Page 8 of Vow Of A Fox

Tousled dark brown hair that looked like he’d just run his hand through it. Warm hazel eyes I could get lost in. A strong jawline softened by an easy smile. He wasn’t overly polished, but instead dressed in jeans and a plain button-up rolled to the elbows. His shoulders were broad and he had a tall, muscular frame that nearly had me drooling. However, there was something steady and grounding about his presence, too.

“Oh! Wow, small world,” I stammered, trying to play it cool even as my fox practically buzzed with interest. “Didn’t expect to meet you in person.”

He chuckled, his confidence almost maddening compared to my racing pulse and frantic vibes. “Yeah, neither did I. But afterlast night, I figured I had to see if you were as quick on your feet in real life as you are over the phone.”

I bit my bottom lip, fighting the grin that threatened to take over. “Oh, I’m even better in person,” I replied, grabbing a cup. “So, what’ll it be? Plain coffee, or are you one of those fancy latte types?”

“Just a regular coffee, black,” he said with a warm smile.

I stepped to the machine. “Black coffee’s a bit safe, don’t you think?”

He leaned on the counter, a playful spark in his eyes, and stared at me. My heart kickstarted inside my chest while I focused on not spilling his coffee as I poured.

“What can I say? I’m a simple guy,” he said. “But if you’ve got any wild recommendations, I’m all ears.”

“Next time, maybe. For now, yoursafeorder is ready to go.”

I slid the cup across the counter, and our fingers brushed for the briefest second sending a small jolt of electricity up my arm. My fox went batshit crazy, and I struggled to calm her down, worried my eyes would brighten in front of him.

What the heck was wrong with her?

Ben blinked as he took his coffee. Had he felt that jolt? He was hard to read.

“Thanks,” he said with a slight nod. “You know, I still owe you a favor for making my wrong number blunder the highlight of my day. I meant it when I said to let me know if I can ever return the favor.”

The sincerity in his voice made my heart skip a beat, and a thrill that had nothing to do with the caffeine flowing through my veins rushed through me.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, at a loss for words.

Before I could gather my thoughts fully, Cassie leaned in, grinning from ear to ear. “Actually, tonight’s karaoke nightat Last Drop. Sienna loves singing. Maybe you could be her partner?”

My eyes shot to her. First, what was she doing playing matchmaker? Second, how did she even know it was karaoke night at Last Drop, she’d been there like once.

“Oh, I’m not much of a singer,” Ben said, still smiling. “But I might be open to the idea. Depends on the song, though.”

While I wanted to go out with him for a night of karaoke fun, I wasn’t sure it was the best idea. At least not until I’d crafted a plan to get a feather from Xander. Better yet, not until the ritual with him was done and over with—just to be safe, because I could tell he was human.

Cassie didn’t know about everything going on with Xander, though.

Hell, she never even knew about Lucius to my knowledge.

Few in the shifter community of Crescent Creek did. It had been a joint decision this time around that we didn’t want to panic anyone.

However, with Ben standing in front of me, looking at me with that easy grin of his, I couldn’t bring myself to say no to a night of fun with him.

I took a breath, feeling my fox stirring again. She was nudging me to go out with him.

“I’m sure I can pick something you’ll know the words to,” I said, caving to his magnetic pull.

It was reckless, maybe even a little foolish to go out with him, but I couldn’t help myself.

A spark of excitement entered his hazel eyes. “Okay, I trust you.”

My fox practically did a backflip. Her energy buzzed through me, insistent and wild. It took every ounce of control I had to shove her into the back of my mind.

Calm down, I silently scolded her, but it was no use.

This man had stirred her up, awakening something in her that she wasn’t about to let go unnoticed.

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