I exhaled loudly. “What’s the rush?”

“What’s the rush? As though you don’t know the consequences if you fail to have an heir.”

I pictured what I’d get to do with Allie to make an heir. I quickly pushed that thought away. I was only a few feet from my grandmother. “I’ll have a kid eventually.”

“You’ve met someone.” Her lips curved into a small smile. “Out with it.”

“What?” I sat up with a start. Had I said something out loud?

She cast me a warning glance. “Don’t lie to me. You were day dreaming about someone.”

“I don’t day dream.”

“I expect to meet her soon.” She folded her hands in her lap.

“There’s no one to meet.” I didn’t even have a real date lined up with Allie, and I was thinking about getting her into bed, not binding her to me as my lifelong mate.

“If there’s no one, would you like me to introduce you to a few candidates? I know of several young women who might be worthy of your hand.”

“No!” I shot up out of my chair. There was no way my grandmother was playing matchmaker. “I’ll pick my own mate.”

“Then do it.” She stood and hugged me again. As she turned to leave the room, she whispered, “You’ll know it if you find her.” Her voice was low, but she wanted me to hear. I didn’t need to listen to any of that again.

I suffered through lunch. My grandmother only criticized my mother’s cooking once, but the conversation was awkward and no one wanted to be there. My father barely said two words to me. I knew he was still pissed about me missing the meeting. As soon as I finished, I excused myself from the table and went up to my childhood bedroom.

The room was sparsely furnished and decorated, exactly the way it had been when I was a kid. My father didn’t believe that boys should bother with anything but the basics. Toys and posters would only get in the way. I walked past my king sized bed, still covered in the blue comforter I’d grown up with, before stopping in front of my dresser. I pulled open my sock drawer and searched around until I found the small ring. I’d freaked out when my father gave me the ring that was intended for my mate. Seven years later and the ruby-covered ring still scared me. I ran my fingers over the stones, stuffing it in my pocket when I heard a knock on the door.

I turned to face my mom in the doorway. “Hey, Mom.” She was the one member of the family I actually got along with.

“You doing all right up here? You were really quiet at lunch.” Her warm eyes studied my face. She was worried about me.

“Am I ever talkative at these things?”

She strode over to me. “No, but you’re going to be king soon. You’re going to have to get better at controlling your feelings.”

“And I need to find a mate. Isn’t that what the theme of the day is?”

“No. You don’t need to find a mate.” She gave me a long look.

“I don’t?” That was news.

“You need to find the right mate.” She patted me on the shoulder. “Think about that.”

“Is it okay if I leave?”

“Sure. Just slip out the back.”

“Thanks.” I gave her a quick hug before taking the back stairs two at a time. It wasn’t until I was in my car that I realized I hadn’t put the ring back.

Chapter Five

I owed Jared. Short of stalking the hotel to look for her or talking to my contacts, I had no immediate way to see Allie again. Lucky for me, Jess had happily slipped her number to Jared. All it took was one phone call, and the plans were set. From what I gathered, Allie hadn’t been part of the planning, but that didn’t worry me. She could play hard to get all she wanted. At the end of the night, she’d be coming home with me.

We waited in front of the elevators. I’d never picked up a girl at the hotel before, but my assumption was they weren’t taking the stairs down. After waiting a few minutes, the doors opened, and I remembered why I was putting in all the effort. Allie looked even hotter than last time. She wore a pink halter style dress that accentuated her green eyes. Like everything else I’d seen her in, it was short, and she kept it casual with flip flops. I liked that she wasn’t the kind of girl who wore heels all the time. Heels could be hot, but a pair of flip flops meant a girl was laid back.

“Hey there, Allison.” I purposely used her full name to see what kind of response I got.

“It’s Allie.” She feigned annoyance, but I noticed her studying my chest and arms.

I smiled, letting her know I’d caught her in the act of checking me out. “Oh yeah, I forgot.”

“I’m sure.” She shook her head, bringing my attention to her hair. I wanted to run my hands through those brown locks. I also wanted them sprawled out on my pillow.

“Are you girls ready to see uptown?” Owen addressed both of them. I got the sense he was being careful. Smart guy.

Allie adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Sure, should we follow you or get an address for my GPS?”

“Neither.” I put a hand on the small of her back and led her toward the door. “We’re taking the streetcar. That way you don’t have to worry about a designated driver.”

“Will it still be running when we need to get home?” She seemed worried. Wasn’t she from New York? Did New Orleans at night scare her that much? She didn’t need to worry about anything with me around.

“This is New Orleans. It runs all night.” Jared didn’t bother to sugar coat his annoyance at her. He wasn’t an Allie fan for some reason, but it wasn’t my problem.

I stayed close to Allie’s side as we walked the few blocks to the corner of Canal and St. Charles. We caught the streetcar just before it pulled away. Allie struggled to slip a dollar bill into the machine, and I pushed her hand away. She wasn’t paying for anything when she was with me. “I’ve got this.”

The car lurched forward and Allie lost her balance. I caught her easily in my arms. “Easy does it, darling.” I inhaled her warm sweet scent. She wore the same perfume again. After detangling herself from my arms, she held onto the seats as she walked down the aisle. She’d barely settled into a seat when I slid in right next to her.

“So where are we going exactly?” She looked over me to watch Jess and Jared. I may have had my work cut out for me, but Jared had a guarantee going for him.