Page 18 of A Queen and Her Knight

“Thanks, but….” Zoe trailed off there rather than admit her date was probably over. Some of Cleo’s scent clung to her,wonderful and awful because it couldn’t last. She smoothed her hands over her uniform—splashed with marinara but not blood, and let out a breath.

Pema clucked her tongue at her, added a wink, then shook her head as if Zoe was being ridiculous.

She jerked her thumb to the side, in the direction of Zoe’s table.

Cleo was there. On her feet, and frowning, but there.

Zoe swallowed, then nodded to Pema, who left to follow the other two deputies.

Giorgio himself came out of the kitchen to scowl at the mess and curse dramatically. He offered free slices of tiramisu to everyone to apologize for the disturbance, and Abay came out to help some of the other staff with the cleanup.

The rest of the weres at that particular table took off, probably to pack and leave town.

Zoe didn’t really care about any of it, not even when Giorgio shook her hand and waved off even the idea of Zoe paying for anything tonight. That was great, but Zoe didn’t care.

Cleo’s eyes were huge.

Zoe crossed to her, but couldn’t maintain eye contact for longer than a second. She had to use words. “I know that looked bad. I know we’re scary, especially weres like that with more fur than sense. But I didn’t lose it, not then, not ever.” She needed Cleo to know that, whatever else happened. “I wouldn’t hurt you. But I understand. If you want to go. If you saw my teeth and thought I was a monster.”

Someone else in the room hissed in displeasure at the term. Sometimes, Zoe didn’t like that everyone knew she was as awkward as Little Wolf, that they were all watching now, concerned that she’d fucked up her chance at keeping her mate.Zoe had been supposed to dress nicer, maybe take Cleo into Carson. Show her she could provide, and that there were places she could go outside of Wolf’s Paw if Cleo felt the town was too small. That was without getting to the part where Zoe might hopefully be allowed to woo her in other ways, to please her in bed and out of it.

“Zoe,” Cleo whispered her name. She cleared her throat and raised her voice when Zoe lifted her head. “First of all, I’m from the city. I’ve seen a fight or two. And secondly…” She gestured at Zoe in a way Zoe didn’t understand.

Zoe peered down at the stains in her uniform. “It’s just red sauce. It’s not blood,” she explained, only to abruptly shut up when Cleo reached out and grabbed a handful of her shirt. She tugged Zoe down, gently, slowly, while Zoe was blinking at her, and then her parted lips were against Zoe’s.

She offered one kiss, short and soft, and then licked across Zoe’s bottom lip before releasing her.

Zoe stared at her in dazed arousal, flowers and wine her new scent for happiness. “Cleo?” she asked, sort of stupidly, sort of not caring how stupid she seemed. She wanted to touch, so the world would know this was her mate.

“And secondly,” Cleo finished, a bit out of breath, “youareon a date.” She looked around them as if worried, but then gave everyone an embarrassed smile when someone whistled and no one interfered or called them names. “And thirdly” –she reached out and took Zoe’s hand— “I wouldn’t ask a monster to walk me home… unless you were still hungry?”

Zoe mutely shook her head. This could not be happening. Zoe was not the girl who got people like this, a mate like this, for her own. Cleo was too wonderful for just her.

But Zoe held her hand tightly as Cleo led her from the restaurant.

~~

“People think it’s short for Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. They’re always surprised when they find out my mother loves Blaxploitation films.” Cleo’s voice would have drawn Zoe after her even if their hands hadn’t been linked.

They could have walked all the way to Carson and Zoe wouldn’t have noticed, although she thought they had gone from the center of town to the quieter residential area. Her truck was several blocks in the opposite direction. She could not have cared less.

She shook her head. “I don’t know those. Unless we make a trip into Carson to see something new, the only films at the cabin are the romantic kind, the human ones.” Romantic comedies were considered fluffy and silly. Zoe swallowed. “They aren’t mine. I mean, I watch them, I like them, but they weren’t really made for me, were they?”

Cleo stopped and gave her a nudge. “You don’t see anyone like me in them either, do you?”

“Maybe….” Zoe took a deep breath and focused on that hand in hers to give her strength. “Maybe you can show me the ones you were talking about, sometime.”

Cleo turned to her, studying Zoe in the glow from the streetlamp and the dim light from several windows in the homes around them. “It’s your turn to ask me out?” she guessed, but then tugged Zoe closer. “So, this went well?” she wondered, atrace of huskiness in her voice when Zoe leaned down so she wouldn’t tower over her.

Zoe’s chest was tight. “It could have gone better. I didn’t do the things I was supposed to. But you… you kissed me anyway.” The amazement in her tone was embarrassing, although it didn’t make her step back.

“Yes, I did.” Cleo smiled, but then scrunched up her face while she considered Zoe. “What were you supposed to do?”

This part was definitely embarrassing. Zoe cleared her throat and focused on Cleo’s earring to avoid meeting her eyes. “I should have showed you how I could provide for you. In the old days, or if you were wolf, I would hunt for you, feed you. And give you things you like, although I don’t know much yet, except for your coffee order.” She flinched a little, in case that sounded stalkery to human ears, although it was based on smelling Cleo’s latte, not following her around. “I’m supposed to demonstrate any skills I have to you, to make you want me. It’s how we, um, woo.”

“You’re wooing me?” Cleo seemed about to laugh, and Zoe tensed although she knew Cleo was likely amused at the idea of wooing, which was old-fashioned to humans, and hopefully not the idea ofZoewooing her.

“Not well,” Zoe grumbled. “The only thing I’ve done right is display myself for you and that was an accident.”

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