Lover Beware

I felt it better to use the machine than to say nothing.” Her grandmother did not approve of answering machines. She wasn’t too fond of telephones, television, or microwaves, either.
    “Your message said that you have invited Rule Turner to accompany you to my birthday celebration.”
    “Yes, Grandmother,” Lily replied, careful of both her courtesy and her accent. Her command of the tongue seldom pleased her grandmother.
    “He is lupus. A prince of one of their clans.”
    “Yes. I didn’t want you to be taken by surprise.”
    “I have not been surprised since the Mets won the pennant. Did you tell your mother about this man?”
    “I left her a message, the same as yours. I don’t know if—”
    “Good. Say nothing more to her.” She hung up.
    Lily shook her head. Phone conversations with her grandmother tended to end abruptly. Not that conversations in person were much different. She glanced at the clock. There might still be time to finish taking her hair down if she—
    The doorbell rang. Worf let out a deep woof and surged to his feet. Lily took a steadying breath, jabbed the bobby pin back in her hair, and turned to face the door.
    Battle stations.
     
    HE DROVE AN Explorer. That surprised her. It seemed so—well, so middle-class normal. Half the people in California drove some kind of SUV.
    “I ought to sell tickets,” Lily muttered as he slid into the driver’s seat beside her. Rule Turner was eye candy no matter what he wore, but in a tux the impact could wreck a woman’s breathing.
    “Pardon?” The knowing glint in his eyes suggested he’d heard her very well.
    “Never mind.” She found herself watching his hands as he started the engine and took them out into traffic. His fingers were long and slim. No scars, of course, nor any little nicks or scabs. Lupi healed such things. What was more surprising was how little hair there was on the backs of his hands. She’d always thought lupi were hairy. “Listen, I’m sorry about the way Worf acted. He’s usually friendly.”
    “He didn’t like my scent. The two of us will work things out,” he said as he guided the vehicle smoothly through traffic. “Once he accepts me as dominant, he won’t need to challenge me.”
    Nor did his beard seem especially heavy, though naturally he would have shaved…wouldn’t he? Did lupi need to shave? “You’re assuming you’re going to see my dog often enough to work on a relationship with him.”
    “That’s right. I am.”
    Her lips twitched. A sensible woman wouldn’t find his arrogance so appealing. And maybe it wouldn’t be, if she didn’t suspect he was amused by himself, too. “So, what did your father say? Am I cleared to go talk to your people tomorrow?”
    “He agreed to put it before the Council.”
    “What Council? I thought the Lupois’s word was law.”
    “You might think of the Council as an advisory body, the elders of the tribe. Or maybe they’re more like church deacons. The Lupois doesn’t answer to the Council, but it pays to have their backing, particularly if he is considering breaking with tradition.”
    “I can’t wait much longer, Rule.”
    “I know. I have a suggestion. Why don’t we talk about something other than the investigation tonight?”
    “Such as?”
    “What do you usually talk about on a date?”
    “The usual—his work, his hobbies, his ex-wives.”
    He clucked his tongue. “Sexism rears its ugly head. Surely there are a few men who don’t just discuss themselves?”
    “Well, they mostly don’t want to talk about my work, unless I date a cop. And I don’t date cops.”
    “I’m glad to hear that. Of course, I’d rather you didn’t date anyone except me.”
    Her mouth went dry. “You don’t have any right to say that. You’re moving too fast.”
    “I’m being honest. Why don’t you date cops?”
    “They’re lousy bets for anything long-term. Besides, it would be icky.”
    He grinned. “Icky?”
    “You know—the way it would feel to work with someone you’ve…someone who…never mind.”
    “Do you ‘never mind’ with every man you date?” He slowed for the turn. “I ask not to condemn, you understand, but in hope.”
    She shook her head. “There you go, jumping to conclusions. I was talking about kissing, not grappling under the covers. And how uncomfortable it would be to work with someone I’ve had carnal thoughts about, or who I know has had those thoughts about me.”
    “If you think that only the men you’ve