A sadness creeps into her gaze as she shakes her head. “I’m busy all weekend. Sorry.”
I nod as she leaves to wait on a customer, taking her refusal like an adult, but curious to find out what happened. She was climbing all over me last Friday. It makes no sense.
I’ve eaten at the diner every day, even if Raine wasn’t working. Some days we don’t get to do more than exchange a few pleasantries, but it’s worth it. Being in her presence soothes me. I’ve never been away from other wolves for this long and hadn’t realized how much I needed her companionship.
Last week our flirting was intense. But I was still too raw from Lori’s betrayal to want to leap into anything—did I screw things up by waiting too long to ask her out again? Getting to know her through casual conversation felt refreshing, something I lacked with every other wolf I’d been with prior.
I wasn’t ready to follow through on the lust we explored on our first date. But now I am. I’ve rented a small apartment and acquired some decent furnishings. I have the beginnings of my own den to share. We may not turn into anything permanent, but I aim to find out.
There’s something about the young woman that calls to me. Resigned to the fact she said no for tonight, I grab a free spot at the counter and settle in for dinner. Determined to not act like a jerk, I wave to the young Were when she glances my way. Her shoulders relax and her face softens. She’s pinned her short dark hair behind her ears with butterfly barrettes, the style making her look even younger than her twenty-one years.
Unlike the robust health and curves of Lori, and most of the other female Weres in Manitoba, Raine has a delicacy to her. I’m not normally attracted to overly slender women, but she pulls my protective alpha nature to the surface. I want to coddle and cosset her, protect her from harm and wrap myself around her while she sleeps.
Every time she walks past me, my wolf leaps to the surface, eager to rub against her for companionship. I like this casual state of arousal I’m in when around her. My senses feel heightened and the world looks fresher. Is it being free from the burden of the Manitoba pack or the stirrings of what will be a brighter future here in Virginia?
My meal arrives and the smell of homemade cobbler drifting from the kitchen reminds me of home with my folks. Could I approach them now that I’m stronger and no longer a risk to their safety? Was Romeo’s suggestion of severing all contact with family truly the only option available? I tamp down the slow burn of anger coiling in my gut. No purpose in dwelling on the past.
Raine’s eyes lock with mine across the length of the counter. She’s pouring coffee for a patron, allowing her attention to wander my way. I deliberately focus on lustful thoughts, encouraging my sexual pheromones to blanket the air. Raine becomes distracted by the scent, and over pours, spilling coffee to the saucer below the cup.
Her face flushes while she reaches for extra napkins, her eyes flick my way, a desperate edge in their depths. She finishes cleaning and scurries to the back room, avoiding me. Interesting reaction. I wonder what has her so jumpy. Female Weres don’t normally react to an alpha’s heat by running away. Within a few heartbeats everyone near me is smiling, their sexual energies higher than normal. I tone down the pressure; worried I may have overplayed my hand.
She’s a tough nut to crack.
Are you going to let a scrumptious werewolf ripe for the picking slip from your grasp so easily?
Damn. I’m used to female werewolves chasing me. This hard-to-get crap is a whole new experience, especially after her blatant invitation in the parking lot.
You could have bruised her ego when you turned her down.
But then why the flirting since then?
Are you an alpha or a puppy? Show her what you want.
Decision made, I toss my napkin on my plate and make my way to the back hallway. The tingling awareness of hunting prey stretches across my skin, enticing my wolf to draw closer to the surface. This is fun.
Wait a minute—there’s a back door at the end of the corridor I was unaware of. Hmm… I wonder if she was planning to slip out unseen to avoid me. Definitely time to find out what the hell is going on.
The ladies room door opens three feet away and Raine emerges. She’s changed into a snug pair of hip-hugging jeans and a tight t-shirt. A strip of honey colored skin is exposed between the two, the flat planes of her stomach teasing me to touch. A small squeak escapes her when she sees me.
I push out sexual lust when I whisper her name. “Hi, Raine.” She shudders at the sound. “You weren’t going to ditch me without saying goodnight, were you?”
She stumbles away to press against the rear door. “Uh… no. I have to be somewhere.” Her breath huffs out, her gaze sliding away from me, to her escape.