Page 12 of Alfie

Later, he might tease Mercer about screwing everyone by being a lion who wanted to snuggle up to his soulmate before she knew the truth. But for now, Alfie was all about getting ready for his date with Myla.

It was the first step to winning her heart and making her his.

Alfie sat across the table from his beautiful sweetheart two hours later, feeling like the luckiest male on the planet. Her dark hair was curled at the ends and pulled over one shoulder, and the pretty green sweater dress she wore, which hugged every single inch of her curves like it was made for her, brought out hidden green striations in her chocolate brown eyes. She smelled like a dream, and his wolf was positively panting in his head to be close to her, but he managed to stay in his seat and not crawl across the table and ravish her.

Maybe later.

If she was up for some ravishing.

The restaurant he’d picked served the best tacos he’d ever had, and their Tuesday Dollar Tacos special was one that he and his friends often enjoyed, eating their fill for not a lot of money. When she’d said she liked Mexican food, he was happy to bring her to his favorite place.

“Oh, it smells so good here,” she said. “I’ve never eaten at this restaurant.”

“It’s one we come to every now and then. The chips are made fresh, and the salsa isn’t too spicy. Unless you really like spicy stuff, then they have one that will peel paint off the wall.”

She giggled. “I’m a wimp with spice.”

When their orders were taken and their strawberry daiquiris were dropped off, he lifted his glass and said, “How about a toast?”

She smiled sweetly and lifted her glass. “How about to possibilities?”

“And tacos.”

Their glasses clinked and they both took a drink, and Alfie most definitely did not miss the way her sweet scent deepened with the hint of arousal.

Beautiful, warm, and all his.

Chapter Six

Great food, great conversation, and a sexy guy hanging on her every word was the perfect recipe for an amazing first date. Myla didn’t want the night to end, and that was the truth.

She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Alfie since they met the previous night. In fact, she was pretty sure she’d dreamed about him and woken up feeling needy in a way that had never happened to her before.

All day she’d thought about Alfie, loving the little texts he sent, and hating how slow the day was. Since she wasn’t working, she’d spent the day cleaning. And then she’d done something she hadn’t done in a while: shaved her legs.

Which Alice had definitely teased her about over text that day. It must be serious if you shaved! Make sure your bra and panties match.

What bra? She’d teased back.

Milo says ew. I say woohoo girl!

She’d worn a sweater dress that hugged her curves, and the dark green was her favorite color. Paired with a low heel that had a pretty bow at the back, she’d felt like a million bucks.

And considering how chilly it was, she was glad she was wearing a bra. She didn’t need her nips making an appearance during dinner. Even if she wasn’t wearing tights to combat the cold, at least her boobs would be warm.

Alfie picked her up promptly at six, wearing a quarter-zip and jeans, and she caught the hint of his cologne, which made the neediness she’d been feeling all day amplify.

He kissed her cheek in greeting and told her she was beautiful, then handed her a bag of kettle corn with a sticker that said it was from the safari park’s gift shop. “Oh, I love kettle corn! Thank you so much.”

“I can’t take credit for it entirely, a friend of mine’s wife overheard that you liked popcorn and sent it over for me to bring to you. I would have gotten you flowers.”

“You have really nice friends. And I do like flowers, but honestly, popcorn is perfect.”

She set it on the counter and grabbed her coat off the arm of the couch. He helped her put it on and then she took his offered arm. He escorted her out of the apartment and to his waiting SUV.

The ride to the Mexican restaurant was filled with chatter as they shared stories about their days. While they ate platters of rice, beans, and the best tacos she’d ever had, they talked about their family. His was all but gone now, his dad and grandpa lost to hunting accidents years earlier, and his mom passed away from illness. “So no siblings?” she asked.

“No, but I have friends that are close like siblings. Found family, I think, is what people call it.”