Page 12 of Darrin: The Wolves

“I just slept with the alpha. I’m kind of not sure how to process that.”

He smiled in an easy way, his eyes dancing. “I’m just a guy.”

“You’re hardly a guy.”

His brow arched. “What?”

She pressed her lips together to stifle the laugh bubbling up. “I mean, you’re notjusta guy. You’re freaking… amazing.”

He reached for her hand, linking their fingers. “I think you’re freaking amazing too.”

They talked for a little while longer, then he walked her to her car and gave her his number. “I’d like to see you again, maybe tonight? Somewhere that’s not here.”

“I could cook for you. I might not be able to make a burger like your brother, but I can put on a pretty good meal.”

“Now that would be amazing.”

She sent him a text with her address and he agreed to be at her place around six.

He leaned over and kissed her, his lips lingering against hers in a way that made her brain short out and her body wail against the unfairness of walking away from the best thing that had ever happened to her.

“See you tonight, sweetheart.”

“Bye.”

He shut the door and she pulled out of the spot, pointing her car toward the bridge and home. She looked in the rearview and saw him standing in the lot, no shirt and jeans unbuttoned, and nearly turned around.

She’d see him soon, though.

But notsoon enough.

“Stop that,” Lena said at lunch as Audrey put her phone down and picked up her turkey and swiss sandwich.

“Stop what?”

“Smiling like a doof.”

“I can’t help it. Dare is adorable.” And sexy. But she kept that part to herself. They’d been texting since she’d gone on lunch break, and she thought he was too sweet.

Lena made a face and then grinned. “The date went well?”

“Incredibly well.” She paused, then lowered her voice. “I stayed over.”

Lena made a curious hum and opened her juice. “How do you feel about that?”

“Good. Happy. Nervous. Overwhelmed.”

“What’s overwhelming?”

“He’s a wolf, you know?”

“Sure.”

“And from the beginning I just felt very connected to him. Super-fast. Then he called me his mate. I didn’t ask him about it, but it’s been bouncing in my mind.”

“Wolves don’t toss that word around lightly. If he said it, he meant it. What’s overwhelming? That you had to leave the bed?”

She laughed. “No, just how fast it hit. I walked into the tavern thinking I’d be on the business end of another crappy date, and I looked at him and it was all over for me. It feels fast. Too fast. But right, too. How does that even make sense?”