Emmitt was a werewolf, and he was mine.

He reached over and brushed back a strand of my hair.  I took a calming breath and hoped he thought my racing heart was due to leaving my brothers and not him.  He started the truck and pulled out of the driveway.

I settled in and watched the scenery.  After a few moments of silence, I glanced over at Emmitt and caught his gaze.

“You’ve never mentioned any family other than your mom and Richard.”

I sighed and turned to glance out the window.  “No family as far as I know on either side.  It’s just us, now.”

He was quiet the last few miles to the restaurant. When he turned into a wide, paved drive, I saw the restaurant and was surprised.  White Christmas lights wound along the fence and cast a soft glow over the parking lot.  The place definitely looked more high-end than I would have expected being out in the middle of nowhere, though I could see the glow of city lights on the horizon.

Emmitt got out and opened the door for me.  I watched his gaze stray from my eyes as he helped me down.  A blush heated my face, and he gave me a small smile as he held my hand and led me inside.  I couldn’t decide if I wanted to cover up or bask in his attention.  So, I focused on walking.

A maître d' stood at a podium, ready to greet us.  Behind him, the polished wood floors of the bar area glowed in the soft light.

Emmitt gave his name and led me to an open place at the bar.  He held out a barstool for me.  I didn’t miss the brush of his fingers on my exposed back as I sat.  He settled beside me and ordered us each a glass of red wine.

I didn’t say anything about the alcohol though I knew Nana would smell it on me.  I wondered if I’d get another scolding.  The bartender smiled a bit too warmly at me as he set my glass down, and Emmitt scowled in response.  I took a sip.  Nana would certainly understand.

I’d finished half a glass by the time the maître d' came to seat us at our table.  I studied the menu and immediately spotted what I wanted.  The last time I had chicken parmesan, my mom had been alive.

Glancing up to ask Emmitt what he planned to order, I found him studying me instead of the menu.  I rolled my eyes and reached across the table to pick up his menu and wave it in his face.  He laughed, took it, and finally opened it.

Our server wore a crisp, white shirt under a black vest and matching black tie.  He was politely formal when he came to ask if we wanted a fresh drink before ordering.  Emmitt ordered another one, but I asked for water, instead.

It was no surprise when Emmitt picked the biggest steak on the menu...and appetizers.

*    *    *    *

Relaxed by the glass of wine, dinner had progressed pleasantly, but nervousness had crept back in toward the end.  Our ride home remained quiet, and I didn’t mind.  I doubted I could maintain any form of intelligent conversation.  My focus was on what would happen at the end of our date.  Would he finally kiss me?

The crunch of gravel under the tires announced our return.  He parked the truck near the porch and got out to open my door.  Although it wasn’t far to the ground, he offered his hand to help me down.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” he asked as he closed the door behind me.

Had it not been for the very exposed feeling I’d had throughout dinner, I would have been able to answer with an honest yes.  Instead, I tried for vague.

“I think it will take a while before I’m comfortable leaving my brothers.”

We walked inside the quiet house.  It wasn’t yet past nine, and I thought the quiet odd, but Emmitt didn’t appear concerned.

Nervous anticipation filled me as we walked upstairs.  He opened my door for me, and I didn’t know what to expect next.  Would he come in with me?  Would he try kissing me?  My heart did a crazy stuttering beat at the thought.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted.  I turned to face him.

“Thank you for tonight.  Let me know if you want to go shopping with Nana again.  You have amazing taste.”  His gaze slid my length again, but he remained in the hallway.

“I think I’ll be fine for a while.  Besides, I prefer shorts and t-shirts.  Your t-shirts are the best.”  Usually, because they hung to mid-thigh and covered me well.  It didn’t hurt that they smelled like him too.

He handed me his jacket, and I watched as he pulled his sweater and t-shirt off over his head.  The jacket almost fell from my hand.  Emmitt, shirtless in the sun, was breathtaking.  But this...I swallowed hard.  If I appealed to him half as much as he did to me, I understood why he’d kept looking at me all night.

Seeing him in just dress pants made my knees melt.  He handed me the white cotton shirt still warm from his body and reclaimed his suit jacket.

He stepped close.  “I’ll give you my shirt whenever you ask.”

Clutching the shirt to my chest, I stopped breathing for a moment.

He grinned slightly.  “So there’s no misunderstanding, we’re officially in the dating phase of our relationship.”

I nodded dumbly, glad we were officially ignoring my friendship talk now.

He hesitated there, standing toe to toe with me, consuming my space and air as I gazed up at him, held in his spell.  Then he shook his head, leaned in to brush his lips against the side of my neck, and left me with a racing heart.

His clarification of our relationship hadn’t helped.  When he announced we were dating, I’d expected—assumed—a kiss would follow.  On the mouth.  Instead, I stood staring at his closed apartment door in confusion and more than a little disappointment.

I spent the remainder of the evening dressed in his shirt and sitting in the kitchen as I researched for the next day’s premonition.  I wasn’t sure if Emmitt had told Nana my secret or not.

Chapter 14

An overcast, but dry, Sunday marked the end of our fifth week of freedom.  My energetic brothers raced outside just after breakfast.  As usual, they left the door open behind them.  I didn’t follow this time.  Instead, I finished some last minute research while waiting for the actual premonition.

When I heard Emmitt’s door open across the hall, I perked up but didn’t look away from the tablet.  So I wasn’t surprised when he spoke from my doorway.

“Good morning.”

I swiveled on the stool and smiled at him.  “Morning.”

He leaned against the doorframe.  His wet hair lay in disarray as he slowly blinked at me.

“Didn’t you sleep well?”

He shrugged.  “Coming down for breakfast?”

I looked at him in surprise.  Usually he already knew if we ate.  I figured his sense of smell helped with that.  Granted, we’d eaten cereal this morning, which I didn’t consider very aromatic, but the bowls still sat next to the sink.

He caught my glance at the dishes and smiled self-depreciatively.  “Sorry.  I’ll see you downstairs.”

Watching the empty doorway an extra moment after he left, I wondered if he wasn’t feeling well.  I glanced at the clock.  Twenty more minutes to kill.

While surfing the web to fill the time, I came across the video of Richard’s death and more speculation regarding the dog.  I avoided the video but read the articles.  In one, the author noted the disappearance of Richard’s beneficiary.  It gave me pause.  Was that the point of the lawyer?

I checked my email and saw a reply not nearly as brief as my query.  Sawyer Nolan introduced himself as Richard’s attorney and, after offering his condolences, asked me to come to his office to discuss the will.  He mentioned needing to coordinate with Mr. Blake Torrin regarding the date and time.  That meeting was not going to happen.

I closed the email and worried at my thumbnail with my teeth.  The latest stock tip popped into my head before I decided what to do about the email.