As Ivy allowed Brick to guide her to the front of her store, she thought over everything he had told her, as well as the man he was showing her that night.

When they reached the front door, she walked out ahead of him, and then he dipped his head down for clearance and followed her. At 5’9”, she was above average height for women, but next to Brick, she felt petite, especially when her hand was enveloped by his.

A sensation of belonging had flowed through her when she took his hand, and everything else—her prior conceptions of her perfect man—seemed to fade into the distance. In her mind, Brick towered over them all.

Then her memory returned to the picture he had sent her, and she shivered.

“Do you want a blanket? Are you cold? We can move dinner inside.”

“No, I’m fine.”

She looked around at the metal table and chairs on the grass. A white tablecloth was laid over it, with a grouping of candles in varying heights, lit and flickering in the slight breeze. An open bottle of wine was waiting, with two goblets and a bowl filled with hard-crusted bread.

Brick let go of her and went to hold her chair out for her. He scooted it underneath her as she sat, and then he seated himself across from her. The iron squeaked, protesting his weight.

Is he really trying, or is this an act? How can I trust this feeling... or him?

Lifting the bottle, he poured the wine into a glass and passed it to her before filling his own. He raised it, and she followed.

“To new beginnings.” He clinked his glass against hers. “Hopefully, good ones.”

She took a sip and then set it on the table.

“This is very nice, Brick.”

“Thank you. I was hoping you’d like it.”

“Is this how shifters court?”

She chose to leave their mate unsaid. She wasn’t ready for that yet.

“I don’t know, but this is how I’m choosing to win you.”

“For a night?”

“Shifters mate for life. You know that already, right?”

“That’s what I’ve read, yes. But I’m a researcher. I base my conclusions on facts, not feelings.”

“So, you admit you have feelings for me?”

Rather than answer, she took a long swallow of the wine.

Glancing up at the expression on his face, she mumbled, “Don’t look so smug.”

Brick huffed a laugh and said, “Leave it to my wolf to choose the only woman in the world who doesn’t want me to mark her as mine.”

“I don’t believe in all that macho bullshit. I’m my own person. Nobody is going to run my life except me. I got away from my father as soon as I legally could. He’s a prejudiced, violent control freak, and I don’t blame my mother for leaving him when she did. You’re not going to own me. If that’s what’s required, I don’t care how I feel. I’ll run away, and you’ll never find me.”

“Is that what you think? That you’d be expected to be subservient to me?”

“Yes, I think that’s what you want, and that’s the exact opposite of who I am.”

He snorted and said, “You don’t know our shifter women. They’re fierce. I’ve met some who are alphas, running their own packs. But you and I… we’d be partners, Ivy. Finding a balance that works for both of us.” He paused, as he took a drink. “I’m not saying we wouldn’t have ups and downs, but we’d find a way. We’re smart.” He set his glass down, refilled it, and flicked his eyes to hers. “Well, you are.”

“Yes, I am. And no, I don’t know much about the females of your species. Not much has been written about them. Just typical malecentric BS.”

She gestured to her drink, and Brick tipped the bottle to fill the glass she’d emptied while he’d been speaking.

“Ivy, you could continue your research and speak to shifter females whenever you want. Why not break that barrier down, the way it sounds like you are with your thesis?”

“You remembered that?”

“How could I forget? You told me about it in detail.”

Why’s he all gorgeous, saying everything the right way, not stumbling over himself like a dumb jock anymore?

“Do I have any choice in this?” she said, her words beginning to slur.

“I’m not gonna force you to be my mate, but I’m hoping that by showing you who I really am, you’ll accept me.”

She giggled, as she recalled her fantasy in which he’d smacked her pussy, ordering her to be still, and how wet it made her.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, being submissive to him. But only in bed!

“Ready to eat?” He laughed. “With me?”

Did he just say he wanted to eat me?

“Huh?”

“Are you okay?”

“I think I’ve had enough alcohol. I haven’t had a bite since breakfast. Got busy and forgot.”

“Ah!” He chuckled and pushed the bottle away from her. “You’re a lightweight.”

“Who isn’t, compared to you?”

He looked down at himself and then to her, his eyes roaming over her ample body.

“Does my size intimidate you, Ivy?”

“Oh, God!” she groaned, placing her face in her hand on the table, as her mind went back to the picture he’d sent her.

“Let’s get you some food.”

He stood and stepped behind him, where cloche-covered plates waited on a cart. He brought them over and set one in front of her, before removing the lid and laying it on the table.

“I hope you like meat. I didn’t plan a vegetarian meal. Maybe I should have. I didn’t know what to order.”

And with that, her mind descended further into the erotic thoughts she’d had of them. She closed her eyes a moment to calm her rising lust and stray imaginings, and then she opened them, keeping her gaze downcast.

“This is fine. Thank you.”

After placing his plate in front of him, he sat, uncovered it, and snapped a napkin over his thigh.

“Is that…” She counted to herself, as she fumbled to unroll the cloth beside her glass. “...four steaks?”

“My Hunger… has been… unstoppable.” Brick pinned her with his darkened eyes, and she stopped breathing. “There’s only one thing certain to satisfy it.”

Don’t ask what it is! Don’t do it! Be the strong, tough woman you are. Don’t just fall into his arms like every other woman he’s had.

Heat began to surge through her in response to what she was certain his answer would be, considering how he was looking at her. Straightening in her seat, she cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say but coming up blank. She reached for her goblet, and as she took yet another drink that she knew she shouldn’t, he lifted his knife and fork and carved into the meat.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t wait any longer.” Stabbing a piece with his fork, he raised it to his plump lips. “I’ve got to eat.”

In an attempt to steel her crumbling resolve, speaking to herself more than to him, she blurted out, “I’m not sleeping with you tonight.”

“No, you’re not.” Scrunching her brows in confusion at his reply, she thought that he must have seen the question on her face, since he went on. “We’re not making love until you know you want to be mine without reservation.”

“But you said—”

“Yes, I’m suffering. But no man worth a second of your time, much less the rest of your life, would rush you into something as serious as this. You’re worth it, Ivy.”

She wasn’t sure if she should feel elated or frustrated.

On one hand, he wasn’t acting like the overbearing jerk he’d been since he’d arrived. But on the other, she was so wound up that she wanted to hurl herself at him. If the suffering he was in because of her was greater than what she was enduring, she wasn’t sure how he hadn’t simply grabbed her yet. But she was thankful, and in her closed and locked heart, a small space opened.

“We still need to find the book.” Brick glanced over to her. “I keep forgetting about it, as distracted as I’ve been.”

“I haven’t exactly been helpful.”

“What do you mean?”

“After dinner, let’s go back to my office, and I can do a search through the paper records that were left when I bought this place.”

“We might locate it tonight?”

She nodded, taking a bite of her steak, as she noticed that two of his had already disappeared.

He’s not the uncontrollable beast I thought he was. He told me that I was different, but he might be, as well. I can’t deny what I’m feeling, no matter how much I want to. How is this any different than love at first sight?

With a wink to her, he slid his knife into the third steak and said, “Curious, that you haven’t already done that to get rid of me.”