Page 23 of My Blind Date is a Werewolf

“Let me just heat these up and then I can show you to your room and we’ll call Chief Gleason,” Adrian said from behind me. Jojo and I followed him into the kitchen. My jaw dropped open when I took it in and I’m pretty sure I drooled a little bit.

“Holly Nigella Lawson! This! This is what I want.” I ran a hand reverently over the gleaming granite countertop on the kitchen island before turning my appreciative eye on the cabinets.

“We never did get around to talking about the renovations you want done in your home. You game for throwing around some ideas now?” he asked, pinning me to the counter, his arms caging me in on either side.

“We could do that,” I hummed, but instead, I threw my arms over his shoulders and got up on the tiptoes of my ballet flats and did what I’d wanted to do since last night. Adrian arched a brow but leaned down anyway so that I could kiss him without getting a crick in my neck.

He tasted of everything wild and dangerous—earthy and sensual in a way that set my blood ablaze. This time around I made sure he got the message that I wanted more than a peck on the lips, pressing my mouth to his as if I wanted to permanently imprint myself on him. He let out a husky laugh when I bit down hard on his lower lip. Not hard enough to break skin, but enough to elicit a short, breathy gasp. Grabbing my chance, I sneaked my tongue into his mouth, hesitantly brushing it against his. Adrian liked it, if his moan and wrapping his arms tighter around my waist were any indication.

Without breaking the kiss, he picked me up and sat me on top of the counter. And just like that, he took control of the kiss, tipping my head back to get better access. I threaded my fingers through the thick strands of his hair, wrapping my legs around his waist. Adrian’s hands moved from my face and trailed down my body. He only hesitated for a second at the hem of my shirt before rubbing circles on the sliver of exposed skin with his thumbs. I let out a loud moan, digging my fingers into his scalp and pressing myself into him.

The need to breathe finally won out. Adrian rested his head in the crook of my neck, his warm breath fanning against my skin, making me shiver. I kept threading my fingers through his hair while trying to catch my breath and calm my racing heart. It didn’t help that I could still feel his lips on mine and taste him.

“Either we need to start eating or go to the bedroom,” he said. The look he gave me was enough to have me bursting into a ball of flames right there and then. I was this close to telling him to forget dinner and asking him to take me to his room, but it was too soon. I didn’t want to make our relationship all about sex right from the get-go.

I just gave him an impish smile and shoved his shoulder playfully. “Step back so I can hop off, then.” He only took a small step back, leaving hardly any space for me to hop off the counter without stepping on his feet and bumping into him. “Adrian!” I laughed.

“Don’t worry, I have quick reflexes. I’ll catch you if you stumble.” He held his arms out as if I was jumping from a great distance.

“I don’t think that’s the problem here,” I snickered but jumped down anyway—straight into his waiting arms. He immediately wrapped them around my waist and twirled us around so that I wouldn’t bang my head on the counter ledge when he dipped me down and stole another kiss.

CHAPTER 16

“The Chief is a bit swamped at work, but he says he’ll stop by your place tomorrow morning to get a proper statement,” Adrian told me, coming from the kitchen and wiping his hands on his jeans. I was vegged out on the couch, my stomach close to bursting and idly running my fingers through Jojo’s fur. He’d perched his head on the sofa while Adrian and I were having dinner, begging for attention, so I was finally giving it to him.

“Do you think they’ll find anything? You didn’t find anything but a faint scent trail and nondescript footprints outside the house.”

“It doesn’t hurt to notify the police, and Gleason can get a uniform out to your neighborhood to question your neighbors. Maybe one of them saw something,” he said, taking a seat on the couch, placing my feet on his lap and massaging them. As if I wasn’t already feeling sleepy and falling deeper into his clutches, this sweet act just compounded it.

His shoulders shook with silent laughter when I snuggled deeper into the couch and hummed in contentment. “We still have a long night ahead of us. What do you feel like doing?”

“Honestly, I could lay here all night and not move a muscle. You have magic hands, Mr. Cooper.” I sighed in pleasure when he pressed on a pressure point that turned my muscles into jelly.

“How about we go for a walk instead? Talia’s place is not far from here, we could drop in on her and my favorite nephew,” he suggested.

I tensed up at that and used my elbows to push myself up. “I don’t know, Adrian. What will she think when you show up with me in tow? We agreed to keep this between us for a while.”

“Yes, we did, but I refuse to hide you from my family. They’ll smell you on me anyway—”

“They’ll what?” I yelled, startling Jojo, who had been starting to fall asleep. He stood to attention, eyes alert for any signs of danger. Adrian reassured him with a few words and the retriever went back to sleep.

“Relax, darling, it’s par for the course amongst shifters. Mates— I mean, romantic partners tend to leave scent markers on each other to indicate their involvement. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, and you don’t have to worry about word getting out. Talia knows how to keep her trap shut. She’ll keep this to herself if I ask her to.” He ran his knuckles down my cheeks.

“But how could I have left a scent marker or whatever on you when we literally got together just last night?” I sat up straighter, placing my feet on the floor.

Adrian rubbed a hand on the nape of his neck, color riding high on his cheeks. “It’s just the way of nature. But if you’re that against it, we could watch something on TV and chill for the rest of the night, I suppose,” he mumbled.

Then I felt guilty because he’d looked really excited about the prospect of going over to his sister’s place with me. I didn’t want Adrian to feel like he was my dirty little secret, only good for trysts after sunsets but never acknowledging him in front of the people who really matter. If he treated me like that, I would feel terrible and like an idiot for allowing him to make me feel that way. I imagined thoughts similar to these were swimming around his head too.

“You’re right, I’m making a mountain out of a molehill. Where are my shoes?”

I felt even more like crap at the beaming smile he gave me when I said that. Like Adrian, I was big on family, always popping by my sister’s or mom’s place unannounced and they did the same with me. Eden, Angie, and I shared details of our lives we would never think to tell anyone else, and I knew that Adrian was just as close with his brother and sister. We were almost out the door when his phone rang.

“Logan, what’s up?” Adrian answered while I put on my shoes and cardigan. There was a short pause while he listened to what the man on the line said. Jojo trotted over to sit by my feet and we both watched on curiously as his relaxed demeanor became tense. I could only hear a muffled voice coming from the other side of the phone, but whatever Logan was saying, it wasn’t good news. Adrian’s mouth was pressed in a thin line, creases bracketing his mouth on either side.

“Where are they now?” he asked in a clipped voice, drumming his fingers in his thigh impatiently. He let out a curse at whatever Logan told him before taking a breath. “Grab whoever’s available and canvass the town. I’ll let the cops know that there are hostile shifters in town and then I’ll head over to Pam’s place. If we get done in time, I’ll join you in the search.” The men exchanged a couple more words before signing off.

“Adrian?” I asked cautiously.

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