Taking a deep breath, I decide not to probe. If there's one thing that the book taught me, it's that the last thing you want todo is poke the fire when it's burning. I don't want to get pricked, because she'll draw blood if I touch her now.
So, I round the Jeep, open her door, and wait for her to climb out.
“I really enjoyed our date tonight, D,” I whisper as I hang on the door, hoping she can see my sincerity even if I'm trying not to hang on to hope. “I'd like to do this again, if you'll give me another chance.”
Delilah sighs as she folds her arms and leans against the car. “I—” she hesitates, but I already know that she's reluctant because she doesn't want to do the casual thing.
Her mood betrays her words from the other night, and it's my opportunity to knock this out of the park and sweep her off her feet.
“I know what you're thinking…I know you well enough, D. You don't have to say it. So I wanna do something different this time.”
Delilah's eyes light up with curiosity, and hope ignites in my heart.
“Perhaps we can do something more private,” I suggest as I clear my throat, noticing how her cheeks faintly turn pink. “But you'll need to dress comfortably for what I have in mind.”
“Are you hiding another secret up your sleeve, Hunter? I thought we agreed that there wouldn't be any secrets anymore?” Delilah quizzes, her interest piqued as she arches a brow.
Chuckling, I gently close the door, leaning in until I can taste her breath in the air I inhale. This flusters her, and I can tell that I'm doing exactly what she wants, even if she won't say it out loud.
“I promise this one will be worth it,” I smirk, and Delilah purses her lips with contemplation crossing her eyes.
“Okay,” she agrees, lifting a finger. “I'm free tomorrow night.”
With that, Delilah heads into the house, leaving me to do mental cartwheels in celebration of a triumph I feel I've earned.
Another date means another chance to win her over and get her to willingly accept that we can never be just friends.
Chapter 19 - Delilah
Dress comfortably….
I thought it'd be an easy feat since I didn't put much thought into dressing up for our first “date.”
But tonight feels different, and suddenly, I'm full of nerves.
Perhaps it's because I've been overthinking everything about last night, still confused at my disappointment that our date felt too casual for my liking.
It appears that Hunter picked up on my feelings, and that's why he suggested another date. I just can't seem to shake off the strange thoughts that creep up on me unexpectedly, leading me to believe that Hunter isn't interested in more than friendship.
Why would he put all this effort into taking me out if he didn't care?
Shivering into myself when a tiny voice that isn't my inner wolf whispers faintly that Hunter only wants to be friends, I remind myself that I'm the one who put that boundary up in the first place.
“Ugh!” I groan as I stare at my reflection, almost unrecognizable from the cloudiness of my thoughts that seem to be making my vision hazy.
“What's wrong, Delilah?” Gwen asks, snapping me out of the murky void my mind had been drifting in, and reminding me that I'd enlisted Gwen's help to pick out a dress for tonight.
It's like I’ve suddenly grown heavily conscious of myself, how I dress, picking out every little thing everyone says around me, especially when it comes to Hunter.
When did I become so self-conscious, so insecure?
Brushing it off as nothing more than being exhausted from everything that's been going on lately, I turn to Gwen and ask her how I look.
She frowns at me. “That's the fifth time you've asked me that question, Delilah.” She comes forward and turns me back to face the full-length mirror. “Look at you…you're a goddess no matter what you wear, and I know Hunter will think the same.”
Frowning at my reflection again, I shiver to let the insecurities subside.
“Yeah…I don't have to impress him, anyway,” I declare, lifting my chin and overcoming my sudden bout of nervousness. “I don't know why I'm feeling this way. Maybe it's because I have no idea what he has planned,” I giggle with a hint of lingering nervousness.
