Page 13 of The Lamb and the Llama
“Hey, if you don’t want to pretend to be dating Richard, you don’t have to. I just thought it would be more natural. I saw the two of you going off to lunch together today, and I thought it might look natural if we were all out having fun together. Is Richard the problem? Because you’re right. I could call in another agent instead.”
“That’s not it, Stan.” Amira crossed her arms again and let out another sigh. “I’m fine with Richard. Actually, I kind of enjoy his company. I like him.”
Stan pulled up a chair next to Amira’s desk and straddled it. “Wait… you like him? Richard, I mean. You actually like him?”
Amira shrugged her shoulders. “What’s not to like? He’s a good guy. Maybe a little misunderstood, but a good guy nonetheless.”
“Just so we’re clear… we are talking about Richard, right?” Stan asked with a raised brow.
“Yes, Stan! We’re talking about Richard. Why is it so hard to think someone likes him?”
“I guess because he’s even more old-fashioned than I am, and I’m definitely older than he is.”
“Yeah, I get it. But like I said, he’s just misunderstood.”
“If you say so, Amira.” Stan shrugged. “So, what’s this really about, then?”
She sighed. “My problem is that I just want to do a good job, and I hope when the time comes, I shift into something a little more terrifying than a freaking lamb so I can prove that I’m capable.”
“I hope so too. But just in case, I think having a llama by your side is a good thing.”
6
Richard let out a breath before he got up from his desk. They’d decided to head over to The Joint, which was in one of the next towns over, to case the place for Stan and former king, Gregor. He was glad to have permission to take Amira out on another date, but he wasn’t sure if he could keep up the “fake” part of the date. Richard wasn’t sure if he could handle being that close to Amira without kissing her.
Not only that, but her assignment was becoming more real to him. She had to be frightened to know that her captor was on the loose. What if they spotted each other—what if Zagan hurt her? He pounded his fist onto his desk.
I’ll kill the son of a bitch if he lays a finger on her!
The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to protect her from it all. She wasn’t fragile—he knew that because of their conversation at lunch, not to mention the very fact that she’d survived Zagan’s experiments and become a FUC agent afterward—but his llama-mate sense was strong. That didn’t mean he wanted to keep her from the assignment, only that he wanted to be there with her, watching her back like any good partner would do. It had nothing to do with her capabilities. Nothing to do with wanting to be a white knight either. That wasn’t why he wanted to protect her. He desired to protect her because she washis.Didn’t every suitable mate do that for their partner?
Richard let out a sigh.
Yeah, that was what you did for your mate, but she wasn’t exactly his yet. His llama had determined it, but for it to be official, she’d need to agree to it. Agree to be his. And technically, they hadn’t been on a date yet because all he did was take her to lunch on her last day working for him. They hadn’t developed a strong bond yet. Mainly that was his fault since he’d ghosted her the past couple of weeks. So why did he want her so badly?
A knock at his office door interrupted his thoughts.
“Yes?”
The door opened, and Amira poked her head in. “I’m all caught up, so we can go to The Joint when you’re ready.”
“I’m all set, as well. Let’s head over there now. I’ll drive.”
“You really don’t like giving up control, do you?”
Richard raised a brow. “What makes you say that?”
“This is the second time you offered to drive. I mean, don’t get me wrong, because your car is nice, but I can drive us, too, you know. It ismymission we’re preparing for. I should be taking the lead, and that usually includes driving.”
“True, but I enjoy driving my car.”
Amira shrugged her shoulders. “Fair enough.”
They drove in a comfortable silence until they reached the parking lot of the restaurant. Amira reached for the handle to open the car door.
“Let me get that for you,” Richard said, stopping her. “After all, we are technically on a date, at least according to Stan.”
Amira smiled as she watched Richard walk over to her side of the car. He opened the door and offered his hand to her. She took it, and electric heat shot through his arm and right to his nether regions like a firecracker. Once she was out of the car, he placed his hand on her hip and drew her closer to him. She responded by wrapping her arms around one of his biceps.
