Page 21 of Gray

That seemed to amuse him a little. He set his phone aside and regarded me with interest. “I came here for business.”

“Hunter business?”

“Yes.”

“But you’re done now?”

“I think so.” His russet eyes didn’t leave my face. The intense gaze made me feel all funny on the inside. A good funny. “So you live here in Echo Bay?”

“Yep. I’ve been here for a long time. Have you ordered yet?” I grabbed the menu off the edge of the table and flipped through it.

“Not yet,” he answered, watching me. “I just got here.”

“We can eat breakfast together, then. Whatcha want? Waffles sound good. Oh. Look at this.” I pointed to a selection on the menu that could feed a family of four. Or be a normal-sized meal for Raiden. “Eggs, bacon, sausage links, pancakes,andtoast. I like grape jelly with mine. You can get fruit too. Yummy.”

Mason cocked his head a bit. “Can you eat all that?”

“I can try.”

Finally, his composure slipped, and his lips twitched with a smile. “I thought you wanted waffles.”

“Right! Hmm.” I tapped a finger on the tabletop. “How about I get the waffles, and you get this. Then I can steal some bacon off your plate.”

“Are you like this with everyone you meet?”

“What do you mean?”

“So forward. You don’t even know me, but you’re chatting away like we’re best buds.”

Our conversation paused as the waitress came over to ask what I wanted to drink. I ordered a glass of orange juice. She took our food orders too—I got waffles, and he chose eggs and bacon.

“I make friends easily,” I told Mason once we were alone again. “I love talking to people.”

“Oh, I’ve gathered that.”

A pang hit my heart as something occurred to me. “Am I annoying you?”

It wouldn’t be the first time. Although I got sleepy a lot, I had bursts of hyperactivity that could be too much for some people to handle. My rambling mouth and mind that jumped from one topic to another didn’t help either.

“Not at all.” That smile returned. It was soft. “You fascinate me.”

“I do?” I sat up a bit straighter. “You fascinate me too. It’s not often I meet humans who know about my world, ya know? It’s cool. And you hunt monsters. Even cooler.”

“Maybe keep your voice down,” Mason said, his gaze flickering to the tables around us. “Monster hunting isn’t exactly a topic most humans would understand.”

“Did you know monster fucking is really popular?” I whispered. “Like humans who fantasize about banging shifters and stuff like that. Tentacle porn. Fucking a werewolf so they can experience the knotting.”

“I… I didn’t know that. Interesting.” He cleared his throat.

“Was that weird for me to say? I don’t have much of a filter.”

Mason smiled as he broke eye contact. “Maybe a little weird. But it’s not a bad thing.”

“Okay, good. How are you holding up after the fight the other night? I see the cut on your cheek looks better.” I had wanted to heal it for him that night, but he probably would’ve freaked out.

“I’m doing good. What about you? You passed out during the fight.”

“I’m okay. I get sleepy a lot.”