Before tonight, I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a true smile from him.
But I’d definitely seen a few true smiles tonight. From throwing snowballs to just now, sending me that sweet look.
I could see it in his eyes that he meant it.
It wasn’t the same as the fake smiles he reserved for patrons at the bookstore. Not the same at all, and it made my belly flutter.
“Phew, it’s freezing tonight,” Dain said as he started the car and turned the heat on full blast. Of course, the air was freezing, but hopefully, it would heat up quickly. “Need to let the car heat up for a bit before I can drive it.”
I leaned my head back against the headrest but turned it to look at him. “I don’t mind spending more time with you.”
He glanced at me, then away, looking grouchy again, though I didn’t know why. I hadn’t offended him somehow, had I?
I was debating what to say or ask him when he turned in his seat to fully face me, looked me in the eyes, and asked, “Can I ask you a serious question?”
“Uh, yeah. Of course.”
He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. “I don’t want to offend you.”
I almost snorted out a laugh, but managed to hold it back. “I was just worried that I’d offended you somehow. But don’t worry about me. You can ask anything you want.” I’d said that before, but clearly, it needed reinforcing.
“Okay, so… do you… let other people see your, uh, yeti side?”
I was taken aback for a moment, only because in all my years, I wasn’t sure anyone had ever asked me that. “Are you… do you want to see my yeti side?”
After chewing on his cheek for a few beats more while staring right at me, he gave a subtle nod. “Yes.”
My insides did a flip, and I could feel excitement building in my veins. “Really?”
His head cocked to the side. “You… want to show me?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“So it’s okay, then? To show other people?”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t go against my people or anything. It’s up to the individual who we show. Even back before humans knew about magic, snow yetis showed who they wanted, as long as they were trusted.”
“And you trust me enough to show me?”
“Of course I do. You’re my—”
“You barely know me.”
Ugh. Now he won’t even let me say it? I shrugged. “I know you won’t hurt me. Plus… I’m hoping that one day you’ll show me your were side.”
He grimaced. “I usually lock myself up, just to be safe, so…”
“So I’ll come sit with you one night.”
He rolled his eyes. “That sounds so fun. Come sit on the floor in my bedroom while I roll around and growl at you and literally everything that comes near me.”
“Maybe I’ll shift and get your wolf to cuddle.”
He snorted. “Good luck with that.”
I grinned at him. He hadn’t said no. Progress.
Not much progress, but I’d take what I could get.
