The following week passed quickly and before either Nick or Lexi knew it, Friday was looming. Nick had been trying to do the research that Jeremy had asked him to do a few weeks ago, and had been making progress. But that was before he found himself distracted by a certain Brunette Beauty, Truth be told, she had been on his mind since the night that they met. He was doing research on the Friday afternoon of their date when his phone rang. He looked down and groaned when he realized that it was the Alpha, himself, most likely calling for an update.
"Hey Jeremy, how are things going in Bear Valley?" he asked as a greeting.
"Hi Nick, things are fine here, quiet." Jeremy replied.
"That's good. How are Kate and the boys?" Nick asked, trying to put off the inevitable.
"Everyone is fine here Nick. How are things going with looking into those Mutt attacks?" Jeremy asked, knowing that Nick was trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, I'm still looking into it. It seems like these attacks only happen once a month, and that the Mutt likes to pick people who aren't likely to be missed." Nick explained.
"Is that all you've been able to find out? I mean you have been looking into this for a few weeks." Jeremy wondered.
Nick shrugged his shoulders even though he knew that Jeremy couldn't see him. He had known Jeremy since he was a child and even though he knew that the Alpha would be disappointed that he did not have more information for him, he still felt bad about it. Jeremy Danvers had been his father, Antonio's, oldest and best friend and he was one of very few people who could make Nick feel bad or disappointed about anything.
"I've been looking into things Jeremy, I've been talking to a few of the people in the homeless communities in the areas where the people have been going missing, and they will keep an ear to the ground. I told them to let me know if anything happens. Sorry it's not much, but I have been dealing with things for the new club, so my time has been limited." Nick explained.
"Ah, so business is all that has you distracted. Or is it something else?" Jeremy asked.
"Yeah, just business." Nick said absentmindedly.
"Do I need to come down there or at least send Clay or Elena to help you?" Jeremy asked.
"Jeremy, there's no need for that at the moment. I can handle it. Besides, Clay is busy with a paper and Elena is working on her next showing." Nick answered.
"I just don't want these Mutt attacks to get out of hand. We need to find out who is behind this and put an end to it. I don't want anyone else finding out about this, you know what will happen if they do." Jeremy said.
"I know Jeremy, I'm working on it." Nick reassured rolling his eyes even though the Alpha couldn't see him.
Being a werewolf meant that he needed to be able to keep most of his life a secret, especially from any woman that he dated on the long term. While most of his kind were known to take human lovers from time to time, Nick always preferred to date a woman a couple of times and then move on. He always looked at Jeremy, Clay and even Logan with envy because they had found their mate, but he had decided that long term relationships were just not for him. It was safer that way. The women never expected much and he got to keep his secret in tact. This time was different though, Nick wanted more than one date with Lexi and he did not want to deal with the lecture from Jeremy about staying focused on pack business. He figured that if things progressed with Lexi the way that he hoped, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
"Listen Jeremy, can we talk about this later, I need to leave shortly." Nick said suddenly glancing at the clock on the wall and noticing the time. He needed to get ready for his date with Lexi.
"Sure Nick, call me when you have something. If needed I can have someone come and help you out" Jeremy said before ending the call.
Nick sighed and looked down at his phone before heading into the bathroom for a shower.
Meanwhile in Bear Valley, Jeremy Danvers was sitting at a desk in his office, deep in thought. It wasn't like Nick to not take his responsibility within the pack seriously. Something had the young man distracted and the Alpha could not figure out what it was.
"Did you talk to Nick?" a voice said from the doorway.
Jeremy looked up and smiled at his wife, Kate.
Dr. Kate Shaw had been in town for a short time before she and Jeremy had met, fell in love, and then had twin boys.
"Yeah, I talked to him, he hasn't found anything useful. All he was able to find out is that the attacks happen once a month and that the mutt likes to target people who won't be missed. I'm worried that things will get out of hand, and Nick seemed distracted. I just have no idea why. He hung up pretty abruptly" he said.
"I wouldn't worry about it now. Nick is pretty reliable, so he might just be busy. Elena said that his new club was giving him some issues. Maybe he just needs a little more time. Besides, he might have met a nice girl and that is why he is spending a lot of time at work." Kate reasoned.
"I don't know about that. Nick is not the kind to be distracted by a woman. Besides, he prefers to date different women all the time, he won't be settling down anytime soon." Jeremy said as he looked at the picture of Pack that he kept on his desk.
"You don't know that Jeremy, he might find someone that he wants to settle down with, the way that Clay and Elena, Logan and Rachel, and we did. He just needs to find the right woman." Kate replied as she wrapped her arms around her husband's neck.
"Maybe, but if he doesn't find something soon, I will have to either send Clay or go down there myself." Jeremy said to his wife.
Just then Jeremy's phone rang. He looked down and saw Clay's name.
"It's Clay, I better take it." he said.
"I'm going to start dinner, why don't you check on the boys after you get off the phone, I'm sure they will be up from their naps by then." Kate suggested before kissing her husband's cheek and walking out of the study.
"Hello Clayton, how are things in Toronto?" Jeremy asked as he answered his adoptive son's call.
"Hey Jeremy, everything's fine here. I just saw on the news that they found another body in a park in Staten Island, looked like it had been there for a couple of years. The news is saying that it was a possible animal attack." Clay said.
"I haven't seen anything here in the papers, and Nick didn't mention it." Jeremy said.
"I tried to reach him, but he didn't answer his phone." Clay said.
"Can you make a trip to New York, give him a hand before things get too bad?" Jeremy wondered.
"I can see if I can book a redeye. Will call as soon as I know something." Clay said before ending the call.
"I have nothing to wear." Lexi said as she thumbed through her closet for a dress to wear for her date with Nick.
"Lexi, you have some great dresses here, just pick one." Jessie said as she looked at her little sister.
"Okay, well should I go with the blue or the red?" Lexi asked as she glanced at Amanda and her sister.
"The blue." Jessie said at the same time as Amanda said the red.
"Okay, neither of you are any help. I'm overruling both of you and going with the black." Lexi said as she grabbed a black dress with long, lace sleeves and laid it on the bed.
"Is that new? I haven't seen it before." Amanda wondered.
"Yeah, I bought it a couple months ago, just haven't had a chance to wear it yet." Lexi answered as she pulled out a pair of black heels.
"What are you and Nick doing on your date?" Jessie asked.
"Just dinner, we're taking it slow." Lexi replied as she noticed her sister and friend's expressions.
"He sent you flowers Lex, I say that's a good start." Jessie said as she glanced at her phone.
"Yes, not just any flowers, her favorite, pink roses." Amanda smirked.
"He did. I am going to see how dinner goes before I do anything else." Lexi said.
"That's good. Well we should go and let you get ready before Nick gets here. Call me later and let me know how it goes." Amanda said as she grabbed her purse.
After Amanda and Jessie left, Lexi got to work on her hair and makeup. She decided to wear her hair down and to make her green eyes pop with some light green eyeshadow. Then she got into her dress and heels before adding some mascara and lipstick before going into the kitchen to wait for Nick.
She only had to wait a few moments before there was a knock on the door. She gave herself one last look in the mirror before opening the door with a smile. Nick was standing there in a pair of black slacks, a grey button-down and a black jacket. He was holding a single red rose, and he looked sinful.
"Hi Lexi, you look beautiful." he said with a smile.
"Thanks, you look great too." she smiled back.
He handed her the rose and waited while she put it in water along with the roses that he had sent her that morning.
"Where are we going tonight?" she asked when she joined him.
"I hope you like Italian, I know a great place a few blocks from here." he said with a smile.
"I'm a sucker for a really good plate of pasta. Lead the way Mr. Sorrentino." she giggled.
Nick led her out of the building to his SUV and opened the door for her. He took a minute to silence his phone so that it wouldn't interrupt them during dinner. He wanted to get to know her better, and did not want to be distracted by work or the pack.
The drive to the restaurant was filled with comfortable conversation. Both talking about their week and what was going on with their jobs. Lexi found that she liked talking to Nick and it felt good to be out on a date with someone who was actually interested in her.
She smiled when he pulled up to one of her favorite Italian restaurants and turned off the engine. He walked around and opened her door for her, and they walked into the restaurant.
"Good evening Mr. Sorrentino, your table is ready." the hostess said as she walked them back to a private table.
"This place is beautiful, and the food is incredible." Lexi smiled as Martin, the owner walked out.
"Lexi, it's so good to see you." he said as he hugged her.
"Hi Martin, it's good to see you too." she replied.
"Nick, it's been awhile since I've seen you around here, my friend." the older man said as he turned to Nick.
"Hello Martin. How do the two of you know each other?" Nick asked as he shook the man's hand.
"My sister Jessie worked here while she was in culinary school. Martin was the one who convinced her to branch out and start her own catering company." Lexi explained.
"How is your sister?" Martin asked.
"She's doing great, both she and Ben are working on branching out the business, and Riley is about to go into the second grade. Lisa and Matt are doing well too. Both of their girls are doing Ballet and are so cute." Lexi answered with a grin.
"Ever the proud auntie aren't you?" Martin smiled.
"Of course, I love bragging about my nieces." Lexi smiled back.
"Well with any luck at all they will be as beautiful and kind as their aunt. I'll let the two of you enjoy your dinner. Tell your family I said hello and to drop by for dinner soon." Martin said giving her another hug.
"I will do that, thanks Martin." Lexi replied.
"So how many nieces do you have?" Nick asked after Martin left.
"Three, Ava is nine, Riley is seven and Bailey is five." Lexi replied.
"I take it that they all adore their aunt" he said.
"Yes, it's one of the perks of being the favorite aunt actually. I get to spoil them rotten. What about you? Any siblings?" she asked curiously.
"Um no, it was just my dad and I, and some extended family." Nick said looking away.
"Oh, what about your mom?" Lexi asked.
"My parents split up after I was born, I never really knew my mom, and my dad passed away last year." Nick explained.
"I'm sorry. It's hard losing a parent." Lexi said softly.
Nick gave her a questioning look.
"My parents adopted me when I was little." she replied.
"What happened to your birth parents?" Nick wondered.
"I um I never knew my dad, he left my mom shortly after I was born and my mom died when I was three. Someone broke into our house and killed her, they never found who did it." Lexi answered.
"I'm sorry, that must've been rough." Nick said.
"I was so little, I don't remember much about that night. Pops was the lead detective." she replied as she sipped her wine.
Shortly after that, the waitress came to take their orders, Nick ordered the steak and Lexi ordered the Alfredo. After she left the two of them moved on to lighter conversation, sharing stories about college and jobs. Dinner lingered into coffee and dessert, and before Lexi knew it, she and Nick were standing outside of her apartment door.
"I promise the next time we go out I'm going to convince you to try the Tres Leches cake." Nick was saying.
"Good luck with that, I love the salted caramel brownies." Lexi giggled.
"So you're not saying no to a second date." Nick grinned.
"Nope, I had a really good time tonight." she smiled as she ran her fingers down the front of his jacket.
"I'm glad, I did too." he agreed as he ran his hands down to her waist.
Nick smiled down at Lexi before planting a soft kiss on her lips. She sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he lifted her up off her feet. Her arms wound themselves around his neck.
Lexi was considering inviting him inside, but the moment was shattered when Nick growled and reached for his phone.
"What?" he asked as he answered it after seeing that he had several missed calls from Clay.
"Hey man, sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I'm on my way to your place. The cops found another body, looks like another animal attack, and Jeremy wanted me to come and help you look into it." Clay said.
"Okay, I'll be there soon." Nick said in a chipped tone as he ended the call.
"Is everything okay?" Lexi asked when he looked up.
"Yeah, um I have to go, a friend came into town unexpectedly, and he is on his way to my place. I'm sorry. I have to go." he said as he kissed her on the cheek and left without another word.