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Theo
It would be almost humorous how Tristan is acting around Rebby if she didn’t have me so wound up. After that glance of hers when Arlin held her, then her wearing my t-shirt all morning, no wonder I wanted her. My wolf is almost demanding her, which is odd. He usually stays in the background when it comes to romance, well except for Brittany and that was total revulsion. Remember to listen to the wolf.
Pulling into the diner, I notice that a few of the same cars are there from this morning. “Tristan, do those cars look familiar?” I ask him.
“How should I know? I was in a coffee-neglect coma. You know I can’t comprehend anything until I have my coffee.” He scowls at the cars.
“What about when we left? Nothing?” I ask. I can feel Rebby tensing up next to me. I pat her leg. “It’s probably paranoia, don’t worry.”
“Not worried. Just...it’s been a long time since I was with people.” Rebby bites her lip.
“Let’s go eat. I bet you have some kind of craving after all this time without real food,” Tristan says, climbing out of the truck and offering her his hand.
“I would have asked for a big juicy cheeseburger, but ever since I was changed I have wanted to eat vegetables.” She makes a face. “I never would have pegged me as a vegetarian. I loved a nice rare steak or juicy burger.” She sighs wistfully.
“Well that does make sense. By appearance your dominant animals seem to be a moth, bunny and some 6-legged caterpillar. All are vegetarians,” Tristan replies. “So, I guess you will want a salad.”
We walk into the restaurant and the first thing I notice are two shifters sitting at the bar. Their scent hits me like a ton of bricks⸺earthy, chemically and something else I haven’t met. “Let’s get a table in the back corner,” I suggest. “I like to be able to see who is coming and going.”
As soon as we sit down, the waitress from this morning comes over with three tall glasses of ice-cold water. “Back again? What are two nice guys like you doing out here this time of year?”
“Hiking,” I say as Tristan says, “Camping.”
Glaring at him, I clear my throat. “We are doing both. I had heard that the woods around here had some great trails for hiking. Thought we would try them out before the tourists hit the area.”
“Well, you must be hungry then if you are hiking. Know what you want?” The menus are set into the table, a thick piece of glass over them.
“I will have two double burgers and some fries,” I say. Tristan asks for the same. Rebby looks at the menu and bites her lip.
“Rebby, order what you want.” I smile at her.
“I can’t decide. I kinda want to try the veggie burger, but a salad sounds good too.”
“Get both,” Tristan says. “What you don’t eat we will.”
Rebby looks from Tristan to me then nods her head. “I’ll have the loaded veggie burger and the house salad, please, with Italian dressing.”
“I’ll get those in for you.” The waitress sashays her hips as she walks back to the grill. “You know she wants you guys, right?” Rebby says.
“No, she doesn’t.” I tell her, a blush making my cheeks feel warm. “She just is nice and we always leave a decent tip.”
Rebby take a sip of her water, lips pursed around the straw. My adam’s apple bobs as my mouth dries up. Grabbing my glass, I drink half the contents down. I see amusement in Rebby’s eyes.
“Yeah, she does. And if looks could kill, I would be a pile of ashes.”
“What do you mean?” Tristan asks.
“She thinks that the three of us are together. Bad enough that I take one hot guy, but two... No way.” Rebby sits back and watches us.
“Three of us?” I grab my water again, only to find it is empty. When did that happen? More important, she thinks we are hot. We have nothing on her.
“Scandalous, isn’t it?”
I have to force myself to loosen my grip on the glass. In a quiet voice, one that wouldn’t travel beyond the table, I say, “That’s not how shifters work. We’re monogamous.”
“Are you? Have you studied natural wolves? Only the alpha male and alpha female mate. But sometimes the alpha female chooses to have more than one mate.” Rebby clasps her hands in front of her.
I shake my head, my eyes looking everywhere but at her and Tristan. Is this how a deer feels when caught in headlights? “I don’t think that’s true.” I mouth, “There are others who can hear us.”
“I don’t know what freak you guys are into, but I never learned how to lip read or any of that shit,” Rebby says, her voice low, a smile playing on her lips.
“Um, it doesn’t really matter does it? We just met and have more important things to deal with, right?” Tristan swallows thickly.
Rebby just smiles and takes a sip of her water.