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He snorted. His voice low, he said, “Youknowthe one I’m talking about. I want to see you in it. Your ass would look so good in that.”
My ass, in fact, looked great in that dress. So did my boobs. It was a wiggle dress, off-the shoulder and formfitting to every curve. Ruched all the way down, the material showed every curve, and came to high thigh level. The fact that Faron wanted me to wear it set my heart beating. He wanted me—that had been obvious on our first date, but I’d kept him at arm’s length. Not because I didn’t want him, but because I was overwhelmed by my feelings.
“You want to see me in that?” I asked, my breath catching in my chest.
“What do you think?” Faron asked. “I can picture you in it—and trust me, I’m picturing you in that dress right now.”
I forced myself to calm down so my voice wouldn’t tremble. “All right. I’ll wear it. But you’d better take me to somewhere I can show it off.” As Faron laughed, I added, “And I’m not talking your bedroom.”
“Killjoy,” he said, but chuckled. “I’ll see you Friday night at seven. I’ll pick you up. No arguments.”
As I slid my phone in my pocket, I shivered. Every time I got near Faron Collinsworth, my body reacted. It was getting harder and harder to put him off. But was I ready to start sleeping around again?
* * *
After visiting Vintage Romance,I showed Grams a high-end lingerie boutique that I’d taken to buying my underwear at, then we stopped in at an art store since Grams liked to paint, where we bought her some watercolor paper, paints, an easel, and the other supplies she needed to set up her own little artist’s studio.
“I can leave them here for when I come visit.” She insisted on carrying the bags herself.
“Grams, do you mind if I go out Friday night?” We were heading back to my car.
“On a date, you mean?”
“Right.”
“I don’t mind, on one condition. I want to meet the mystery man. Unless it’s Bran, in which case I’ve met him and highly approve.” She glanced at me as a car swept past, a little close to the sidewalk for comfort. “What aren’t you telling me?”
I sighed. “You’re not going to let this drop, are you?”
“No, so you might as well tell me now,” she said.
I took a deep breath. “Grams, you might as well know that I’m dating both Bran Anderson, and Faron Collinsworth, the King of the Olympic Wolf Pack.”
With that, I opened the door to the car and slid in, not waiting for her to answer.
* * *
By the timewe reached the bay, Grams had quit ranting. Well, to be fair, she hadn’t ranted. She’d pointed out all the reasons why wolf shifters and witches didn’t see eye-to-eye.
“I don’t care if history left us on opposite sides,” I said. “To be honest, when I first met Faron, I didn’t like him either. In fact, we had a few run-ins that could have left us enemies, if we hadn’t…if he hadn’t…” I wasn’t sure to tell her that he’d come asking for my advice on a magical matter, and that I’d helped him. Like most witches, Grams had a heightened disregard for wolf shifters.
“The wolf shifters left us to die at the hands of the Inquisitors. They turned us over to them to save their own skins,” Grams said. “They were as bad as the warlocks.”
“But it’s not like that anymore,” I argued. “The Inquisitors don’t exist anymore and the churches have faded in their power to tyrannize people. They workwithus now, not against us. The warlocks have faded since there’s no gain to turning us over for bounties. Granted, there are still hate groups, but they’re on the fringe.”
“What do you think his family would think?” Grams asked.
“He’s the King. That doesn’t matter. He can do what he wants,” I muttered.
“Don’t count on it. He may be King but if his mother and father are still alive, you are going to have a steep road to climb.”
“They aren’t alive, though he has a brother. It’s not like I’m marrying him. We’re just dating.” I parked the car and turned off the engine. “Now, do you want to see the bay before I have to be back to open up the shop?” I opened the door and jumped out, unwilling to continue the argument.
Grams followed suit, and I had the feeling I’d temporarily won the battle. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t continue the argument, but for now, she allowed me to show her around the bay. We walked down the steps by the Grapevine—the nursery I bought my plants from—and sat on one of the driftwood logs, staring out into the water.
“It’s beautiful. It reminds me of our shorelines,” Grams said after a while. “So, you really like this wolf shifter?”
I snorted. “We butted heads several times before deciding to call a truce. And then…well…I don’t know howmuchI like him, but enough to date, I guess. He has a good heart below that gruff exterior.”
