Enforcing Boundaries

Chapter 4

Lachlan

I hadn't dated since high school.

Not really. There had been a couple of flirtations here and there along with one almost-relationship that fizzled out before it really started. I'd been lonely and feeling like settling wouldn't be so bad. I didn't know what he'd been thinking, just that he stopped calling me back and I stopped caring that he did.

Oh, there had been other men in my life, and women. Those were purely physical encounters, though, after a quick test to confirm their humanity using potions my cousins sent me. The potions used tricky ingredients to find and only lasted for a couple of days after they were brewed, so even a one- or two-night stand was usually more trouble than it was worth. Still, the fact remained that I hadn't had an actual date before Magnus in my adult life.

Maybe my dating life was doomed to take place only in Haefen, California.

I snorted at the thought and opened my text messages again, just so I could smile dopily at my conversation with Magnus. I had known he had a good time on our lunch yesterday, but I never expected to hear from him again so soon, or for him to want to go out the very next day. I liked that he wasn't playing games. So many times, I had seen people trying to make someone more interested by acting less interested, themselves, or delaying things just because they thought it would make them look better. People wanted power or to pretend they didn't care much so that when things didn't work out, they could pretend it didn't hurt.

Magnus wasn't like that.

I rinsed my face and carefully examined myself in the mirror, sighing and rolling my eyes when I found a couple of hairs I missed while shaving. I trimmed my beard every day or two since I didn't like it getting too long, but the most challenging part of maintenance was shaping it. I had gotten pretty efficient in the last few years, but I was struggling today since my hands were lightly trembling with an annoyingly potent combination of excitement and nerves.

My phone buzzed and I jumped. Thankfully the razor didn't cut me, and I gently set it back down before picking up my phone. Magnus had texted that he was here.

I didn't know what had possessed me to give him my address rather than meeting him at the restaurant, but I justified it later once I remembered that my purchase of this house would be public record, anyway. If he really wanted to find me, he could. It was solid reasoning and it made me feel better about how easily I was trusting Magnus.

Besides, if he was going to attack me, better at my home than anywhere else. Here, I had Glenna's wards to keep me safe.

I gave myself a final once-over in the mirror, straightening my shirt and tweaking a few strands of hair that weren't laying quite how I wanted them to. "Good enough," I muttered, nodding to myself.

I was acutely aware of the sensation of being watched while I exited my house and locked my door. I avoided looking at Magnus yet since I knew seeing him would only make me more nervous. I caught sight of Safiya watching me with a big grin through her window and laughed when Glenna yanked her away and waved apologetically at me. I waved back before finally striding down the driveway and locking eyes with Magnus.

That intensity was back in his eyes, sending goosebumps down my arms. His gaze was so intimate, it felt almost like a touch. I could imagine those eyes looking into mine while we...

I reached the car and took a quick moment to literally attempt to shake the errant thoughts from my mind. This was not the time.

I climbed into Magnus' car and smiled awkwardly at him.

When was the last time I had gotten in a car with a relative stranger? I honestly couldn't remember.

"You're a good driver, right?" I asked nervously.