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She remained quiet as she headed back to the party, but she seemed to be enjoying the quiet time, even if the music could likely be heard in the next county.
“A veterinarian, huh?” I couldn’t resist.
“Yes. It’s all I ever wanted to be for as long as I can remember.”
“An admirable profession.”
“For me, it was all about having an excuse to see animals every day. I was never allowed to have a pet, my father refusing to allow one in the house. But when I was fourteen, I was begrudgingly given permission to volunteer in a shelter. Truth be told, it was supposed to be punishment for being a delinquent kid with violent tendencies. For my father, it got me out of his hair.”
I almost choked. “You? A delinquent? Eh, I can see it.” A father. Even the way she’d issued the single word told me there was an underlying story.
“You’re so mean,” she purred. “I fell in love with creatures large and small and became determined to become a veterinarian against my father’s wishes. He wanted me involved in the family business. But I worked hard, graduated with my bachelor’s degree in three years and thought I had the world in the palm of my hand. It took me a long time to get close. Then poof.”
“What happened, Lily? Why did the dream die?”
She bristled, her breathing more rapid. “It’s not dead. Just on hold. Let’s just leave it at that. Okay? You wanted to know more about me. Working with animals is the only thing I’ve ever truly wanted.”
“What about the photographs?”
“I love taking pictures. I feel at peace when I capture that perfect moment. It’s like stopping time but it’s just a hobby.”
“I never thought of it that way. But don’t take any pictures of me,” I warned her.
Her laugh pushed my cock against my jeans. “You don’t know what it means to be around Sam. He’s such a good boy.” She stopped long enough to pet him, even bending down to wrap her arms around him. “It’s time you told me a little secret.”
“Uh-oh. I don’t know about that.”
“You opened up a can of worms,” she said with defiance, the lilting sound awakening my primal needs.
“One question. I’ll answer one question.” I held up my index finger and she acted as if she was going to bite it off, laughing afterwards. It was damn good to see and hear her laugh, a release of demons she held so close.
As she rose to her feet, I could tell she was debating. “Why the nickname Wolfman?” For some reason, I tensed. “Come on. You promised.”
“I didn’t promise.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Fine. When I was stationed in Afghanistan, I was initially assigned to a base that wasn’t on the front line. I was a bombs expert, our compound top secret. I was out for a smoke one night and noticed something in the dark. To make a long story short, I prevented the compound from being torched. At first, they called me Eagle Eyes. Then because I rarely talked to anyone and walked the camp during the night, they thought Wolfman was better. It stuck.”
“The name fits you but for all the wrong reasons.”
“Oh, yeah? Then why?”
“Because you’re strong and fierce, a true alpha among a sea of betas. You’re a natural born leader.” For all the teasing we’d done, skirting around the truth for fear of getting too close, to hear her words and more important, to see the look in her eyes, I was floored.
And that never happened to a guy like me.
We walked quietly for a few minutes. Then she did something as unexpected as making her announcement earlier. She intertwined her fingers with mine. It felt right. I felt damn good. Maybe I was no good for her, but it was at that moment I knew I’d never be able to let her get away.
As we neared all the noise, Scorpion was heading toward us.
“Hey. Sorry I’m late. What did I miss?” he asked, glancing from one to the other.
We both laughed. “We’ll tell you about it later. Things get busy at the bar?” I asked casually, keeping my grip on her fingers.
“Yeah, but that’s not what held me up. The fucking reporters were back again,” he said as he groused. “They wanted to interview Lily.”
“Why?” she asked. “I’m nobody special. I had nothing to do with saving lives.”
