Page 44 of Nico

"Oh. Hey, Nico." He gave me a polite smile before turning his attention back to Isaac.

Okay. Maybe Griffin was still pissed about me finding out about the filming through Michael. Which, really, wasn't exactly my fault. And technically, wasn't that between Griffin and his mate?

I decided not to bring that up unless I wanted to get thrown out before we'd even ordered dinner.

I reached over and grabbed Isaac's arm. "Come on."

Isaac didn't seem to mind as I led him through the bar. We found a table toward the back, far enough from the busiest part of the room that we could actually talk.

I slid into the seat opposite him and picked up the menu.

"Order whatever you want. My treat."

"Whatever I want?" He looked at me curiously. "What's the occasion?"

I hesitated. I'd been thinking about it ever since we'd left the set.

All the little things he'd done for me, from remembering which muffin I liked to getting us into places I normally wouldn't have been allowed.

I had no idea how he'd managed to arrange all of this on such short notice. Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to know what he'd had to promise people to make it happen.

I had a pretty good idea what was going on. I just didn't want to embarrass myself by assuming too much. At the same time, I didn't want to spend the entire evening wondering if I'd imagined it all.

I lowered the menu and looked at him.

"Because you planned all of that, didn't you?"

He didn't answer immediately. The silence stretched just long enough for doubt to creep in.

"You did all that because you wanted to spend the day with me. Right?" There. I'd said it.

For one horrible second, I wondered if I'd completely misread everything.

Then Isaac smiled. It wasn't his usual teasing smile. There was something softer about it, almost shy.

"Did you like it?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly. "The tavern didn't exactly work out."

"No, but I loved it."

He looked back at me.

"I mean it. I loved all of it." My smile widened. "And I got to spend the whole day with you."

"I just wish I'd been able to do more."

I laughed. "You did plenty."

I'd been waiting to kiss him since the moment I'd seen him standing outside that building that morning.

I'd spent the entire day finding excuses to stand a little closer to him, catching his eye and wondering if he was thinking the same thing I was. Apparently, I reached the end of my patience.

I leaned across the table and caught the front of his shirt. Isaac's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't pull away.

His lips were warm and soft against mine, and the moment he kissed me back, the rest of the bar seemed to fade into the background.

The music was still playing, people were still talking, and glasses clinked somewhere behind us, but none of it seemed important anymore.

His scent surrounded me, and the familiar warmth of it made me want to stay right where I was. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, utterly content with having him this close.