Page 11 of Same Thing

“Ew, don’t say it like that.”

“Boinking—”

“No,” he said sternly, but she didn’t miss it. A smile was tugging at the corners of his masculine lips, and now he was leaning back into the chair, relaxing a bit as the tension left him. “Why are you shaking?” he asked.

“Because I told Jackson off. That was the first time I have ever done something like that. I feel bad.”

“You feel bad about setting a boundary? Woman, you’re going to have to toughen up.”

“I’m not the toughen-up type. I’m the quiet, everyone-can-walk-on-me, I’ll-do-it-myself-and-never-complain type of person.

He nodded thoughtfully, then pulled his sunglasses off his face. His eyes were back to the blue color that at least could pass for human.

“I heard what you said earlier. About me telling you I wore contacts. Why did you tell your friend that?”

Nory glanced at Alese, but she was busy talking to a guy she’d been interested in for a few weeks. “Well, Alese would tell people.”

“And you won’t?”

Nory shrugged. “If you wanted people to know, I feel like you are the type of man who would tell them yourself.”

He nodded slowly, gaze glued to her. “You’re interesting, Nory. For a human.” He said the last part quietly and with a wicked little smile on his lips.

“I’ve heard about the chaos and violence,” she whispered. “I’m really not tough. I can’t handle that stuff.”

“Well, lucky for you I get big protective instincts for submissives.”

“Oh. Am I a submissive?” she asked.

“If you were a wolf, you would be at the bottom of the Pack.”

Well, that sounded terrible. “Are you really a werewolf?” she asked in a whisper.

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just wearing contacts.” He winked and ordered a beer for himself from Hannah, who had just asked if they were doing all right.

“Is your family going to be upset that the blind date didn’t work out?”

Liam shrugged. “That’s a problem for tomorrow.”

She huffed a giggle and scooted her chair closer to the bar. “That is going to be my new motto. That’s a problem for tomorrow.”

“Do you cook often?” he asked.

“Unless I have leftovers, I cook most nights. I like it.”

“What do you like about it?”

And Nory thought about it. Really thought about it. “Cooking makes my mind go quiet.”

Liam nodded and took a sip of the beer Hannah put in front of him.

“What makes your mind go quiet?” she asked after a few quiet seconds.

“Hunting.”

His answer lifted the fine hairs on her forearms.

“Hunting what?”