Alex took her hand again, and Lacey jumped a little at the spark of contact that passed between them. Then a feeling of calm confidence settled over her, and she nodded at him. “Let’s do it.”
Reaching out with his free hand, Alex opened the door of the enclosure and led her inside. Ralph seemed to grow in size the closer she got to him, but the wolf never did anything except stare at her. That was disconcerting enough.
They stopped a foot away from the wolf, whose head was easily level with Lacey’s belly button. Ralph regarded them calmly, then suddenly lunged forward, lifting up on his hind feet.
Lacey opened her mouth to scream bloody murder, but before she could get out a squeak, Alex laughed and caught the wolf in a bear hug.
She gaped as Ralph licked Alex’s face, the wolf chuffing like an idiot. She’d known Alex liked dogs, but he was standing there in an expensive suit letting a big wolf practically slobber all over him. Ralph’s canines had to be almost two inches long. And they were right there in Alex’s face. But he didn’t even seem to care.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, barely believing what she was seeing.
“Yeah, I told you,” Hannah said from behind her. “These two are bros.”
The next thirty minutes were the most amazing of Lacey’s life as she knelt there on the floor beside Ralph and got a chance to pet an animal she’d never imagined she would ever get close to. Ralph’s fur was so thick and soft that just caressing it made her laugh. And his amber eyes were so trusting, they brought tears to her own. When Hannah told them it was time for Ralph to go to bed, Lacey didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay here and pet this incredible animal forever. But Alex said the guy had a big day tomorrow.
“He gets to meet his new girlfriend down at the Austin Zoo. We want him feeling fresh and looking his best.”
Lacey laughed. “Well, I can certainly understand that. A guy needs his beauty rest if he’s going to impress the ladies.”
They left a little while later, after Lacey made sure to thank Hannah profusely for the opportunity. She was so giddy that she practically ran back to Alex’s truck, dragging him all the way.
“That was so amazing!” she said, unable to control the laughter bubbling up inside her. She felt like a kid at Christmas who’d gotten the exact present she’d been waiting for the whole year but didn’t know she wanted. And Alex had given it to her. She was still bouncing as he helped her into the passenger seat and walked around to his side. When he climbed in beside her, she couldn’t stop herself from leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.
“Thank you for a perfect date,” she said softly.
He grinned as he started the truck. “You’re welcome. Dinner and a trip to the zoo for a kiss from you? Seems like a fair trade to me.”
Lacey laughed. Alex was the kind of guy she’d happily give a whole lot more to than a peck on the cheek for a date like this one. Then again, the date wasn’t over yet.
* * *
“You want to come in?” she asked as she unlocked the door to her apartment.
“I’d love to,” Alex said. “If you’re sure it won’t wake Kelsey up.”
Lacey laughed. “Kelsey could sleep through a cattle stampede. Don’t worry about her.”
Leonardo was waiting for them in the foyer. He ignored her and Alex, wagging his tail and eyeballing the doggie bag she held with interest.
“Forget it, Leo,” she whispered. “Too many carbs for you.”
He backed off but gave her a look that seemed to say, If there are too many carbs in there for me, why were you eating it then?
Even though Kelsey was a heavy sleeper, Lacey still pulled off her heels so they wouldn’t make too much noise. But the moment she saw the empty countertop in the kitchen, she knew Kelsey wasn’t home yet. Her sister always left her purse on the counter when she came in. Lacey dug through her own purse for her phone and saw that there was a text from Kelsey.
“Everything okay?” Alex asked.
She dropped her phone back in her bag. “Uh-huh. Kelsey said she got tired after running around all over the place looking for Sara, so she decided to stay at a girlfriend’s place instead of taking a chance she’d nod off behind the wheel.”
“You’re not worried that she’s out partying with her friends?”
Lacey shook her head. “I know how this is going to sound, but Kelsey’s not like that. We have a good relationship and talk about that stuff. She knows I wouldn’t care if she were out partying with friends—unless she was drinking, of course. We always tell each other where we are and when we’ll be home.”
Alex nodded but didn’t say anything. She saw the skepticism in his eyes, though. He probably couldn’t imagine a twenty-year-old not going out to party, but Kelsey had always been focused and dependable like that.
She smiled. “Since we have the place to ourselves, you want something to drink?”
“No, thanks. I’m not really thirsty.”
