One Night in Vegas (18+)|✔️

Chapter 17

Outside of the National Gallery, in the Sculpture Garden, Jonah and I rested on the lip of the massive, circular fountain, resting our tired feet in the cool water.

Around us, families and couples and singletons were doing the same thing, and in the moments of quiet in our conversation, I could hear the syllables of languages I couldn't name.

Warm in the afternoon sun, I leaned my head back, smiling.

"So, what do you think?"

Glancing over, I grinned, "This was a pretty great first date."

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"What?"

His eyes beheld me tenderly. "I'm kind of hoping that this is also my last first date."

I looked away, blushing.

Licking my lips, I said, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Hmm?"

"This, um... this is actually my first first date." Turning, I peered up at him, dreading his reaction.

His head tilted ever so slightly, "Oh?"

I nodded, "I just never really saw the point of dating before, so I just didn't. I mean, I'd been in school from age five until, like, a month ago, so I always felt like I had a million better things to do."

"So, you've never..."

I could feel my blush scorching my face, "I've 'never done' a lot of things."

"Oh."

"Yeah." I kicked my foot through the water.

"Then our kiss back there-"

"Was my first kiss." I admitted.

He was silent for a second, then asked, "How'd I do?"

Smirking, I looked over at him, "Oh, ten out of ten, easily."

"Nice."

"Does that bother you, though? That I'm, well..."

Jonah smiled, taking my hand. "No."

"It's just that it might take a bit before I'm comfortable with... everything."

"Lilly, we have all the time in the world. We don't have to rush."

"Well," I corrected, "we have until Thursday – I didn't bring enough clothes to stay long."

"I mean when you move out here – after all, you start work next month."

I gasped, "I got the job?!"

Jonah nodded.

Delirious joy rushed through me, and I threw my arms around him.

But a cold doubt cut through my happiness.

"Wait," I looked up, "You didn't-"

"Pull strings? No – they were pretty much set on you before you even left the room."

"Really?"

"Our head statistician, Dr. Gilbert, actually asked me mid-interview, 'So, she's our first choice, right?'"

I remembered the man sitting next to Jonah passing him a note.

"He did?"

"He did, and that man does not impress easily."

A giddy warmth flooded through me, and I leaned against my mate, heart soaring.

He laid his arm across my shoulders, thumb rubbing against my bare skin.

"You know, I still owe you a meal-"

"Oh?"

"Yep. I don't know what it is, I just have this urge to feed you..."

"It's probably the mate bond – you want to prove that you can provide for me." I chuckled, "Either that or it's just one of your kinks."

"If it is, it's new."

Giggling, I asked, "So, where do you want to feed me?"

"You in the mood for burgers?"

"Always."

"Alright, then," he took his feet out of the water, "We're going to Luther's."

"Luther's?"

"Brewpub. They've got some good barbecue, but I swear they have the best burgers in the city."

"I'm sold."

We stayed a few minutes longer, letting our feet dry before putting on our shoes and heading for the metro station.

As we walked across the Mall, I said, "So, there's one thing that I still don't get."

"What's that?"

"Why were you in Vegas? I was certain that you were there for the Meeting, so I figured you had to be from the southwest. I really didn't expect to find you out here."

"Well, I was there for the Meeting."

"Huh?"

"One of the primary responsibilities of the Director of the institute is going to Meetings and reporting our findings to the region's alphas."

"Huh."

"Yep. It's why I need to apologize to the alpha I snapped at this morning – things will get incredibly awkward if I don't."

"So, fruit basket?"

"Fruit basket or a nice, big, 'sorry I was an asshole' bouquet. Whichever works."

The metro car slowly emptied as we drew closer and closer to the end of the line. Getting on at L'Enfant Plaza had forced us to stand close together, trying to avoid bumping into the other passengers. Once we were far enough away from downtown, seats began opening up, and we settled into a pair that faced forward.

Leaning my head against Jonah's shoulder, I closed my eyes, enjoying the gentle rocking of the car and the woodsy allure of his scent.

"You're not going to fall asleep on me, are you?"

"Maybe." I mumbled.

I felt his hand brush over my hair. "If you want, I can take you straight back to the hotel; we can pick this up tomorrow."

Shaking my head, I sighed, "No, I want to have dinner with you; I just need a little break."

"Okay." Pulling me onto his lap, he wound his arms around me and held me as I relaxed against him. Resting my face in the curve of his neck, I could feel the slow, steady beating of his heart.

"I'll let you know when we're close, okay?"

Cocooned in the warmth of his body, I whispered, "Thank you."