Page 15 of What a Wolf Wants
Leidolf agreed. “It was just a wolf’s way to get to know you.”
Ethan laughed. “A lick or a nuzzle would have been lots more welcome.” His arm where she had bitten him was healing, but the bite mark would still be visible for a couple more days. Which was why he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt around his fellow law-enforcement friends.
“A date? For when? Tonight?” Sierra asked. “And you’re still here?”
Yeah, Ethan was ready to chase Charlene down, caravan with her, and then get settled into his place before he pickedher up at her house to take her somewhere nice for dinner. Actually, flowers were in order, and he would make a reservation at the nicest place they could go to. He would tip the hostess to make sure they had a window seat so they could see the sunset while they had dinner. Not having had serious relationships with any she-wolves before, he had never worked so hard to win a she-wolf over, but he figured she deserved it.
“After we hit the wrong house, we didn’t think Ethan was ever going to come out of the woman’s house,” one of his DEA team members said, laughing.
“Well, he had to make right by the lady. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have been trying to help her out after the mistake we made,” another of his men said.
“I bet he’ll ask her out on a date.”
“Are you kidding? The way she was glowering at him and then at us? No way.”
“Yeah, he’ll ask her.”
“Did you ask her on a date?”
Ethan laughed.
“Hell, he did!”
“No way. Really?”
Ethan smiled. They knew him too well. “Dinner tonight.”
“You lucky dog. Why isn’t she here tonight?” Pete Cohen asked. He was one of the men who had torn up Charlene’s kitchen to such an extent during the raid, according to another of Ethan’s team members. And then ended up rushing into the bathroom to come to Ethan’s aid when he heard him call out in pain. Known to have a sweet tooth, wheneverCohen was on surveillance with anyone, he would have a package of candy bars to eat while gathering intel. Even now, he had a candy bar in hand.
“After seeing you guys and what you did to her place?” Ethan asked.
Cohen shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”
The other men who had been at the raid shook their heads.
“If anyone can turn ordinary metal into gold, it’s Ethan,” Manx Ryerson said. “Hell, I would have stayed and helped her clean up her place.”
“As if,” Renault said. “You’ve probably never cleaned up after yourself ever, from seeing the sight of your desk. The notion of you cleaning someone else’s place up? No way.”
The other guys laughed, but Ethan agreed with them. Manx was a slob. He had at least three half-empty coffee mugs on his desk at all times and food wrappers from fast-food restaurants stacked on top of his desk or stuffed in his desk drawers. Ethan wondered if he was that bad when he went home to his wife. His good friend Pete Cohen was the opposite, almost obsessively neat. Even when he ate his candy bars on a stakeout, he had a trash bag with him that he would put all his wrappers in. Ethan couldn’t see the two of them working together, let alone being such close friends.
Ryerson said to Ethan, “We’ll miss you.”
Cohen scoffed. “You’re glad Ethan’s leaving so he doesn’t hassle you about your messy desk any longer.”
Ryerson shook his head. “No. Renault will take his placeand he’ll hassle me instead.”
“You’re damn right I will. As soon as Ethan said he was retiring, I knew one of us would have to pick up the slack,” Renault said.
Though Ethan was having a good time at his retirement party, he knew several of the people had to get back to work—even his wolf friends—while he didn’t want to miss his window of opportunity to have dinner with Charlene.
“Off I go,” Ethan finally said. He gave his wolf friends hugs and received lots of slaps on the back from his DEA team members. He spoke with his boss, who took him aside to ask about his wound.
“I need a doctor’s report,” Grainger said.
“Yes, sir. Thanks for working with me all these years. I’ll have my doctor send you the report.” Frankly, Ethan had forgotten all about it.
“I hate to see you go.”
