Chapter 4

"Is that what you're wearing?"

"What's wrong with it?" Holly looked down at her fitted V-neck tee, jeans, and favorite boots. It was a simple outfit, but that was how she liked them.

Dahlia folded her arms. "You look like you're going grocery shopping."

"Is that really so bad? Besides, anything I wear right now is going to be better than the drowned rat look I had going on when he first met me. I still can't believe the poor guy saw me in my swimsuit."

"All the more reason to give him the razzle-dazzle," Dahlia insisted. "What else did you bring?"

"Not much." Holly sat on the edge of her bed while Dahlia looked through the closet. "Just some comfy clothes for anything outside and a few things for the meetings."

"You can't just go to the other side of the country and not plan for at least the chance that you'll need a nicer outfit," Dahlia chastised, flicking through the few clothes that Holly had hung up since she'd arrived. "Do you have any heels?"

"Just the ones I was born with," Holly cracked.

"Maybe instead of going out on a date with this Pierce guy, you and I should go shopping." Dahlia retreated from Holly's room and into her own across the hall.

Following her, Holly shook her head. "I've tried. Have you seen the monstrosities they try to pass off as women's fashion these days? With puffed sleeves, ruffles, and giant floral prints? I'm well past the stage when my mother used to stuff me into fancy dresses to go see my grandparents."

"It's not that bad. You just have to know how to find the right things. I saw a navy skirt in your closet. Try that with this cream top." Holly shoved a sleeveless shirt at her, the soft material bunching in her fingers.

"And the shoes?" Holly challenged.

Dahlia scrunched her face, accentuating her freckles. "I'll let you have your boots. You said he's going to show you around, so there's a chance you could be walking."

As Holly went back to her room to change, Dahlia hung out in the hallway. "A handsome stranger on a work trip. That sounds like something out of a chick flick."

"Maybe, but I'm trying really hard not to think about it like that." Holly pulled on the top, but her bra was the wrong color and showed right through. She took everything off to start over again.

"Why not? Let your hair down. Have some fun! You work hard, and you're a grown woman. You deserve it."

"Okay, sure." Holly had to concede on that point. She wiggled the skirt on, and even she had to admit it looked pretty cute together. "I just don't want to get myself too excited about the whole thing. He lives on the West Coast, and I live on the East Coast. We've both got jobs and lives and all that. There's just no way it would work, even if he is?—"

"Even if he's what?" Dahlia pressed. "Hot? Polite? An actual good guy who risked his life to save yours?"

Even if he's my mate,she told herself."Yeah. All of that." Holly put her boots back on and took a look in the mirror. She hated to admit it, but Dahlia had been right. This was a much better outfit.

"Here." When she stepped out of the bedroom, Dahlia practically attacked her with a pair of silver dangly earrings. "You need to accessorize!"

Holly took them from her, but as soon as she stepped back in front of the mirror, she heard the sound of a truck pulling up outside. Her hands instantly began shaking too hard to even come close to hitting the holes in her ears. "I think that's him."

"Oh, yay!" Dahlia ran to the front door.

Looking at her reflection, Holly wondered just what the hell she was about to do. Pierce seemed like a hell of a guy so far, the kind she could wax poetic about if she wanted to. She'd resisted because she knew it would only pull her further into this connection with him that her bear was so set on. She'd explained her situation, so she couldn't give herself too much guilt over the idea of leading him on, but it still just didn't feel right. Why go out with him if they both knew it was going to end, anyway? Her suitcase peeked at her in the mirror from around the side of the bed, reminding her just how quickly the clock was ticking.

"So you're the hero who pulled my lovely little Holly out of the river," Dahlia was gushing in the front room. "That was very impressive."

"I was just doing what anyone else would do," he replied, his voice a deep rumble through the cottage that set Holly's bear off all over again.

Dahlia laughed. "You probably didn't notice because you were too busy diving into the rapids, but everyone else pretty much just sat around like idiots. Anyway, I'm trying to thank you for saving Holly's life."

"I was happy to do it."

"I bet you were."

Holly knew she'd better get out there before Dahlia started giving him a safe sex talk. Exhaling a slow breath, she stepped into the living room.

Pierce instantly looked up at her. His name was perfect for him, since his eyes pierced straight into her soul. He captured her with little more than a glance, and suddenly, Holly felt delighted to be dressed up a little. Her earrings tinkled softly, and she was suddenly aware of the way the fabric of her skirt fell across her hips.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

Dahlia pressed her lips together as she looked back and forth from one to the other. "You two kids have a good time. Drive safely and make sure you stay out too late!" She winked at Holly.

Grabbing her purse, Holly ushered Pierce toward the door. She made a face at Dahlia just before she closed the door. "Sorry about that," she said as they entered his truck. "Dahlia is very enthusiastic and actively tries to rub that off on me."

"You're not enthusiastic?" he challenged, raising one brow as he backed out of the driveway with expert ease.

"I am about some things," she replied, letting the implications hang in the air. Holly was far more excited to be with Pierce than she should be. It was just a simple date, a nice little tour of the area that he'd offered. She could even try to convince herself that he'd offered it out of pity if it weren't for the way her bear was reacting. It felt warm and cozy being there in his vehicle with him, pleased to finally be in close proximity once again. It reminded her of just how big the bed in the little rented cottage was when she slept in it alone, just like her bed at home. It churned inside her as she studied the hard, muscular lines of his arm and the way his jeans fit around his thigh.

"Anything you're particularly not enthusiastic about so I can make sure we avoid it? Other than anything to do with the river, of course."

She had to laugh. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"Not for a while," he admitted with a grin.

"Fine. Then categorically, I'd have to say I'm not enthusiastic about team-building exercises."

He flicked on his turn signal. "That's very specific."

"I know, but that's what I've been doing all day. These annual meetings are a good way to distribute information about the company as a whole and talk about future goals, but Marshall has this idealistic dream about his employees being best friends. That's why we all had to float down the river yesterday, and that's also why we had to spend today doing things like splitting into groups and finding one thing that every person in that group has in common. Or one person has to be blindfolded while another guides them through an obstacle course just by talking to them."

"Does any of this make you a better writer? Or a better employee?"

"Please, bring that challenge to my boss! Marshall would find a way to say it does, though. I can't blame the guy for trying, but getting a bunch of introverted, creative types to interact and get to know each other is quite the stretch."

"Dahlia doesn't seem very introverted," he noted.

"No," Holly snorted. "There are a few exceptions."

He parked the truck and quickly came around to open her door for her, even though she'd fully recovered and was more than capable of doing it herself. "Looks like we've come on a good day."

The light breeze carried delicious scents to her as soon as her feet touched the asphalt, and her mouth began to water. "Wow. What is that?"

"Look over there." He pointed to a gathering of food carts near an outdoor market. "Are you hungry?"

"Sure." They walked together through the little circle of food carts, which offered everything from fish tacos to kebobs to loaded fries. Some were offering breakfast food, even though it was dinner time. "I don't know how I'm going to pick."

"That's always a problem around here. There are just too many good options. Let's see what they've got here."

When she had a fat vegetarian burrito in her hand and Pierce had picked up a Monte Cristo sandwich, he led her back out onto the sidewalk. "I've got an idea for a great place to take you, but I figured we could walk there and just take in the sights on the way."

"It's so pretty here," she noted as she dabbed a bit of guacamole off the side of her mouth. "I'm ashamed to admit that I've never really ventured out much the other times I've been here."

"You've been missing out. There are some great outdoor markets, especially on the weekends, plus beer gardens and wineries. Not that we don't have chain stores, but there are tons of locally-owned places, too. Any of that is a lot more exciting than having a scavenger hunt with your coworkers."

Holly laughed. "You know, we actually did do that last year. It probably wasn't the worst thing, at least. What about you? I take it they don't have you do that kind of training with the fire department?"

"No. They're more concerned with all the boring stuff like CPR and first aid. You've got to try this." Pierce held out half of his sandwich.

She touched his hand as she bit off the corner. It was just a bite of food while they stood in the middle of the sidewalk, yet it felt incredibly intimate. Holly took a quick step back as she nodded in approval. "That's delicious. Do you want a bite of mine?"

"Sure."

She watched with intrigue as his teeth sank into the tortilla. It shouldn't be sexy. It really shouldn't, yet Holly couldn't help but think she'd much prefer him taking a bite out of her.

"I'll be honest," he said when he'd swallowed. "That tastes much better than I thought anything vegetarian would."

"Definitely." It was a small thing to agree on, yet it pleased her to know they had something in common. If anyone had asked Holly what an ideal date would be like, she wouldn't have thought about checking a random gathering of food carts. Walking around town, just enjoying the buildings and trees and seeing how happy the people looked was much better than dinner and a movie. It was real life, a beautiful blend of businesses and residences side by side, and it made her want to know more about the area. What was the history behind all of this? Was there a reason for the unusual architecture of that building? How many businesses had inhabited it over the years, and what were their stories? Then, there was the band playing live on the street corner, happily churning out music for anyone to hear. What would be the future of that little girl who danced so freely to their songs? Would she be a musician one day? The sights, smells, and sounds filled her, and she loved it.

She also noticed something else about the area, even though she hadn't specifically been looking for it. "There are a lot of people like us here, aren't there?"

He smiled again, that killer grin that made her lose herself in the way his lips moved over his teeth. "Plenty, yes."

The image of him in his other form came to her mind, the glorious wolf that had so easily flowed out of him. He was confident and comfortable in his beast, and it was a view to enjoy. It also made her question all over again just what fate had in mind when it threw the two of them together. "I get the feeling much more of them are like you than me."

He shrugged casually. "Yeah, I think so. We're not really all that different, though. Are we?"

Not as different as they could be, since they shared a secret they had to keep safe from the rest of the world. It was a difference she wouldn't mind exploring if they didn't already have a much bigger difference that came as more of a challenge. Pierce was part of this beautiful community. She was part of her own back in Cape Cod. Right now, that felt like far more of an obstacle between them than the species of their shifter forms. "Maybe not."

"Let's turn the corner here. There's a great place I want to show you, and I think it showcases everything that Eugene has to offer. Or at least a lot of it." He gestured to the right.

"Like what?"

"Good drinks and good music, all for people like you and me."

They jogged across the street and up to a plain brick building. ‘Selene's' had been painted in curling white letters directly on the fa?ade. A marquee board over a solid black door advertised the lineup of bands for the night. Directly in front of that black door stood a large man with his arms folded across his chest. Instantly, Holly began to question herself for going out with a stranger. She belonged at a library or café, not a rock club with heavy music pumping through the thick walls and a bouncer staring them down.

But Pierce walked straight up to him without any hesitation. "Hey, Max. Anything good happening tonight?"

The sour look on the bouncer's face instantly turned to a friendly one. "Oh, yeah. Rex and Lori are both working tonight. They've got good bands and a good special, so the place is hopping. I think you'll find a lot of familiar faces, although I see you've brought a new one with you."

"Max, this is Holly. She's visiting from Massachusetts, so I thought I'd show off the best place in Eugene."

The dark-haired man smiled kindly at her as he grabbed the doorknob behind him. "Very nice to meet you. Watch your step on the way in, and don't get too close to the stage tonight unless you like a rougher crowd. The restrooms are in the back corner behind the bar, and make sure you don't tip the bartender. He's an ass."

"He's his brother," Pierce explained.

Max ignored him, continuing to address Holly. "If this guy gives you any trouble, just let me know." He opened the door for her with a flourish, letting pounding rock music escape onto the sidewalk.

Charmed, excited, and a little nervous, Holly stepped into the dark interior.