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“So I have to ask, then,” I say, dropping my gaze to my glass of scotch. I’m not exactly sure how to broach this topic, but it’s been on my mind since we first started hooking up and I need all the facts. My eyes flicker up to meet hers again. “Have you done this before?”
She squints, tilting her head. “What, dated?”
“Sure. Or been with guys in general.”
“Of course I have,” she scoffs, like my question offends her.
I slide my elbows onto the table and lean in. “I’m quite a bit older than you, Juliet. I have more life experience. And I think it’s important to know what yours is, so I don’t push you beyond what you’re comfortable with.”
She purses her lips as a funny look comes over her face, and I don’t miss the flush crawling up her neck. This topic of conversation makes her uncomfortable. I might’ve just hit the nail on the head.
I’m about to press further, but she’s saved by the waiter arriving to take our order, and as soon as he leaves, she cleverly redirects the conversation. I forget to bring it up again throughout dinner because there’s never another awkward silence or lull in dialogue. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself this much on a Friday night. It’s so good, so natural, that at some point I decide that her experience level doesn’t really matter anyways- I’m going to ask her to stay the night with me. Because as cheesy as it sounds, I’m not ready for it to end at the conclusion of the meal.
After I pay the bill, I start to walk her out of the restaurant, the question on the tip of my tongue. Before I can get it out, though, I hear a voice that makes my hackles raise.
“Well, well, well… isn’t this is a surprise?”
I turn to look over my shoulder, tucking Juliet into my side instinctively.
Gavin Holley saunters toward us, grinning from ear to ear like the damn cat that got the cream. “Cole Bauer, fancy running into you here.”
“I could say the same,” I grumble.
Gavin’s grin widens as he throws a thumb over his shoulder. “I was just checking in on my latest client. If you two had a drink tonight, the liquor was supplied by yours truly.”
I don’t outwardly react to that revelation, but it irks me nonetheless.
Gavin turns to Juliet, eyeing her up. “Heard you ran into some trouble the other day, sweetheart.”
“Where’d you hear that?” I growl, realizing too late how close my wolf is to the surface. I force him back and thankfully Gavin’s not observant whatsoever and doesn’t even notice the change in my eyes.
“You’re not the only one that’s connected in this city, Bauer,” he tsks, shaking his head. “I’ve got my sources.”
His condescending tone has my wolf fighting against me again, as does the way he turns back to Juliet and rakes his gaze over her slowly, like she’s a tasty meal he wants to sink his teeth into.
“Well, I should get back to the grind. Let me know if you’ve reconsidered my proposal, Cole,” Gavin says, shooting me a slimy smirk before turning to walk away. “I’ll be seeing you around, Juliet,” he adds with a wink.
It’s a thinly veiled threat if I’ve ever heard one, and I know damn well that I shouldn’t react. The right play here would be to act unbothered, keep it all together so he doesn’t know he got under my skin. But my lips part, the words slipping free before I can stop them.
“No, you won’t,” I snap, and Gavin turns back around, a gleeful expression on his face.
Damnit.
I just showed him my cards, gave him exactly what he wanted. Something to use against me.
“We’ll see,” he replies with a shrug.
My body’s practically vibrating with rage. Juliet’s hand slips into mine, her fingers tightening around it like she’s trying to pull me back from the brink. I feel my wolf pushing forward harder, slipping past my defenses, and I know I have to get out of here before I make a scene that I’ll never be able to explain or come back from.
“Let’s go,” Juliet urges, tugging my hand.
It’s enough to snap me out of the red-tinted haze I’ve fallen into. I drag in a deep breath through my nose.Lilacs and coconut.My pulse begins to slow. My shoulders relax marginally. I keep my arm tucked around Juliet’s shoulders as I force my feet to move, exiting the restaurant and crossing the parking lot to the Camaro. The two of us slide in on our respective sides of the car, and only then do I release the breath I’d been holding.
“Jeez, what’s that guy’s deal?” Juliet mutters as she fastens her seatbelt. “Taking creepy to a whole new level.”
I fire up the ignition, reveling in the feeling of the engine rumbling beneath us. “Just stay away from him,” I say flatly, shifting the gear and pulling out of the parking spot. “He’s a bad dude.”
“Care to elaborate?”
