Page 37 of Consume Me
Chapter 12
Kendall
After work, I spend way too long staring at the clothes in my closet like they’re going to transform into the perfect date night outfit. They don’t. They just keep hanging there, most items either torn from past encounters doing the daggers’ dirty work or stained with things like vampire venom or Unicorn’s breath. None of it seems right for “date night with the infuriatingly hot fae wolf who kidnapped me because he planned to kill me, but then realized I was his mate.”
Ugh. I can’t bring myself to ask Natalia to repeat her fairy godmother act though. Not when I know how much shit she’ll give me for not telling her about Noctan being my mate. Worse, she’ll want to know how I feel about him, but I’m not even sure I know the answer to that yet.
In the end, I snag a pair of fitted jeans and a black long-sleeve with shoulder cutouts. I leave my hair hanging loose and wavy, mostly since I’m too nervous to figure out anything else.
By the time eight rolls around, my nerves are wired so tight I’m considering calling the whole thing off. But then there’s a knock, and when I open the door?—
Oh.
Oh no.
I’m so fucking screwed.
He’s leaning against the frame like he has all the time in the world, the light catching in his dark hair and highlighting his cheekbones to the point of criminal. His white, long-sleeved shirt looks soft and casual enough to make him seem almost normal… except he could never pass for normal. Not with those eyes. Not with that face. And definitely not with the way the air shifts around him like it’s aware of his very presence.
“You clean up nice,” I say, aiming for breezy but landing somewhere between breathless and gasping.
One corner of his mouth lifts. “You look…” His gaze takes its time, dragging down my body in a slow sweep that leaves my skin tingling. “…dangerous.”
I arch a brow. “And you’re still here?”
“I like dangerous,” he says, as if that explains everything. “Speaking of which, I was going to ask you if you’d left the dagger at home, but I think those pants leave no room for confusion. Gods, they’re like a second skin.”
“You like them?” I ask innocently.
The hunger in his eyes is thinly veiled. “Very much.”
I grab my jacket before I forget how to breathe and step outside, shutting the door behind me. When I turn, I catch him staring at my ass. The bastard doesn’t even try to hide it as he motions for me to go first down the stairs.I decide it’s not that evil to put an extra swish in my hips as I lead the way.
When we’re both outside, I look over at him and find his eyes once again fastened to mine. “So, where are we going?” I ask as we start walking.
He falls into step beside me, hands in his pockets like he’s not a walking weapon wrapped in mortal clothes. “I thought we’d walk.”
“That’s the big plan?”
“Moonlight. Fresh air. No daggers trying to whisper in your head.” He gives me a sidelong look, and I realize my hand has already drifted toward his without me thinking about it. I don’t take it—yet—but the buzzing in my head makes me ache for it.
We walk in comfortable quiet for a while, the streets thinning out as the shops give way to neighborhoods. The air smells like night-blooming flowers and something crisp from the approaching winter. I tell myself my heart is beating faster because of the chill. I’m a terrible liar.
“So, this is your idea of a date,” I say finally. “Walking aimlessly under the stars?”
“Not aimlessly,” he says, and there’s something in his voice that makes me look up.
“What are you planning?” I ask warily.
“For starters, dinner,” he says.
“And then?”
He shrugs. “If I’m lucky, dessert.”
I snort, unable to stop the smile tugging at my lips. “You’ll have to earn dessert, wolf.”
“Challenge accepted,” he murmurs, and my pulse stutters.
