Trusting us.
Guilt curled low in my stomach. If he knew the truth… if he knew why I’d really pushed for that information…
We stopped beside his truck, both of us leaning back against it. The sun was climbing higher now, washing the packlands in a soft light. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I could feel Levi looking at me.
“What?” I asked finally, turning slightly.
“Six,” he said.
I frowned. “What?”
He leaned in a little, studying my face more closely. “No. Maybe eight. Yeah, eight.”
“Eight what?”
“I think I’ll come by your place at eight.”
I blinked. “Why?”
“For dinner.” His mouth curved faintly. “You said you’d go out with me. Also…” his gaze dipped, assessing, “…you look like you desperately need food and rest. Probably rest first. Then food.”
A small laugh escaped me. “Fine. But why eight?”
He tilted his head, studying me again. “Some sleep would do you good.” He leaned in even closer, and I caught his scent.
It was warm, with something sharp underneath, like cedar and dry amber in the sun. “Or we could do a rain check,” he added. “You look pretty rough. Your eye bags are really bad.”
“Hey,” I protested, nudging him lightly with my elbow.
Still, I turned toward the truck’s side mirror, bending to check my reflection. My eyes did look tired, and much darker than usual.
“They’re not that bad,” I muttered.
Levi chuckled. “I’m joking.” He pulled open the passenger door for me. “So… seven, then?”
I huffed. “Fine.”
He walked around to the driver’s side, and a few minutes later we were heading back to Tony and Nico’s place, the radio filling the quiet space between us.
I tapped my fingers lightly against the door in time with the music, watching the trees blur past.
It was just dinner.
One night didn’t change anything. I was still here for a reason. Still needed to help Kai. Still needed to do what I came here to do.
I kept repeating it in my head, like it might make it more solid.
But my mind drifted back to the way Levi had leaned in, close enough that I’d caught his scent.
My coyote had perked up immediately, curious, drawn in a way that made my stomach flip.
I turned toward the window. My fingers curled loosely over my mouth, hiding the warmth creeping into my cheeks as I stared outside.
I wanted to go. More than I expected to.
That realization was both unsettling and strangely exciting. I wasn’t sure when that had happened, when Levi had gone from someone I needed to be careful around to someone I found myself wanting to spend time with.
