Page 67 of Follow Your Instincts

A riot of emotions was kicking off inside me. Date? With Lachlan? And what the hell was a proper date? Did that mean he didn’t want things between us to beimproper? “I’d like to get to know you better, too.”

He nodded again, not quite meeting my eye. I took another sip of coffee.

“You have more…” Instead of finishing his sentence, he gently swiped more whipped cream from the corner of my mouth with his thumb and brought it to my lips. Instinctively, I swiped my tongue against the pad of his thumb to clean it.

He took a step back. “I… I have to go back to work, but I’ll see you tonight.”

I nodded. “Of course, yes. Is it going to be a fancy place?” I asked.

“Maybe not fancy, but I’ll be dressing up a little,” he said, then gave me a little crooked smile. “I did say it was a proper date.”

Well fuck, I thought. I didn’t have anything to wear on a date with Lachlan Murray, proper or not.

Chapter 26

Maggie

In the end, I wore the blue dress Kira had given me for that disastrous first pack meeting.

“Are you sure it’s not too tight?” I asked her over a video call. It felt like a second skin. It also showed the bandage on my knee, but I didn’t think there was anything I could do about that, other than wear the suit I usually wore in court. I didn’t think that would give off the right vibe.

“You look hot, babe,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He’s probably going to jump you before you leave for the restaurant.”

“I don’t think he sees me like that,” I said. “But I am glad that he’s willing to try to make things work for the sake of his pack.” I winced as I turned in my chair and hissed through my teeth at the ache in my ribs.

“How are you doing?” Kira asked more seriously. “I still can’t believe that asshole attacked youagain.”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’m fine,” I said shortly.

“Babe, you should talk about it. It’s kind of a big deal.”

“Talking about that shithead is not how I want to spend my time. I have other things to worry about, like the fact that my heat is coming earlier than they thought,” I said, swiping on some of the ancient mascara I’d brought with me.

“Oh my god, seriously? Well, hey, at least you’ve already got four guys ready to help,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.

“Three,” I corrected her, then mentally dropped that tally to two, remembering my conversation with Lucas. I was pretty sure Soren and Ben would be down to… help.

“If this Lachlan doesn’t want to get in your panties after seeing you like this, he’s too stupid to be with you anyway,” Kira said.

“Wow, classy,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Let me know how it goes, okay? I have to head out soon for work. Love you.”

“Love you too. Have fun,” I said and hung up.

Nerves settled in; talking to Kira had been a nice distraction, but now the prospect of extended time spent alone with Lachlan was even more terrifying. This didn’t have to be such a big deal. I didn’t have to convince him to find me attractive. It was just a chance to get to know each other better… right?

I took one last look in the mirror and steeled myself. It would have to do.

Lachlan was waiting for me at the foot of the stairs in the living room. He was wearing an immaculate black suit that, along with his dark hair and scar, made him look like the sexy villain in a Bond movie. His crisp white shirt was unbuttoned at the neck, showing off a V of exposed skin. He watched me descend the stairs without speaking, his bright green eyes not missing a thing, and my heart clenched. Was he always going to be this intimidating? I couldn’t read his expression at all.

“Hi,” I said breathlessly when I reached the bottom. His scent had kicked my heart rate into overdrive, and I felt off-balance.

He smiled slightly. “You look very beautiful tonight, Maggie,” he said formally.

“You look beautiful too,” I said. “I mean, handsome.”

His smile widened a little. He did look very handsome, especially when he smiled. “Are you ready?”

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