I could tell Lee was already there the moment I walked in. His snowy woods scent practically overpowered me, along with that low, deep undertone that was undeniably alpha. 

He snapped his head up as the wind pushed cool night air in behind me, carrying my scent to him. He stood and I walked over to meet him. 

My hands were shaking. What now? "Have you ordered yet?" I was stalling, but what do you say to the person you don't know but you're going to spend the rest of your life with?

"Not yet, I was waiting for you. Do you know what you want?"

"Just tea," I said. "Rooibos." The last thing I needed right now was caffeine amping me up even more.

"I'll grab it, you sit." He didn't say it as a command, but I sat as fast as I could. My wolf was eager to please him. He was back quickly, a steaming cup of dark liquid for himself and my tea steeping in the mug. 

"What's your poison?" I asked.

"Black coffee. Just the house blend."

I wondered if that was his normal choice or if he'd chosen the drink that would take the least time to prepare.

"So..." I said.

"So..." he copied me with a smile.

"What's the deal with you and the cat?" he asked after taking a sip of his coffee.

"Sorin?" 

He shrugged as if he couldn't care less what his name was and I couldn't help but smile at the small sign of jealousy. 

"It's a crazy story, but the short of it is that I had planned to move back home to the country today, but I made my sister a deal that I would try this crazy matchmaker she'd set me up with who promised to find my true mate. She'd set me up on a date with Sorin, and it was immediately clear we weren't meant for each other. But we hung out for a while anyway, which is lucky, because that's how I met you."

Lee relaxed. "A matchmaker, huh? I guess she did her job after all, even if not directly."

Huh. I guess she had. It was just blind luck things had managed to work out the way they had, though.

"So what are you?" I asked. "I'm normally good at figuring out shifters, but I can't quite pin you. You're definitely not a cat, wolf, or bear. Not a bird. Certainly not a rabbit."

He laughed. "No, certainly not a rabbit. I'm a fox."

Ah, that made sense. "I haven't met a fox shifter before. I mean, I've sure I've run into them before, but I've never interacted with one long enough to get a read on you."

He nodded. "And you're definitely a wolf."

"Guilty." I lifted my mug in acknowledgement and took a sip. "So you're a paramedic? Do you enjoy it?"

"I love helping people," Lee said. "But the pace is crazy."

"Do you see many shifters in your line of work?"

"As coworkers or patients?"

"I was thinking patients, but either, now that you've mentioned it."

"There's a fair number of shifters in the medical industry. Our instincts and sense of smell are definitely beneficial. And we don't see too many shifters. We all tend to heal quickly enough we don't need intervention too often. When we do have a shifter who needs help, it's a bit of a song and dance to get them to an ER or doctor we can trust, but I've always managed so far."

I had a million questions burning me up, but I didn't want to overwhelm him. And damn, he was gorgeous. His muscles weren’t over the top, but they definitely filled out his shirt nicely. I couldn’t help but picture them without the shirt, and quickly had to shut down that image. It had been a while since I’d had to fight having a hardon in public. Like, since I was a teenager. But something about Lee drew me in on a deeper level than just the physical, making it hard to deny the attraction. If we’d been somewhere private, I probably wouldn’t have even tried. I glanced away to try and calm myself down and caught the angry gaze of TJ behind the counter. Damn it. When had he started working nights?

"How about you?" he asked. "What do you do?"

I pulled my eyes back to Lee, the anxiety TJ had stirred in my gut settling as he faded from my view, replaced by Lee and the feeling of rightness that flowed between us. "Nothing special." I shrugged. "Here in the city, I've just been working retail, but I quit yesterday. Back home, I worked in the town's library."

"You said you were headed back home to the country before. Is that still your plan?"

"I don't know," I said slowly. "Things have kind of changed."

"Do you want to go back home?" he asked. "I mean, if you could have everything you wanted, would you go back home?" His eyes were earnest and I could tell he wasn't playing games. He really wanted to know.

"Absolutely," I said.

"I never imagined I'd live in the city as long as I have, so that works for me."

I blinked in surprise. "You'd be willing to move to my hometown with me? Just like that?"

"Well, it will take a while for me to wrap things up with my job, but yeah, basically. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Gerard."

Holy shit. I knew things happened fast when you found your true mate, but this was crazy fast. I hoped Lee had more in mind tonight than just talking, because with that one answer, he'd eliminated most of my concerns about the future of this... this thing between us.

My reluctance to bombard him with questions had broken. "Where'd you grow up?" I asked.

He seemed to sense something had changed and his eyes flashed in... what? Excitement? Anticipation? "Upstate New York in basically the middle of nowhere. Do you want to work for the library again?"

"Maybe. It was just a part time thing. I wouldn't mind doing that again." Silently, I thought there wouldn't be much time to work if we had kids. "How many kids do you want?"

I realized a moment too late I should have asked if he even wanted kids. But his response came just as fast as my question.

"As many as possible. What's your favorite book?"

"Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn," I said. "He's a science fiction author--"

"Who wrote the Thrawn books in the Expanded Star Wars universe," Lee finished for me. "I'm more of a fan of the Cobra books."

I was shocked. Hardly anyone knew of Zahn, and those that did rarely read passed his Star Wars books, though they were arguable the best in that world. If I'd needed yet another sign we were meant for each other, that had been it. 

An unwelcome voice kept me from responding.

“Long time no see, Gee.”

TJ knew I hated nicknames. He was eyeing Lee as if they were rivals. As if TJ could possibly hold a light to Lee. Lee turned, eyeing TJ up and down, scanning for a threat. I almost laughed when he deliberately settled back into his seat with a studied carelessness, as if TJ weren’t worth getting worked up over. Of course he wasn’t, but I knew exactly how nuts that would drive TJ.

TJ bristled as I introduced them. “Lee, this is TJ. He works here.”

TJ tried to collect himself, quickly turning his frown at my words into a leer. “Ouch, Gee. Is that all you have to say about your favorite barista? I think I deserve a bit more than that.”

I felt Lee’s eyes rest on me and I glanced over to meet them. I could practically feel him asking if I needed help and I shook my head minutely. Lee nodded just as subtly. I’d never met an alpha like him before. Anyone else would have been all up in TJ’s face, defending their “claim” over me instead of letting me handle the situation like the grown man I was.

I looked TJ right in the eyes. “No, you really don’t. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to enjoy my date in peace.”

TJ spluttered and turned to Lee as if he were waiting for Lee to challenge him. He certainly hadn’t expected it from me. Lee didn’t make a move, and I thought TJ was going to explode in confusion.

“A fox?” he finally said. I was slightly impressed. TJ was a wolf like me, and I didn’t expect him to have that much insight. “I keep telling you, Gee, you need a real alpha. How can that fox—“

He didn’t get the chance to finish that statement. This time when I felt Lee asking if I needed help, I nodded. I could handle TJ on my own, but I was tired of him. Between the two of us, we could probably get rid of him faster than I could on my own. Besides, TJ was such a drama queen, though he would have gone apoplectic if I’d ever said that to his face.

Lee was on his feet with a smooth grace, sliding himself between TJ and me before either of us quite realized it had happened. He was shorter than TJ, but buffer, and way more intimidating. He wore confidence like a second skin, while TJ was all bother and bluster.

“I’m fairly sure my mate asked you to leave.”

My heart soared at his words. Neither of us had said those words yet, just dancing around the reality we both knew. It was dizzying being claimed in such a public and respectful way. I couldn’t deny it anymore, even if I wanted to. I wanted Lee to claim me in a much more private and intimate way. Now.

Lost in my realization, I didn’t see exactly how Lee made TJ leave, but suddenly Lee had turned back to me and that sad excuse of an alpha was nowhere to be seen.

“You okay?” Lee asked.

"You want to get out of here?" I asked breathlessly.

"Absolutely."

We abandoned our drinks and his hand clasped around mine as we headed for the door. My brain was starting to blur with the power of the pheromones coming from Lee in waves. I didn't suppose I was much better. 

I started toward my apartment, but in a brief moment of clarity remembered that Rachel was waiting for me. 

"Shit, we can't go to my apartment," I said.

Lee whipped out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. "We'll go to mine. I called a cab."

"You cabbed it out here?"

"Yeah, I try not to drive when I can avoid it. I drive enough for work."

I nodded. My ability to speak was rapidly disappearing. Right now I didn't care how we got there, I just wanted to get to Lee's place as fast as possible. It was getting difficult to stop myself from jumping him right there.

"I don't want to be pushy," Lee said. "But what do you want out of tonight? Where do we stand?" He snaked his arms around my waist, calming my need slightly.

"Where do we stand..." I repeated, suddenly shy. "I'm... we're..."

"I'm all in," Lee said. "But I'll go at whatever pace you want to set. I want to claim you, make you mine, show the world that you're taken."

My knees buckled, but his arms held me up. "Yes, that," I whispered.

Lee leaned down, his mouth inches from mine. "That what? I need to make sure we're both on the same page here."

"Claim me." It was hard to make the words come out of my mouth, but the moment they did, he kissed me, his mouth devouring mine, his tongue begging for entrance.

I had just opened up to him when a car horn blared next to us, reminding us we were still standing on the sidewalk in public. Thankfully, it was our taxi. Lee held the door open for me and I slid in. I didn't care how long the car ride was. It could be thirty seconds and that would be too long.