occasional moment where he’d turn a page in his book, arm muscles flexing, and she’d have to swallow hard and pretend to stare at a spreadsheet until her rampaging libido subsided again. But she’d done her best to ignore the siren call of his sex appeal. They’d agreed to take things slow, after all.
Right now, however, it was very hard to remember all the reasons why she shouldn’t climb him like a monkey up a banana tree.
“Darcy?” Fenrir said, a note of concern entering his voice. “Is something wrong?”
She realized that she’d been staring at him, mouth hanging open. She shut it before she actually started drooling on her files.
“Urk. No. Definitely not,” she managed. “Wow. Why are you all dressed up?”
Fenrir ran a hand down the lapel of his suit jacket, looking a little self-conscious. “You seemed to like it last time.”
She hoped he couldn’t tell how much she liked it this time. She was very glad she was wearing one of her thicker sweaters. Her nipples were practically standing at salute.
“Yeah. You, uh, look great.” As surreptitiously as she could, she crossed her legs, squeezing her thighs together. “Are you going somewhere?”
“I hope so.” Fenrir’s chest lifted, as though he was steeling himself. “May I…may I take you out?”
“Out?” she repeated, blankly. “Out where?”
“Out.” For a man well over six feet tall and as broad as a barn door, Fenrir looked remarkably like a nervous teen at his first prom. “On a date. With me.”
“Well, sure.” Then, as he continued to look expectantly at her, “Wait, you mean right now?”
“Yes. Would like to spend some time with you, while—would like to spend some time together.” He gestured at the papers spread across the desk. “Away from all this, leaving worry behind. Just for a little while.”
“I’d like that too.” Nonetheless, Darcy hesitated. “But I’ve finally received the information that I requested from the shifter agents. All the profiles of the hellhounds that they captured from Lupa’s pack last year. I should really—”
“Please,” he interrupted, softly.
He so rarely asked for anything. And then there was the suit. That alone was a compelling argument.
“I guess it can wait until tomorrow.” Darcy smiled, shutting her laptop with a decisive click. “Not like there’s a time limit on catching Lupa, huh?”
Fenrir drew in his breath, and then let it out again. “Still need to find her. But this is more important.”
“What is?”
He caught her as she went past him, his hand curving around her cheek. He bent down.
“You,” he whispered.
She could still count the number of times that they’d kissed. To Fenrir, slow apparently meant glacially slow. Personally, she’d have been happy to step on the accelerator, but she’d held herself in check. Their tentative understanding was too new, too uncertain. It was best to let him set the pace.
She followed his lead now, though the soft, gentle play of their lips had her longing for more. She wanted to melt against him, to tangle her fingers in his hair and pull him down—but she couldn’t risk upsetting his fragile control over his inner animal.
There’s no rush, she reminded herself. We can take our time.
All too soon, he pulled away. He pressed his forehead against hers for a moment, breathing in deeply through his nose, then straightened.
“It is a nice day.” He held the door open for her. “Let me spend it with you.”
It was a perfect day.
Darcy had been wondering, based on the suit, what Fenrir had in mind for their date. But it seemed he really had worn it just for her.
They drove to a little town nestled at the edge of a wide mountain lake. It was a tourist spot, stuffed full of kitschy shops and cute cafes, surrounded by spectacular scenery. They attracted more than a few stares as they wandered down the old-time main street—her in scruffy jeans, him looking like he’d just stepped off a private jet—but if Fenrir noticed, he didn’t seem to care.
Then again, she wasn’t sure that he had noticed. He didn’t gaze at the glittering lake like the sight-seers around them, or look up at the purple-tinged mountains. Every time she glanced at him, she found that he was watching her.
“Hey, big guy,” she teased him. “I thought we came here to admire the view.”
“Yes.” Flecks of copper glimmered in his eyes, like the sunlight dancing over the hidden depths of the lake. “I am.”
They found a coffee bar by the lake, with eighteen different kinds of roast and copies of Jack