The next morning Vera woke up early. Instead of being tired from her run last night she felt invigorated. She left David sleeping in bed and went to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and decided she couldn't tackle the mess of her hair until after coffee.
She padded softly to the kitchen and could smell Lucien in there before she even got to the door. "Good morning Vera," he said politely, without turning around; he smelled her too.
"Hey," She replied in a small voice. She felt embarrassed about last night.
"Coffee?" Lucien met her eyes and raised a quizzical eyebrow. His self-amused smirk was back.
She nodded and made her way over to fix herself a cup. Lucien didn't move out of the way and she had to lean into him to reach a cup from the cupboard. He felt too close; his heat and his scent invading her personal space. Vera didn't let her feelings show, carefully adding cream and sugar to her cup.
Lucien leaned down to murmur in her ear, "Will you run with me tonight?" His warm breath tickled her ear and Vera shivered, remembering a similar sensation from last night.
Vera shook her head. "I have to work tonight," She took her cup and glided away from him. She perched on a chair and regarded the big werewolf from the safety of the kitchen table. He chuckled and sat down opposite her, leaning back in his chair.
They sipped their coffee in silence. Lucien looked cool and relaxed, flashing her a wicked smile now and then. You could have cut the sexual tension with a knife.
David wandered sleepily into the kitchen. "Morning," he mumbled to Lucien. "Hey Babe," he kissed Vera on the top of her head and got himself a cup of coffee. "I thought you'd be sleeping in, Man," David said, sitting down next to Vera and bumping her knee with his own.
"You know me," Lucien murmured. "Big plans today." He smiled in a way that made Vera's abdomen tighten.
David rolled his eyes. "You and your mysterious plans." He rested his chin on Vera's shoulder and nuzzled her with his face. "I have some errands to run today. Wanna come with me?" She nodded and drained her cup.
"I'm gonna get dressed." She got up and slipped out of the room, ignoring Lucien's dark eyes following her.
::
Vera didn't see Lucien for the rest of the day. When she and David got home Lucien was out and she was both relieved and disappointed. She tried to put him out of her mind as she got ready for work. She knew it was cheesy but she liked her little waitress shirt. The tight button-up made her boobs look great and she knew that helped with the tips. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and gave her reflection a saucy smile in the mirror.
When David dropped her off at the diner she gave him a lingering kiss in the car. She held his face in her hands and caressed his lips with hers, brushing him gently with her tongue. He gave a low moan and pulled her closer with an arm around her waist. Vera giggled and disentangled herself, hopping out of the car and blowing him a kiss through the window. She loved that she could make him want her so easily.
Monday nights were always slow at the diner. Vera was glad that Deni was there so she had someone to chat with. Deni was telling her what a piece of shit her current boyfriend was and Vera was trying to convince her to break it off with him. She didn't understand why anyone would put up with that shit. There were so many other human men. Why bother with the disappointing ones?
"You should drop him and find someone else," Vera said, following Deni's curvy ass as with her eyes as she swaggered out of the kitchen.
"Ooh," Deni purred, in a low voice. "I think I just did."
Vera peered around her friend's curly blond head, already smiling, smelling a tip challenge and... Lucien.
"Shit," she tried to duck back into the kitchen but he'd seen her and greeted Vera with a feral grin.
"Do you know him?" Deni hissed, grinning and grabbing Vera's wrist.
"I'll explain later," she whispered, grabbing a menu and walking over to the counter where Lucien was sitting, elbows on the table, waiting for her. "Can I get you anything to drink, Sir?" she asked, meeting his eyes coolly.
"Coffee," he purred, holding her gaze with his dark eyes. "Black."
She nodded and walked over to the coffee pots where Deni was leaning, giving her a huge 'you better tell me this fucking story' stare. She shot back an 'in a minute' look and poured him a cup of the greasy dark liquid.
Vera walked back over and slid the coffee across the counter to Lucien. He rested his fingertips on the warm porcelain, the cup looking small in his large hands. "Thanks, Vera. And I'll have a cheeseburger. Rare."
"Anything else?" Vera slid her order pad out of her pocket and scribbled his burger down.
"Not right now," that smirk again.
"OK," she didn't meet his eyes. "I'll have that right out for you." Vera walked slowly back to the kitchen, her heart hammering. She just had time to stick her order on the spindle before Deni ambushed her.
"So?" She was almost jumping with excitement. "Who is that? God, he's gorgeous."
"Umm," Vera smoothed her ponytail down and glanced out the porthole window into the nearly empty restaurant. "That's David's roommate, Lucien."
"Oh my God. He lives with you?" Vera nodded. "There's, like, crazy tension between you two. What's going on?