Blind Wolf (A Werewolf BBW Shifter Romance #1)(9)

"Oh my god, you startled me!" she said, her breath catching in her throat.

"Sorry," Damien said, his smile betraying his amusement. "It must be terrifying for a blind man to sneak up on you like that."

Julia laughed.

"I was off in my own world, I guess," she said. Then a thought struck her.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"Your shoes," he said, after just a second's hesitation. "The way they click on the floor."

"Are you serious?" Julia asked, arching one eyebrow in suspicion. "What are you, Sherlock Holmes?" She couldn't help but feel attracted to him, but there was something that didn't add up. The weird hesitation, the way he'd called her name like he knew she was right there—

"I'm just used to telling people apart by their footsteps," Damien said. "How's your day going?"

"Long. Busy. Just like normal." Julia said, feeling awkward just standing there, though Damien seemed entirely at ease.

"Are you heading out right now?"

"I'm just on my break," she said.

"How long do they give you?"

"Fifteen minutes," Julia said.

"Wonderful," he said. "Let me buy you a cup of coffee. There's a cafe just down the street, if I'm not mistaken."

"I—uh—" Julia stammered, not sure how to take his offer.

"Unless you don't want to have coffee with a strange man," Damien said, shrugging in a joking way. "I know I can seem kind of intimidating."

Julia thought that he was intimidating—at least the idea of having coffee with him. He made her crave something she'd never craved before, and she was scared to death of messing it up. He waited for her answer calmly, and she gulped down her objections. Except for one.

"It's not that," she said.

"Then what?"

"The girl you were with yesterday," Julia said. She coughed. God, she felt stupid. But she had been hit on by too many attractive men who turned out to be married and just looking for a fling. "Is she..."

"Oh, no," Damien said, looking surprised at her question. "She's my guide."

"Okay," Julia said. "I just didn't want to step on any toes."

"Stepping on toes is usually my problem," Damien said, holding out his hand. Julia reached out and clasped her palm to his.

CHAPTER SIX

Damien

The shock that jolted up Damien's arm when he touched Julia again almost made him drop her hand. He swallowed hard, his heartbeat doubling in pace as he tried to relax his arm enough to walk casually. She had no idea the kind of effect she was having on him, or else she did a fantastic job of masking it. Her palm was soft and warm and it took all of his self-control not to lift the hand to his lips and kiss it. Lord, to kiss her! It might destroy him.

The aura he felt emanating from her was stronger today, if that were possible, and the idea that she was human disappeared with the awareness of her mind. Every emotion she felt seemed to sweep through his body, echoing through him and making it hard for him to think. She had to be his mate. It was impossible for her to cause this kind of connection without being his mate. And if that was true, she was a werewolf. Had to be.

When he sensed her presence walking by him, he had called out her name without thinking. Fortunately, most people seemed to believe that blind people had extrasensory abilities anyway, and she believed his excuse without too much thought.

He tried to regain his thoughts as they walked out the door into the summer sunlight, but he was absolutely dumbstruck by the idea that he had found his mate, and that he was right now walking down the street with her, holding her hand.

His cane extended out in front of him only slightly, making sure that the ground was level.

"How are the books working out for you?" she asked.

"Great," Damien said, thankful for the question. "I've already read through most of what I need."

"You find any monsters around here?"

"Not yet." Damien cocked his head. He wished he could read her expressions to tell if she were really joking. Julia laughed.

"Well, you just let me know if you find any. I'll be running the other way," she said. Damien cracked a grin.

"You would leave a poor blind man to fend off the monsters by himself?" he asked.

"I think you could take care of yourself," Julia said. "You'd just use your superhearing to beat them. Just like that one guy... who's that superhero who's blind?"

"Daredevil," Damien said.

"Right, like him."

Damien sensed Julia's pause at the cafe entrance. He stepped ahead and opened the door to the cafe, holding it for Julia. She walked through, dropping his hand, and instantly he felt the connection between them break off into just a vague awareness of her emotional presence. He stood in line with her so close to him that he could smell her. He breathed in deeply.

"I love the smell of coffee," Julia said, relaxed and happy. Damien smiled and stepped forward to order. They sat outside, a large umbrella shading them from the hot sun.

"What are your favorite smells?" Julia asked.

"Interesting question," Damien said. "I suppose I like the smell of pine trees. Not the pine needles themselves, but the resin that seeps out of the bark. It's a slightly bitter smell, but sweet too." He took a sip of his coffee. "What about you?"