CHAPTERFIVE
RUX
Rux spent the entire day getting ready for his date with Dana. Ever since he had met her, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He felt like a man possessed or charmed by the spellbinding human he had just met.
He was slightly irked by the Earth custom of having a romance with her rather than the shifter custom of finding a mate and whisking her away without a moment's notice. Though he still wanted to be respectful, of course.
There was something fiery inside her, a passionate woman whose vulnerability he was going to have to earn.
Rux related to that feeling deeply. Vulnerability wasn’t his cup of tea, and he felt himself leaning toward it more than he had in years, possibly ever. There was also a possibility that Gerri had matched them for that reason exactly, their carefully constructed walls.
Rux got himself a slick haircut, having been meaning to get it done for weeks. He got it shaved close at the sides with a fade, and the barber gave his face an extra-close shave too.
He felt fresh as he returned to his vast manor, walking through the halls and greeting his various attendants. Despite the presence of his many hires … those who worked the kitchen, gardens, and basic household maintenance and serving duties … he felt suffocatingly alone.
Rux had lived in the manor for years, but the emptiness always gave him solace. He thrived on the isolation, the sound of his shoes clicking against the hardwood floor echoing off the high ceilings, how the fire crackled deep into the night as he brooded with a glass of whiskey in the lounge.
Since meeting Dana, he noticed the emptiness more profoundly, and it was alarming.
He went into his chambers and his walk-in closet, flicking on the light. Rux had worn yacht-appropriate attire for their first meeting, but he wanted to knock it out of the park for their next date. He owned several expensive three-piece suits that highlighted the most alluring portions of his frame.
He fingered one of his favorites, a pin-striped black and red getup. It felt warm beneath his fingers, so he took that as a sign and laid it out before him in an action that felt like a ritual.
He chose a matching belt and leather shoes that shined beneath the gentle fluorescents. He then proceeded to shower, scrubbing himself meticulously, the thought and image of Dana never far from his mind.
Rux had barely touched her, but it had been electric all the same. He couldn’t stop wondering what the delicious arch of her neck would taste like.
Rux applied expensive lotion all over his body, then once it dried, a few dabs of his favorite cologne. He had been wearing it when they’d met, so he hoped it was something Dana would enjoy.
She didn’t seem like a person who recoiled from the truth, so he was sure she would tell him just how she felt about it at some point.
Rux grinned to himself as he applied the finishing touches to his outfit. He adjusted his tie, a wine-red shade, then attached a silver chain to the identically colored pocket square. When finished, he spun around in front of the tall mirror of his bedroom, admitting that, yes, he was dashing.
Rux decided to take out one of his cars rather than get a driver for the date. His assortment of cars was like an art collection for him. Their colors, capabilities, and histories all had a story to be told.
He thought Dana would appreciate it, so he strolled through his garage until one vehicle, in particular, hummed at him, the flashy Shelby Cobra.
He hopped in like a secret agent, with the top down on a race car red paint job. Excitement was blasting through his veins as if he’d injected a river full of heroin.
Rux pulled out of the driveway and zipped over to Dana’s apartment. The air brushed his face, and he was feeling more alive than he had ever felt in his entire adult life.
Is this what shifters meant when they speak about how their lives had changed since meeting their mate?
It was like the light in his soul had been switched on.
He moved through the city streets. The sun was fading below the horizon like a painting in his mind. He couldn’t wait to see her. He longed for her deeply. He desperately wanted her to feel the same longing.
Rux pulled up to the front of the apartment complex and was ready to give her a call when he caught a flare of something red out of the corner of his eye. His heart began hammering into his ears as he turned to find Dana standing there, that smug beautiful smile on her face and a devilishly red dress.
Holy shit, I’m in trouble.
The night was a little cool, so she wore a cream shawl over her shoulders. Beneath the shawl, her skin was bare, the fabric of the dress just ending at the tip of the canyon.
Rux could see her collarbone, open and free, teasing in a V-shape descent toward her breasts which were propped up by a very lucky bra.
Rux felt his jaw loosen, his mouth popping open slightly, and he immediately shook it off to leap out the side of the car to get to her door.
“Good evening, gorgeous,” he said with a smile.