Once they finished lunch, Kate thanked Maddie for a great meal.

  Derek thought he was making a little progress with her, even if she was balking about going to another official social function with him where the paparazzi would be sure to hang out and take more pictures of them. So far, they hadn’t had any issues today, and he was sure the reporters were following some other celebrity around to get a “breaking” story.

  Maybe Derek needed to show Kate that he could just have fun with her like this. Truly, he had thoroughly enjoyed the day so far—though he could have done without losing his board shorts. Still, he’d been a good sport about it, and she’d been amused, so it had turned out fine.

  “Well, okay, Derek. I’m ready to go home, and I’ll return at seven then,” Kate said.

  ***

  After such a lovely morning and afternoon, Kate finally returned home. She had plans to do the laundry, dust, vacuum, all the usual stuff. But she needed to let Lexi know she was home and going back out tonight.

  Kate texted Lexi: Hey, I’m home, but I’m returning to Derek’s place for grilled hamburgers and a swim in the pool tonight at seven.

  Lexi texted back: You know you’re welcome to use our pool. Ryder and I are going out to dinner tonight at that new Italian restaurant.

  Kate texted: No, that’s okay. Derek’s grilling hamburgers, so I’m sure he’s all set up to do it there.

  Lexi texted: Okay, well, you have fun.

  Kate texted: We will. You too.

  That night, Kate arrived at Derek’s place to have dinner with him, and she was glad she’d agreed to it. It would have been an otherwise boring night if she’d stayed at home and just watched TV. Derek gave her a glass of champagne, and she sat at the poolside bar, little fire torches blowing in the breeze. So romantic. She felt like she was in Hawaii. He began grilling the hamburgers.

  “What can I help you with?” she asked.

  “I’ve got it all taken care of.”

  “Well, thanks.” She wasn’t ever pampered by anyone, so this was really nice. If he’d been a real boyfriend, she would stay with him overnight in a heartbeat.

  “Well, you deserve it. You saved me from the waiter who popped the cork of the champagne bottle last night, and then you saved my dignity today.”

  She laughed at him. “You mean about losing your board shorts in the ocean?”

  “Yeah. That’s what I mean.”

  She laughed again. She would never forget that. “It made my day.”

  “I bet.”

  Then they were sitting poolside enjoying the hamburgers and corn on the cob and watching the sun set.

  Derek asked, “Hey, if you happen to be free tomorrow and you want to get together again with me—”

  She smiled, amused he was trying to set up another date with her. Whatever happened to him being worried that if she worked for him, she might want a romantic relationship?

  “Too much, too soon?” he asked.

  She chuckled. “I’ve had fun.”

  “Don’t tell me you and Lexi work all weekend.”

  “No, you’re right. She’s taking off the weekend to spend it with Ryder. I was thinking of having my nails done, having my hair dyed, going to a sauna, working out—”

  Derek smiled.

  “Okay, maybe none of the above.” Having their nails done and their hair dyed didn’t really last long for them. One shift into their wolf and both were gone. As for saunas? No way. She would rather swim in a pool. “What did you have in mind?”

  “What would you like to do?” Derek asked.

  “Hmm, I want to go to the zoo. We can eat lunch there, ride the train and the sky rail. I love seeing all the animals.”

  He was smiling at her.

  “I’m absolutely serious. Here’s the deal. You take me to the zoo, and we even can ride on the carousel—”

  He raised his brows.

  “Okay, maybe not that, but we can do everything else that I mentioned, and”—she took a deep, exaggerated breath and exhaled it—“I’ll go with you to the function you have on Monday night.” She figured since he was willing to humor her—even building a sandcastle on the beach today—she would help him out on Monday night.

  “Deal!”

  She laughed. “If you really don’t want to go to the zoo…”

  “No, it’s perfect. There’s really nothing better I would like to do.”

  She didn’t think he was being sincere, but maybe he was. She liked a well-rounded guy who could do any number of things and enjoy them with her. Not just do stuff like that when they had kids.

  “What time?” he asked.

  “When it opens first thing. That way we can enjoy it before all the families with kids arrive,” she said.

  “All right. Your place is closer to the zoo, so I’ll pick you up. The guys are going to love this.”

  “We don’t have to take them. You’ve got me for protection.”

  “Yeah, we can do that. They don’t go with me all the time.”

  “Okay, so pick me up at half past eight and we’ll be there when the zoo opens.”

  “Maybe you should just stay the night… We’ll have breakfast and then head over to the zoo,” he said.

  “I’ll sleep better in my bed. Alone,” she added, just in case he needed her to tell him that.

  He only smiled.

  If they were really seriously dating, she would have stayed at his estate in a heartbeat. But they weren’t. At least not yet…but, man, was she rethinking her position.

  Especially after they had a lovely run in their wolf coats on the beach, nipping at each other, racing into the water, running on the sand, having the time of their lives. Yeah, she was definitely thinking of possibilities here and hoping it wasn’t premature.

  Chapter 10

  That night when Kate went home, the storms had returned and Derek wanted her to stay at his place in the worst way, but she was determined to go home. She was to call him once she made it home though. He was glad he’d left it up to her to decide on what she wanted to do the next day. He would never have suggested going to the zoo, and she seemed exuberant about it. And he really did want to do something with her that she had suggested. To top that off? She had agreed to go with him to the charity dinner, and that made his night.

  “Are you sure you don’t need at least one of us to go with you to the zoo tomorrow?” Cliff asked, sounding concerned.

  “I volunteer Cliff,” Will said.

  Derek chuckled. “We should be good. If you’re worried at all about our safety, you could come in a separate car, but I really don’t see that we should have any trouble.”

  “I guess we can decide for certain in the morning,” Cliff said.

  “Yeah, sure.” But Derek felt he didn’t need the guys to serve as bodyguards while he was taking Kate on a zoo date. He never thought he would love the idea of going to the zoo on a date either. But only with Kate. A she-wolf at heart.

  ***

  On the drive home in the pouring rain, Kate hoped the squall would blow over quickly. She appreciated that Derek had wanted her to stay safely at his place, but she’d driven in bad weather before, so she was up for this. Besides, she didn’t have anything she needed for that night or the next morning. Then a pickup truck drove right up to her bumper and just sat there, high beams on, irritating her to no end. He wouldn’t pass her, and he wouldn’t back off, even though the traffic was sparse that night. She figured the driver had had too much to drink or maybe had road rage. But it sure made her want to turn wolf and take a bite out of him. He finally passed her on the road after following her for quite a ways when he’d had ample opportunity to do so long before that. She relaxed, realizing just how tense she’d been. She watched the taillights of the vehicle disappear in the distance, but she thought he couldn’t have vanished that fast unless he was going about a hundred miles per hour. Maybe he had turned off on another road and she had just missed it. Then she saw a black pickup sitting on the shoulder of the road, and a chill went up her spine.

  She was certain it was the same one that had been riding her bumper, the lights off now. As soon as she passed the vehicle, the lights turned on, and then they switched to high beam. The truck pulled off the shoulder of the road and tore off after her again. She was only about ten miles from home, and she considered calling Mike to come out and meet her if the situation worsened between her and her stalker, but she figured the driver was just being an ass and there wasn’t anything Mike could do but escalate the situation further. She just hoped this guy didn’t follow her onto Lexi’s property. Though if he did, Kate would alert Mike for sure, and he and Ryder would help her deal with the driver. The pickup continued to ride her tail, and she kept up her speed, not slowing down to antagonize him or letting him pass if he was going to pull the same thing. She would not speed way up to play his game.

  When she arrived at the drive into the property, she signaled she was turning left and slowed down to make the turn safely. The guy nearly hit her, speeding past her as she started to make the turn. She slammed on her brakes and swore at the bastard. Then once he was out of her path, she drove onto the property.

  The truck continued on past the property, and she took a relieved breath, though she was shaken by the accident he had nearly caused. She drove to the garage, pulled inside, and shut the door.

  She called Mike to let him know she had gotten in because she was certain he and Lexi would be worried about her otherwise. Then she wouldn’t have to also disturb Lexi and Ryder. “I just got in, and I’m going to the zoo tomorrow first thing in the morning, just to let you know ahead of time.”

  She figured there was no sense in mentioning the out-of-control driver to Mike. The guy was just being an ass, and hopefully, he wouldn’t bother anyone else.

  “The zoo?” Mike asked, sounding surprised.

  “Yeah, with Derek. We’ll have lunch there. We might have dinner together after. I just wanted you to know I’ll be gone for part of the day at least.”

  “Sure, okay, I’ll tell Lexi. She and Ryder are swimming, so I’ll just send her a text.”

  “Okay, I guess I could have, but if they’d been busy, I was afraid she might feel she had to check it.”

  “You’re covered.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You never told me you liked to go to the zoo. I could have gone with you.”

  She chuckled. “You didn’t tell me you liked going.” She suspected Mike wasn’t all that interested in a trip to the zoo.

  “To smell stinky animals, no. But I still would have taken you if it’s something you’re interested in doing.”

  “Well, if I’m free and you’re free and I feel an urge to make another trip there, I’ll keep that in mind. Night, Mike.” She hoped Derek wouldn’t feel the same way about stinky animals. She would prefer going by herself if he didn’t enjoy the zoo like she did.

  “Night, Kate.”

  She quickly texted Derek: Home safe and sound. See you tomorrow.

  Derek texted right back: Look forward to it. Night, Kate.

  Kate: Night, Derek.

  Then she headed into her bedroom, stripped off her clothes, took a shower, and tugged on a peach nightie. This had been one of the best dates ever. So much more relaxed than being on show at the gala, where everyone was dressed to the hilt and checking each other out to see if anyone was wearing last year’s fashions or someone else’s same gown or wearing the same gown as she’d worn at an earlier event this year—heaven forbid!

  But with Derek, Kate hoped she wouldn’t end up like Brenda, one of the many women he had dated and discarded over the years. Kate tried not to think about it and see him as just a fun date for a couple of outings, but it made her wonder why he was so guarded with having a permanent relationship with a woman, especially a wolf.

  She wondered if some she-wolf had broken his heart. Kate had gone out with broken men before. She tended to want to fix them when she couldn’t really do anything for them. And that had gotten her into trouble before. She didn’t want to go there with anyone else like that.

  Still, she was excited about going to the zoo with Derek tomorrow because she loved visiting the animals, even if nothing ever came of any of this with Derek. She slipped under the covers and smiled and couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

  When Kate woke the next morning, she practically bounced out of bed and hurried to get ready for her adventure with Derek today. Brenda, eat your heart out! Not that Brenda would have loved visiting a zoo with the hunky wolf—her loss.

  Mike called her while she was in the middle of dressing. She was used to going to the zoo alone, but this would be much more fun, she hoped.

  “Hello, Mike?” She hoped he wouldn’t tell her he needed her to watch over Lexi today.

  “Hey, did you see The Stargazer this morning? That reporter pictured you and Randall in it, though luckily he didn’t catch you kissing him.”

  “I hadn’t intended to.” But she wished the reporter hadn’t done that.

  “Right.”

  “Okay, so what did it say?” The picture was one thing since it didn’t show her in a lover’s embrace with Randall. The made-up story could be an entirely different matter.

  “It reads: Has Derek Spencer got competition? Or is Kate Hanover just playing the field still?”

  She laughed. “Since when do I date? Well, hopefully, Derek didn’t see it. But if he does, I hope he doesn’t put any stock in it. The reporters for those rags are always sensationalizing some nonsense.”

  “Exactly. I just wanted to warn you because Cliff warned me.”

  “Cliff, one of Derek’s bodyguards?” Now that surprised her.

  “Yeah.”

  “Did he say that Derek had read the article?”

  “No, but he said Maddie always reads the rag, and she could have alerted Derek about the story. I just wanted to give you a heads-up if he mentions it to you while you’re on your date.”

  “Thanks. I’ve got to get ready to go. I’ll let you know when I’m home for good.”

  “All right. Have fun!”

  Great! Kate should have figured the reporter would have gotten the story in the press as soon as he could. She swore they were like piranhas, not caring who they hurt with their sensationalist stories, as long as they sold lots more papers.

  Chapter 11

  When the tabloid came out that showed Kate with some guy at her house, Derek wondered what that was all about. Maybe she was seeing someone else. Hell, he never even read the tabloids normally. It perturbed him that the reporter had even gone to her house! But the tabloid was sitting on the table at Derek’s place setting, opened to the page of the offending photo and topic: Has Derek Spencer got competition? Or is Kate Hanover just playing the field still?

  Still? Derek hadn’t thought she was seeing anyone else. Not that he should expect that of her, since they weren’t a couple. But it did mean he might need to really step up his game.

  Will came into the dining room and glanced at the tabloid Derek was reading. “I didn’t think you read that stuff.”

  “Someone artfully set it at my place setting.”

  “I did.” Maddie carried in a platter of waffles and set them on the table. Then she returned with butter and maple syrup. To Derek’s amusement, she sat down with them at the table as Cliff joined them too. Maddie served up some waffles for herself and poured syrup on them. “That’s just a warning that there’s some other guy who’s interested in Kate, so you need to work faster. No telling how many other wolves there will be trying to date her before she finds one she wants to mate.”

  Cliff and Will were smiling. Derek served himself some waffles. “You know they sensationalize stories in the tabloids so much that you have no idea what is truth and what is fiction.”

  “Besides, the reporter who took the pictures at the gala captured Derek and Kate in a lip-lock, and this reporter didn’t with this guy and Kate. Do you want me to get a private investigator to check him out?” Cliff asked.

  “No.” Derek was adamant about that. Unless the guy was trouble for her, it wasn’t Derek’s place to get involved. “He probably isn’t even a wolf.” Still, it did make Derek wonder if the guy was or not.

  “He has a classic Porsche, and he’s well dressed, so he probably has money,” Will said. “What if he is someone who is bugging her because of her new status as part owner of the cosmetic firm?”

  “I agree. Hire a private investigator,” Maddie said. “That way we know if the guy is a good guy or bad. And if he’s a wolf.”

  “I’m not hiring a private investigator. It’s not my business,” Derek said. “Besides, I’m going to the zoo with Kate today.” Which meant she wasn’t going out with the other guy!

  “Oh, that’s right,” Maddie said. “You’ll have to ask her all about the guy.”

  “Take the tabloid with you and just happen to have it lying on the passenger seat with the page open to the incriminating photo,” Cliff said, but he was joking. He had to know it would be a real turnoff if Kate saw that.

  Derek just shook his head, finished his waffles, and had another cup of coffee.

  “Are you sure you don’t need us to go with you?” Cliff asked, the worrier of Derek’s two bodyguards.

  “We’ll be fine. Kate will take care of any bad guys.” Derek really didn’t feel any need to take either of the guys with him. He wanted to enjoy the time with Kate without them having to keep up with Kate and him. “Okay, I’ll see you all later.”

  Then Derek drove his Maserati to pick Kate up at her house. When he arrived at her place, Kate came out wearing a halter top, shorts, and sandals with a bag slung over her shoulder. Anything she wore, she looked great in. She was smiling too, and he knew they would have fun.