Much to my relief and surprise, Zack went bowling with us. We teamed against Maya and Trevor, winning the only two games — probably because their minds weren’t on bowling. I wondered why they invited us when they could’ve spent time alone.
At my house, Zack tossed his keys to Trevor. I walked to my front door, Zack shadowing me. At the top of the steps, he held out his hand for my keys. I gave them up, but hoped we weren’t going to have a repeat of last time he walked me to my door.
Zack turned the key in the lock and swung around to face me. In order for me to enter my house, he needed to move out of my way. Instead, he raised a hand to lift a lock of hair, rubbing it between his fingers.
“Soft. I like your hair like this.”
I gave a shaky laugh, thankful I’d taken the extra time to curl the ends of my hair before dinner instead of pulling it into a ponytail like I’d been tempted to do. “It’s a ton of work to make it wave like this.”
His hand slipped over my shoulder, his thumb catching on my tank strap. “You should wear a top like this every day.”
He inched closer. Though he barely touched me, my entire body sizzled in anticipation.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Zack’s eyes fixed on my mouth and a wave of heat coursed through me.
I shifted forward just a hair and tilted up my chin to meet his lips. “Maybe I’ll wear it tomorrow.”
“No. Don’t wear it to school,” he said, his gaze roaming my face. “It’s not safe.”
A tiny part of me couldn’t help asking, “What’s not safe?”
Zack blinked, shook his head and took a step back, signaling the end of our moment. Damn. “Well, you know what they say about guys,” he said. “They only want one thing.”
“You’re a guy.” A hot guy, I wanted to add. “Does that rule apply to you?”
“It applies to Daniel, who’s already proved himself very annoying. And you weren’t showing nearly this much skin.” He swung around and sprinted down the steps. At the sidewalk, he stopped and pointed at my house. “Go inside.”
My stomach sank, but I managed a nod before closing the door and locking it.
If that had been about to turn into a kiss, why did I have to ruin it by talking? Deep down, I knew if Zack genuinely liked me, there would be other opportunities. Still, I took little comfort in having blown a perfect one.
† † †
The black wolf met me in the meadow and ran with me. I didn’t run at full speed, because I didn’t think he could keep up. He moved pretty damn fast though. Maybe because of his size, his long legs covered ground more quickly. Whatever the reason, having his company was comforting — it felt right.
Once I’d gotten the run out of my system, I slowed and he lagged behind, nipping at my calves and ankles.
“Stop it, Wolfie.” I laughed and kept going, but he did it again. This time, he playfully snapped at my shoe. His teeth hooked on the heel of my sneaker and I stumbled. Trying to regain my balance, I twisted and fell backward. The wolf leaped on top of me, his paw on my shoulder, his muzzle edging toward me. The weight of him pressed me against the dirt and compelled me to stay down, but I didn’t feel in the least bit threatened.
My fingers ran through his soft, silky fur. “You’re so sweet,” I said, offering him a small smile. “Want to spend the night at my house? I’d love your company.”
He froze, his eyes meeting mine and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something he wanted to tell me. His eyes… they reminded me of Zack’s. Clearly I had too much of Zack on my brain because this was a wolf, not a human.
Without warning, he vaulted off me, ran toward the trees and disappeared.
† † †
My mom emailed me what they’d been up to and the nice time they’d been having. I replied, telling her about the Mustang. Then I deleted it. What if they told me not to buy the car? I’d have to start the search all over again. Instead, I told them about the promising lead to pursue tomorrow after school. All true.
Ten minutes before I planned to leave for school the next morning, there was a knock at the door. Zack, looking as delicious as always. “Oh, hi.” My stomach dipped. “What brings you by?”
“It seemed smarter to drive together. After school, we can go directly to your new car. Otherwise, we’ll end up with an extra vehicle.”
Couldn’t he have said he needed more time with me? That an entire night away was more than he could bear? Was that really too much to ask?
I sighed and motioned him inside. “Great idea. I’ll be ready in a few minutes. You can wait here or I can go to your house.”