pose more danger, and finally settled his attention on me. Some spark of desire still lingered in his gaze as he studied me, and an answering warmth kindled low in my stomach. “I would like to buy you lunch, if you’re willing to sit through a boring business meeting first.”
It was somehow both a request and a plea at the same time. If it hadn’t been for Deirdre’s triumphant grin, I would have agreed right away. But part of me wanted to be contrary just to wipe that look off her face. I sighed and folded my arms over my chest. “You’re not worried about bringing a dangerous witch out in public?”
He frowned, head tilted. “Deirdre isn’t going with us.”
It took me a second to catch the joke, though Henry broke into a grin and Deirdre snorted a laugh and smacked his shoulder. She muttered, “You haven’t seen dangerous witch yet, bucko,” then turned on her heel and strode toward the warehouse, her cell phone pressed to her ear.
Which left me staring at Henry and measuring the real danger: staying close to him and maybe getting even more attached than I already was.
I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the warning my instincts sang out, and nodded. “Okay. Lunch would be good.”
Henry smiled and even opened my door for me, and I tried to resurrect my walls to resist the very real charm of being around him. I didn’t know how long my resistance would last, not with that boyish smile and the easy confidence as he drove through the city and the sharp cut of his sport coat making him look even more serious and business-y. Moon as my witness, I was in real trouble.
Chapter 20
Henry
Henry would have called the run-in with Nola an unmitigated disaster if it hadn’t been for the moment he got to put his arms around Ophelia and pull her close, to kiss her and nuzzle her hair. It was a pretty good day based on that moment alone.
He didn’t have long to revel in it though, not when they had to get across town in time to meet with a banker and sign some papers. It was just as well, since he didn’t know what the hell to say to Ophelia anyway. Apologize for his older sister and his own actions? Explain about the pack he’d left behind? Beg Ophelia for her forgiveness?
He knew she wasn’t entirely comfortable around him, and though she hadn’t pulled away from his kiss, he didn’t like the possibility that he’d forced himself on her and she’d had to endure a great deal of discomfort as a favor to him. It made the wolf twitch with anxiety to think that he’d caused her distress.
The car sat in traffic, still several blocks from the bank, when Ophelia finally took a deep breath. “What kind of business is it? The meeting, I mean.”
“Some venture that Todd is pursuing,” he said. Henry scratched at the collar of his jacket, irritated with the presentable clothes when he much preferred T-shirts and sweaters. At least Todd gave up on making him wear a suit and tie. The last time he tried to put a tie on had been a dark day indeed. “We’re investing in a string of restaurants and bars across the city, and this is the last step to sign off on the next location. We purchased the property, but the bank needs...”
He glanced over at her, not surprised that her attention had drifted to the window. “Sorry. It’s not very interesting.”
Ophelia blinked and glanced over at him, her eyes wide. “It sounds interesting. What kind of bar and restaurant? Are they all the same?”
He couldn’t tell if she was just being polite or actually wanted to know, but since they were stuck in traffic and the radio was on an annoying hard rock station that Silas preferred, Henry filled her in on the plan SilverLine had to rejuvenate a market district near the warehouse. As the city center drew more and more businesses, the demand for upscale housing and walkable neighborhoods grew. SilverLine intended to capitalize on the opportunity by establishing the anchor restaurants and bars for an associated entertainment district. She made polite noises as he talked, and periodically when Henry looked over, he caught her watching him with a strange expression.
Henry couldn’t decipher what it was. Consideration? Trepidation? Was she nervous? Excited? Bored but better able to hide it? The wolf practically ran circles in his guts