Did that mean Roxy believed in soul mates too? She must. She wrote about them. But did that also mean she expected the next man in her life to be as perfect as the ones she wrote about? Because Alex knew he wasn’t that.
Her hero was flawed, but he was also wealthy and worldly. And Alex was a deputy in a small town. Hopefully a sergeant soon, but even with the decent raise that would bring, he wasn’t about to be driving a Ferrari anytime soon. Was Wolfgang the kind of guy Roxy pictured as her soul mate?
Maybe a better question was why Alex cared so much what Roxy thought. She was human, he was a shifter. They weren’t meant to be. Couldn’t be.
He put his phone down and went out onto the back porch to make sure the temperature in the hot tub was just right. He adjusted it, then stood there for a moment, breathing in the night air.
He hadn’t been on a good long run in his panther form since the last full moon. That was too long. Next day off, he’d drive up into the hills and let loose in the acreage the Ellinghams kept for just that sort of thing. He’d drag Diego along with him, too. A run together would do them good. Remind them both of their childhood, when being brothers was all that mattered. He tipped his head back and stared at the rising sliver of moon. Almost two weeks until it was full again.
The urge to shift came over him, but he tamped it down, allowing only a partial shift into his half-form. A full shift and he’d never ignore the desire to run.
A knock on his door brought him back to full human. Roxy.
He glanced down at what he had on, never really caring that much before. His jeans and T-shirt were in decent shape, but they were nothing special. That was okay. This was who he was. Just a regular hard-working, blue-collar guy. Nothing fancy.
“Coming.” He got to the door a few seconds later and opened it to find Roxy there.
“Hey.”
A blind man could see how attractive she was. A total package. Spending time with her was no hardship. He smiled. “Hey. Right on time. Come on in.”
He got out of the way to let her pass. She wore a little polka dot sundress, the straps of a black bathing suit peeking out underneath. “Thanks for coming.”
“Thanks for inviting me.” She held her hands out. “I feel like I should have brought something, but you didn’t seem all that interested in salad, so I’m empty handed.”
He grinned. “You chose wisely.”
She looked around. “Pizza’s not here yet, I take it?”
“Nope. I ordered a little later than I meant to. Got distracted.” By her book. Something he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit, mostly because it felt a little like snooping. Or checking her out. Why else would a guy read a romance? Although he was pretty sure he’d get a few more chapters under his belt before he called it quits. Or maybe he’d read to the end. Which was more likely. “They should be here soon. Are you starving? I might have a PowerBar or something.”
She laughed. “No, I’m good. A PowerBar.” She shook her head. “You’re such a guy.”
He got the lemonade out of the fridge. “Is that a good thing? Because my options are pretty limited.”
“Yes, it’s a good thing. Hey, speaking of guys, where’s Diego?”
And so the lying began. “Oh, sorry, he’s not going to be here after all. Howler’s called him in. One of their bartenders came down with the flu or something, so they decided to put him to work tonight.”
She gave him a look. “So we’re celebrating Diego’s new job without Diego actually being here?”
Alex nodded slowly. “To be perfectly honest, I’m more excited about him having a job than he is. You know this is the first time I’ve had my house to myself since he moved in?”
Her brows lifted. “Does that mean you want me to leave?”
“No.” He winked at her. “I can’t eat all that pizza by myself.” Then he realized she might feel uncomfortable alone with him in his house. “That is, as long as you want to stay?”
She leaned against his kitchen counter. “And miss out on that hot tub? No way.”
“Good. Ready to try the lemonade?”
“Absolutely. If I’m going off my diet, I might as well have something cold to wash it down with.”
He shook his head as he got two big tumblers out of the cabinet. “What’s up with all the dieting talk? Seriously, you look fantastic. I hope it’s not too forward of me to say, but you have a rocking body.”
When he turned around, she was staring at him. He filled the tumblers and handed her one. “Did I cross a line? You look upset.”
She took the glass from him. “Not upset. Just…not used to those kinds of compliments.”
He frowned. “Are you kidding? You were married.”
“Were being the operative word.” She stared at the drink in her hand, and her gaze took on a faraway haze. “He wasn’t…kind that way. He wasn’t a lot of things.”
The doorbell rang, preventing Alex from asking any more questions. He paid for the pizzas, brought them back to the kitchen and set them on the counter. Roxy still didn’t look like her usual happy self, and he felt awful for being the one to bring up bad memories of her ex.
He decided that made it his job to cheer her up. “I’ll be right back.”
She looked up. “Okay.”
He jogged back to his bedroom, threw on his trunks, then took two big towels from the linen closet and tucked them under his arm. Plan in motion, he returned to the kitchen.