Page 32 of Forget Me Not (The Shifters of Timberfall #1)

Syve

She looked up from the pants she was pinning, just in time to see him jump out of the driver’s seat, cargo shorts doing him every sort of favor as his muscles flexed upon landing.

He cleared the sidewalk in three large steps and pushed the door open before she could clear her lap to stand.

His eyes landed on her immediately—a look passing across his face too quickly for her to gauge what it was.

She probably looked like a complete mess; she could feel the hair that had slipped from her bun and she was perched on her chair like a little bird—though that part may have been obscured by the table…

“Bambi.” The way he breathed her name made her skin tingle—how could he make such a silly nickname sound like a prayer? Why did he keep saying it like that? Why did she like it so much?

Finally, detangling herself from her work, she stood and stepped around the island to meet him. In his hand he held out a small glass vase overflowing with her favorite little wildflowers.

“Bas?” She took the vase, gently running a finger along a few of the pale blue petals. “They’re beautiful…for me?”

A glance up caught his nod. “These are my favorite,” she whispered, though she knew he heard by the smile on his face—you’d have thought she had just handed him a gold star.

“Why are you giving me flowers if this is a dinner to celebrate you?”

“I told you, it’s also a thank you. I needed to be pushed; you’re a very efficient pusher.”

He cringed at his own words, and she giggled. Giggled ? What was it about him that made her act like she was fifteen?

“Well, thank you—and you’re welcome?” Her brow furrowed in thought, her voice rising an octave with the question. That had them both laughing.

With a mostly gentle shove, Syve cleared a space on the island then reverently set the vase down .

“We have a reservation for 6:45, how can I help with closing?”

One look at his face and she swallowed the debate she was starting. This was not a question he was asking to be polite, he genuinely wanted to assist, and who was she to turn down an extra hand?

Choosing to have him vacuum would end up being the highlight of her week. It would be a lie to say Syve had failed to notice before how muscular the man was, but the things that black t-shirt did for his forearms were criminal .

Seriously, what was wrong with her?

With the extra help, the shop was closed up in a few minutes, Bas watching quizzically as Syve fought with the front door to get the lock to engage fully.

When she explained to him that the latch only caught when approached with the exact right amount of aggression, he laughed—but she noticed his stare lingered on the old door.

“It’ll stay locked just fine, don’t worry,” she assured him as they walked away from the building. Bas just hummed in response, following Syve to the passenger side of the Jeep.

Blue skies meant a topless ride—at least that was Dez’s motto. Bastien dutifully kept the tradition alive, which is why the top and doors were all tucked away in the Yerovi garage.

Before she could even wonder why he hadn’t gone straight to the driver’s side, she found herself staring up into the bucket seat—questioning whether her jeans would stretch enough to allow her to climb into the damned thing.

Strong hands landed on her hips just as she began to lift her foot. A squeal slipped from her lips, both hands snapping down from the seat to clutch at Bastien’s wrists while he effortlessly picked her up and placed her in the Jeep.

She gaped at him, getting only a cheeky smile and a wink in return while he jogged around to climb behind the wheel.

“A little warning next time?” She huffed in mock annoyance.

“Nah, you make fun sounds when you’re surprised.” He smiled, slipped one hand behind her seat and expertly backed out of the parking space.

It was not until they stopped at a red light that Syve finally asked, “So…where are we eating?”

“I got us a table at Thyme. I hope that’s okay?”

“Oh, yeah! I mean, it’s my favorite restaurant, I just didn’t think everyone else would like it.”

“Everyone else?”

“Yeah? Aren’t we going out to celebrate?”

“ We are.” Bas gestured between the two of them with his pointer finger.

“Oh.” She blushed again. When he’d asked her to dinner earlier, she’d just assumed she’d be tagging along with the whole family—not that it would have been a bad thing.

Spending time with Soriah and Del was always fun.

Honestly, she couldn’t bring herself to hate Cyrus either, much to Aimi’s dismay.

Blushing over the concept of dinner alone with Bas was ridiculous—how many times now had just the two of them gone for runs or sat together in her empty shop?

She was acting like she had a crush.

Oh, God.

“We’re here.” Bas’ words drug her out of her spiral. After parking and insisting that she let him help her down from the cab, they made their way into the restaurant.

They were greeted by a young brunette wearing a floor-length white dress, cinched at the waist by a deep red corset that was barely visible behind her dark green apron—an apron that matched all of the employees—with Lettuce Serve You embroidered across the top.

Syve openly gawked at the girl’s attire as she led them to a booth in the back corner.

Once they’d both slid into their seats and were handed menus, the girl introduced herself. “My name’s Addie. I’ll be your server today. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. Can I start you both off with some water while you look over the menu?”

“Yes, please. Thank you, Addie. Actually, can I ask you where you got your dress? I love the cottage core vibe—I’ve been hunting for a dress just like that for ages. ”

“Oh, um, this one was custom made for me back where I’m from…sorry.” Addie smiled, then excused herself to fetch the waters.

“If you like it, why don’t you make your own?” Bastien asked over his menu.

“I’ve tried, but I can’t get it exactly right.

The balloon sleeves are a nightmare and I’m just missing something—I was hoping I could get my hands on one like that,” Syve motioned toward where the waitress had disappeared.

“So that I could tear it apart. If I could deconstruct it, I bet it would be easier to replicate…” She looked up to see him staring.

“Sorry, I was rambling, you probably couldn’t care less about a silly dress. ”

“Don’t do that. I asked, and I absolutely do care about a dress that is anything but silly. I love when you ramble, you should see yourself—when you’re talking about your job you just…come to life.”

She blinked at him; not exactly sure what part of his admission affected her most.

Addie returned, setting two cups with ice and a pitcher of water on the table, then she took their orders for drinks, appetizers, and entrees before dashing off again.

“Tell me a story,” Syve prompted. “Something you wouldn’t tell to just anyone.” She raised an eyebrow, leaning forward to fill both of their cups.

“A story?” Bas dramatically stroked his beard, humming in thought. “Oh, I’ve got one! So, back when Dez and Cy were still in college, I flew out to The Keys with them for spring break—”

He went on, animatedly recounting a wild, drunken adventure in which the three boys were kicked out of no less than a half of a dozen clubs, Cyrus was detained for stripping at the beach, and Dez shifted in the ocean.

“We bailed Cy out just in time for them to catch their flight back to North Carolina, but I missed mine and had to sleep in the airport until the next one left the following morning.”

Syve laughed so hard her stomach muscles ached.

“Oh my god! How much trouble did you all get in?”

“A shit load. We thought we were in the clear, Cy paid everyone off. It pays, literally, to have a rich ass friend, I guess. But then a news article went out with a picture of a big ass wolf running across the damn beach.”

Syve gasped, “No!”

“Oh, yeah—‘New photographic evidence of the long believed extinct Florida black wolf: is it real? Or a hoax?’” he dramatized, waving his hand with a flourish.

They continued to share more stories while they ate, laughing the entire time.

It was almost ten o’clock when Bas put the Jeep in park under the stairs to her loft, leaving the vehicle running while he hopped out to walk her to her door.

“Thanks for going out with me—to dinner, out to dinner.” He closed his eyes, wincing.

When he peeked one eye back open, she was trying—poorly—to smother a smile. “Thank you for taking me out…to dinner.”

He rolled his eyes at her, one side of his mouth quirked up. “You bully all your friends?”

She shoved his shoulder playfully, but her hand lingered, running down his arm to his elbow. Goosebumps rose up under her touch and she noted how close they were standing as she looked up into his eyes. Seconds passed with neither of them moving even so much as to blink.

Then his gaze drifted slowly to her mouth, and back again. She held her breath.

His shoulders slumped, and he straightened, pulling back just a fraction.

“I should let you get to bed,” he breathed.

She wasn’t sure if he was speaking to her or trying to convince himself to leave.

Indecision tore at her.

His retreat was her fault, and she was disappointed—but why ? She should want him to retreat.

But she didn’t. Not really. And she couldn’t ignore it anymore .

Before he could back up any further, she slipped her hands around his neck, pulling him down until their mouths crashed together. Taking advantage of his shocked gasp, she darted her tongue inside, licking at his.

His surprise only lasted a second before his hands were on her—one winding into her hair, the other clenching the back of her shirt at the small of her back.

He kissed her like he was diffusing a bomb, careful and deliberate.

She pulled his bottom lip between her teeth. He groaned, his hand at her back flattening as he pulled her closer.

Then, with a devilish smile, she released his lip and planted a quick peck on his cheek. Just as quickly as she had grabbed him, she let go and stepped back, fingers brushing lightly over her lips.

“Goodnight, Bastien,” she whispered, then quickly slipped inside, leaving Bas dumbfounded on her porch.