Page 27 of The Protector’s Heart

“You look pretty good yourself,” she said and smiled. He was wearing black slacks and dress shoes with a black dress shirt and a red-and-black patterned tie.

They said goodbye while he pulled on his coat and he escorted her to his SUV and helped her inside.

“I made reservations at the Steak House.”

“Sounds great.”

He reached into the back seat and lifted a bouquet of roses, handing it to her.

“Um, wow. Thank you.”

“I heard that humans like to give flowers on their first dates.”

She chuckled and lifted the dark red roses to her nose, inhaling the sweet scent. “Did you?”

He hummed as he turned the SUV on. “Yeah. But I would’ve given them to you anyway.”

“What do wolves give each other on first dates? Rabbits?”

He shot her a grin. “Only if we’re really crazy about each other.”

Their conversation was light on the way to the restaurant. They talked about his security company and the changes to how he would be guarding Brynn, taking her to work and picking her up, but not sitting around any longer. She felt the little twist of jealousy again, but didn’t say anything. What could she say, anyway? Please stop doing your pack job and guard me.

Malachi’s warm hand squeezed her thigh. “I’m going to step down from guarding Brynn full time.”

“What?”

“I talked to Acksel about it yesterday. When things are settled with your ex, I’m going to stand down from being her personal guard, and someone else will take over. Then I can just guard you and Jack.”

“We don’t need a guard.”

He gave her thigh a light squeeze. “I just mean that I won’t be dividing my time between taking care of you and protecting Brynn. As a protector, I have to look out for her like I would anyone else in the pack, but I won’t be with her full time. I’ll be able to focus on the security company as well as taking care of you both.”

“I don’t know if things will ever be settled with Damien. Every full moon I kinda wish that he’d be trampled to death by deer.”

Malachi laughed. “Death by deer? Sounds painful.”

“You probably think I’m nuts for thinking that.”

“Not at all, sweetheart. He’s been tormenting you for a long time, but he’s not going to get to do that anymore. I want you to think about moving into my home permanently.”

She didn’t say anything for a long while, and neither did he. Her heart was pounding as she replayed his words in her head over and over. The SUV stopped and she found herself looking at the restaurant.

Unbuckling her seatbelt, she turned in her seat. He did the same, and reached for her hand. “I don’t want to rush you but I’m finding it harder and harder to be without you. Your house is fixed; you could go back there, and I’ll patrol every night with guards to make sure you’re safe. But I don’t want you there, I want you with me. I feel like such a dick.”

“Why?”

“Because I promised myself that I’d take it slow with you, and not push you. Your ex makes my wolf irrational. We both want you with us so we can keep you safe, but I’m trying not to be a Neanderthal about it.”

Her heart clenched. He was such a sweet guy. The wolves she’d known in the past wouldn’t have cared what she wanted, they’d have just ordered her. Damien’s pack treated women badly, a fact she hadn’t known until after they were married.

“You watched me, all this time while I was at work.”

Even though it was dark in the SUV, the lights from the instrument panel providing only bare illumination, she could see his eyes boring into hers. “I couldn’t help it, but I was trying to be subtle.”

She snorted. “You’re too imposing to be subtle, Mal.”

He chuckled. “I suppose. I tried, though. I didn’t want you to hate me, even though you hated all wolves.”

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