The long ride is definitely worth it, as Irina promised her. After sipping her tea and just enjoying the view of her soon-to-be-girlfriend, Bella, finally dozes off. Irina makes a quick stop to tuck her mate with the pillows and blanket to keep her warm.
They're not of the same temperature yet but her warmth is one of Irina's favourite things.
When the sun is a little higher and the view changed to more yellows, oranges and all the bright colours, Irina squeezes Bella's thigh to wake her. She knows her Isabella wouldn't want to miss the beautiful sight.
Bella notices the blanket that wasn't there previously and places a chaste kiss on Irina's cheek as a thank you.
"How do you feel about pancakes for breakfast?" Irina offered.
Bella's eyes gleam in excitement. So Irina makes their first stop for their first date. She turns off the engine but holds Bella's hand before she reaches for the door handle.
"I hope you know that this is the beginning of our date."
Bella blinks, unsure what Irina is trying to tell her.
"Okay?"
Irina chuckles, "So, I hope you will allow me to pull all the stops here. Like opening your door. I would run there in vampire speed to beat you but there are people here."
Bella lets out an 'oh' and nods.
Excited Irina then proceeds to exit their vehicle and opens the door for her mate. Upon locking the car, she holds out her hand for Bella to grab and she is beyond happy Bella understood her request.
"So the owner of this diner used to be a chef at Clinton St. Baking Co; one of the best pancake establishments in the country," Irina explained as they proceed to take a enter the diner.
The diner was built strategically right next to a gas station and it's big enough to seat up to 60 guests at one time. But something about it makes it feel warm, cozy and home-like, as if you're walking into your grandma's house. It isn't fancy but still remains vintage with a touch of modern furniture and trendy decorations. The place is buzzing with families, friends and couples and Bella's eyes widen seeing it's full house. She wonders if they could even get a table.
The waitress donning blue and white casual uniform greets them and throws Irina a familiar smile.
"Ah Ms Denali. Right on time. We have your booth ready, if you could just follow me."
The waitress named Cindy guides them to a corner, on a private booth, away from the crowd and the buzz. She passes them a quaint menu and tells them to press the button when they're ready to order.
"So I'm guessing this where you went to when you disappeared the other day," Bella noted.
Irina leans forward, "A lady never kiss and tell."
Bella smirks, "Since you obviously did your recon here, perhaps you could recommend on what I should order."
Picking up Bella's teasing tone, Irina exits the booth and makes her way to sit right next to her mate, draping her arm around Bella. "Well, the chef told me that the Special Tower Pancake would be best to impress my date. It is said the variety of flavours would simply dance on your palate and leave your tongue dry. You know what's the best cure for a dry tongue?"
Bella shakes her head, feeling elated at being flirted like this.
"French kiss."
Irina kisses Bella's ear for more effect and Bella feels herself melting into a puddle. She remains incoherent when Cindy reappears to take their orders. Still in a daze, Irina takes over and orders just enough for Bella to eat and for her to fake-eat it. Once Cindy sends their order to the kitchen, Bella shakes off the trance worriedly.
"You don't have to eat with me. I don't want you getting sick."
"I won't, Isabella. I will just chuck it out much later. Besides, I look forward to sharing that milkshake with you," she winked.
She loves making her mate blush. When they dig in, Bella moans and gushes about the pancakes, which makes Irina's eyes turn dark for awhile. She is sure Bella did that on purpose so she vows to get her mate back.
While Bella is sipping on her milkshake, she takes off one shoe and starts to run her leg against Bella's thighs. Bella almost chokes on her drink and she decides to tease her someplace else.
Their brunch ends up in a mess, one trying to out-flirt the other. Irina suddenly feels like she's a teenager again, a hormonal and very much in love teenage girl. As they leave the diner, Irina uses the opportunity to flaunt off her beautiful mate by holding her Isabella by the waist.
Their afternoon is filled with them conversing about their past life. Irina speaks about her memories as a human and Bella in turn tells her about her life in Phoenix.
"Have you ever slept with a woman before?" Bella suddenly asked whilst on the topic of the Denalis and their succubus ways.
"Yes. And I'm much experienced in that area," Irina flirted again, knowing that her sexual past does not cause her mate any sadness. She is quite relieved to have a mate who is both empathetic and not judgemental. Bella just rolls her eyes but still manages to blush at the sexual innuendo.
"Was there ever a boy or a girl in Phoenix?" Irina asked.
"Not really. But I guess I did kind of have a girl crush on my classmate, Serena. She's beautiful and hot."
Irina raises an eyebrow at that, challenging her mate to make her jealous and Bella accepts it daringly. She continues, "She had this badass vibe around her. Hmm, she also rode a motorcycle to school. She was the school rebel."
Jealousy starts to take over. Bella tries to stifle her laugh as she sees the blonde trying to control her jealousy.
"I see. Is she hotter than me?"
Badly, Bella wants to keep teasing her, just to see the green-eyed monster. She is a little turned on by the sight, which is weird because she hated it on Edward. But she remembers all the time Irina had been understanding, kind and gentle towards her and she wants nothing more than to return them.
She places her hand on top of Irina and kisses her shoulder.
"You're the most gorgeous person I've ever met, Irina. And you're fucking hot."
Something strikes Irina in her chest and she swerves to the right and makes a sudden stop, almost giving Bella a heart attack. Suddenly Irina is on top of her mate and kissing her senselessly. After she recovers from the shock, Bella kisses Irina back, enjoying how the vampire is dominating her like this. Unconsciously, her hands slide under Irina's blouse and travels to her chest. Irina growls and drags her lips down Bella's neck and earlobes, sucking on each of them. When she feels Bella's hip started to grind against her jeans, that's when she regains control and pulls back reluctantly.
She lands her forehead against her mate and chuckles, "Fuck Isabella. If you keep saying things like that I truly will lose control and take you here and now."
Bella's imagination runs wild and she closes her eyes to calm down, "Mmm. Would that be so bad?"
Irina laughs and proceeds to stare at her beautiful and amazing mate. She gently massages Bella's cheeks to get her to open her eyes. She wants to see herself reflected on those hazelnut eyes. Bella does as she wanted and her eyes are glazed over but Irina notices the adoration there.
"My dear Isabella. At this rate, you're going to ruin all of my plans."
"Huh?" Bella's still in a trance state.
The mate bond has been overwhelming recently but she welcomes it as it soothes her over and nestles in her chest.
"Isabella Swan, would you like to be my official girlfriend?" Irina asked and popped up a small box from her back.
Bella's eyes widen as Irina opens it to reveal a beautiful golden-rose bracelet.
"I wanted to wait until we get to the cottage but I feel like this moment calls for it," she further explained.
Irina sees her mate's eyes pool with unshed tears and is surprised when Bella groans.
"Urgh. And you ruined my plan. I wanted to ask you the same question at the end of our date."
She leans forward and kisses her mate gently this time, enjoying their first kiss as a couple. It almost feels like her undead heart is beating again and if it were true, it would be pounding so hard right now.
They spend a few more minutes like that, Irina straddling her, Bella's blushing here and there and they kiss each other hungrily.
Alice had to interfere with a phone call to get the new lovebirds to stop making out by the roadside, informing her cousin that they should get going if she wants to execute all of her plans for the date. Clearly that is sufficient motivation as Irina climbs back onto the driver's seat but not without a huge grin on her face.
