Page 15

Barely resisting the urge, he let go of her hand and cleared his throat. “It’s nice to meet you. I’d like to buy you and your companion a drink if I could.”

“No need, we’re cheap dates,” she answered, giving the dog a little kiss on the top of the head. “We’re both drinking water.”

Carter didn’t like that at all. She should have something fancy and tasty. “I can see why Babette needs to stick to water. I’ve heard she can’t handle her alcohol, but I’m sure you could have something.”

She blushed a little and ducked her head. “Um, I guess I could stay for a drink.” She leaned closer to him and whispered, “Zander’s been really nice about letting us sit here even though I can’t buy anything. He even opened all these bottles of water. He’s really nice.”

Her bright, sincere eyes made Carter’s heart melt.

Although she’d whispered, and Zan had moved down the bar a little to pull something out of a fridge under the counter, Carter knew the cat shifter had heard her. Zan’s head popped up, and his expression was clearly worried. He might’ve suspected she was having money problems, but that little comment confirmed it.

“Zan always gives free drinks to the first customer of the day,” Carter said as Zan moved a little further away and startedtapping on his cell. “Zan hates to be alone so you’re doing him a favor by coming in early and hanging out. Can I tell you a secret?”

Mila nodded, looking serious. “Of course.”

Carter did his best to keep a straight face. “Zan’s a scaredy cat. Totally afraid to be by himself.”

She stared at him with wide eyes, then they narrowed in suspicion. “You’re making that up.”

“Only a little,” Carter admitted with a grin, making her laugh. “Now let me buy you a drink. We could also order dinner. There’s a diner only a few blocks away with great food. They deliver here.”

“Zander’s okay with that?” Mila asked.

“He’s the one who started it,” Carter said. He pulled out his phone and started texting Jesse, one of the wolves who ran The Pack House. The Lobo Gris pack owned and ran several small restaurants and bars. They were one of the most successful packs Carter had ever met.

For half a second, Carter had thought about trying to join the pack, but they already had too many alphas. Then he met Gio and everything changed.

“You want any food Zan?” Carter asked the cat shifter.

“Skyler and Mason will be coming down soon,” Zan said. “If you’re messaging Jesse or Will, ask for the Skyler and Mason combo, they’ll know what it is.”

“What about you, darling?” Carter asked, looking down at Mila.

She bit her lip and hugged Babette to her chest. The dog wriggled and whined a little, making her loosen her grip and apologize to the small creature under her breath.

“Are you okay, Mila?” Carter asked.

“I can’t pay for it,” she explained. “And it doesn’t feel right to let you buy me food. We don’t even know each other.”

“People go on dates all the time,” Carter pointed out. “They don’t know each other and still buy each other food.”

She shook her head. “This isn’t a date.”

He didn’t even hesitate. “It could be.”

Two things happened: Mila blushed, and Carter felt how important that statement was. He wanted to take this woman out on a date.

Wolves, especially alpha wolves, weren’t very interested in sex until they met their mate. The second he’d touched Gio, he was sure that the vampire was his mate. He never expected to find another mate. It wasn’t uncommon for wolves to have several mates, he just never thought he’d be that lucky.

Babette made another little whiny sound, breaking the silence between them.

“I think she needs to go outside for a moment,” Mila said, dropping her gaze to the dog. “I’ll, um, be right back.”

Swinging around, she slid off the stool and moved to the door. Unwilling to let her out of his sight, Carter went to follow, but suddenly Zan was leaning over the counter and grabbing his arm to keep him there.

“Be honest with me?” the cat asked. His words weren’t angry or aggressive, only cautious. “You showed up when Anatoly and I first opened this place but never came back. Why are you here today?”

There was no reason to lie now. “I came to meet Skyler. I thought she might like to join Gio’s flock.”