Page 48 of Flesh and Fury

“Never mind,” Ari said, standing up from the bed where he’d been pulling on his socks and boots. “Let’s go get that drink.”

“You got it.”

Chapter Fifteen

EOGHAN

The bar downstairs in their hotel was part of a restaurant called Pint Brothers Alehouse. The minute Eoghan walked in with Ari by his side, he felt at home. The large, bright, and airy space boasted very high ceilings, exposed ducts, and wooden accents. All in all, it seemed to be modeled from an industrial type setting. A large square bar was positioned in the center of the room with tons of bar seating and tables set up nearby for restaurant goers. They stopped at the hostess station and perused the menu for a second.

“The food here looks good. We could eat dinner here when the shifters arrive, right?” he asked. “They’ve got some great craft beers on tap, and a nice selection of cocktails. If I were a betting man, I’d say it looks like they may even have a mixologist on staff.” He pointed to some of the unique cocktail names.

Ari nodded, still looking at the menu. “I think so. All the food looks really good.” He looked up and rubbed his belly. “I’m tempted to get an appetizer now. I’m starving.”

“We can do that but it’s nicer if we wait for the shifters,” Eoghan replied. “For sure they’d be able to smell onion rings on your breath when they get here.” He grinned as Ari smiled back.

“Yeah, you’re right. Fine. Ale it is then.” Ari pointed at the bar when the hostess came over with menus in her hand. “We’re just here for happy hour.”

“Sure,” she replied, holding out her hand. “Do you want a table or—”

“Oh, no. We’ll sit at the bar,” Eoghan replied. “Thank you.” He followed Ari, liking the way his ass looked in the black tac pants he’d pulled on. His lover wore a long-sleeved gray T-shirt which looked amazing on him. It was just tight enough to cling to his sculptured pecs, and he loved the way the muscles in his forearms bunched, revealed by the sleeves he’d pulled halfway up. They climbed onto barstools and a bartender came over, smiling as he laid napkins out in front of them.

“Hi there. I’m Binks. How you doin’ today?” he asked, smiling broadly and flashing sharp, white teeth in a dark face. Eoghan noticed that he was darker even than Ari and very handsome, long and sleek, solid but with an almost swimmer’s build. He normally didn’t check other guys out since he thought the man seated beside him…the guy who’d just fucked him into oblivion, was the best-looking guy he’d ever seen. But there was something about the almost feline shape of the bartender’s eyes that had Eoghan looking at his ass for a swishing tail the minute he turned to point out the selection of colorful bottles on the back bar.

“We’ve got just about any premium liquor here and, of course, we’re famous for having a full selection of craft beers,” the man said, pointing out the section on the menu. “There are several which are made right here in Denver.” He smiled widely. “And of course, I’m happy to make a cocktail for you. There are some special ones you might like.”

Eoghan dragged his eyes away from the feline look of the guy, almost suspecting him of being some kind of shifter. That was silly, though. Not everyone was a shifter. Most creatures were not, but still, it was hard not to wonder. He’d been surprised a number of times to find out that someone he raninto on and off the job, turned out to be one. Nothing surprised him anymore.

“I’ll take…a Citra pale ale,” Ari said, making his selection.

“Very good, sir.” The bartender nodded at Ari before turning to Eoghan. “And what can I get for you, sir?”

Eoghan smiled. “I’ll have the same, thank you.”

“Absolutely.” He took out frosted mugs and began pulling two golden mugs of ale. He smiled as he set them on the napkins before pushing two menus forward. “We have some delicious appetizers if you’d like. I recommend the crab Rangoon dip which is served with fried wonton chips or the Tuscan white bean hummus with tomato basil and olive tapenades. It’s served with pita bread.” He made a chef’s kiss gesture which Eoghan found charming. There was something so attractive about him. If Ari wasn’t in his life, he might have made a pass at him. But that was a whole other life from the one he was living with his partner, the man he loved.

Ari rubbed his belly and glanced at Eoghan who subtly shook his head. Ari sighed and looked up at the bartender. “We’ll wait for dinner. We have some friends joining us which reminds me, do we have to reserve a table for dinner?”

“I can do that for you. No problem,” Binks said. “How many are in your party and what are your names?”

“That would be great. We have a party of six and you can say it’s in Eoghan’s name,” Ari replied.

Binks smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

Eoghan picked up his ale and took a long sip as he watched the man walk away. When he turned back to Ari, he was frowning, and he swallowed hard, pulling his beer away from his mouth. “What?”

“You were checking that guy out, Eoghan,” Ari replied.

Eoghan shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly checking him out. I was kind of trying to figure out if he was a shifter or not,” he said quietly.

Ari snorted, grinning as he picked up his own ale and took a long sip. “Ooh, that’s good.” He looked back at Eoghan. “You know, not everyone is a shifter.”

“I know that,” he said, “still, don’t you do that sometimes? If someone has characteristics which remind you of an animal, don’t you try to figure out what kind of animals they are in shifted form?”

“Yeah, I do. All the time actually,” Ari replied.

It was true. Knowing they shared the planet with so many creatures of this world and not of this world made it especially difficult to ignore those thoughts. Then, there were other times when he’d never know someone was a shifter. If he hadn’t known what Rana was, he wouldn’t have guessed what shifter she was from looking at her. Although her terrifyingly odd-shifted tongue would have quickly given him an idea. Since starting this job, he often looked at someone who had heavy jowls or a large midsection and wondered whether they could be a walrus or a hippo or something.

“So, if the bartender were a shifter, what kind would he be?” Ari asked.