I couldn’t help it, I blushed.

He smiled then, wide and open, his eyes lighting up, and my breath caught. I liked being the cause of that smile so much I almost asked if we could postpone the run and go back to the bedroom instead. Instead, I shoved him, forcing him to roll of the couch. “Okay, give me ten minutes.”

While I got ready, I checked to make sure the place I wanted to take him had cell reception—he wouldn’t like being out of touch with Zoey right now—and Declan grabbed a bag to pack us a picnic of sorts. He would be hungry after the shift.

Declan texted my phone number to Zoey and Sid, letting them know he was going for a run and they could call me for emergencies. It was a good idea, so I messaged where we were going to my roommates and Mama Ami. Now was not the time to disappear into the forest and give our loved ones a collective panic attack.

After all that was done, I grabbed a blanket to sit on and we packed everything up into Declan’s SUV. I plugged some coordinates into my phone and then we were off. The joy of us going out, on our own, on what could be considered a date, temporarily pushed all of my worries out of my head. I would put it all aside for a little while. Today would just be me, a little sunshine, and my favorite wolf.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lou

I took Declan to the beach. When people usually picture a beach, they think of sand, sun, and warm water. Washington beaches aren’t like that. First, the water is cold. Super cold. A small percentage of people try to surf in it for reasons that I don’t understand, but they wear wetsuits if they’re smart.

Second, we have precious little sand. Occasionally, you’ll run across a sandy stretch, but for the most part it’s rocks, barnacles, and oyster beds. Tons of seaweed and tidal pools. And green, so much green, because we’re not the Evergreen State for no reason. Though to be fair, I’ve always wondered how Eastern Washington felt about that. It’s a totally different climate on that side of the mountains, and a lot less green.

It’s not necessarily the kind of beach you want to have sexy times on, unless you like barnacles biting into your ass.

We parked Declan’s car in the lot, dust billowing around us. I pointed out the trailhead, which was a five-foot break in the trees revealing a compact dirt path. “If you change in the car, you can run a bit through the forest as we head down.”

“That means you’ll have to carry all of our stuff,” Declan said.

“Yes, I’m a very delicate flower and I will die if you make me carry a blanket and our food.”

“I wasn’t implying anything,” Declan said, stripping off his shirt. “It just doesn’t seem fair to make you carry everything.”