“Sure,” she said, blushing. God, he wanted to kiss that blush. She looked at his packages. “You’re not in a hurry?”
“No. I have a few minutes.” He gestured toward her books. “I know you’re capable of carrying those, but would you like some help?”
She blushed again. “Okay.”
She handed him the books, and he grinned. Carrying stuff for a female was a human thing, but if she’d grown up in that world, then he didn’t want to screw up. He’d do anything he could to seem like a gentleman, even though he was pretty far from it. Plus, he really wanted to use his free arm to wrap around her shoulders, but it was too soon for that. Holding the heavy textbooks would give him something to do.
They arrived at the small local coffee shop. After dropping all of their stuff off at a corner table, both of them ordered a plain black coffee. She got a bagel, and he got a sandwich.
“I’m glad I ran into you,” he said. “Again.”
She smiled. “Me too.”
He nodded toward her stack of books. “So tell me what you’re studying.”
“Early childhood education.”
“Oh really? Do you want to teach?”
“I think so.” She took a sip of her coffee. She looked elegant, even while doing such normal things. “We moved around a lot when I was kid, even internationally, and I didn’t always make friends easily. But I always had teachers that I could depend on. They often let me eat lunch with them, if I didn’t know anyone yet, or they let me help them with tasks, if the other kids were all grouped up and I was alone.”
He was interested, for one thing, because it was Kyra, and also because her experience was so far from his own. He’d never been to a public school. He’d been educated in the pack, with a group of wolf shifter teachers. They’d learned the same things, but he’d been with his pack, who he’d known for his entire life. He wasn’t sure how he’d have dealt with being forced to meet new people every year. Even when he went off to Blackwood Academy at eighteen, all of his brothers from his pack had gone too. Other than the intentional trips he’d taken to get a break from the pack, he’d never been away from the people he knew and loved.
He wondered how that experience had shaped Kyra. She must be very strong to have adapted so well. “That sounds great,” he said. “You’ll know how to relate to the kids who might need some extra attention.”
“Yes,” she said. “That’s exactly it.”
They chatted some more, with him asking her questions and her answering. He’d never been this interested in a female before. When he’d dated, even shifters within his own pack, he’d cared about them in the general sense, but he’d never been interested in the details of their lives. He’d never bothered to ask them what their hopes and dreams were or find out if they wanted careers or jobs outside the pack.
He’d probably been a real asshole to date. But maybe not, because he’d remained friends with all of the shifters from his pack that he’d dated. So hopefully he hadn’t been too big of a jerk.
They finished their coffee all too quickly. He wasn’t ready to go, but he needed to get back to the pack. “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
Once they were outside, he tugged her over to the side of the building, away from all the people on the street. In another unusual development, he already felt extremely possessive of Kyra.
He wanted to say goodbye, and he didn’t want anyone looking at her. That was a new development too. He’d always heard that shifter males were possessive, especially when they were young, but he’d never experienced even an ounce of that feeling.
Until today. He didn’t want anyone else to have her. Just him.
He looked around again, checking to see that they were hidden from view. Which was kind of stupid because he was just going to kiss her.
When he was done looking for creeps who might be watching, he cupped her cheek. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was chaste, but it sent a lightning rod straight down his spine. His body reacted immediately. His cock was harder than it had ever been. He shifted backward, making sure that he didn't rub up against her. He was trying to be a gentleman and not an animal.
She sighed against his lips, and he pressed his mouth against hers once more, then pulled away. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow night."