Alphas on the Prowl (18 page)

“I can’t wait,” he said. “Bye, Hailey!” He disconnected.

Hailey waited a moment, savoring the idea of seeing Ryan again, before bolting from the bed for the shower.

Halfway through rinsing soap from her body, she shut her eyes and let the water run down her face, driving warm, wet needles into her skin. Her misgivings returned in a hot rush. Ryan broke her heart five years ago. Was she giving him another opportunity to smash her life to pieces?

“It’s a freaking picnic!” The sound of her voice galvanized her, and she laughed, water running into her mouth and down her chin, making her sputter. One picnic did not give him the power to hurt her. Besides, nobody who wanted to break her heart would kiss her the way he had last night. She shivered, remembering the feel of his mouth against hers and the way her body had responded to his touch.
Remember that, Hailey, not what happened five years ago. Try to live in the now, not in the past. Try really hard.

***

Ryan looked at the vanilla-scented jar candle dubiously. Too obvious? Was vanilla a sexy scent, or did it scream grandma? Because he sure as hell had never bought the thing. Gram must have and stuffed it into a cupboard so he could find it two years later. Did candles have expiration dates? Bracing himself, Ryan sniffed. Hmm. Not bad. Not exactly vanilla, but close enough.

Balancing the candle, two wine glasses, and matches, Ryan carefully negotiated the stairs and down the hall to the balcony door. Thankfully, there were three of them, the main one located in the hall. Numbers one and two were in his bedroom and the spare bedroom, and while the thought of Hailey in his bedroom made his cock twitch, he somehow didn’t think bringing her through his room to get to the balcony constituted a classy move.

But then again, Hailey probably didn’t think he was a classy guy after the way he’d treated her.

Guilt swamped him, dousing the bubbling excitement that had danced through his veins ever since she’d agreed to come over. Forgiving him would no doubt be a long road. But he had to go down it. No way would he allow Hailey to leave him behind again. At least not still hurting over what he’d done to her five years ago. He couldn’t make her stay, but he could attempt to make it up to her. Then maybe she’d want to stay.

“Shut up and light the candle, dillhole,” he muttered. He debated trying to balance everything on his left arm and in his hand, but screw that, Gram’s candle played a starring role at today’s picnic and smashing on the floor didn’t appear in the script.

He set the wine glasses on the hall table, then opened the door. The drumming sound of the rain deafened him. God, it was coming down. He hoped Hailey was safe driving in this downpour. She’d get soaked from the car to the door. He’d better have an umbrella at the ready.

He set the candle and the wine glasses on a small table between two wooden rockers and shivered. A stiff ocean breeze chilled the air. Blankets. Almost forgot the blankets.

Twenty minutes later, he saw her car splash through the puddled rain in front of his drive. He grabbed a big umbrella from the rack by the door and waded out to meet her.

She stared at him through the windshield, clutching the steering wheel with both hands. Today she looked more like the college student he remembered versus the sophisticated beauty from last night. She’d pulled up her hair in a messy knot with strands escaping the comb. From what he could make out through the smeary windshield, she had on a long-sleeved white t-shirt with some sort of animal on the front. A wolf, maybe. Was that supposed to be a statement?

She thrust open the door, and when he smelled her woodsy perfume, he wanted to lean in and kiss her, but the goddamn umbrella was in the way. He’d kiss her inside. Put Gram’s candle to work to set the scene.

He grinned and she grinned back but then blushed so he saw the freckles spattered across her nose. He wanted to kiss every damn one.

“Hamper’s in the back.” She gestured to a wicker basket on the back seat.

“Here,” he said, extending the umbrella. “How about you hold this while I get the food. I’m starving.”

“Me too,” she admitted. She slid out of the car and stood so close to him their shoulders and thighs brushed. Ryan’s body tingled.

Their fingers touched when she took the umbrella.

Screw it,
he thought incoherently.

“The food can wait a minute,” he said and took her chin between his fingers so he could tilt her head and capture her mouth with his.

Her lips sizzled against his, and when she groaned, he was lost. He deepened the kiss, moving his hands to her shoulders. The rain beat against the umbrella, counterpoint to his heart.

God, he wanted her. What would it feel like to take her against the side of the car, sink into her warmth and be inside her?

She clutched the umbrella with one hand, but moved the other to his ass and squeezed. Jesus!

“You’re killing me,” he murmured against her mouth, feeling her grin.

“This is twice now we’ve ended up making out on your grandmother’s driveway. What’s so sexy about a driveway?” she murmured against his lips.

“You’re on it,” he answered, and he felt her breath catch. She nipped his lower lip.

“I’m getting wet,” she said.

“I goddamn well hope so,” he growled, and she burst into laughter.

She beat at his shoulder. “I meant the rain, dummy. The umbrella’s tilting. Get the hamper, I thought you were starving.”

“I am, but not for food.” Ryan tried to kiss her again, but she danced backward, laughing.

Cold rain pelted him. He shivered. “All right. I’m getting the food.” He pulled open the back door and leaned in. “But I’m not done kissing you,” he called over his shoulder.

She gave him an enigmatic smile – one he couldn’t decipher – and said nothing.

***

Hailey gazed around the large, comfortable living room after stowing the wet umbrella in the rack by the door. Ryan paused at the foot of a wide staircase. Raindrops glistened in his dark hair, making his eyes shine. Her heart clutched. All her old feelings rushed back despite her attempts to slow things down. Five years of heartache almost erased with a few – admittedly hot – kisses. Too fast or just right?

She pretended to struggle with the umbrella so he wouldn’t see her flushed cheeks. God, this attraction between them still crackled like a live wire. Worse now that they’d crossed a physical line. If it was this powerful after a handful of kisses, what would happen if they went to bed together?

Dumb. Agreeing to an indoor picnic at his place. Where else did the date have to go but straight into the bedroom? Her head spun gloriously at the idea. What she ought to do is dodge back out into the rain and let things cool off so they could take it slow and easy.

Instead, she took a deliberate look around the room. “Neatest bachelor pad I ever saw.” She wandered to an armchair by a bow window and drew her finger along the back. “Also the only one with doilies.”

He grimaced. “I’m not responsible for either.” He shifted the hamper between his hands. “Cleaning lady comes every Thursday, and those are my grandmother’s doilies. I haven’t done a lot of redecorating.”

Hailey snorted. Good. Amusement banished most of the carnal thoughts and made it possible to consider staying for the picnic. Only the picnic. Maybe a few more kisses. Nothing more.

“Come on upstairs. The balcony’s this way.” He gave her an appealing grin that tugged at her heart. Another smile like that one and she’d be putty between his talented fingers. Hailey resisted squirming as memories of him stroking her to orgasm last night flooded back. Taking things slow might well prove impossible, damn it, but she’d give it her best shot.

She followed him at a wary distance. Once up the stairs, he turned right on the landing and then down a long hallway toward a glass-paned door leading onto a large balcony.

Rain tapped on the roof as Hailey stepped onto the plank flooring and drew in her breath. San Francisco sprawled beneath them – a vast metropolis – and beyond would have been a view of the bay, only fog obscured everything, reducing it to a hazy wonderland.

“On a clear day you can see damn near forever.” Ryan put the hamper onto a tile-inlaid table set against the front of the balcony. Two chairs were turned toward the view.

An open bottle of wine and two glasses sat on a small end table between two white wooden rockers. A candle burned in front of the wine bottle. She scented vanilla beneath the wet smell of the rain and fog.

“Gram’s candle,” Ryan admitted with a sheepish smile.

“Smells nice,” she said and he brightened. “This is beautiful, Ryan.”

“I sit out here a lot,” he said. “Alone.”

She frowned and shivered, wishing she’d brought her hoodie. Noticing a folded plaid blanket over the arm of one of the rockers, she shook it out and wrapped it around herself with a grateful sigh.

“I don’t understand why you don’t have tons of friends.”

He shrugged. “Never seem to find the time. I work a lot. Sometimes I hang out with my soccer team, but most of them are married and their wives are always trying to set me up with their friends, so I kind of avoid the social scene as much as possible.”

“Sounds lonely.” Hailey wanted a glass of wine, but didn’t quite dare pour it herself. The cold air blew away her excitement and left her uneasy. Maybe she shouldn’t have come here. This was Ryan’s house, hardly neutral ground. He’d talked about dating, but being here with him in his home frightened her with its shocking intimacy. He’d been her whole world once. What if she let him in, and he broke her heart again? How could she know for sure he wouldn’t do that?

Ryan glanced at the wine and back to her. He moved to the end table and poured her a glass. When she reached out to accept it, their fingers brushed, and the air evaporated from her lungs leaving her dizzy. Then he poured himself a glass, and she could breathe again.

“What about you? Busy social life?” He sank into one of the rockers, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Hailey perched on the second rocker and sipped the wine. Smooth and complicated –like him.

“If you’re asking if I date, the answer is sometimes. Always wolf shifters.” She pulled the blanket tighter around herself and resisted the urge to rock. “They want to rush me into a relationship so they can start making babies, and I sometimes think there’s too many of us already.” She took a sip of wine. “Plus the idea of having three or four babies at one time scares the hell out of me.”

He nodded. “Shifter population isn’t reaching any sort of a plateau. Emerson’s got a project trying to figure that out. The wolves cooperate. The cats hate the idea, naturally.”

“Yeah. That’s why you got attacked Friday night.”

“And why you were there to protect me.”

Hailey took another sip of wine and gazed out at the view. “Ever since I saw you trip and fall that day on the quad, I’ve thought I was supposed to be there to protect you.” She shook her head. “You had other ideas, of course.”

“I start on the project tomorrow.” Ryan stared out at the rain. “That’s why I was working late Friday night. Trying to get up to speed because my dickhole boss threw me onto the team seven months into the project.”

“You don’t want to be on it?”

He shook his head. “Shifters make me think of you. The thought of having you on my mind twenty-four seven drives me crazy. I’ve been thinking about quitting.”

“Running away again,” she said, and he winced but didn’t deny it.

“Let’s eat.” He jumped to his feet and fumbled with the straps to the hamper. Hailey took another sip of wine before setting the glass aside so she could help him.

They unpacked the picnic in silence punctuated by the grumble of thunder and the steady patter of the rain. Ryan’s cologne couldn’t quite mask his perspiration. He was nervous. But so was she.

They took seats across from each other and picked up their sandwiches. Ryan took a big bite, then grinned around the bread.

“Wow,” he said after swallowing. “You weren’t kidding about your tuna salad.”

“I never joke about my tuna salad,” she said in such a serious voice he burst out laughing.

“You made this bread?” He inhaled another bite, his eyes closing in appreciation.

“I’ve got a bread maker. I like to bake. My roommates are out all weekend with friends and boyfriends, and I make bread and rolls and cake. I go to bed at night with four loaves on the counter and wake up to crumbs after they come home high or drunk. I think my bread-making skills are the only thing keeping them from leaving. That and our agreement I don’t shift when they’re home.”

“Why don’t you room with other shifters?” Ryan reached for a deviled egg and popped it into his mouth.

“Sometimes I do. But they end up married or pregnant or both. I’m in a human roommate stage right now, but everything changes. That’s life.” She took a bite of her sandwich and washed it down with wine.

“I thought you got cold in the winter and liked to sleep as a wolf.” Ryan took another prodigious bite of his sandwich, and Hailey wanted to cry because he enjoyed it so much. Her roommates scarfed up everything she made, but they hardly ever ate meals with her. She usually ate alone in her room.