Page 195 of His Hungry Wolf

“We should get this over with,” I told him before getting dressed.

“You’re not gonna buy new clothes?”

“These are fine. I just want to get out of here,” I said leading him away.

Leaving the general store and crossing to the diner, we entered finding that it wasn’t as empty as the night before. There was a greying couple at one of the tables, and a balding, creepy-looking man sitting in the corner picking at his food with his fingers.

“I’ll be right with you,” the stout cook said from the kitchen.

We took our previous booth and sat scanning for signs of the busboy. Neither of us saw any. The cook appeared to be doing everything by himself. And when he handed us our menus he added, “Tonight we’re out of everything but the chicken dinner, the burger, hotdogs, and I have some pie left.”

“I’ll take the chicken dinner,” Cage said not looking at the menu.

“Fried or baked.”

“Baked.”

“Fries or mashed potatoes?”

“Mashed potatoes. And a Coke.”

“I’ll get the same with fries, thanks,” I told him.

The man took our menus and got us our Cokes. After, he went to the kitchen and started preparing everything.

“Why give us the menus if he’s out of half of what’s on it?” Cage asked me with a smile.

“Habit?” I said wondering the same thing.

“I guess. Although, it looks like this place has been here a while and it’s the only option in town. I don’t think anyone else here needs the menu to know what they want,” Cage pointed out.

“True,” I agreed. “I don’t know.”

“By the way, how are you feeling?” Cage asked squinting his eyes at me.

“I’m okay. But I’m still a little cold.”

“Really?” Cage asked reaching across the table.

I grunted my reluctance to hold hands here after what had happened the night before.

“No. I won’t let you get self-conscious about us showing affection in public. If I was with a girl, no one would think anything about it. I’m not gonna act differently because you’re a guy.”

I relaxed my crossed-arms and he took my hands.

“Quin, I’m proud to be with you. I want everyone here to know that I got you and they didn’t. If they have a problem with the fact that we’re two guys, then they could meet me outside. But I won’t let it change us. I’ll fight for that,” he said lifting my hands to his lips and kissing them.”

My heart thumbed hearing his declaration. How could he be so confident being with me? How was Cage, a guy who had only dated women until me, more comfortable showing his affection in public than two men who have been madly in love with each other for twenty years?

Although I couldn’t explain it, knowing the difference made Cage that much more irresistible. He was everything I could ever want in a guy. It didn’t matter whether he was a dragon shifter or a human.

The only thing that gave me any pause was what he said about wanting to settle down and raise a family? I mean, that sounded incredible. And the idea of creating a family with him felt wonderful and right.

But, I couldn’t escape who I was or what I needed to do. I had to find a cure from being a wolf shifter. I could only do that in a genetics lab. And that meant moving back to New York and working with my dad after I graduated. I couldn’t live in a small town like this.

Pushing that out of my mind, I focused on something more immediate.

“I don’t think Nero is here tonight,” I told Cage.