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His finger pressed the start button, and the car roared to life. “Detailed? Um, no. I don’t think I’ve ever had this thing detailed.”
Surprise replaced the questioning look on her face. “You mean you keep it like this … always?”
He looked around the car in utter confusion. “Would you prefer if I dumped a large fry on the floor? Spilled a gallon of milk in the trunk? A couple of days in this heat and that would wake me up.”
Her laughter rang clear. “I’d feel better if there was lint on the floor. I’m afraid to touch anything.”
The smirk on his face grew until it became a deep-throated laugh. “I probably don’t have lint on me, either, but if you do and you’d like to share, feel free to sprinkle it wherever you’d like.”
Still laughing, he turned on his turn signal and pulled onto the roadway.
“I feel like my car would never be this clean.”
He merged into traffic, his eyes going from the side mirrors to the rearview mirror as he checked his blind spots. “You’re really hung up on the cleanliness of my vehicle. I promise, before you get in it again, I’ll let a couple of muddy dogs in here.”
“I might still have some cheese sauce on my shirt. I could take it off and smear it on the leather.”
His head whipped in her direction. “Be my guest. If you want, I’ll pull over and help you destroy this fucking thing.”
She placed a hand over her heart in mock amusement. “Damn, that’s tempting. But that wouldn’t be fair to me if you’re cheese-less, and I’m the one donating all my clothes for the benefit of your vehicle.”
Alexis thoroughly enjoyed all the flirting. His responses made her feel desired, and she knew, just like the night they met, that he wanted her. There was no denying their connection.
His voice cut through her thoughts. “If you want, I’ll take my shirt off first. And I’ll even help you take yours off. You don’t have to lift a finger to help me. I’d say that would make us even.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get me naked.”
He shrugged a broad shoulder, unabashed. “That may or may not be true.”
They continued to flirt, and as they did so, they grew closer. Their time together began cementing the bond that Alexis hadn’t known for sure existed. She felt something for him, but what that something was, she couldn’t be sure.
By the time they pulled up to her apartment, Alexis was more than eager for his attention. When he leaned over to kiss her, she didn’t shy away. Her hand cupped his neck, drawing him in as close as possible.
His hands grabbed both her shoulders, pulling her toward him. Both of them were eager to be as near to one another as they could. The windows grew steamy as they continued to kiss.
Alexis reluctantly broke the kiss and, with a sigh, pulled away.
“I have an early day tomorrow. But I had a great time tonight. I really did.”
As she moved to get out of the vehicle, Magnus grabbed her hand. “Can I see you again?”
Alexis was delighted at the prospect of going out again. The problem would be when. There was so much going on this coming week with the launch of her new skincare product. She had no idea when she’d be able to squeeze in another date. There were marketing meetings, an expo show coming up, lab results to go over, and her lawyers to meet with. The hours this week were reprehensible.
Despite the thoughts going on in her head, she wanted to see him. She wanted another night like this one. It was fun. So incredibly fun.
She let go of her thoughts long enough to answer. “I just don’t know when. I have so much going on this week.” When she saw the disappointment flare on his perfectly chiseled face, she caved with one addition. “The only day I’m free is Sunday.”
His smile returned, but only for a moment before it disappeared once more behind a mask of disappointment.
“I have the panther community fair on Sunday. I can’t miss it. My entire pride will be there. As alpha, I have to go.”
“Are outsiders allowed?” she asked, running the idea of attending the fair with him through her head. To her, the entire affair sounded like a good time. It would be a great way for her to learn more about pride life. If he was the alpha, she was curious to learn more about what, exactly, that entailed.
She wanted to see him interact with his shifters. She wanted to see his shifters interact with him. As a community, she knew little about them. She hadn’t really spent any time with non-humans, and because of Magnus, she was now extremely curious.
“Anyone can go,” he said.
When nothing more was offered, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared at him expectantly. “Okay, well, then, can I go with you?”
