AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I huffed because I wanted to punch him. “Yeah, yeah. Get it out of your system, Bryce.” I could let him have his moment—his bit of glee at poking fun. There would come a time when I returned the favor.
I watched my best friend laugh until tears formed in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Asshole.
“Are you done?” I shot him a glare as he pulled himself together.
Finally, and just in time to save himself from an ass kicking, he clutched his stomach and took a deep breath. “Yes. I think I can keep a straight face now. You’re usually so smooth with women. How did you manage to fuck this up so badly?”
I shrugged. I had no clue how things had gone so wrong for me. I hadn’t been so far out of my element since high school. “I feel horrible about the flowers, but I’ve never known a wolf to have allergies.” I fumbled with a pen on my desk. “Have you ever heard of that?”
Bryce cleared his throat and sat up straighter. “Now that you mention it, no. A shifter having allergies is odd.”
“Yeah.” I scratched my forehead. Shifters were immune to everything. Liza had definitely had a reaction, though. “I wonder what her story is.”
“I thought you were going to dig into her background. You know, so there aren’t any surprises.” He stood and moved to the window to look out at the grounds. The lush green grass gave way to the dense woods that surrounded the estate. I’d told him I’d join him on a run if he helped me work this out. Bryce loved the woods here.
“Honestly, I want to get to know her without snooping around behind her back.” I paused. Liza was so unlike any other shifter I’d met. The hair color, the eyes. “But I can’t help being curious about her.”
“Me, too.” Bryce walked back over to the desk and leaned against it. “There’s definitely something different about her.”
“That’s why I need help coming up with an idea for the date. I can’t just treat her the way I would any other woman I’ve asked out.” I turned my computer monitor around to show him the websites I’d been perusing.
“If you want to impress her, this is not the way to go.” He paced from one side of the room to the other. After a few seconds of quiet contemplation, he nodded and grinned at me. “I think I know just the place.” He paused for dramatic effect. Bryce always knew how to play to an audience. “What about a romantic picnic at the gazebo in the park? It’s the perfect spot to get cozy and get to know each other better.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about.” I pushed out of my chair and walked around the desk. “When you use all your brain cells for good instead of evil, look how much you can get done. That’s genius.” I slapped him on the back and grinned. “Now, go forth and enjoy your pants party with my blessing.” Not that he needed my permission for anything.
He laughed. At the door, he turned and saluted. “Thanks for releasing me, boss.”
He’d really come up with the perfect date idea. The gazebo wasn’t busy at night—the crowd who ate their lunch there would be long gone, and all the soccer moms would be at home making dinner. We would have the whole place to ourselves, and Liza and I could talk in private without all the staring and whispering she was worried about. I wanted her to be comfortable with me, so getting away from the prying eyes of the rest of the pack was perfect.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and texted Liza.
Picnic in the park tomorrow?
I watched the screen intently as the three dots flashed across it. Sweat formed on my brow. I hoped to God she wouldn’t turn me down. It was too important for us as mates—for the pack. But things had gone terribly so far. I didn’t like that I was so worried about her turning me down. Finally, she responded.
Sure, what time?
Thank God. Even when I first started dating, first tested the waters, even, I’d never been this nervous to ask a girl out before. This wasn’t just any girl, though. Liza was my mate. The woman I was meant to be with. She was head and shoulders above all the other women I’d dated.
How about 6 at the gazebo?
Liza responded immediately.
See you then.
I stared at the screen, my heart pounding a happy little beat in my chest. I’d finally have time alone with Liza without my parents or anyone else breathing down my neck. Just the thought of being near her made my dick hard as a rock. I needed to clear my head and focus on impressing Liza. I wanted to sweep her off her feet with a dazzling date, not turn her off by acting like some kind of horny shifter who couldn’t form a coherent sentence.
* * *
“Does your date like fried chicken?” our chef, Ramon, asked as he perused one of the three refrigerators in the kitchen. They were of the industrial type because my family did a lot of entertaining and we needed the capacity to hold food for a hundred. “I could do chicken or I could make chicken noodle soup with fresh bread.”
I shrugged, thinking of the lavender debacle. Was she allergic to any food? “To be honest, I don’t really know what she likes. Could you fix both so my bases will be covered?”
Ramon nodded, making a note of my request on his phone.
I didn’t trust myself to prepare the picnic. Liza was a fucking chef, so there was no room for error. I didn’t do a lot of my own cooking. The most I would be able to pull off was grilled cheese or some pre-packaged nonsense. I wanted to impress her, and I doubted a sandwich from the local deli would cut it. By hook or by crook, everything was going to be perfect.
The sound of my mother’s house shoes padded across the floor of the dining room and into the kitchen. A second later, she appeared in the doorway wearing a housecoat and slippers. “What’s going on in here?”
