Taking another glance at my watch, reading 5:51, I figured I’d start to the restaurant. Just as I turned, I walked directly into a wall of a chest. Jolting backward, nearly stumbling, a hand grasped my shoulder, and a quiet laugh sounded. “Sorry. I thought you heard me.”
I clutched my racing heart, glancing up to find Declan’s gaze. “For a wolf, you walk like a cat.”
He laughed. “I’ll try and get in the habit of announcing my presence.”
Heart slowing against my palm, I looked him over. His hair fell around his square jaw in its usual loose curls to his finely pressed black button up. He left a few open, showing just the right amount of thin chest hair. Neat slacks lined his legs, leather belt holding them tight around his hips.
“You look nice,” I said.
“Told you I have decent clothes.” He gave a smile. “And you look beautiful, by the way.”
I wasn’t sure why that made me cringe. I complimented him first. Reciprocating was expected. Perhaps because ‘beautiful’ and ‘nice’ held a different connotation.
“Thanks.” I looked behind him. “Is the restaurant that way?”
“It is. I smelled you though. Figured we could walk together, if that’s alright.” Another smirk. “Or I could head in first if you want to go alone.”
“Why would I want to walk alone?”
His eyes held mine for a moment, smile still across his lips. He lifted a shoulder. “You tell me.”
Ah, so he caught how uncomfortable the compliment made me. Which, of course, made me feel obligated to not walk alone, because saying I didn’t want to walk with him would make things even more awkward.
“It’s fine. Let’s walk,” I said.
A wider smile as he gestured ahead.
After a few silent steps, in a desperate attempt to lax the tension I created, I said, “You smelled me?”
“I did.”
“That’s how it works? You just smell people all the time?”
“When you put it like that, it sounds creepy.”
“Saying, ‘I smelled you,’isa little creepy.”
“Fair point. But it isn’t like that. Smell for me is like sight is for you. It’s a way to identify things quickly and subconsciously. I walk into the bar, and I know if Emory’s in yet and roughly how long he’s been there. I walk into Mom’s nursing home, and I know which nurse was in to visit her last.” He shrugged. “It’s just second nature.”
I stayed quiet for a moment, processing. Obviously I knew Werewolves had a keen sense of smell, but I’d never thought about it as their primary awareness.
“What do I smell like?” I asked.
“Perfume and books.”
“I smell like books?”
He smiled. “We all carry our work home with us. Long Island Iced Tea is always the smell I’ll associate with my parents.”
“Fascinating,” I murmured. “That’s it though? People don’t have distinct scents outside of their environments?”
“No, they do. But there aren’t really words to describe natural scents. You’re physically not capable of smelling it, so there’s nothing I could equate it to.”
“Try.”
He bit his lip for a moment, eyes ahead. “Sort of bittersweet? Almost like a berry, but without the fruitiness.”
“I’m not sure if I should be offended or take that as a compliment.”