By the time they returned, Matt had taken his seat and Jason was passing around loaded plates.
Tom was polite, of course. He took the empty seat at the far end of the table without waiting to be told, thanked Riley quietly for passing the salad, and didn’t seem the least bit ruffled by the pack’s guarded silence.
It was Jesse who broke it first, which was unexpected. “So,” he said, not looking at Tom. “Guessin’ we’re a mite different from Washington.”
Tom gave a half-smile. “Fewer goats on rooftops in DC.”
Matt sighed. “Oh, God. What’re those damn goats up to now?”
“Seeking the tactical advantage of the high ground, no doubt,” Tom said. He paused an instant. “I’m assuming hecanget down again on his own?”
Jesse snorted, and he finally looked up, his expression easing. “Only if she’s got somethin’ better in mind she wants todo. Most times, she’ll wait for someone to tempt her down with treats.”
From there, the conversation picked up in fits and starts. Tom asked questions about the town—where people went to eat out, what the school was like, how long The Darcy had been open. Innocent enough, on the surface. The kind of things any outsider might ask.
Bryce knew better, as did Matt. There was nothing casual about the way Tom listened to their answers. But he didn’t push or prod. He just tucked away whatever he was told, like he was building a picture piece by piece. And damn if that wasn’t smart.
As well as being sharp and observant, Tom was also open and seemed to react honestly to things. He didn’t try to impress, just listened as if he wanted to understand. And, unlike Caddel, he paid Jesse no more notice than any other member of the pack.
At one point, Riley told how earlier he’d watched Jesse try, and fail, to corral a runaway chicken, and the tense standoff that had resulted. Tom laughed outright, his head tipped back, eyes crinkling at the corners. Something warm uncoiled low in Bryce’s gut.
By the time the meal was winding down and the last of the dishes scraped clean, the atmosphere had shifted. Not to complete ease—Bryce didn’t think they’d ever let their guard down fully with a Council rep under their roof—but something closer to it.
Jesse caught Bryce’s eye for just a second, then looked away and said, almost gruffly, to Tom, “You want coffee? It ain’t bad, so long as you like it strong enough to peel paint.”
“I take it any way it comes,” Tom said. “Intravenously, if possible.”
As the mugs were passed around, Tom turned to Matt. “I’d like to come back tomorrow, with your agreement. Your territory’s too extensive to cover fully in one day.”
Matt gave a slow nod. “Yeah. I’d like a chance to talk about what you’ve observed.”
Tom acknowledged that with a dip of his head. Bryce leaned back in his chair and watched them for a moment, observing the way Tom operated, unassuming and unobtrusive. Dangerous, and all the more attractive for it.
* * *
Bryce walked him out after dinner, the night air cool and damp with the promise of dew. Somewhere in the distance, a barn owl screeched.
Tom paused by his car. “Thanks for dinner,” he said. “And for showing me around. I appreciate it.”
“Sure,” Bryce said.
A quiet stretched out between them. It wasn’t awkward, but it felt taut, like a wire humming. He couldn’t tell whether it was attraction or unease or something else. Something that made his wolf lean forward inside him, just the slightest tilt, like it wanted to take another step.
Tom didn’t move. His eyes met Bryce’s, steady and unreadable.
And Bryce—well, Bryce could’ve said a dozen things. He’d usually make a move in a situation like this. Something playful but clear, making it obvious what he was asking. But Tom was here for the Council, and so Bryce said nothing.
Instead, he reached past Tom to open the car door for him. Not a big gesture. Just close enough for his hand to come close to Tom’s hip.
The breath Tom let out was soft, but Bryce heard it.
“Good night,” Bryce said, his voice low.
Tom gave a nod. “Night.”
And then he was gone, tail lights fading into the dark, leaving Bryce standing in the driveway, heart tapping out a slightly uneven rhythm.
He knew Matt would be waiting to be briefed on his impressions of Tom, on why Bryce thought he was here days before the official security sweep. But he wanted to get his head straight before he went back inside.
