Hers for the Holidays

Chapter Seven

Vincent navigated his motorcycle down the crowded street towards the grocery store where Emily was. He couldn’t wait to see her, he tried his best to remind himself that this was just pretend, that she wasn’t looking for anyone right now. He hoped he could change her mind as he parked his bike, the loud rumble drawing curious stares.  

He turned the key from the ignition and slipped his helmet off, resting it on his bike as he hopped off, running his fingers through his dark brown hair.  Vincent moved into the store and felt his wolf stir to life. He could smell her sweet tantalizing scent as he prowled the aisles. As he moved, the man in him realized that he was hunting her.  He stopped in his tracks; he knew he needed to get his wolf under control.

Vincent couldn’t understand why his wolf was acting this way, the beast had never felt this way about any of the other women he had dated.  He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he rained the wolf back in, feeling more like himself he continued walking, ignoring the questioning looks of the other shoppers.  He walked around the end cap. 

There she was. 

 He watched her as she picked up an apple and placed it into the plastic bag.  It amazed him how good she looked to him, as she leaned over to study the fruits in front of her.  Vincent cleared his throat as he moved forward to catch her attention. She dropped the next apple into the bag before turning to look back at him.  

“Oh hey,” Emily said as she started to tie the bag up and place it into the shopping cart.

“Hey yourself, so a fruit kind of girl.”  He said with a smirk.

“Oh you know, it keeps the doctor away.”  She smiled up at him as he moved closer to her.

Vincent wrapped his hands around the handles of the cart that stood in front of Emily. He wanted to reach out and touch her face, see if her skin was as soft as it looked. He shook his head, he couldn’t do that, why did it feel like his wolf was whining inside of his head?  The beast was normally calm and docile unless he felt challenged. Vincent bit his lip to hold in the whine that threatened to escape his lips. He didn’t want to scare Emily off; he was starting to get the feeling that she was special.

“So, what type of snacks do you like?”  Emily asked as she glanced down the aisle, wondering where they should head next.  

“Oh you know, the standard guy stuff,” Vincent said as he started pushing the cart, “Beef jerky, sunflower seeds, gummy bears.  That type of thing.” He smiled as they walked.

“Hmm, one of those things isn’t like the others,”  Emily said, raising her eyebrow to look back at him over her shoulder.

“I’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth and who can resist those sweet, brightly colored little bears,”  Vincent said as he sheepishly shrugged his shoulders, a blush coloring his cheeks.  

“I think it’s cute,” Emily said, feeling her own cheeks warm up as she turned away from him and led them to the candy aisle.  

“So how did we meet?”  He asked as she grabbed a bag of gummy bears and tossed them into the cart along with some chocolate-covered almonds.

“We could say gaming, it would be pretty honest,”  Emily said, knowing that would work to her advantage when it came to her family.

“Sounds good, and how long have we been dating?”  He asked as he watched her turn and walk further down the aisle.

“How about a few weeks?”  She asked.

“And we’re already talking about meeting family, must be serious.”  He said in a teasing tone. Emily let out a little laugh as she slowed down to look up at him.

“My family would like that,”  She joked with him even though it was the truth.  Her parents and siblings didn’t like the idea of her being alone.  

“Mine too, my dad wants me to take over his business when he steps down.  He wants to wait thought til I’ve found someone.” Vincent said.

“Is that something you want?”  Emily asked as she looked forward.

“Yeah, I guess I do.  I mean I’ve known I would take over since I was a kid.”  He answered as they started moving forward, she rested her fingers on the metal basket at the front of the cart, stopping him and tossing in a bag of beef jerky.  

“So what’s the business?”  Emily asked, before looking down and quickly adding, “If I’m overstepping, please let me know.”

“I’m afraid that’s classified information,”  He said teasing her as he grabbed another bag and put it into the cart.  “What type of snacks do you like?” He said changing the subject.

“I like pumpkin seeds and, of course, fruit, and we can’t forget the chocolates.”  She smiled, “its mafia-related isn’t it.” 

Vincent let out a sharp bark of laughter, he supposed running a pack could be kind of like the mafia, “Nope, nice try though.”  He was enjoying talking with her and the light banter they were engaging in.

“Darn, maybe next time I’ll get it.”  She said as she watched him toss in a bag of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.  Emily tossed in a few more actual food items as they walked.  

“So, want to go grab some dinner tonight?”  He asked as he nervously bit his lip, hoping she would say yes.  He didn’t want their time to end yet as they approached the register.

“I could eat.”  She smiled shyly up at him. Could this be considered their first date?