“Easton Raines, as I live and breathe.” His southern drawl was a little too heavy, almost as if he was making it up.
“Nice to meet you.” I offered my hand, which he gladly accepted.
“Rudy Rascal, the roommate. And the pleasure is all mine, believe me.” He waved me inside. “Come in. The beauty queen is almost ready.”
I stepped into a short hall that opened into a large living space done in modern lines and soft furniture.
“Cat, your prince charming is here,” Rudy sang.
I bit back a smile. Prince Charming? Sure. Why not?
Cat appeared from the hall and stopped short at the sight of me.
Hot damn. She’d worn her hair down again. Just like earlier, my fingers itched to get lost in those golden waves. But I forced them to remain at my side. While she glared at me, I studied the off-the-shoulder black dress she wore. And was rewarded when I scented her pheromones rising.
My wolf practically begged me to close the distance and rip that dress right off her sexy frame.
Down, boy, I thought—in more ways than one.
“You look beautiful,” I told her.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, ignoring my compliment.
“Well, I went to your parents’ house, but the woman who answered explained you sold it to her last year.”
She frowned. Instead of explaining, she said, “I thought we were meeting at the restaurant.”
“What kind of date would I be if I let you show up alone?”
“Seriously, Cat,” Rudy scolded, and I decided to like him after all. “Where are your manners?”
“I was trying to be efficient,” she said. “Your injury—”
“Feels fine,” I assured her. “Ready?”
She shook her head as if the argument wasn’t worth it. “Sure, let me just get my coat.”
Rudy darted to the closet and came away with a long jacket the same color as Cat’s dress. He held it open for her, and she slipped her arms inside.
“Now, listen, I won’t wait up,” Rudy said, shoving her toward me and then both of us toward the door.
“Rudy,” Cat began, heat rising to her cheeks.
Outside, I turned to see Rudy’s mischievous grin. “It was a pleasure meeting you,” he said.
“Likewise.”
“And Cat, don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” Then he lowered his voice and said, “But do everything I would.”
“Rudy,” she hissed.
He laughed. “Good night,” he called as he shut the door behind us.
Cat glanced sideways at me.
“Is he always this excited?”
“No,” she said solemnly. “Sometimes, he’s dramatic.”
I laughed, and we headed for the restaurant.
Kip’s was crowded. It was also disturbingly casual.
“I swear, this place was fancy once.”
Cat laughed. “Once, yes. But not for a long time. Now, Farrago’s the place to go for an upscale meal.”
“Well, we’ll just have to save that for next time then.”
Cat didn’t answer, but I saw her frown before she lowered her head to study the menu. She was wary of me. I knew it. I couldn’t blame her for it. I also wasn’t going to bring it up and ruin a good thing.
My wolf had already accepted the challenge of winning her over, and I had a feeling there wasn’t jack shit my human side could do to stop it. Not that I wanted to.
The waitress arrived and took our orders. When she was gone, I reached for Cat’s hand. “You really do look beautiful tonight.”
She stiffened then pulled away.
I let it go.
“So, how long have you known Rudy?” I asked.
“About six years.”
“Is his name actually Rudy Rascal?”
“Stage name,” she said, smiling ruefully. “He moved here after college to work for the theater program.”
“I didn’t know the Falls had a theater program.”
“It’s still small, thanks to the minimal funding from the town, but Rudy’s fighting for more of a piece of the tourism pie. He fills the seats, and the revenue makes the city happy, so . . .” She shrugged.
“You’re proud of him.”
“He’s amazing.” Her unfiltered affection did something strange to my belly.
Not jealousy, at least not in a way that made my wolf feel threatened. Had anyone ever said that about me? Cat had. Once upon a time.
“What about you?” she asked, and I blinked, refocusing on the conversation. “See any old friends yet?”
I sat back. “Ran into Angus Moore the other night. Had a beer.” I didn’t mention how it ended.
“How’s he doing? I haven’t seen him since things got busy for me at the clinic.”
“Seems good. We didn’t spend too much time on the nitty-gritty.” I lowered my voice before explaining, “He’s setting up an appointment with the witches.”
“The witches?” Her expression went blank.
“For my knee.”
“Oh.”
There was a beat of silence between us.
I knew where Cat stood on magic. She knew about it, of course, like many of the humans in this town. Just like she knew what I was. Had always known. I’d been too explosive back then to hide my beast from her, and she’d surprised me by accepting my wolf more easily than I could have imagined. But being human came with a certain amount of wariness and distrust for the supernatural. After all, we were, by definition, higher on the food chain. Even the witches, with their power, were creatures for humans to fear.
“I’d love it if you came with me.”
I hadn’t meant to say the words, but now that they were out, I didn’t want to take them back either.
“To see the witches?”
“I’d feel better having you there.”
“Would I be welcome?”
“If you’re not, I won’t go.”
“East, that’s ridiculous. If there’s a chance they can heal you, you have to go.”
“Then say you’ll come.”
She pressed her lips together, hesitating. Finally, she said, “All right. I’ll come. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a supernatural. Maybe I can live vicariously.”
I grinned; a victory.
Dinner was simple but good. Better than I’d expected for what looked a lot like a tourist trap these days. Midnight Falls was more crowded every year. Good for business, a pain in the ass for locals trying to live
