The Chef's Sick Mate (Book 17 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 40

Lincoln was pretty amazing. Getting the text message from him last night had shocked her. She'd been laying there trying to read her book, her purple blanket wrapped around her while she breathed in his scent. She hadn't been reading though. Instead, her mind had been on the man who was her mate, wondering if she'd be able to get up the courage to talk to him tomorrow. 

Talking to Aidan earlier had definitely made her feel better. Besides the fact that she knew Lincoln wouldn't be at dinner, so she wouldn't have to worry about confronting him, she was also happy to know that he was very interested in her. It gave her a boost of confidence. And then he'd texted her. 

She definitely hadn't expected that. She knew he worked though she had no idea what he did or when he got off or anything. Her phone going off had surprised her, and she'd figured it was Ana. She'd frowned when she'd seen it was an unknown number, but curiosity demanded she open it anyway, even though it was more than likely spam. It wasn't.

And Lincoln was sweet, chatting with her and making her feel much more comfortable. She hadn't expected him to talk to her as long as he did either. And he wanted her to move in with him. The man hadn't even met her, and he wanted her to move in. But the fact that he was so willing to be patient with her had endeared him to her. 

She was excited to go out on a run with him too. She wasn't sure about stripping her clothes off around him though. That made her nervous. 

'He's going to see you naked, Gen. It's just the way it is,' Jules reminded her. 

Gen bit her lip. She knew that, but still. They could at least have sex in the dark. 

Jules rolled her eyes. 'He's a werewolf. He can see in the dark just as well as you can.'

Oh yeah. She giggled. So much for the cover of dark. Lincoln was going to be seeing her naked. At some point. She swallowed. She'd see him naked too. She sucked in a small breath. Lincoln was hot. The idea of seeing him naked was arousing. The idea of him seeing her naked, not so much. 

She was still shocked that she'd given her stuffed wolf the same name as Lincoln's wolf. Her gaze darted over to it and she smiled. Always meant to be. She wondered what his wolf looked like, but if he took her out for a run, she'd see his wolf. 

'Not if. When,' Jules said. 

Gen rolled her eyes. 'Must you always listen and comment on my internal monologue?'

Jules chortled. 'It's in your head and so am I.' 

She got up out of bed and showered, deciding she wanted to look as nice as she could. If she had the nerve, she'd talk to him. Hopefully at breakfast. She brushed out her hair and pulled on a pair of leggings and a sweater, along with some warm boots. She stared at herself in the mirror, then turned and walked away. She didn't want to chicken out. 

Gen grabbed her phone, checking the time and noticed a new message from Lincoln. 

Good morning, Genevieve.

She smiled. Was this what it was like having a mate? She could get used to it. Besides her parents, she was used to no one paying attention to her. She quickly typed out a reply. Good morning, Lincoln. 

His response was quick. How are you doing this morning?

I'm well. How are you?

Good. Looking forward to seeing you at breakfast. Don't feel like you have to come talk to me either. Not if you're not ready. I'll be ecstatic if you do, but we can also just chat through text for a while until you're ready. 

Good grief, but the man was sweet. She truly appreciated that he wasn't rushing her, and that he was willing to give her space until she was ready. I appreciate that so much. I'll be down to breakfast very soon. She left her room and glanced around. Her mother was gone? 

Gen laughed to herself. Melissa was leaving her to do her own thing. Her mother must be getting up pretty early, which was surprising given that Pennsylvania time was an hour ahead of Missouri. Well, whatever made her happy. 

Gen walked out of the apartment and down to the elevator. She stepped off a moment later and walked down to the dining hall. She loved the breakfast that was served here. It was so good. 

The moment she walked into the dining hall; she knew he was in there. She could feel his eyes on her too, and she only allowed herself to glance at him once as she walked, wondering what he was thinking. She needed to get brave. She got in line at the buffet when her phone went off again and she pulled it out. 

You look beautiful this morning. 

She swallowed and was sure her cheeks were red. She bit her lip, wanting to respond and tell him he was blind. 

'Don't you dare, Gen. The man paid you a compliment. He's not wrong. Tell him thank you, get our food and let's go sit with him,' Jules told her. 

Gen smiled. 'Fine.' She quickly typed in her response. Thank you. She grabbed her plate and then began to add food to it, her mind on the man whose eyes were still on her. Finally, she had her plate made, took a deep breath and turned around, taking a few steps so that she'd be out of the way of the people behind her. 

She knew exactly where he was sitting and she stared across the dining room at him. Lincoln. He was staring back at her and smiled at her. It was interesting to know that the man couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her. He thought her beautiful. He was the first one to ever say it to her. 

The sound of Aidan and Ana's voices reached her ears, and she glanced back to see them in line. She hadn't even noticed them before, she'd been so lost in thought. Her gaze moved back to Lincoln. She had to make a decision. 

"You going to go sit with him?"

She looked up at Aidan who was now standing next to her. "I don't know."

"You can't indefinitely ignore him," Aidan told her. "Did he text you?"

"Yes. Thank you for giving him my number. I'm just nervous about all of this," she admitted.

"Just get it over with. Then you can stop stressing about it and enjoy your mate." He smiled at her.

Gen frowned at Aidan. "You think it will work out?"

Aidan chuckled at her. "I'd be surprised if it didn't."

"How fast do werewolf relationships move?" The words were out of her mouth before she thought better of it, though it didn't seem to faze Aidan at all. 

"Pretty fast, but that doesn't mean you have to rush it."

Said the man who had slept with her sister the first time he'd met her. But then Ana hadn't been a virgin either. 

"Go sit with him, Gen."

She sighed softly. "Okay."

Aidan walked away and Gen turned to look at Lincoln again. He was still watching her. She took a deep breath and headed over to him. 

The man was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. The closer she got to him, the more she realized how beautiful he was. He was smiling at her now and she smiled back. She finally stopped in front of him. "Hi."

His beautiful blue eyes glowed brightly. "Hi."

She was so nervous, she wanted to turn around and run. "Can I sit here?"

"Of course." He flashed a smile at her.

She sat down, her eyes never leaving his face. He was too good looking. Was that a thing? If it wasn't, it was now. Her mate was way better looking than she was. She almost got up and walked away but knew that wouldn't do either of them any favors. She sat staring at him as he stared back. She didn't touch her food. She was too nervous.

Finally, thankfully, he looked back down to his plate and took a bite before looking back up at her. "I'm glad you came over, Genevieve."

"Talking to you ahead of time was nice," she said softly.

He studied her. "I thought it might break the ice between us."