Page 7 of Wolf's Midlife Bite

“Thank you.” He took the card and tucked it into his pocket. It wasn’t entirely what he’d hoped to accomplish, but it was a start.

A melodic voice caught his ear as he turned for the door. “There you are, Mr. Brooks. Maggie will get you taken care of and schedule your next appointment for you.”

He whirled, not caring that the old woman in the corner chair of the waiting area was eyeing him oddly and clutching her purse. “Robin.”

Those magnificent green eyes locked on his. “Brody. I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

“I just figured I’d make sure you didn’t have any questions about aftercare.” His eyes traveled down her scrubs and landed on the spot he’d just tattooed, wishing he had a reason to lay his hands on her right now.

“I see. And do you always do your follow-ups in person?” Leaving Mr. Brooks, she came around the counter to stand in front of him.

He’d learned at a very young age how to control his wolf. It was an essential skill for a shifter unless he wanted the whole world to know just who and what he was every time his emotions started to take control. Right now, he felt as though he hadn’t been trained at all. His skin prickled where fur threatened to burst through. He didn’t need to see the dentist, but a searing pain ripped through his gums as he fought to hold his lupine teeth back. “Only for the clients I’m most interested in.”

“Is that so?” Her pale brow arched just slightly, both an acknowledgment of his flirtation and a challenge. “Did you make an appointment?”

“I did. Maggie was happy to help me. Since you’re here, though, I think I’d like to make another one.” He pushed his hands into his pockets. They liked to be busy, and if he couldn’t reach out to caress those soft hips of hers, he wished he could at least work on that sketch of her again. He could get it right this time, even under the harsh lighting of a dentist’s office.

Now both of her brows shot up, a cute look on her. “Two appointments?”

“Actually, I wanted to see if you’d go out to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

Those full lips quirked slightly as though she was thinking about it. She could say no, and he wouldn’t really blame her. They didn’t know each other, and he was the one who’d gone out of his way to come to her work. Then again, she was the one who’d given him her card. If they were to touch again, would that spark still be there? Brody was pretty sure he knew the answer.

“All right. Tomorrow night. You can pick me up here when I get off at seven.”

“I’ll do that. See you tomorrow.” Turning away from her and walking back out through the front door felt like slogging through thick mud, like one of those nightmares where you need to move quickly, but your body simply won’t cooperate. His wolf and his human were locked in battle, each determined to win. It wasn’t until he was out of the building and there was a solid brick wall between himself and Robin that his wolf finally began to cave, though it was little relief.

He wondered what side of him would win when he took her out to dinner. It was only the next night, but it felt like an eternity.

4

Robin frownedat the bathroom mirror, thinking this light was awful for doing makeup. Either way, she swiped on an extra coat of mascara and dabbed concealer over a blemish that’d popped up along her jawline.

She’d already changed into jeans and a black top with cute, fluttery sleeves, so she turned to toss her scrubs into the office’s laundry bin. Just the other day, she’d told Renee she wasn’t interested in dating, yet there she was, primping for the occasion. Glancing at the scrubs in the hamper, she thought a better test of Brody might be to head out to the parking lot in her uniform, her makeup half rubbed off from wearing a mask all day, and her hair coming loose from the knot she’d worn it in. Then again, he’d already seen her at the office and hadn’t balked. Points for him.

Not that she wanted to give him any points, she thought as she stepped out of the bathroom and turned off the last of the lights. She was freshly divorced. She was just doing this for fun because she could. There was no one to stop her, and she hadn’t even found a reason to stop herself. But that didn’t mean it would actually turn into something. The guy was a tattoo artist, after all. He wasn’t the stable, comfortable type of man she’d be looking for.Ifshe were looking.

Double-checking that the autoclave was off, Robin stepped out into the waiting room. A tall, slender woman with ebony hair down to her shoulders was standing by the front desk. She held herself with grace and authority, her shoulders back and her chin lifted. Her dark eyes were full of loathing as they slid over Robin.

“May I help you?” Robin asked, instantly plugging in her customer service voice. “We’re closed at the moment, but I’d be happy to take your name and number and have someone call you tomorrow to set up an appointment.”

A rolling laugh escaped from her ruby lips. “As ifyoucould help me with anything. I’m Edith, a friend of Albert’s. I’m just waiting for him.”

“I see.” And she did. This was just another one of her boss’s rich, arrogant friends who only wanted to deal with him. Robin had never been sure what the relationships were between him and these random women, either during or after hours. She couldn’t see why anyone would want to be around that asshole if they didn’t have to. “Silly me! I must’ve had my days mixed up.” Robin flashed the woman a plastic smile. “I thought he was seeing Sheila tonight. Wait, no, Brenda. Or was it Celia? Rochelle? Maybe Gloria? I don’t know; you ladies are all so… similar. Anyway, you two have fun!”

As she headed out the door, she felt the woman’s eyes shooting daggers at her back.

She rounded the front corner of the building toward the employee parking lot and stopped short. Brody was already there. She was glad she wouldn’t have to wait around for him. She wasn’t too wild about seeing him leaning against that Harley, though.

Not that he didn’t look good. The tight sleeves of his t-shirt showed off his well-muscled arms, and his jeans fit his thighs perfectly before they loosened over the tops of his boots. His hair was already tousled from the ride over here, but it suited him. When his hazel eyes shot up to meet hers, Robin felt heat spread through her core.

“Hey.” He slipped his phone into his back pocket and smiled. “Ready to go?”

“I thought so, but I’m not so sure about the method of transportation.” Robin approached slowly, feeling his eyes on her as she studied the gleaming black metal. Her few experiences on a motorcycle had been with JC, who was always a dick of a driver in the best of circumstances. He thought it was funny to scare an inexperienced rider, and she hadn’t been on one in years.

He rolled a shoulder casually. “I’ll be sure to take it easy.”

Her mouth opened to say no, to tell him she’d just walk home, grab her car, and then meet him wherever they were going. But her stomach had other things to say. Her gut told her she could trust him. Robin didn’t understand why, but she nodded. “Okay.”

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