Page 54 of The Wild Charge

And itwasstupid, asking Reese to dinner. His head was as mushy as his heart lately, and he’d put too much stock in what Fox had said earlier, about loving while you had the chance, no matter the outcome. The common room had been empty, he’d been feeling reckless – almost panicky, in his sudden urge to show Reese that he was wanted, even if he didn’t know how to go about saying so yet – and when he’d put an arm around him, he hadn’t been able to resist pulling him close; the invite to dinner had just slipped out, like a sneeze.

Going riding had been an effort in calming his nerves – except, stupidly, he’d invited Reese along, and seeing him at the rail, rapt and watchful, had only worsened things.

Now he stood with a towel around his waist, scrutinizing his broad-shouldered, leanly-muscled form through a new, ugly self-critical eye.

He knew he was handsome by a dozen different standards. That wasn’t bragging, it was a simple fact. One of his old handler’s voices sounded in his head, an echo of memory:It’s good that you’re so good-looking. Pretty enough for the men and strong enough for the women. A versatile weapon. Followed by a leering smile. Thick hands in his hair, hard floor under his knees.

But Reese didn’t look at him like a weapon; like a conveniently open mouth. Reese stared at him like he couldn’t bear to look away. Eyes round and guileless and full of a quiet wonder that left Tenny’s cheeks hot. It wasinnocent, the way Reese wanted him; dirty, yes, in the practical, physical aspects. But for someone who’d dealt with the lascivious, smirking, knowing looks of his targets for years, he still had no idea what to make of Reese’s simple, honest admission that he liked looking at him. Didn’t know how to rectify those gentle fingers in his hair, orit’s just us.

Just them.

Out to dinner.

On a date.

God, he’d gotten so sappy he’d invited his lover out on a date, and was starting to think the wordboyfriendwith increasing frequency, and, just…ugh. Bollocks. He hated the person he was becoming.

(Not really, though, not at all, because that person was named Tennyson and not Number Ten, and that person got to see Reese drop his guard, abandon all his training, and snuffle quietly against his throat in his sleep.)

Cursing himself, and his nerves, he raked a tiny amount of shine spray through his hair, left it to dry naturally, and dressed. Dark jeans, black shirt, his usual boots, his cut. This was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…

But then he opened his door, and there stood Reese in the hall, and the self-conscious voice that had plagued him all through his shower quieted to an indistinct murmur.

Reese hadn’t changed clothes; still wore the jeans and white shirt he’d had on all day, the right sleeve still smeared with faint traces of green horse slobber where it hadn’t all wiped off with the paper towel Becca had offered. He’d scraped his hair into a tiny little low bun, his neck brown from the sun underneath.

Reese had no idea this was a date – might not even know what a datewas. He thought this was normal, just another dinner like all the rest they’d shared, and, really, wasn’t it? What about tonight made it so different? Aside from Tenny’s ridiculous nerves?

Nothing.

It’s just us.

He let out a deep breath that went a long way toward easing the tension in his chest. It was a date, and he was going to try to show Reese the way he felt, at least a little. Baby steps and all that. But he shouldn’t have been so worried. Everything between them had always been easy as breathing.

“Ready?”

Reese nodded, and they fell into step side-by-side as they walked down the hall, their legs a near-perfect match.

~*~

Reese waited for the inevitablewhat do you want to eat, but it never came. When they reached their bikes, the sky all in streaks of sherbet overheard, he asked, “Where are we going?”

Tenny hummed to himself as he straddled his bike and reached for his helmet. The river breeze ruffled his hair – not gelled down like normal, but loose, and soft, and shining as it dried. Reese’s fingers twitched with the urge to push through it, to see if it felt as fluffy as it looked. “You’ll see. Just follow me.”

O…kay.

Curiosity piqued, Reese hung a half-length back as they rode out of the property and into town, letting Tenny lead the way.

The sun had set by the time they reached Main Street, the shops and restaurants lit up, light reflecting off the high, dark windows of the taller buildings. A hot, late summer night, pedestrians shifting in slow tides up and down the sidewalks, shopping bags hooked over their arms. Reese spotted several couples walking hand-in-hand, fingers laced together. On dates, he thought, and remembered Kristen’s hopeful face when she’d encouraged him to date someone. To do somethingnormal.

Reese shifted from curious to surprised when Tenny bypassed all their usual haunts – burger spots, greasy spoon diners, and that one bar that was serving as a poor stand-in until Bell Bar had its grand re-opening – and finally turned into a small parking lot trimmed with manicured boxwoods.

The building was tall and concrete, an office building with tall windows, but the ground floor boasted black-and-white striped awnings and a fenced patio with umbrella-covered café tables set with flickering candles in glass lamps. A restaurant – and not the sort where they crammed burgers down their throats in a hurry.

They parked both bikes in one spot, close enough that, when Reese turned to him, he caught a faint flush of pink along Tenny’s cheekbones. He took his helmet off and spent a long moment tidying his hair, and then rubbing at the back of his neck, after. Nervous, Reese realized, with a start.

He unbuckled his own helmet. “I’ve never been here before.”

“Yeah, I didn’t figure.” Tenny let out a slow breath, then swung off his bike. He stood, facing the restaurant, hands in his pockets, as Reese followed suit; when Reese stepped up beside him, he walked across the parking lot toward the door, head ducked, cheeks still pink.

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