrest put the leftover pizza into one box. This was her first date in years, and it was with her mate. She was at a loss for words at that moment.

“Don’t worry about the trash. I’ll take it out when I leave.” He picked up the box with all the pizza. “Put this in the refrigerator for Seth. It’ll give him something to snack on.”

Audrey snorted. “Between midnight snacking and breakfast, it wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t eat everything that’s left.”

Forrest chuckled. “It wouldn’t surprise me either. Just wait until he starts shifting more often. He’s really going to eat then.”

Audrey’s eyes briefly widened before she closed them and groaned. “You’re telling me he’s going to eat more than he already does?” She looked at Forrest. “I’m going to have to get a second job just to pay for Seth’s food.”

Forrest pulled her into his arms. The last thing he meant to do was add more stress to her already stressful life. He admired her determination to create a home for Seth without the support of her family…without anyone helping her. “You won’t have to do anything you don’t want to because I will be here to take care of you and Seth. You are mine. I love your strength and courage. But you are not alone anymore. You have me.” He brought his lips to her.

The kiss was gentle but the burning heat of desire exploded between them. Forrest’s kiss grew more demanding. Audrey kissed him back, matching his intensity and desire.

Forrest felt the fire between them grow stronger. He broke the kiss leaving them both gasping for air. He rested his forehead against Audrey’s. He regretted breaking the kiss, but Forrest knew if he hadn’t, the fire between them would have flared into a raging inferno in a second or two.

“Will it always be like this between us?” asked Audrey.

“Yes.”

Audrey licked her lips. “Why did you stop?”

Forrest smiled. He could hear the innocence in her voice. “Because the fire between us would have raged out of control, and we would have done much more than just kiss. I promised you I would give you time to get to know me.”

Audrey nodded but didn’t say anything. She was torn between wanting to get to know him and dragging him to her bedroom. It was mind blowing how fast her thoughts about sex were changing even with her lack of experience.

“You need to get some rest, which means I need to go.” Forrest kissed her forehead and stepped away from her. He pulled out his cell phone. “What’s your number?”

Audrey didn’t like people making choices for her, but in this case she knew Forrest was right. She was tired and she needed sleep more than anything else. They had just met. They had the rest of their lives to love each other. She smiled at the thought of loving Forrest for the rest of her life as she gave him her phone number.

Forrest put the number into his cell phone. When he finished, he looked at her. “Where’s your phone?”

“It’s in the living room.”

“Go get it.”

Audrey nodded and left to retrieve her phone. She unlocked it and handed it to Forrest when she returned to the dining room.

Forrest added his name and phone number to her contacts. “If you need me…day or night…call me. I will be here as fast as I can,” he said as he handed the phone back to her. “Promise. If you need me, you will call me.”

“I promise,” said Audrey. She took the phone and put it in her back pocket.

“Are the windows and doors locked?”

Audrey nodded. “I keep them locked and I’ve drilled it into Seth to lock doors behind him.”

Forrest nodded. “I’m going to go. I will pick you up tomorrow at 5:30 for dinner.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Lock the door behind me.” He took her hand in his and led her to the front door. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Remember, if you need anything, call me. I don’t care what time it is or what you need me for. Call.”

Audrey smiled. “I will call you if something happens. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Lock the door.” Forrest left before he changed his mind. His bear growled in protest, not understanding why they were leaving their mate. Forrest waited on the front porch until he heard the locks click in place. As soon as he did he got into his truck and pushed the start button.

He backed out of the driveway and drove to the end of the street. He stopped. The urge to go back was strong. His bear surged forth, but Forrest clamped down and stopped the animal before it ripped out of him and went back to their mate.

Tomorrow couldn’t get there soon enough, he thought as he drove home alone.