Page 44 of Good Luck Charm for the Wolf

Dirty. Hot.

I think he’s talking about sex, only he dips his head in the direction of the kitchen counter, and I glance that way.

He isn’t lying about dessert.

Right on the polished surface, I spy a small, decadent chocolate cake, practically glowing under the lights like the crown jewel of date night.

I lean back, already full but so, so ready for dessert.

“Doug,” I say, shaking my head and grinning. “You’re making the rest of the male population look really bad right now.”

He winks, lifting his fork with the last bite of his steak to my mouth.

“Good. That’s the plan. Try the rare,” he says.

I do, and I moan as the perfectly seasoned, tender meat hits my palette.

“Mmm,” I swallow. “Color me impressed, Wolfman. Didn’t know you could chef it up like this.”

Doug smirks as he refills my wineglass, just like the perfect gentleman.

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises. Also, YouTube exists for a reason, Sunshine.”

We both laugh as we finish our meal and clean up, and holy hell—the food is good.

Like, really good.

He puts on a pot of coffee, and we flirt the whole time.

All the tension I’ve been feeling smooths away into something easy and playful.

We talk about everything.

My art classes.

Some of his PI disasters.

“You did not find the Polar Bear Alpha wearing a pink tutu and sitting in the corner because his mistress put him in time out!”

“I one hundred percent did, and it took me months to get the image out of my head, believe me.”

I laugh so hard, I snort.

We swap more embarrassing stories.

I admit I had, once upon a time, accidentally used white paint instead of sour cream on a baked potato during an all-nighter.

He confesses he once growled at a teacher in a normal-run school because he’d caught fleas the night before when running in his fur and was so damn cranky after being up all night.

I’m laughing so hard by the time we start to pour the coffee and eat our dessert, my sides hurt.

But when Doug cuts us both thick slices of chocolate cake and carries them over to the couch, the mood shifts just slightly.

Because now we’re sitting closer.

His thigh is right against mine.

And as I take my first bite, humming appreciatively, Doug watches me with heat in his eyes.

---