Prelude

Chapter 27: Adventure Is Out There

"Hello." She grinned up at Derek, back pressed to the front door since she had closed it quickly behind her and Derek was directly on the other side.

"Hi." He smiled back, a little surprised by how close she was to him. Her scent was still way overwhelming but he was getting better at controlling it and after a few deep breaths, he was fine.

"Ready to go?"

"Uh, yeah." He shook his head quickly, clearing the jumbled thoughts from his brain as he took a step back and motioned to his car. She smiled at him again and headed for the Camaro.

"Sweet ride, Derek Hale." She said, a slightly teasing tone slipping into her voice as she opened the passenger door and slid in.

"Thank you, Guinevere Hilt." He shot back, raising a brow at her as she smiled at him in slight surprise over the top of the car.

"Okay. I see you." She told him, making him shake his head with a small smile as she climbed into the car. A beat later he followed and as soon as the key was in the ignition, she was messing with the radio. "So where are we going for coffee?"

"The place Lydia usually buys from. She's gotten half the pack addicted."

"She's got skill." Guinevere agreed, giving up on finding a station she liked when they were all playing commercials or old songs she didn't like. "You got any CDs in here?"

"There's an aux cord right there and you go for CDs first?" Derek asked, glancing at her with his brow raised.

"I like CDs better." She shrugged, starting to go through his stuff.

"Stop it, stop, stop, stop." He used one of his hands to grab both of hers and swat them away from his glove box. "There might be a few in the center console." Guinevere smiled mischievously as she pulled her hands from Derek's grip, the wolf not missing the way her fingers lingered slightly and slid smoothly over his palm.

"These are all Bob Marley CDs." Guinevere observed as she looked at the four cases she had found.

"My sister was really into him." Derek shrugged as she looked at him.

"You leave me with no choice, Derek Hale. Here comes the aux cord." Derek rolled his eyes at her teasing, a smile tugging at his lips as he slid his sunglasses on and changed the station so she could plug her phone in.

"What are you planning on assaulting my ears with?"

"My first thought was Mamma Mia but I'm not in the right mood so now we're going to do some weird James Bay and Machine Gun Kelly stuff." The song started playing and Guinevere put her phone down in one of the cup holders.

"Interesting." Derek said after a few seconds.

"Why thank you. I pride myself on being an original."

"I meant the song, you moron." Derek said sarcastically as he pushed her gently and making her laugh.

"You could get high, or you could get low," she sang along after her laughter had died down a bit, making Derek actually smile as he drove, listening to her beautiful voice. They pulled into the coffee shop parking lot and Guinevere bounced out of the car happily, still humming to the song that had been playing.

"You're not a fan of breakfast, right?" Derek asked as they stepped into the shop, eyeing the pastries in the glass display by the register.

"Not really. Coffee is a must have though." She said as she scanned the menu.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Derek asked as he stepped up to the counter.

"Not right now. Just a large americano with raspberry creamer and sugar." She ordered, the cashier nodding. Guinevere wandered over to the window to look at the plants and decorations as Derek ordered his own drink and a muffin. "Derek! Look at these flowers!" She said with excitement, her eyes shining as she gently stroked the leaves, watching the plant close up. "Look at them!" She said in a slightly softer tone when she noticed he was next to her. She touched another leaf and watched it close up as well, making Derek smile. "My mom had one of these in Chicago but I haven't seen one since. It was my favorite." She said as she stroked the plant.