by Paige Tyler
“Hey, you don’t have a problem with your date trespassing, breaking and entering, and stalking, right? No? Cool, because that’s what I do on my day off.”
Nah, that wouldn’t go over well. Maybe she should stick to talking about how much she loved animals.
The SWAT team’s dog, Tuffie, came up in conversation a little while after that. She almost cried when Alex told her how he and the other paramedic on the SWAT team had saved Tuffie’s life.
“You actually stopped working on one of your teammates to help Tuffie?” she asked in awe. “That’s amazing. I can’t imagine he was too thrilled with that, though.”
“Xander?” Alex chuckled. “He barely got scratched. I think he was just trying to show off for the female SWAT officer on our team.”
Lacey laughed. She was having such a good time with Alex that she barely paid any attention to her dinner. She didn’t care. She hadn’t had this much fun just sitting around talking to a guy ever. Which was why she was bummed when Alex glanced at his watch.
She checked her own and discovered it was after ten already. “Do you have to work tonight?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s just that I set up something special for us to do around eleven.”
“Something special?” Her interest was piqued. “Like what?”
He grinned. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be special.”
Lacey looked at her plate of spaghetti, then back at Alex. She’d been having an amazing time with him, but if he’d set up something special, she hated the idea of not getting to do it. That didn’t seem right. Besides, she was curious.
“I’ll get this put in that doggie bag we promised Kelsey,” she told him. “I’m full anyway.”
“You sure?”
Lacey caught the waitress’s eye as the woman finished up at another table, then motioned down at her plate. “Definitely. I can’t wait.”
“Good.” He pulled out his wallet. “You’re okay doing a little walking in high heels, right?”
Okay, now she was even more intrigued. What the heck did he have planned?
Alex wouldn’t tell her though, no matter how much she begged. Lacey was confused when they turned into the deserted parking lot of the Dallas Zoo twenty minutes later.
“What are we doing here?” she asked. “They’re closed at this time of night.”
Alex pulled into a space and shut off the engine. “Yeah, they are. But it just so happens that I know the carnivore keeper here. She agreed to slip us in to spend a little time with one of their special guests.”
“What kind of animal?” she asked. “Lion? Tiger?”
His mouth twitched. “You’ll just have to wait and see. But I will tell you that it’s not one of the animals they normally have here on exhibit.”
Lacey ran through all the animals they had at the zoo, trying to figure out what it could be. She was so excited to find out, she almost ran toward the entrance, then she realized she had no idea where they were going, especially when they passed the front entrance and started around the side of the place.
Alex pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “We’re here, Hannah. Meet you at the gate.”
A few minutes later, they were met at a wood gate by a petite redhead wearing khaki shorts and a Dallas Zoo polo shirt. Alex introduced her as Hannah Wells, the person in charge of taking care of the zoo’s carnivores.
“Take your time,” Hannah told them before walking off and leaving them alone.
“She’s just going to let us wander around?” Lacey whispered as the woman disappeared around a corner.
“Pretty much,” Alex said as he led her along the path in the same direction Hannah had gone, albeit at a much slower pace. “You don’t have to whisper, you know. The animals don’t care that we’re here.”
Even though the zoo wasn’t open, there were still enough lights on to see the pathway. Not that it seemed like Alex needed lights to see. He walked with smooth, confident steps like he had the pathways and sidewalks memorized. Or could see in the dark. Lacey couldn’t say the same about herself. Beside her, Alex immediately slowed his pace, reaching his hand out for her to hold. She took a grip on his big hand without thinking, letting him guide and steady her in the darkness.
“You okay in those heels?” he asked.
“Fine.”
She squeezed his hand tighter anyway. That’s when she realized that she hadn’t ever held a guy’s hand on a date. Alex’s hand was strong and warm and felt good wrapped around hers. She had to admit she enjoyed it.
They meandered slowly through the zoo, listening to the sounds of the animals. It seemed so different than any other time she’d been here. More muted but wilder at the same time. The grunts and coughs of the big cats were especially disconcerting, probably because she could hear them but not see them.
As they walked past the African savanna area, Lacey was disappointed when the impalas and zebras—the ones she could see, at least—immediately took off running at their approach.
“What scared them?” she asked.
“Maybe they just aren’t used to having visitors at night,” Alex said.
At least the elephants didn’t run. In fact, they did the opposite. Two of the larger ones came closer and put themselves between Lacey and Alex and the rest of their little herd, like they didn’t want them getting a look at the others. Not that Lacey could see much to begin with. But it seemed like strangely protective behavior.
Still, even if they couldn’t get a good look at the animals, it was fun to stroll through the zoo with Alex. She pulled his arm close, leaning into him more.
“So, how do you know Hannah?” she asked softly.
Lacey winced the moment the words were out of her mouth. Crap, had that come out sounding as jealous as it seemed? She hoped not. She had absolutely no reason to be jealous. She couldn’t be anyway. This was a first date, after all. But Hannah is young and kind of cute. She groaned inwardly. Stop being silly.
Luckily, Alex didn’t seem to notice the mental anxiety she was going through. “I met her a couple years ago when we raided a ranch outside the city that was involved in the illegal animal trade. She helped relocate some of the big cats we recovered. I’ve stopped by to help her out at the zoo a few times since then, and she said if I ever needed a favor, I should just call. So, I called.”
Lacey decided that sounded innocent enough, then chided herself for being so juvenile. It was none of her business, even if Alex and Hannah had dated at some point.
What the heck? Why was she even thinking stuff like that?
Fortunately, a distraction in the form of a big building in their path appeared at that moment.
“This is the zoo’s treatment center,” Alex explained. “It’s where they bring animals when they’re injured or when they’re passing through on their way somewhere else, which is what’s going on in this case.”
Lacey’s excitement level began to ratchet up again. At least it kept her from thinking about Alex and anyone he might have dated in the past.
Stop that!
The interior of the building was a lot like the vet clinic where she worked, only much larger. There were about a dozen cubicle office spaces, then a separate section with lots of treatment and surgical rooms.
At the far end of the building, they found Hannah standing outside a holding pen area. In one of the pens, Lacey spotted a dark gray wolf, bigger than any dog she had ever seen. Of course, some of that had to do with the incredibly thick coat of fur covering him. Regardless, he was huge.
“This is Ralph,” Hannah said with a smile. “He’s a North American gray wolf, sometimes called a timber wolf. He’s a recent arrival from Canada as part of a breeding study trying to increase gene diversity in the U.S. captive population.”
All Lacey could do was stare. The wolf stared right back at them through the bars o
f the enclosure gate. Since she loved dogs, she obviously loved wolves too. But she’d never seen one this close before, not even in a normal zoo environment. Now she was only four feet away.
“Are they always this big?” Lacey asked.
Hannah shook her head. “Gray wolves normally get up to about a hundred and seventy pounds, but Ralph is two hundred, so he’s bigger than average. It’s part of the reason he’s in the breeding program.”
“You want to go in and see him up close?” Alex asked.
Lacey whipped her head around to look at him. “We can do that? Is he tame?”
Hannah’s lips curved. “Ralph is a wolf. He’s not domesticated and will never be tame, but he is used to people. Still, I’d normally never let anyone go in there with him.” She jerked her thumb at Alex. “He and Ralph are bros, though. I think they were related in a previous life or something. Ralph gets along with Alex better than I get along with my sister. As long as Alex is with you, it’s cool.”
Even though Lacey was sure the woman knew what she was talking about, she was still nervous. The wolf was huge—and looking at them like he was wondering if Lacey’s head would fit in his mouth. Lacey was pretty sure it would.
Alex took her hand again, and Lacey jumped a little at the spark of contact that passed between them. Then a feeling of calm confidence settled over her, and she nodded at him. “Let’s do it.”
Reaching out with his free hand, Alex opened the door of the enclosure and led her inside. Ralph seemed to grow in size the closer she got to him, but the wolf never did anything except stare at her. That was disconcerting enough.
They stopped a foot away from the wolf, whose head was easily level with Lacey’s belly button. Ralph regarded them calmly, then suddenly lunged forward, lifting up on his hind feet.
Lacey opened her mouth to scream bloody murder, but before she could get out a squeak, Alex laughed and caught the wolf in a bear hug.
She gaped as Ralph licked Alex’s face, the wolf chuffing like an idiot. She’d known Alex liked dogs, but he was standing there in an expensive suit letting a big wolf practically slobber all over him. Ralph’s canines had to be almost two inches long. And they were right there in Alex’s face. But he didn’t even seem to care.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, barely believing what she was seeing.
“Yeah, I told you,” Hannah said from behind her. “These two are bros.”
The next thirty minutes were the most amazing of Lacey’s life as she knelt there on the floor beside Ralph and got a chance to pet an animal she’d never imagined she would ever get close to. Ralph’s fur was so thick and soft that just caressing it made her laugh. And his amber eyes were so trusting, they brought tears to her own. When Hannah told them it was time for Ralph to go to bed, Lacey didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay here and pet this incredible animal forever. But Alex said the guy had a big day tomorrow.
“He gets to meet his new girlfriend down at the Austin Zoo. We want him feeling fresh and looking his best.”
Lacey laughed. “Well, I can certainly understand that. A guy needs his beauty rest if he’s going to impress the ladies.”
They left a little while later, after Lacey made sure to thank Hannah profusely for the opportunity. She was so giddy that she practically ran back to Alex’s truck, dragging him all the way.
“That was so amazing!” she said, unable to control the laughter bubbling up inside her. She felt like a kid at Christmas who’d gotten the exact present she’d been waiting for the whole year but didn’t know she wanted. And Alex had given it to her. She was still bouncing as he helped her into the passenger seat and walked around to his side. When he climbed in beside her, she couldn’t stop herself from leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.
“Thank you for a perfect date,” she said softly.
He grinned as he started the truck. “You’re welcome. Dinner and a trip to the zoo for a kiss from you? Seems like a fair trade to me.”
Lacey laughed. Alex was the kind of guy she’d happily give a whole lot more to than a peck on the cheek for a date like this one. Then again, the date wasn’t over yet.
* * *
“You want to come in?” she asked as she unlocked the door to her apartment.
“I’d love to,” Alex said. “If you’re sure it won’t wake Kelsey up.”
Lacey laughed. “Kelsey could sleep through a cattle stampede. Don’t worry about her.”
Leonardo was waiting for them in the foyer. He ignored her and Alex, wagging his tail and eyeballing the doggie bag she held with interest.
“Forget it, Leo,” she whispered. “Too many carbs for you.”
He backed off but gave her a look that seemed to say, If there are too many carbs in there for me, why were you eating it then?
Even though Kelsey was a heavy sleeper, Lacey still pulled off her heels so they wouldn’t make too much noise. But the moment she saw the empty countertop in the kitchen, she knew Kelsey wasn’t home yet. Her sister always left her purse on the counter when she came in. Lacey dug through her own purse for her phone and saw that there was a text from Kelsey.
“Everything okay?” Alex asked.
She dropped her phone back in her bag. “Uh-huh. Kelsey said she got tired after running around all over the place looking for Sara, so she decided to stay at a girlfriend’s place instead of taking a chance she’d nod off behind the wheel.”
“You’re not worried that she’s out partying with her friends?”
Lacey shook her head. “I know how this is going to sound, but Kelsey’s not like that. We have a good relationship and talk about that stuff. She knows I wouldn’t care if she were out partying with friends—unless she was drinking, of course. We always tell each other where we are and when we’ll be home.”
Alex nodded but didn’t say anything. She saw the skepticism in his eyes, though. He probably couldn’t imagine a twenty-year-old not going out to party, but Kelsey had always been focused and dependable like that.
She smiled. “Since we have the place to ourselves, you want something to drink?”
“No, thanks. I’m not really thirsty.”
Something in the way Alex looked at her as he said the words made her skin tingle. His chocolate-brown eyes swirled with heat, and she caught her breath. In her super high heels, he’d still been quite a bit taller than she was. With her heels off, he towered over her.
Lacey tried to think of something witty to say, but for some reason, her mind seemed to have completely shut down. Stringing together more than a word or two—much less something clever—was impossible. Luckily, when Alex reached out to take her hand and tug her closer, her instincts took over for her misfiring head, and her hands lifted to grasp his shoulders.
A moment later, Alex lowered his head to kiss her. Her lips parted in anticipation, and she melted against him as his warm mouth covered hers. She moaned loudly as his tongue found hers. At least this time, she had good cause for making noises like that. Alex tasted scrumptious.
She slipped one hand up to his short, dark hair, tucking her fingers in deep and yanking him closer, urging him to kiss her harder. But he refused, instead continuing his slow, careful, teasing exploration. Every once in a while, he pulled away to trace his lips along her jawline and make her whole body shiver, but mostly he teased her with his delectable kisses.
She slipped her tongue into his mouth to play with his, trembling as hers glided across sharp teeth. She was going to have to be careful kissing him—a girl could cut herself on those babies.
Lacey rarely took part in casual flings. In fact, she hadn’t done it since early on in college. She had to admit, she was definitely thinking about it now. The truth was, with just a few kisses, Alex had her more excited than she could ever remember being. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if they were naked and rolling around in each other’s arms. She
might just spontaneously combust.
And with her sister out, there would never be a better time.
She leaned into Alex, pressing her breasts against the hard, muscular planes of his chest as she felt something firm and insistent poking her in the stomach. Nice to know she wasn’t the only one aroused.
She was sliding her hand down his chest to see just how aroused Alex really was when he broke their kiss with a soft growl and took a step back.
“It’s getting late, and I’m sure you have to get up early tomorrow for work.” His eyes smoldered so much, they nearly glowed from the heat. “I should be going.”
Lacey thought for sure he had to be kidding, but when she slipped her hand down to one of his belt loops to tug him close again, he held firm. He tipped his head down for another quick kiss, then just as her fingers and knees went weak, he broke away and started for the door.
She blinked. “That’s it? You’re just going to get me all hot and bothered, then leave?”
Alex turned to face her, his mouth curving into a sexy smile as he continued backing toward the door. “We could always pick this up where we left off, but only if you were willing to go out on a second date. I wouldn’t want you thinking I was trying to force you into a relationship or anything.”
He was using her own words against her, dang him. She’d told him she wasn’t looking for a relationship and that a second date probably wasn’t in the cards. He’d taken her on the best first date of her life, then gotten her as turned on as a lightbulb just to make sure she’d definitely be coming back for more. He was so bad.
Lacey returned his smile. “You’re resorting to sexual arousal to blackmail me into another date?”
He stopped as he reached the door. “A desperate man does what he has to.”
She lifted a brow. “I make you that desperate?”