Page 25

“Exactly.”

As he filled the vase with water, he said, “So you didn’t mention what we’ll be doing tonight. Is it supposed to be a surprise?”

I shrugged. “A little bit. I figured dinner and a movie were a little bland for you and me, but dancing at the club was too exciting. Hopefully I found us a happy medium. I don’t know that my knees could take a night at the club.”

Connor let out a long laugh. “Oh, I was at the club not that long ago, and I can tell you that my knees did not take that well, and I don’t think I’ll be doing it again for a very, very long time. Maybe not ever. I’m sure whatever you have planned will be wonderful. I can’t remember the last time anyone put in any effort into a date.”

His cheeks turned pink, and he cleared his throat.

“That sounds like I do this a lot, but I really don’t.”

“Me neither. But I like you, a lot. And I want to do this right.” Now that he was done with the vase, I went over to him, grabbed his hip, and guided him against me. He came without resistance.

I lowered my mouth so that I was hovering just over his lips. “Are we ready?” I asked.

He blinked up at me, like the nearness of me put him off balance. Good. I wanted to keep him on his toes.

Or on his back.

“Yeah,” he breathed.

“Good.” I pressed a quick kiss to his lips and led him toward the door.

It was time to woo my mate.

Chapter 15

Jack

“Okay, so whose truck is this?” Connor asked.

We were at the local park, standing next to the bright green food truck with an oversized taco painted on the side. For some reason, the taco had a face on it. At the very bottom corner of the truck, hard to see if you didn’t know to look for it, was a small picture of a wolf.

“The taco truck belongs to Luis, and the dessert truck belongs to his wife, Belle. The two of them park all over the city, attend different food truck rallies, all kinds of things. Apparently, their food is to die for. A few times a year, they put on a big event for the pack. One of the pups called it the taco moon.”

Connor snorted out a laugh.

“It’s a very popular truck,” I said.

“I can see that. And are we going to have to learn all the phases of the moon?”

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and looked up at the sky. “Yes, we probably will. This one coming up is the full flower moon, and the one after that is the strawberry moon. Those are the monthly names, the phases are things like waning gibbous, waxing gibbous.”

We stood in the line behind at least ten other couples and a few families. I felt bad for how long the wait would be, but at least I could talk to Connor and get to know him better.

Luis stuck his head out the order window and waved at us.

“Hey, Jack, glad you could make it! I went ahead and put together a sampler platter. Usually, we just offer one or two types of tacos a night, but for the two of you for this special occasion, I wanted you to try it all.”

“Great,” I said, trying to avoid the curious stares from all the strangers. Connor and I walked toward the window, and I took the platter from Luis. He wasn’t kidding about the variety. There were at least five types of tacos on there. “I can’t wait. Everyone raves about this place.”

“Yeah, we like it. Once you’re done, Belle has something special for you for dessert. Don’t skip it or she’ll be personally offended.”

“We won’t miss it,” Connor said, and he grinned at Luis like they were long-lost friends, though I didn’t even think they two of them had met the other day at the gathering. “Thanks for this, Luis. I can’t wait to try it all.”

I held the tray with one hand, while Connor gathered the extras—sour creams, salsa, cilantro, and a few other things. I put my hand to the small of his back and guided him toward the tables. We picked one far away from prying eyes and ears.

“My god, I don’t know how we are going to eat it all. Are we going to have any room for dessert?” he said when we were sitting down. “I don’t want to miss dessert, but I want to try all of these.”