She gave a soft gasp before she could stop herself.
“I didn’t tell you because I couldn’t figure out how to make it sound…fair to you. Non-creepy. I get that to humans it sounds super weird. And like the girl doesn’t have a choice. But you do, Lucy. You can stay with me or break up with me or whatever you want.”
“But if fate chooses your mate, if fate choseme, how is that a choice?”
Jeremy shrugged. “Why’d we get coffee that first time? Because you had to, or because you wanted to?”
“I wanted to,” she said.
“And why did we keep going out? Did you want to or not?”
“Well, yeah, I did. Of course I did, or I wouldn’t have.”
“See, there you go. How it is for me doesn’t change how it is for you.”
“That’s…sorry, but that’s just too bizarre.”
She shook her head. This was going to take some processing. Some journaling with her purple gel pen. She stared down at the tabletop for a long minute. When she looked up, Jeremy sat with his head down and his shoulders hunched. Compared to his usual squared shoulders and confident grin, right now he looked almost small.
“Hey,” she said.
He looked up, and his eyes held more emotion than she’d ever seen from him, even when he’d been so scared and stammering over the scent of blood. Right now he looked just as panicked, but he also looked hurt, and Lucy’s heart responded with a painful squeeze.
“Do you think I’m breaking up with you?” Lucy said.
His bottom lip wobbled. “You’re…not?”
“I’m weirded out right now, but I’m not going anywhere.”
“Really? For real?”
“Yes, for real, silly boy.” She rolled her eyes, and the squeezing of her heart eased as he slowly grinned. “I don’t know if I believe I’m your mate, but Iamyour girlfriend. And I have one last question for you, Mr. Freeman.”
“Ask the wolf anything, Ms. Campbell.” His grin just kept growing.
Eight
“Canyouhowl?Likeactually howl?”
Jeremy couldn’t stop grinning. His mate had accepted his answers. He hadn’t messed this up beyond repair, as he’d been so sure he would. “I’ll demonstrate if you want. Not here, obviously.”
A minute after they’d finished dessert and paid the bill, a server hurried past their booth, her scent thick with overwhelm and stress. Jeremy glanced toward the front of the restaurant. The line was out the door, dinner rush in full swing.
“We should head out,” he said.
“Oh, okay.” She slid out of the booth and stood with obvious reluctance, but then an excited light found her eyes. She leaned close and whispered. “Will you howl for me outside?”
How she made such a request sound sensual, he had no idea, but suddenly he wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss her breathless. He tugged her hand and grinned. “Let’s go for a drive.”
Out on the road he rolled down the windows, and her hair escaped her braid to blow around her face. She laughed. “What’re you doing?”
“I don’t want to hurt your ears.”
But there was too much traffic here. He didn’t want strangers to hear his wolf voice. Only Lucy. He turned onto a wide dirt road and drove about half a mile, until the houses had grown far apart, buffered by open fields. Then he pulled to the side and parked.
“Ready?” He grinned.
Lucy nodded.
