Page 11 of My Blind Date is a Werewolf

As if he could read my thoughts, his smile tightened at the edges and he placed his half-filled glass of burgundy wine on the table, taking the seat next to mine. I guess we were doing this, then. Stifling a sigh, I surreptitiously inched my chair away from him and tried to look for my sister or Eden without making it too obvious. Angie was at one of the wine stations, chatting with some people, and Eden was interviewing the hospital’s director as she’d intended.

“Dustin.” I dipped my head in a nod and popped a grape into my mouth. What was I even supposed to say to him? This seemed like the wrong time and place to lay into him for his incessant calls, and I’d already told him that I wasn’t interested. What more did he want from me?

“I sent you flowers to apologize for my outburst the other day. Did you get them?” he asked, his shoulders drooping when he realized that a greeting was all he was getting from me. God, I needed a drink!

“I did, but they were unnecessary. Let’s just put the whole thing behind us, hmm?”

He did not take that the way I intended. He reminded me of a puppy the way his eyes lit up. I could almost picture his doggy ears perking up and a tail wagging in excitement.

“Yes, let’s. I was afraid that you were still angry with me since you weren’t taking my calls and all. So, are you here with anyone? Obviously, I’m here on behalf of BioGen Pharmaceuticals. But if you don’t mind ditching, there is a restaurant downto—” He stopped, something dark and ugly flashing in his eyes as he looked over my shoulder. It was gone just as quickly, and I would have thought I’d imagined it if I didn't catch the whiff of pine and cinnamon just as Adrian placed a glass of white wine in front of me and rested his massive hand on my shoulder.

“Sorry that took me a while, but I ran into Mrs. Hudson. It’s hard to get her to stop talking once she gets started.” Adrian winked at me before all traces of amusement vanished from his face and he glared daggers at Dustin. “We meet again.”

CHAPTER 7

Whatever Dustin’s reply was, it was lost in the din of white noise ringing in my ears as I ate up the magnificent sight of Adrian Copper in a suit. Dressed in charcoal black with a bronze vest and tie and a slate gray shirt, he looked like a modern god of war. His unruly copper curls had been combed back, the strands brushing the collar of his hair. He’d even trimmed his beard. He hadn’t shaved it completely off, but he looked less like a lumberjack and more like a man who should be dominating boardrooms instead of chopping down trees.

Urbane and sexy—a far cry from the denim jeans fraying at the knees and flannel shirts and work boots he usually wore. Both looks were worlds apart, but no less drool-inducing. I had to pinch myself out of a haze of desire when I felt my pulse pounding in my chest and my temperature kick up a few degrees.

Dustin was gone by the time I came back to myself and Adrian had taken his seat, a questioning expression on his face.

“Sorry, did you say something?” My voice came out breathy and husky, my throat parched. I grabbed the wine glass and took an unceremonious sip, skipping past all the etiquette of swirling the drink around and taking a whiff of its floral scents. Nevertheless, it was a good pinot grigio.

“I’m guessing I made the right choice then.” He gestured to the glass in my hand when I raised my brows in silent question.

“I’m more of a chardonnay and pinot noir type of girl, but this tastes just as good. I would have never pegged you as the type of guy who likes these kinds of highbrow dog and pony shows,” I commented, licking the remnants of the wine off my lips. Adrian’s eyes followed the quick swipe of my tongue, his eyes going wolf bright and his throat bobbing up and down as he swallowed.

A thrill of pleasure went through me. For a brief moment, I had the crazy notion that Adrian was attracted to me, but sensible Oliva slapped those thoughts back into their box and padlocked them shut. He was my brother-in-law’s best friend. What’s more, Adrian had been somewhat of an older brother figure for me growing up. He probably still saw me the same way—the chatty, annoying kid who’d begged him for skateboarding lessons and always followed Angie around, trying to muscle her way into their friend group.

He cleared his throat and tugged at his collar before downing the contents of his crystal tumbler.

“That’s not wine,” I accused, my eyes narrowed.

His smirk was like a flash of lightning in the dark, unexpected and heart-stoppingly brilliant. “I asked for something stronger. A shot of scotch is the only thing that’s stopping me from ripping this monkey suit off and going home.”

A cascade of mental images flooded my mind at the picture he painted with his words. I for one would not mind getting a striptease right there and then, but then again, I wasn’t sure if I wanted every other woman in the room to get a look at the muscles hidden beneath his suit.

“I’m only here because of my position on the City Council, and because Cooper Construction made a sizable donation toward the new pediatric wing. Talia reminded me that as the CEO, it would be remiss if I did not show my face for at least thirty minutes—her words exactly.” He checked his watch as if he were counting down the minutes.

I laughed at his sour expression, fingers itching to smooth out the wrinkles on his forehead. “Talia I can picture schmoozing the crowd. How are she and the baby doing?”

“Both mother and pup are healthy as horses. I’ve never seen a baby more spoiled than Roman. Talia and Max have pack mates coming and going from their home every other hour bearing gifts and unsolicited advice for the first-time parents.” He chuckled. The sound was smoky and low, but I felt it vibrate in my bones.

“She must be going out of her mind given how generally nosey everyone is in this town. I can only imagine how much worse it is in a tight-knit group like a wolf pack.”

Adrian grimaced, shifting in his chair—which was much too tiny for his huge frame. Was there a piece of furniture that did not make this man look like a giant playing with doll toys? He turned the chair so that it was not tucked into the table but facing me completely as I sat sideways. His legs were spread on either side of mine as if he were caging me in, and I think I was getting a little high off his scent.

“There is no such thing as privacy in a wolf pack. When I was fourteen, I kissed Maise Turner behind the bleachers with one of my pack mates acting a lookout. Next thing I knew, the pack elders were coming out of the woodwork giving me the birds and the wolves talk. The last thing I wanted to know at that age was how virile young wolves are.” He grimaced.

I laughed so hard that I snorted, drawing a few curious looks our way. But even as my shoulders shook from the laughter I was failing to stuff down, I sifted through my memories for a Maisie Turner and could not come up with anything. That did not stop the acrid taste of jealousy from coating my tongue thinking about her being the recipient of Adrian’s affection, first kiss, and who knew what other firsts.

Realizing how irrational I was being, I tried to shove the thoughts aside and turned the topic back to his sister and newborn nephew. “So, how’s Talia dealing with all the intrusive visitors? You can let her know that there’s always a slice of death by chocolate cake with her name on it at the cafe if she needs a pick me up.”

“You might just regret making that offer. My sister is a fiend when it comes to chocolate. But to answer your question, the stubborn woman came back to work this week, a whole month before she was scheduled. We’ve set up a mini-nursery for Roman in her office and so far, so good.” He grabbed a cookie off one of the platters and demolished it in two bites. Swallowing had always been such a mundane thing, nothing I ever paid attention to before this sudden awareness I felt for Adrian. Now that very mundane act felt like I was getting a striptease. What was wrong with me?

There was a lull in conversation, both of us taking in everything and lost to our own thoughts. “We’re not being very social, are we?” Adrian knocked his knee into mine.

“I was dragged here against my will and would rather be curled up in bed with a good book. I didn’t even bring my checkbook, so I’d much rather stay right here and get in as much rest as I can before my three a.m. wakeup call.”

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