After a fitful night, Tara slumped in the chair of the small table in her kitchen with a steaming mug of cocoa in her hand. She’d turned up the air conditioner overnight in the hopes that the cool air outsider her warm bed might help her sleep. Nothing had helped. She glanced at the time on her microwave as it turned over to eleven a.m. and pulled a sip from her mug.
Her shoulder still ached a bit, so she switched hands she used to hold the mug. The mage really had sped up the healing process, where pulling the bullet out by hand would have caused more damage. If only he wasn’t so expensive. She hated being indebted to anyone. She would have to find a way to repay Alex. She had no idea how, but she would think of something.
Her phone chimed, startling her so badly, she almost dropped her cocoa.
Alex: How’s the arm?
Tara: Perfect. Thank you.
Alex: Glad to hear it. Are you available for lunch? I need to drop your keys and car off with you.
She debated her answer. She did want to see him again, but how could she face him?
She couldn’t believe he even wanted to see her again after everything.
Tara: Where?
Alex: Dante’s Bistro. 1 pm?
Tara: Perfect. See you there.
Tara jumped in the shower. She hadn’t realized how dirty she’d gotten until she watched grass and gravel wash down the drain. She had spent a lot of time on the ground yesterday. No wonder she couldn’t sleep. Feeling rejuvenated, she pulled a summer dress out of her closet. The bright yellow floral pattern reminded her of the sand at the beach but in a clean, fresh way. She glanced at her discarded jeans and tank top from the night before, still covered with grime and her blood. Alex had seen her at her dirtiest and sweatiest. She needed him to see a different side of her. The clock in her room said noon and she blinked at it. How much time had she spent in the shower? She slipped into the dress and put on some makeup before running out the door toward Dante’s. It was only a few blocks away, so she arrived with plenty of time to spare.
But, Alex was already there, sitting at one of the stone tables the bistro had on their outdoor patio.
Her heart quickened at the sight of him in designer jeans and a t-shirt again. He was hot.
He stood at her approach with a warm smile. He took in her appearance and heat blazed in his eyes.
She was glad she’d chosen the summer dress.
She sat and he sat in the seat across from her.
“Sorry about putting you through so much trouble,” she said and smiled at him. Something about Alex relaxed her and excited her at the same time.
He set her keys on the table and she reached over to take them, but he set his hand on hers. “Eat lunch with me first?” he requested.
She couldn’t turn him down, so she nodded.
He rewarded her with a huge smile and she knew she had made the right decision. He pulled his hand away and they both opened a menu.
Tara glanced at Alex over the top of her menu. His shoulders were relaxed and his lips were turned up at the edges. The slightest dimple appeared on his cheek. He was too delicious to look at for long. Warmth generated in her core.
After all he had found out, he still asked her to lunch. A gentleman with a tiger inside. Being near him was electrifying and calming at the same time, making her skin buzz and heart beat faster.
The waiter took their orders and Tara looked down at her hands, clenched in her lap.
“So, were you at the festival to see a specific band? Or do you just enjoy that type of music?” Alex asked.
She raised her eyes to meet his. He now leaned slightly in his chair, the picture of relaxation. He had a friendly smile on his face as he waited for her answer.
“My favorite band is Electric Puppies, so I mainly went for them. But, I like hearing the local bands they bring too,” she said, relaxing a bit more.
“They’re my favorite, too.” He blinked at her as if gauging if she was for real. His smile widened. “Normally I avoid the crowded venues, but my buddies begged me to come.”
“A bodyguard?” she guessed with a smirk. They had likely needed someone to diffuse situations with the one friend who had been really drunk.
He chuckled. “Yeah.” His phone rang and he sighed. “Sorry, just give me a moment to take this.”
She nodded.
He stood, answered, and headed toward a quieter area by the potted plants. “Alex,” he said in a deep and commanding voice.
A business man? It didn’t really surprise her. She had known he had money, but from the way he held himself and that tone, was he a CEO?
Alex returned a few minutes later and smiled apologetically. “Even on weekends work follows me. Sorry about that.”
“No problem,” she said and smiled. “What do you do for work?”
His eyes lit up with excitement and pride. “I own and run a company that creates prosthetic limbs.”
“Wow,” she replied. “That’s cool.”
Their food arrived and they ate in a comfortable silence. The outdoor patio at the bistro hummed with the subdued energy of Sunday afternoon diners. Across the street, children played in the park. Overhead, a screened canopy diffused the sunlight, so it fell in dapples over their table. She loved the quiet that was barely broken by the clinking of their silverware against their plates as they finished. When the bill came, she snatched it before Alex could.
He scowled. “I invited you out, so I should pay.”
She shook her head and handed the bill with her card to the waiter. “You had to come out because of me running off last night.” She leaned forward. “Sorry about that.”
“Would you like to take a walk?” he asked.
A walk? That was not what she had expected him to say.
“Sure,” she agreed. The waiter brought her card and bill back, and she quickly signed and stood.
Alex gestured for her to take the lead in the space between the tables, then walked at her side down the sidewalk.
She took comfort in the presence of another shifter and wondered if he did too, since they were silent for a bit. His facial features were soft and relaxed then, as if a thought occurred to him, he turned and asked, “Will you tell me about your past?”
She tensed, but slowly let a breath out and nodded. If he really wanted to pursue a relationship with her, which she definitely wanted, he deserved to know.
“When I was eighteen, I met a man. He was human and yet, he seemed dangerous. My childhood had been very sheltered, so when I went to college, I was naïve and overly trusting. The human brought me into his gang and I felt special. Loved. They did whatever I asked and fiercely protected me.
“About three months in, he told me he knew what I was. He said if I really loved them, I would use my abilities to help them. When I refused at first, he threatened taking me to a research center in town. I didn’t have an ambush to call on back then, so I agreed.”
Alex’s hands balled into fists at his side and his jaw set, but he didn’t interrupt.
“I did a lot of bad things. I dumbly thought he loved me. But, after a night away from them, observing others, I realized the truth. They were using me. I quit and ran as far as I could.”
“I’m guessing they didn’t take you leaving too well?” he asked, fists still clenched.
She shook her head. “No. I had to fight my way out. Fortunately for me, they forgot I am stronger than them. The leader agreed to let me out of the gang in front of the entire gang.”
“You didn’t have to kill him?”
She shook her head. “No. Putting a tiger’s fangs around a human’s throat convinces people to do a lot of things.”
Alex chuckled and his hands relaxed.
Talking about it was easier now, but Tara still worried what Alex thought. If only she could see into his head…
“Thank you for telling me,” he said softly.
She stopped walking and looked at him. “That’s it?”
His brows furrowed. “What?”
“That’s all you have to say? Aren’t you going to tell me you can’t see me and cancel our date?”
A few people on the street paused to look at them. She bit her lip, embarrassed to cause a scene. She hadn’t realized she’d raised her voice.
Alex tilted his head slightly, his eyes assessing her. “No. Your past is just that…your past. I only care about who you are now.”
Her heart fluttered at the intensity in his eyes. Could he really do that? Could he really forget all about her past? She swallowed and started walking again, mulling over his words.