Chapter 34

G regori should have known a date with Salem would be no simple affair. The good doctor fully threw himself into everything he did, so why would Gregori ever think he'd half-ass a date?

Part of him was so elated at Salem having asked him out, he was damn near giddy with it. A surprise date, no less, without any prompting on Gregori's part. He couldn't be more elated and stay in his skin. He'd damn near vibrated out of it already a few times. Gregori wasn't going to let Salem off easy though. After almost two months of brushing him off and ignoring him, Salem needed to put in some serious effort. Prove—even just a little bit—that Gregori wasn't the only one who wanted to be in this relationship.

Okay. Fine. Salem didn't need to try too hard. The mage could have taken him to McDonald's and presented him with the prize for the kid's meal and Gregori would have been over the moon.

But he did have some pride left. A smidge of ego. It wasn't a bad thing to want to feel appreciated and desired.

First stop, Rêveries.

He grinned when the car Salem had hired to take them into the city proper pulled up to the tiny restaurant with outdoor seating under red umbrellas. He'd expected Salem to choose a place that specialized in local Brazilian fare, but he'd opted for a suggestion from Dimitri. Dimitri loved this tiny French restaurant because its food was amazing, the scenery was beautiful, and the atmosphere was quiet and intimate.

"I see you had some help," Gregori murmured as he stepped out of the car.

Salem smirked and immediately threaded their fingers together as he led the way to the front door. "I might have conferred with a few dragons who have lived here for a century or two. I thought they might have some insight into the best places to go in Rio de Janeiro. Better than a guidebook for tourists."

They were greeted and immediately shown to a table. A server appeared with menus and water. The second he disappeared, the hostess returned with a broad smile and a bouquet of tropical flowers for Gregori.

Gregori's heart flipped over as the flowers were placed in his hands. A divine fragrance danced past his nose, and he lowered his face to drink in their scent—and just maybe to hide his enormous grin as it slipped out. Salem was trying so very hard to impress him. The man sitting opposite him in a suit and tie, looking good enough to devour, practically bounced in his seat.

"They're beautiful," Gregori murmured.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you."

Gregori choked on air and was forced to set his flowers aside. "Are you going to be feeding me cheesy lines all night?"

"But you told me back at my place that you loved cheese."

This fucking tease. Gregori could count on one hand the number of times Salem had teased him, and to see him doing it while on a date sent Gregori's head spinning. He'd tease back, but only after he got his brain firing again. Right now, it was too busy crooning and making happy noises to be of any use.

Thankfully, the server returned a moment later, saving him from blurting out all kinds of ridiculous things. He shoved the warm, crusty bread with the soft interior into his mouth as he listened to the specials.

"Would you like a selection of cheese to start?" the dark-haired server inquired.

"No, I'm good. Salem is giving me all the cheese I can handle."

"Wine. Let me order some wine while we figure out our meals," Salem cut in when the server just looked confused.

Gregori placed his flowers on the edge of the table and turned his attention to his menu, leaving the wine selection to Salem. The rest of the dinner passed enjoyably, and the food ended up being as spectacular as Dimitri's claims.

But it didn't compare to Gregori's lively dinner companion. Salem told story after story of university mischief and shenanigans, from streaking across the campus to cadaver mayhem. There were even a few mentions of childhood nonsense with Sam. The only thing he didn't talk about was work. There were a few times it seemed like he came close, but Salem caught himself at the last second, smiled, and changed the direction of the conversation.

It wasn't until they were sharing a delicious flaky fruit tart that Gregori called him out over it.

"Do you miss it?"

Salem blinked wide eyes at him. "College?"

"The hospital. Your job."

"Oh! Nah. I'm good."

Gregori totally didn't believe the ridiculous denial.

He shook his head as he stabbed a strawberry, then held it out on the end of his fork toward Salem. "I don't want the hospital and your job to be a dirty word between us. Yes, I think you pushed yourself a little too hard, but you also saved a lot of lives, and the kids loved you. I'm proud of all you accomplished there."

A soft blush stained Salem's cheeks as he bit the strawberry off the fork and chewed. "Well, a little, I guess. Alexis sent an email, updating me on a few of the patients I was particularly worried about, and she told me which doctors were assigned which of my patients. They're all in good hands, so I find myself thinking about it a lot less than I would have expected. Definitely less than when I was here before for Sam's bonding ceremony. But I don't find myself missing it, per se. Maybe just the routine and the camaraderie. I'm more excited about what I'm learning here with the other mages. And, to be honest, it's only been three days. Right now, it feels more like I'm on vacation. I might miss it later. Are you worried?"

"You did cite your job as one of the reasons why you wouldn't move to Brazil," Gregori pointed out. "I'm right to be worried."

"Eh. Yeah, okay, good point. But it wasn't so much the job, it was turning my life upside down for a man and not having it work out. I've done it before. It…was an absolute disaster, and I didn't want to do it again."

"You were scared."

"True, but that's not a good reason to hurt other people or to run from things. It's just…I had this set plan in my head for my life, and I couldn't fathom changing it for a guy who was little more than a stranger. Yet, if I'd sat down and simply talked to you, or called my brother and talked to him, so much frustration and animosity could have been avoided. You would have at least felt more comfortable about telling me you were sick. I'm sorry."

Gregori flipped over his hand and squeezed Salem's. "Don't. You have nothing to apologize for. Just because we're fated mates doesn't mean our coming together is easy. It's still a relationship that requires work. You had zero reason to trust me when we first met. I'm glad we're getting a shot now. So, no more regrets tonight." He lifted Salem's hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across the knuckles. "Now, do you have something else planned for our night out?"

"I do." He twisted in his seat and motioned to the hostess. She smiled and hurried over with a large brown envelope that she handed to him. When Salem turned back to him, he was back to bouncing in his seat. His grin was so wide it nearly split his face in half. "This is for you."

"I wasn't expecting a gift. This is too much, Salem," Gregori murmured as he opened the envelope and slid out a playbill for West Side Story . But it wasn't an ordinary playbill. It was covered in autographs from the cast who were currently performing the musical at Teatro Riachuelo Rio.

"I know we talked about going to see Wicked together for a date, but the touring company isn't coming to town for another four months." Salem paused, reached inside his jacket, and pulled out a pair of tickets. "I've got us covered for that performance. However, you did state West Side Story was one of your favorite musicals, and it just happens to be in town right now. So, I got us tickets to tonight's performance."

Gregori dropped his gaze back down to the playbill he was very carefully holding in both of his hands as his brain tried to remember how to make words. His mate had not only gotten him tickets to one of his favorite musicals, but he'd also managed to acquire a signed playbill for him. Salem added something to his hoard ! And he'd gotten additional tickets to a musical four months away.

It was almost like he was planning to stay with Gregori here in Brazil.

He was already starting to plan their life together.

"Unless you're not in the mood to see a play tonight," Salem said a little slowly, uneasiness creeping into his tone. "It's okay if you're not. I was also thinking we could?—"

"No!" Gregori's head shot up. He'd been silent too long and Salem had started to panic. This needed to be fixed. He had to stop his dragon from hopping around in his chest and squealing like a six-year-old. "A play sounds amazing. Perfect." He shifted the playbill to his left hand and glanced at his watch. "But if we're going to make the curtain, we'll need to leave now."

Salem's grin returned and he signaled for the check while Gregori carefully placed the playbill back into the protective envelope. Salem paid the bill and summoned the driver over to pick them up. From the tiny restaurant, they were whisked across the city to Teatro Riachuelo Rio, where Gregori got to share his first love with his true love. It was the perfect night. Most of the performance was spent holding Salem's hand as they lost themselves in the music, colorful costumes, and performance.

Gregori had traveled around the world, watched plays and musical performances on some of the grandest stages of all, but nothing compared to spending this moment with his mate. To knowing Salem had planned all of this with him in mind.

When the curtain fell for the final time and the house lights came up, Gregori wanted to remain in these plush seats, not wanting the experience to end. But Salem pulled him up with a devilish grin.

They escaped the crowd leaving the theater and slipped into the black town car once again.

"Sir? Where to?" the driver inquired as they pulled away from the curb.

"Um…" Salem glanced at his phone for a second. "Can you just drive around for a few minutes while we decide?"

"Of course, sir."

Gregori arched one brow at Salem. "You have more things planned?"

Salem's wicked grin returned. "A few actually. It depends on what you're in the mood for. If you're up for it, Ilya told me about a late-night samba performance we can still make."

"Hmmm. I think I'm done with big crowds for now."

"Okay. Then Ha Na mentioned this little dessert shop that offers sweets from around the world. We could go grab something sweet. Or if you're more in the mood for a nightcap, there's this quaint bar I discovered that has this retro feel and specializes in whiskey drinks and live music."

Gregori turned in his seat so he was facing Salem and brushed a lock of hair back from his forehead. "Smaller crowds than that."

"Got it. Then, Luka told me about this little stretch of beach where we can take a late-night stroll. At this time of year, we should be able to see the bioluminescence."

A low chuckle escaped Gregori as he leaned in and captured Salem's lips in a sweet but brief kiss. "Take it easy. You're trying so damn hard to make this date perfect. You don't have to try to impress me. Just be you."

Salem took a deep breath, his eyes full of questions for a moment, and then he released it, slumping a little in his seat. "I…I've never tried so hard to get a date perfect. Of course, I've never tried to win someone over after I'd fucked up so badly. I need to show you I'm worth all the trouble you've gone to. That I can be just as thoughtful and amazing as you. I?—"

Gregori stopped him with another kiss. This one lasted longer as he slowly licked his way into Salem's mouth, soaking in the tenderness. "Stop. You've got nothing to prove to me. I already know how thoughtful and amazing you are."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Why don't we go back to the compound and spend some very private time together? We can do a stroll on the beach tomorrow night."

A happy little hum escaped Salem, and he laid his head on Gregori's shoulder. "That sounds perfect to me."

Yes, Gregori was very anxious to get his mate home so he could show him exactly how much he appreciated their date together.

He sat back in his seat, careful not to dislodge Salem's head, and told the driver to return to the Valerii compound.

"Oh shit!" Salem sat up and started frantically typing on his phone.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to cancel the violinist."

"The what?"

Salem flashed him a quick smile and resumed his typing. "I hired a violinist to serenade us on the beach as we walked."

A great bark of laughter jumped from Gregori as he threw back his head. Being with Salem would never be boring.