He needed me.
And I knew what I had to do.
* * *
Hours later, Reed brought home more takeout from the Crescent Springs Bar & Grill—tacos, this time. They really did seem to have everything on their menu.
“Sally says hello. She keeps asking after you,” Reed commented, setting the tacos onto plates. He flashed me a smile, but there was a searching look in his eyes when his gaze met mine. He looked back down quickly, redness creeping into his cheeks. “She—uh—she’s convinced we’re dating.”
I chuckled. “Can’t imagine why.”
Reed lost his smile, and I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “Right.”
He brought the plates over and set mine down in front of me, all while avoiding my gaze.
I frowned at him. “What?”
“Nothing. Let’s eat,” Reed said immediately, grabbing a taco and lifting it to his mouth to take a bite.
I looked down at my plate and saw that my tacos didn’t have tomatoes on them. But Reed’s did. It was a small thing, and I’d only mentioned it once, but he’d remembered.
It galvanized me into action. “I’ve been in your cabin for almost a week now.”
Reed put his taco back onto his plate. “Yeah.”
“And we slept together last night.”
“True,” Reed said. “Look, it was dumb. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“And we’re fated to be together.”
“I know.”
“Then it’s kind of underselling it to say we’re ‘dating.’”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never dated anyone before,” Reed admitted, his gaze trained on his plate.
“Anyone? At all?”
Reed shrugged by way of reply.
“But you’ve been with people. Sexually.”
“Sure, a couple of times here and there. But nothing was ever serious—it was just having fun, two guys blowing off steam. It didn’t really matter in the long run.”
“Has it only been guys?”
“Wolves generally don’t have much of a sexual orientation. In human terms, we’re mostly pansexual. It’s more aboutwhothe person is, rather thanwhatthey are. But I’ve usually fooled around with guys more, I guess.”
“Do you have a type?”
Reed raised his gaze to meet mine. “I do now.”
I felt my cheeks get hotter than they ought to have been. “You know, technically, I think eating at Crescent Springs Bar & Grill and heading to the bookstore together might’ve been a date.”
A smile broke out across his lips. “Yeah?”
“Pretty sure, yeah.” Then I paused. “If you want it to be?”
