A surprised grin appeared and vanished quickly as a food runner interrupted them, carrying the most beautifully arranged plate of crab cakes laid on a bed of sautéed kale. As he set it down, the electricity calmed between them and Michelle nervously picked up her menu and asked, “What will you be having?”
Nathaniel looked at her like he knew she was putting a wall between them with that leather bound list, but he was respectful enough not to mention it. “Let me see. I’ll probably have Filet. What about you?”
The runner left to get their server and as soon as they were alone again, Michelle felt hot. She glanced over the menu at him to find he was staring at her. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he said without a smile, his green eyes so intense that she set her menu down, unable and unwilling to read it. “Know what you want?” he asked her.
“I do.”
A sexy smirk tugged at a corner of his lips like he got her meaning. “So do I.”
“Ask me more questions or I’ll…”
His eyebrows lifted again. “Or you’ll what?”
“Just…ask,” she laughed, turning red again.
Leaning back in his chair, he surveyed the hills and valleys of her face, soaking her in. “What do you love about Manhattan? How do you enjoy working for yourself? How many times have you been to Central Park and would you like to go with me now that we’re better acquainted?” He rattled them off like a list he'd been thinking about.
She memorized the questions and answered easily, “I love how electric the city is. I feel more alive here than when I was in California. I’m from the South Bay, about an hour south of San Francisco. I went to Berkeley, and this is so different from there! Have you been?” He nodded, taking a sip from his glass. “As for working for myself, I love it. But I don’t want to talk about work except to say I won’t be working for your firm.”
He laughed loudly at that. “I don’t blame you! And what about my last question.”
She smiled, happy he wasn’t offended at her turning down the job, if there ever was one. “I would love to go to the park with you.”
He nodded and leaned forward, but the server reappeared and asked if they were ready thereby stopping him from saying what he intended to. Nathaniel asked if he could order for her, and she said he could. “Two Filet Mignons please. Raw for me with a baked potato, everything on it.” He looked at Michelle.
“Medium well, and the baked potato sounds amazing. Just butter for me, please. Lots of it.”
The server smiled and nodded, committing their order to memory without need of a pen and paper. “Will that be all?”
“No. Bring us a lobster, too.” Nathaniel handed him the menu and watched as he walked over to take Michelle’s. “I hope you like shellfish.”
She pointed to the forgotten plate of crab cakes. “Yep.” They cut into it, using the same plate as she asked, “What do you like about the city?”
“I like the vibe as well. I lived in Maine before this…in the woods. This is very different. We came here for the opposite reasons you’d live in the country for–more people, more choices, more everything. There aren’t greater restaurants in the world save for maybe London. And you can disappear in a place like this if privacy appeals to you. In the country that can be more difficult.”
The ‘we’ had caught her attention and taking a bite, she considered how to ask without appearing jealous. “Did you move here with your partners or…?”
At the mention of them, his eyes flickered like there was more to say than he was willing. “Yes.”
She paused. “You’re close, then?”
He smiled at her tone. “They’re nice when you get to know them.”
“We’ll see about that.” He laughed again and she chuckled happily. “They kind of set the game against them, but I can’t help but like Eli. He seems like life amuses him and that’s a nice quality to have in a friend. I know from experience. My friend Rose is like that.”
Nathaniel nodded with warmth in his eyes. “He’s my roommate. And Darik is the same way. I know he was coming onto you, but that was just to see what you’d do. He’s not like that at all.”
She stared at him. “They told you about the interview?”
“They told me everything. We have no secrets.”
That last sentence was an interesting thing for him to say and she took note. If he meant that, did that mean they knew about Saturday? It unsettled her to have this much curiosity and no way to satisfy it. “That’s nice,” she said, absently rising from the chair and grabbing her clutch purse. “I have to go to the ladies room. I’ll be right back.”
He stood up and she smiled at him, and then walked as gracefully as she could knowing he was watching her all the way to the back of the restaurant. The moment she closed the door, she pulled out her phone and called Rose.
“Hey, I was just going to call you! What’re you doing tonight? I’m still in the courthouse but I should be getting out soon and man do I need a drink!”
Michelle paced the length of stalls, glancing under them to make sure she was alone. “I’m on a date with the hottest man I’ve ever met in my entire life.”
“What!? When did this happen? Did you meet him online?”
“No! I’m not online dating. I met him on your birthday at that club. Well, I kind of did. But then afterward…” She quickly explained how they locked eyes at the club, lied about giving him her business card, and how he tracked her down and showed up at her apartment building the next day. She told Rose truthfully that she'd sent him away that day thinking him a stalker, but that his friends had interviewed her to get them back in the same room together and now here they were on a date. She kept out the part about the near-rape, him saving her, and the fact that she thought maybe he wasn't human. Plus, she didn’t want Rose to think she was dating a murderer. Even though she was?
“So, let me get this right. You’re calling me because you’re terrified you’ll jump on his lap and start grinding away right there at the dinner table?”
Michelle laughed and Rose cracked up, too. “No! Well, yes! I just…I’m kind of stuck. He’s more than perfect and I am freaking the fuck out! The way he looks at me, I can't explain it. Feels like something big is happening, and I didn't want to leave you out of it.”
Rose got serious. “Michelle. You are amazing. I love you, and you deserve a man who makes you feel precious. It sounds like he does that, and he’s sought you out and found out where you lived. He’s not a sicko?”
Shaking her head even though Rose couldn’t see her, Michelle said, “No! He’s not a sicko. He’s a gentleman and there’s something…special about him.”
“Well, then get your ass back out there! And call me tomorrow. I want details. Don’t fuck him tonight.”
“Why not?”
Rose laughed at the disappointment. “Because you need to make sure he comes back. You don’t pay for the milk…”
“Oh, shut up. Alright.” Michelle hung up and shoved the phone in her purse. Glancing to the mirror, she was pleased with how she looked. A little wild-eyed but she fixed that quickly, and opened the door with a calm she did not have. Fake it ‘til you make it, as the saying goes.
True to cliché, the food was waiting on the table when she returned. He stood up again and she touched his arm as she passed. “It looks delicious!”
Sitting down, she smiled and focused on cracking open the lobster shell. “You moved here with all of them? You all lived in Maine?”
“Mmmhmm.” He was watching her carefully as he used a large steak knife to slice the meat.
“I see.” An unexpected laugh burst out from him and she looked up, wondering what had caused it.
Grinning, his eyes danced. “You are an open book.”
She blushed and put the lobster tail down, wiping her fingers off on the white linen napkin and reaching for her wine goblet. “How so?”
“You obviously don’t like lobster. The frown on your face is extreme.”
&n
bsp; She swallowed a larger gulp of wine than she’d expected to and stared at him over the glass. Holding it in both her hands, she whispered, “It’s not that.” It’s that I want to know what you are and I couldn’t ask my friend, and I can’t ask you! Can I?
His smile disappeared as he watched her face. Setting down the utensils, he leaned in and held his arm over the white linen tablecloth. She laid her hand on his and he wrapped his fingers around her firmly. “What is it then? Is something on your mind?”
Staring at their joined fingers, she opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out. Shaking her head, she knew she had to wait for him to tell her.
“Michelle.” She glanced up from their hands. “Did I say something wrong?”
She smiled. “No! You’ve done everything right. I misunderstood you the other day, and I’m sorry for getting so angry and leaving you there on the street. I didn’t know…” She swallowed the words, it was you telling me to run.
Darkness flashed across his face and he released her hand. “You didn’t know what?” He looked at her like he guessed, but was clearly not happy.
“I didn’t know you were so nice,” she smiled.
He blinked and the dark cloud lifted. “Oh. Well, thank you. I’m not as nice as you might think.” He picked up his wine. “You want some help with that?”
She glanced to the crustacean shell. “No. Thank you, I can manage. It’s half the fun!”
He smiled and she hid her nervous exhale. “You have a boyfriend?”
She chuckled, fighting with her messy meal. “Ha! Um…no. I wouldn’t be here with you!”
“I just had to check.”
“You have a girlfriend?”
He cut into his filet and smiled. “I’ve never had a girlfriend.”
Her mouth slackened. “Never?”
“Never found someone I felt this way about before now.”
Michelle stared at him and wiped her fingers again. He smiled at the forgotten lobster, and waited for her to speak. That took some time. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard, and that it was given without guile. “We just met,” she reminded him in a whisper, even though she knew that didn’t matter. Sometimes that’s all it took, and this was definitely one of those times for her, too.
He nodded, his voice low and thoughtful. “I know. It’s very strange.”
“It is, but I love it.”
He smiled and sighed. “Good. You want to get out of here soon?” He reached over and effortlessly cracked her lobster like it was a toothpick. “I want to hurry up, but I keep making you forget what you’re doing.”
She laughed and dug out some of the juicy sweetness, dipping it in butter. “Are you going to cut my meat, too?”
He grinned and shook his head. “I have a feeling from that look on your face, you’d cut my hand off if I tried.”
“Oh really!”
“Yes,” he laughed. “The lioness is back and the lamb has disappeared.”
Michelle chuckled at the accuracy of his awareness, and they ate their meal chatting easily about different topics. She loved hearing his voice as he explained why he loved living Downtown over mid-city, that he liked the grittier aspect of the area. Underneath their conversation she was very, very aware that he just expressed an interest in taking her somewhere else in a hurry. She had visions of his private bed and what it must be like, or maybe the back of that limo, and more than once he paused like he could sense she was turned on. The heat in his eyes was palpable and he kept glancing down as though he could see through the table to her dampened panties.
As soon as their plates were cleared, Nathaniel asked for the check. She played with the napkin on her lap to keep her mind off what was about to happen. All she wanted was for him to sweep his arm across the table, throw everything onto the floor, and lay her down right there and now.
“You smell amazing,” he said, thickly.
She glanced up. “I do?”
“You have no idea.” The lust in his eyes made her breath hitch. “Let me just text Nigel to bring the car around.” He typed quickly then looked at her again, tucking the phone into his pocket. They stared at each other until the server returned with his Credit card and receipt, and when he signed it, he barely looked down like he couldn't take his eyes off her. “Let’s go,” he said, thickly. Rising, he crossed to lead her out and she slid her hand through his offered arm. They left the restaurant, both unaware that there were other people in the room and that the hostess stared longingly after their departure.
They walked into the cool night air, the sun gone. Nigel was parallel-parked out front, and there was a cop car behind his. Two uniformed police officers stood outside waiting. “Nathaniel Jacobs?” one asked as they walked up.
Nathaniel’s steps slowed and the muscles in his arms clenched. Michelle stared at the cops, glancing up to her date with concern. She knew immediately why they were here.
Chapter Ten
Behind them, Nigel watched his boss and friend, shrugging to signal that he couldn’t think of what to do fast enough, that he’d had no choice. Nathaniel’s pulse raced, but he kept cool as he answered, reaching to cover Michelle’s small hand with his own much larger one. “Yes. That’s me. Is there a problem?”
“Sir, we have some questions for you if you don’t mind.” The officers watched him closely in that way that seasoned truth-catchers always do. “We’ll just take a minute,” the other added, glancing to Michelle and noticing their dressed-up attire.
Nathaniel smiled amiably, disguising his unease. Their timing could not have been worse, because if they were going to ask him about Saturday night, that she would hear these questions when he hadn't had a chance yet to explain, was the most unwanted thing in the world. “I’ll help in any way I can.” He glanced to Michelle, wondering if he could ask her to give him a moment, but the officer didn’t give him the chance.
“On Saturday night, we have on local cameras that this car was near a crime scene. By any chance did you see an animal roaming the streets when you were Downtown?”
Nathaniel shook his head, appearing surprised. “Was there a dog attack again?”
“No. A wolf.”
He didn’t betray the dryness in his throat as his eyebrows raised like any normal person’s would. “A wolf? In New York? No! Oh, this is what they were talking about on the news. No, I didn’t see anything.”
“Your driver said he didn’t either, but sometimes when you’re riding as passenger you see more.”
So Nigel lied for me? Why? Nathaniel smiled in agreement, appearing struck by the idea that a wolf was loose. “I’ve seen that news story…”
Overlapping him, Michelle agreed, “Everyone has!”
He didn’t miss a beat as he finished, “but believe me, if I’d have seen a wolf, I would have told you. I would have told everyone! Put it on Instagram and everything. Would have had to start an account to do so,” he said with a smile.
The cops laughed. “Yeah, it would have been something to see.”
“So, the zoo is saying none of their wolves got out?”
One of the officers shook his head as the other answered, “That’s their story. Between you and me, we’re not buying it.” The men shared a knowing look at how people are, and Nathaniel felt Michelle’s fingers tighten on his arm.
“It’s so scary to think of!” she said. There was something in her voice that alerted him to the fact that she knew they were both averting certain disaster here. But then he realized she probably had not reported what happened to her, and wanted the police to go away just in case they were to question her next.
“Well, we’ll let you get back to your date,” the more vocal officer told her with a respectful smile.
“Thank you,” Nathaniel told them. Nigel walked around the car and opened the door for them.
“Have a good night, officers,” Nathaniel said as he walked Michelle to the car.
“You too.” They headed for their police vehicle, the radios on t
heir hips alerting them that a 211 was taking place on Houston Street. “Friday nights,” one mumbled as they got in.
Nathaniel let Michelle in first as he listened closely to their conversation. From their change in it, he knew they hadn’t suspected anything in him. All of his muscles were tight and his jaw hurt from him trying not to clench it. He cast a look to his driver as he lowered himself into the vehicle. They would talk later.
The door shut and he stared out the window, momentarily caught in the event before he remembered Michelle. Turning to her with forced casualness, he saw her keenly staring at him like she knew everything. His heart slammed in his chest and he looked to the divider as Nigel asked, “Where to?”
“Central Park.” He heard his low voice crackle with shakiness, and cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
Nigel nodded and met his eyes in the rearview, then pulled the car away, merging with traffic. The window rolled up to give them privacy again and Nathaniel was grateful for the thought. But what to say to Michelle with her looking at him like this, he had no clue.
He took her hand and stared out the window, wondering what he could tell her and how much. It was a while before they got to 51st Street where the park began, and he took that time to consider the fact that he’d never revealed what he was to a human. Up in the woods they had only been werewolves in their small community. As the lights of the city flew by the window, he toyed with her fingers, his mind racing.
Nigel opened the door for them when they arrived and this time it was Nathaniel who helped Michelle out. She smiled at his driver and allowed herself to be led into the darkness as though she weren’t afraid of him in the slightest. The park in daylight was one thing, and she’d turned down that, but now with only old-fashioned lampposts to light their way, he knew something had changed. She trusted him implicitly. The fear he’d smelled on her when they were being questioned back there was gone. It was inexplicable as to why she was not the least bit concerned, since they were alone in a park at night and just the other night she had been assaulted. What was the cause of her calm? He was very curious to find out.
Werewolves of New York: Nathaniel (Werewolf Shifter Stand-Alone Paranormal Romance Book 1) Page 7