[size=20]T[/size][size=13]o some extent, Asher was playing a game; walking a thin line with this woman, wondering if she would pick up on something that might alert her to the fact of his true nature. Not the manipulative dog part, of course - no, the literal dog part. He watched her steadily, pensively as she added her name into his contacts, taking precisely the amount of time it would take merely to open his contacts and do what she said she'd do. No more, no less. So she wasn't snooping - which was appealing in and of itself - and he smiled another of his charming, almost wild, smiles when she returned his phone.
"Persephone." He tried the name out on his tongue, felt the way it rolled pleasantly from it, and then made the same humming growl of a sound that he'd made in approval of his tea. "It's a lovely-" he broke from the sentence as Percy jerked back from him and promptly jumped to her feet. Truthfully, he did consider getting out of there - maybe she'd connected the dots; maybe she was preternaturally aware as Asher had suspected - or worse, perhaps she was a vampire. Surely she'd have smelled his scent before now, though, and he hers? His mind was running wildly, and he sat pragmatically with it, unwilling to make a spontaneous decision based on half-baked theories.
Usually, the alpha's patience reflected favourably on him - and this time was no different, it would appear. Persephone was back, settling in front of him once more, as though her fright truly did have something to do with her kitchen. Still, he wasn't convinced of her cover, though he didn't let that show. Instead, he finished the last of his tea and his muffin and politely dabbed at his mouth with whatever napkin had been afforded to him. It was an odd movement for a man so large and apparently brutish, but perhaps endearing for the same reason.
"Please don't apologise," he proffered, waving away the words benevolently. "Not to me. Never to me." He said the words as if they'd known one another longer - or perhaps as though he expected to know her for a long time yet.
"I understand, truly. But I do need to get going..." Asher glanced down at his phone, briefly pulling it half-way back out of his pocket to do so, then stuffing it back in. "I have a few errands to run." He paused, gauging her reacton - hoping against hope that he didn't detect relief in her posture or expression. "But I'll text you, okay?" Brightening, he offered her a grin, then made to rise from the table. "How much do I owe you?"[/size]
"Persephone." He tried the name out on his tongue, felt the way it rolled pleasantly from it, and then made the same humming growl of a sound that he'd made in approval of his tea. "It's a lovely-" he broke from the sentence as Percy jerked back from him and promptly jumped to her feet. Truthfully, he did consider getting out of there - maybe she'd connected the dots; maybe she was preternaturally aware as Asher had suspected - or worse, perhaps she was a vampire. Surely she'd have smelled his scent before now, though, and he hers? His mind was running wildly, and he sat pragmatically with it, unwilling to make a spontaneous decision based on half-baked theories.
Usually, the alpha's patience reflected favourably on him - and this time was no different, it would appear. Persephone was back, settling in front of him once more, as though her fright truly did have something to do with her kitchen. Still, he wasn't convinced of her cover, though he didn't let that show. Instead, he finished the last of his tea and his muffin and politely dabbed at his mouth with whatever napkin had been afforded to him. It was an odd movement for a man so large and apparently brutish, but perhaps endearing for the same reason.
"Please don't apologise," he proffered, waving away the words benevolently. "Not to me. Never to me." He said the words as if they'd known one another longer - or perhaps as though he expected to know her for a long time yet.
"I understand, truly. But I do need to get going..." Asher glanced down at his phone, briefly pulling it half-way back out of his pocket to do so, then stuffing it back in. "I have a few errands to run." He paused, gauging her reacton - hoping against hope that he didn't detect relief in her posture or expression. "But I'll text you, okay?" Brightening, he offered her a grin, then made to rise from the table. "How much do I owe you?"[/size]
