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Shock ricocheted through Zayde. He’d never been asked out so directly before, especially not by someone like Denali. He looked at the guy, taking in all of his rough edges and his scruffy demeanor and found himself nodding before he fully realized what he was doing.
“Sure,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Denali grinned, revealing perfect white teeth, and Zayde felt a little giddy that someone like Denali was asking him out.
“How about tonight?” Denali asked, his amber eyes almost sparkling with excitement.
Zayde bit his lip, trying not to appear too eager, but inside, he was practically jumping up and down. “I get off at five, so any time after that works for me.”
“Perfect,” Denali said, grabbing a pen and jotting something down on a piece of paper. He handed it to Zayde with a wink. “My number is on there. Give me a call when you’re done and we’ll figure out where to meet.”
Flustered, Zayde took the paper from Denali and quickly walked away before the man could see how red his face was getting. As he made his way to the back of the clinic, he could feel his heart racing with excitement. Denali was a bad boy, sure, but there was something about him that made Zayde want to take a chance.
As he walked into the room where Marissa had taken Chloe, she looked up and gave him a knowing smile.
“Looks like someone just got asked out,” she said.
Zayde blushed again, feeling embarrassed that it was so obvious. “How did you hear that conversation from back here?”
“Excellent hearing,” she said. “Seriously, I was eavesdropping.”
Zayde didn’t mind. He also hoped things went well between him and Denali. Zayde’s track record for dating douchebags was phenomenal, and he wanted to break that streak. He mentally crossed his fingers that Denali wasn’t a jerk.
Most bad boys were.
* * * *
Zayde finished up his shift at the vet clinic and headed home to get ready for his date with Denali. After his shower, he nervously fidgeted with his clothes, not sure what to wear to impress the rugged man. He settled on a simple but stylish outfit, hoping that Denali liked it. Charcoal gray pants and a burgundy button-down shirt was good enough, right?
Then he called the guy.
“Davis.”
Oh right. That was Denali’s last name. “It’s Zayde.”
“Hey, Zayde.” The way Denali said his name made Zayde’s dick hard. “Are we still on, or are you calling to cancel?”
“We’re still on,” Zayde said. “I just wanted to let you know I was ready. Where do you want to meet?”
“First dates should always start with coffee,” Denali said.
Zayde knew about that rule. Coffee was a short date, giving either person a chance to leave if the date wasn’t going well. He appreciated Denali’s thoughtfulness. “Okay.”
“Bluebird Café?” Denali said, his voice rich and smooth. “Twenty minutes?”
“Sure. I’ll see you there.” When Zayde hung up, he looked down at his clothes and groaned. He was way overdressed for a café, so he quickly changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a collared shirt. Then he pulled on his Converse Allstar sneakers.
Now he was ready.
Zayde made it to Bluebird in ten minutes and found Denali already there, waiting outside for him.
“Hey there,” Denali said, walking up to Zayde and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “You look great.”
And Denali looked good enough to eat. He had on a pair of Affliction jeans that had rips in the front and designer pockets on the back. Zayde had always wanted a pair of those, but he was balling on a budget.
Denali was also wearing a tight black T-shirt that showed off his toned chest and tattoo sleeves. Denali even had ink on his neck, and now Zayde wanted to know how many more tattoos Denali had.
“Let’s head inside.” Denali opened the door for him, and Zayde walked through, secretly sniffing the guy’s cologne, which smelled like smoky wood and leather. Zayde could sniff that scent all day.
