Next week I ask her out again. "How about it, Riane? Ready for date number two?" I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively, hoping to make her smile.

She's been distant the past few days when I visited the diner to eat. Something has changed on her end, and I'm not sure what.

Her eyes dart away before she answers. "Sorry, Jon, I'm busy tonight."

My stomach plummets. "How about tomorrow?"

A sadness creeps into her gaze as she shakes her head. "I'm busy all weekend. Sorry."

I nod as she leaves to wait on a customer, taking her refusal like an adult, but curious to find out what happened. She was climbing all over me last Friday. It makes no sense.

I've eaten at the diner every day, even if Raine wasn't working. Some days we don't get to do more than exchange a few pleasantries, but it's worth it. Being in her presence soothes me. I've never been away from other wolves for this long and hadn't realized how much I needed her companionship.

Last week our flirting was intense. But I was still two raw from Lori's betrayal to want to leap into anything-did I screw things up by waiting too long to ask her out again? Getting to know her through casual conversation felt refreshing, something I lacked with every other wolf I'd been with prior.

I wasn't ready to follow through on the lust we explored on our first date. But now I am. I've rented a small apartment and acquired some decent furnishings. I have the beginnings of my own den to share. We may not turn into anything permanent, but I aim to find out.

There's something about the young woman that calls to me. Resigned to the fact she said no for tonight, I grab a free spot at the counter and settle in for dinner. Determined to not act like a jerk, I wave to the young Were when she glances my way. Her shoulders relax and her face softens. She's pinned her short dark hair behind her ears with butterfly barrettes, the style making her look even younger than her twenty-one years.

Unlike the robust health and curves of Lori, and most of the other female Weres in Manitoba, Raine has a delicacy to her. I'm not normally attracted to overly slender women, but she pulls my protective alpha nature to the surface. I want to coddle and cosset her, protect her from harm and wrap myself around her while she sleeps.

Every time she walks past me, my wolf leaps to the surface, eager to rub against her for companionship. I like this casual state of arousal I'm in when around her. My senses feel heightened and the world looks fresher. Is it being free from the burden of the Manitoba pack or the stirrings of what will be a brighter future here in Virginia?

My meal arrives and the smell of homemade cobbler drifting from the kitchen reminds me of home with my folks. Could I approach them now that I'm stronger and no longer a risk to their safety? Was Romeo's suggestion of severing all contact with family truly the only option available? I tamp down the slow burn of anger coiling in my gut. No purpose in dwelling on the past.

Raine's eyes lock with mine across the length of the counter. She's pouring coffee for a patron, allowing her attention to wander my way. I deliberately focus on lustful thoughts, encouraging my sexual pheromones to blanket the air. Raine becomes distracted by the scent, and over pours, spilling coffee to the saucer below the cup.

Her face flushes while she reaches for extra napkins, her eyes flick my way, a desperate edge in their depths. She finishes cleaning and scurries to the back room, avoiding me. Interesting reaction. I wonder what has her so jumpy. Female Weres don't normally react to an alpha's heat by running away. Within a few heartbeats everyone near me is smiling, their sexual energies higher than normal. I tone down the pressure; worried I may have overplayed my hand.

She's a tough nut to crack.

Are you going to let a scrumptious werewolf ripe for the picking slip from your grasp so easily?

Damn. I'm used to female werewolves chasing me. This hard-to-get crap is a whole new experience, especially after her blatant invitation in the parking lot.

You could have bruised her ego when you turned her down.

But then why the flirting since then?

Are you an alpha or a puppy? Show her what you want.

Decision made, I toss my napkin on my plate and make my way to the back hallway. The tingling awareness of hunting prey stretches across my skin, enticing my wolf to draw closer to the surface. This is fun.

Wait a minute-there's a back door at the end of the corridor I was unaware of. Hmm... I wonder if she was planning to slip out unseen to avoid me. Definitely time to find out what the hell is going on.

The ladies room door opens three feet away and Raine emerges. She's changed into a snug pair of hip-hugging jeans and a tight t-shirt. A strip of honey colored skin is exposed between the two, the flat planes of her stomach teasing me to touch. A small squeak escapes her when she sees me.

I push out sexual lust when I whisper her name. "Hi, Raine." She shudders at the sound. "You weren't going to ditch me without saying goodnight, were you?"

She stumbles away to press against the rear door. "Uh... no. I have to be somewhere." Her breath huffs out, her gaze sliding away from me, to her escape.

I nod, shifting position against the wall, bringing her attention back to me without having to step any closer. "You seem to be avoiding me lately. Then the refusal for another date. What's going on?"

The scent of her arousal drifts in the air toward me, proving she's not as unaffected by me as she'd like me to believe. "Can you tone down the sexual vibe?" Her voice cracks with the strain. "I'm barely hanging by a thread, here."

Immediately I cut off the outpouring of pheromones. The air clears in the space of a few heartbeats. "Done. Now, come clean. I know you're interested and yet you've refused me for a second date. Did you lie about having a boyfriend?"

A shadow crosses her face. "No, I don't have a boyfriend, that was true. I just changed my mind about going out with you again so soon."

Her puckered nipples strain against the tight fabric of her shirt. Her breasts are small enough that she doesn't need a bra. Not wearing one works to my advantage-she can't hide her response to me.

A slow smile spreads across my mouth. I glance down at her chest and back up, purposely calling attention to her arousal. "Really? Your body begs to differ."

Heat suffuses her cheeks. She shrugs and her tone comes out flat. "We can't always get what we want."

I push off the wall and cross the hall to stand in front of her. "What happened, Raine? Last week you invited me back to your place."

Her eyes flick to the door again, her discomfort at my nearness quite clear. "And you refused!" One tiny hand comes to my chest, halting my advance when I would have pressed against her. "It turned out to be for the best." Her face shuts down. "I need to go."

The metallic click of the releasing door lock shatters the silence, spurring me into action at the sight of her disappearing form. I'm not giving up without a fight. I feel something for her dammit, even if I'm not sure what it is.

"Raine, wait!" I rush after her, catching the door before it closes, and leap down the three stairs to the back parking lot.

She turns, keys clutched in her hand, ready to get in her car. The anguish on her face fuels me forward. I close the space and pull her stiff form into my arms. Before I have a chance to think things through, I lower my lips to hers and capture her mouth in a kiss.

Ignoring the desire to plunder her softness, I hold back my animal instincts, tasting her sweetness in a tender brush of skin on skin. A spark of yearning burns between us and I deepen my pressure, gently running my tongue along her lower lip. With a soft moan she succumbs, opening her mouth to mine as stress melts from her body.

Running a hand over her silky cap of hair, I lightly cup her skull, angling her head for better access. Eager for more, my tongue ventures inside, licking her top teeth and sparring with her own shy advances.

Very soon our ragged breathing is the only sound in the deserted lot. I playfully nip her bottom lip and an anguished cry rips from her throat, right before she pushes me away.

"I like you, Jon. A lot." She raises a stiff arm to hold me at a distance. "But there are things going on that you're unaware of."

The passion boiling through my veins makes my voice harsher than I'd like. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She jolts, like I've physically smacked her. Fear skitters across her face, chased away by firm resolve. "You need to leave northern Virginia." She yanks open her car door and rushes inside. The engine turns over while I stand with my mouth agape. "Trust me. It's for your own good."