Safari Island Shifters: The Complete Collection(11)

“Almost. My kind are found more in Asia than Africa. I’m a little bigger than that, too.”

His phone buzzed when they were in front of their bungalow. “It’s Finn. It’s our lucky day. Parker Travers will be the head chef at Wild Eats. Our dinner will start an hour later, since the last one ran over.”

Addison squealed and her eyes lit up. She was even more beautiful when she was smiling. “You’re kidding. I heard the rumors, but I didn’t believe that he’d actually come and cook here.”

“Who’s Parker Travers?” Lily asked.

“He’s a vegan chef,” Chet said.

“A cheetah shifter vegan chef,” Addison added. “He’s one of the best chefs in the world and very unusual.”

“A vegan cheetah?” Lily laughed. “Sounds a little try-hard.”

Chet shrugged. “No worse than a human going vegan. You guys are omnivores.”

“I’ll judge him by his food,” Lily said. “Anyone can get good press for being novel.”

“I need to run back to my place and change,” Chet said. “I assume you ladies will need some time to get ready.”

“We’re going to be late if we have to wait for you to get ready,” Addison said sweetly. “I don’t want to miss anything. Maybe you should sit this one out so you don’t ruin our evening again.”

Chet put the car back in park. “You need to stop trying so hard.”

Her eyebrows almost hit her hairline. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, doll. I know you love me.”

Addison laughed. “You’re delusional, and way too full of yourself.”

“I’m not. I know you love me, but you don’t want to play hard to get. You can stop.” Chet came around and opened her car door for her. “Mark my words, you’re going to marry me before the end of the year.”

He hadn’t known he was going to speak to her that way. It had just come to him as he spoke. He felt confident in his words, though. He was going to marry her. It didn’t matter that they had just met, or that she was standoffish. She was his mate. It was what his rhino was telling him and what he felt in his heart. She was the one he had been waiting for. The realization made him smile even more—which only seemed to piss her off again.

“Someone is in for a rude awakening,” she huffed as she got out of the jeep. “I do not love you, nor will I ever be marrying you.”

Lily grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the house. “We’ll see you when you get back, Chet.”

“Can’t wait,” he called after them.

He’d found his mate. He should have known in the club as soon as he saw her. At least he had come to his senses quickly, and he wouldn’t make that mistake again. He’d listen to his animal.

Now he had to figure out how to bring her around to his side. That little stunt had to make her more interested. She was afraid. That had to be the explanation.

He’d be a gentleman on the double date, and she’d see what a good guy he was. Not all women wanted to date a shifter, let alone one who worked at an island resort. It probably wasn’t a very prestigious job to a college girl. He had to show her that he was just a nice, hardworking guy who happened to also be a two-ton rhinoceros occasionally.

Chet sped the whole way home. He took a fast shower and threw on a pair of jeans, a button-down shirt, and a blazer. Perfect for the dinner show. He’d actually never been, even though it was very popular. Singing and food didn’t mix for him, but he was making an exception.

He went to pick up Max and Finn as soon as he was done.

“You got the jeep for the night?” Finn asked, sliding into the front seat.

Chet grinned. “I do now. I was supposed to drop it off after getting them to the show. I’m keeping it, though. The depot won’t mind.”

“No way we were all going to fit in a golf cart,” Finn said.

Max shook his head. “It would have sucked showing up for a first date in a golf cart.”

“Are we calling this a date?” Finn asked. He looked at Chet. “I mean, do they think this is a date?”

“I thought it was a date,” Chet said. He tried to remember if either of the women had used the d-word. “Shoot. I think they just said dinner. I mean, it’s basically a double date, though.”

“I don’t know,” Max said. “Human ladies don’t typically date two guys at the same time. I think we need to play this cool.”

“You two are into Lily, right?” Chet was looking at Max. He knew Finn was a good guy, but Max was a bit of a player. They’d only ever dated the same girl twice. Chet had never thought they were cut out for a triad. The twins were best friends, but the way they treated women didn’t always match up. A girl was bound to prefer one of them. He’d never understood how a triad worked, anyway, and was glad he didn’t have a twin or a brother. It was hard enough managing a two-person relationship.

“We really are into Lily,” Max confirmed. “I hope she’s into us, too.”

“Because you want to settle down.” Finn rolled his eyes. “This is a vacation thing for them. Nobody’s looking to get serious when they’re on vacation.”

“I’m pretty sure Addison is my mate,” Chet said. “So I hope you’re wrong about that.”