Brooks jerked his attention away from the farm they were passing on their way back to Coffield Unit to look at Zane. His packmate always insisted on driving whenever they went anywhere now, like he thought he had to make up for his injury by proving he could still operate a motor vehicle.
“How do you know I wasn’t grinning at the cows we drove past?” Brooks countered.
Zane snorted. “Right. You’ve had the same dreamy expression on your face since we got in the truck an hour ago. So, unless it’s my cologne that’s doing it for you, it’s a woman. Stop messing about, and tell me what happened with Selena last night. I’ve seen you date some amazing women before, but none of them have ever left you looking this smitten.”
Brooks shook his head. Zane wasn’t going to let this go until he spilled his guts. But where did he start? How was he supposed to describe last night’s date with Selena?
Amazing?
Unbelievable?
Spectacular?
Mind-blowing?
While all those words applied, they also fell way short of summing up the evening. Last night had been the best date he’d ever been on. Hell, it might very well have been the best night of his life. Which was shocking considering they’d kept their clothes on for the most part.
He stifled a groan as he remembered how hot Selena had looked in that tiny black dress. And the way it hitched up around her waist when she’d climbed on his lap?Daaaammn.
“It was…good,” he finally said, trying to keep the smile from his face and failing miserably.
Zane lifted a brow. “Good?”
“Okay, better than good,” Brooks admitted. “I went over there with no expectations for the evening and ended up staying half the night.”
“That was fast.”
Brooks chuckled. “Nothing happened, so get your mind out of the gutter. Yeah, we kissed some. Well, a lot actually. But mostly, we just talked. Selena made this killer Mexican meal, and we hung out and chatted about work and family. I told her about my father and how I became a cop, and she told me about growing up in Dallas. Turns out she lost her parents and brother to gang violence. She refuses to let the gangs win.”
“No wonder she wouldn’t back down from Pablo when he was threatening her with that gun.”
“Yeah. I get the feeling she’d go toe-to-toe with anybody to protect her students.”
“I can respect that,” Zane said. “Her interactions with the gangs are about to take a drastic turn now that she’s a werewolf. If they thought she was tough to deal with before, wait until she has fangs, claws, and enough strength to rip their heads off.”
Brooks frowned. “Shit. I never thought of that. When I tell her she’s a werewolf, I’m going to have to remember to make sure she’s careful not to reveal what she is in front of them—or anyone else. With the hunters and all the other crap going on, that’s all we need.”
“No kidding.” Zane checked his side mirror, then passed a slow-moving farm tractor. “The topic of werewolves never came up, huh?”
“No,” Brooks said. “You may find this hard to believe, but as smooth as I am, I couldn’t come up with a way to work it into the conversation. But I get the feeling I’m going to have to tell her sooner rather than later.”
Zane looked at him sharply. “Why?”
Brooks rested his elbow on the open window. “Because when Selena was on my lap and we were making out, she bit me.”
His friend’s mouth twitched. “At your age, I didn’t think I’d have to talk about the birds and bees, but sometimes when two people are snogging, they can get a bit frisky and nip each other.”
“Funny,” Brooks growled.
He pulled the collar of his uniform T-shirt away from his neck, showing Zane the four round scars. They were completely closed up but still obvious.
“I’m not talking about a little nip,” he said, sitting back in his seat. “We’re talking four fangs at least a half inch long.”
Zane considered that. “She has fangs within twenty-four hours of going through the traumatic event? And all you two were doing was kissing? That’s a little concerning.”
Brooks remembered what it had been like when he’d gone through his change after getting sliced open by that psycho in Gulfport. At first, the only outward sign he was a werewolf was the fact that he’d survived an injury he shouldn’t have, and he’d written that off to a good old-fashioned miracle like everyone else had. His claws hadn’t come out until weeks later when he’d been dealing with a loud, angry drunk. His fangs had shown up the following week. Was the fact that Selena had fangs this soon a sign that something was wrong with her development as a werewolf?
“So, if she bit you, how did the fact that she’s a werewolf not come up?” Zane asked.
