Read Online Rose, Charlotte - Bayou Rescue [The Shifters of Alligator Bend 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Charlotte Rose - Free Book Online Page B

start of the weekend. By the time she had found a parking spot and hurried over, she felt completely drained. On top of all that, she was still nervous.
    Taking a deep breath as she approached the maître d’, she saw that Xavier and Armand were both already seated at a semicircular booth. She couldn’t believe how well they cleaned up. They looked gorgeous even when they were fresh off the boat after a day of work. Now, they were freshly showered and shaved. Oscar’s hair was slicked back, and Xavier’s was carefully styled to look like he had just rolled out of bed. They both wore crisp shirts and dark jackets.
    For a moment, Adele pondered sneaking back out into the night. She was having a hard enough time believing that these two gorgeous men could turn into vicious predators at a moment’s notice. Somehow, it was even harder for her to believe she was destined to be their mate for life. But she drew upon the well of confidence that had inspired her to ask them to dinner in the first place, and she crossed the room.
    Both men smiled when they saw her and got up out of their seats so she could slide in. As soon as she was settled, they sat back down, one on either side.
    “Sorry, I’m late,” she said, giving Oscar a quick kiss, then turning and offering one to Xavier. “It’s been a crazy day.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Xavier said with a smile and stealing another kiss. “We took the liberty of ordering you a Sazerac. We figured if you requested this place, you must be a fan of the house drink.”
    “You figured correctly.” Just as she finished speaking, the waiter set the drink down in front of her. Adele took a slow sip and willed herself to relax. “How have your days been?”
    Oscar shrugged. “Oh, you know. Fishing. More fishing. Planning how to rescue our family. More fishing. There ain’t a whole lot of variety in our schedules.”
    “But we ain’t so interested in talkin’ about ourselves. We’re more interested in you.”
    Adele felt herself blush. “Oh?”
    Xavier nodded. “Have to admit, we were both a little surprised by your invitation last weekend, especially after the way I acted. You changin’ your mind about things?”
    Before Adele had time to answer, the waiter returned to take their orders. She hurriedly gave hers, feeling nervous by Xavier’s question. She was changing her mind but was reticent about admitting her feelings. Once she revealed them, there was no turning back.
    As soon as the waiter was gone, Adele turned her attention back to Xavier. It’s now or never.
    “Some things were a little difficult for me to accept at first, obviously. I never actually considered the possibility that shape-shifters were real until I met the two of you. And then, of course, with you trying to mate me so quickly, well, you know how that went. But after Xavier apologized, I felt a lot better. I mean, you’re only human after all. Well, um, you know what I mean.”
    Xavier laughed. “Yeah, we ain’t perfect, I’ll give you that.”
    “Anyway, after Xavier’s apology, I realized I wanted to get to know the both of you better.”
    Oscar smiled. “So what do you want to know?”
    “I mean—I have so many questions,” Adele said. “I don’t know how we could get to them in just one dinner.”
    “We don’t have to get it all out on the table in one night. Just ask away. We have all the time in the world.”
    Adele set down her glass. “When you shift, do you retain any essence of what it’s like to be human?”
    “We keep our minds, if that’s what you’re asking,” Oscar said. “We can’t talk, of course, since we ain’t got vocal cords in our gator forms, but we can still think like we’re human. We can communicate with each other through telepathy.”
    “Does it hurt to change?”
    “Naw,” Xavier said with a laugh. “It’s strange the first time, but it don’t hurt. In fact, it’s awesome to feel once you have control over the power. No greater