Chapter 2
two
R ox ran his fingers through his hair, then pulled some of it back into a messy ponytail so it was out of his face. It was a look that worked best with some smudgy eyeliner. He hesitated, then erred on the side of fuck it. He might as well find out on the first night what the town was like.
He grabbed his jacket and pulled it on, which ruined the effect of the mesh undershirt and T-shirt, but he wasn’t freezing his ass off to look good. Six years ago, he totally would’ve. He gave the room a quick once over to make sure there was nothing obvious to steal sitting out, then grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys and headed out.
The bar promised to cater to all and had live music on Friday and Saturday nights. He wasn’t sure a town of this size had a dedicated gay bar, and he wasn’t sure if this was the more touristy one or the one the locals used.
The only other bar he’d found in walking distance had been a sports bar that boasted about its TVs, which was not his scene. He wanted a meal and a drink and to suss out the vibe of the town. That was all.
Maybe see if he got any hits on an app…
Although he wasn’t sure he could be bothered after a six-hour drive. Collapsing into bed, spread out like a starfish until his alarm woke him, had an undeniable appeal.
The sidewalk was busier than he’d expected, with people moving between venues and talking with their friends. He drew in a breath at the sight of several obvious not-humans. Monsters . They really were everywhere in the portal towns. He glanced away before he was accused of staring, even though he wanted to stare.
Actual, real life, reach out and touch them, monsters.
What a fucking rush.
While he’d done a bit of reading about the monster towns, he didn’t know much about monsters. There were the usual doom-sayers, claiming that monsters would take jobs, eat children, and steal women, but most people who lived around them didn’t seem to have a problem.
He pushed open the bar door and stepped inside. The air was warm and smelled of chips and beer, and too many perfumes and colognes. There were people at the bar and sitting in booths eating. The hum of chatter blended with the music.
He glanced around until he saw an empty table that must have been recently vacated from the pile of plates and sat. For a couple of seconds, that was all he did.
“Let me clean that up.” The waitress gathered up the plates. “I’ll be back in a moment to wipe the table and take your order. There’s a menu there.” She nodded to the end of the table, where a pot of cutlery and napkins sat.
“Thanks.” He scooted along and grabbed the menu, scanning the prices and wondering how long until he got his first paycheck. Sure, there was a little left in his bank account, but not enough to splash out. He’d bugged out of town one too many times.
This time, he needed to stick it out, if only to rebuild his cushion.
Besides, he was qualified to do the job, and it paid better than cleaning and waiting or serving beers. And the town had monsters.
Those two things should be enough to keep him in one place for a bit. If only so he had some stories to tell.
Some that didn’t involve scars.
“Are you waiting for anyone?” The waitress ran her cloth over the table.
“No, just me. I can move if you need this table–”
“You’re fine. What can I get you?”
“Chicken burger.” It came with fries and salad, so it was a decent meal.
“And to drink?” She gave him a list of beers on tap, and he chose the local one. Because why not?
Then he was left on his own to people-watch. Monster watch. There was a big, hairy guy behind the bar. He must be seven feet tall. Most people in the bar weren’t giving the monster much attention. They must be used to seeing him. Which meant he felt as though he was staring simply by looking around.
He felt as though he was the only person sitting alone.
Even if that were true, it didn’t matter. He was used to being on his own.
The waitress returned and placed his drink on a coaster.
“Thanks.”
He took a sip, not sure what to expect, but it wasn’t bad. As he went to put it down, he stopped. The logo on the coaster caught his eye.
Monster Match.
He’d heard about it and laughed about it along with others when it was discussed. Who’d want to hook-up with a monster, right? That was weird. LOL.
But now he was in town and seeing monsters in the flesh for the first time, it might be fun to hook-up with one.
It would certainly be a story.
And if he didn’t take the chance now, when else was he going to?
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, typed in the app details, and downloaded it. Then he needed to answer questions he’d never considered.
What was he looking for? A friend, romance, sex, or kinky sex?
Wasn’t sex with a monster already kinky? Or was he boring?
Why wasn’t there an anything option? He could make friends if he tried…if he stuck around. He used other apps for sex if an uncomplicated, no-strings fuck was all he wanted. But it might be his only chance to hook-up with a monster.
His finger hovered over romance. He liked the idea of more, but people left. They couldn’t be relied on, and what was the point in giving his heart up only to have it thrown back at him?
Fine. Sex it was. That was easy, and he knew what he was doing.
Well, he did with humans.
Next was a list of questions, and he needed to come up with a name…and not the one he usually used.
He started typing, then deleted it as it was stupid. He tried again.
I_can_drive_a_stick
That was just as stupid and very un-subtle, but he couldn’t think of anything else. Fine, it’s not like he needed to do anything. He was curious. Exploring options.
He was pretty sure he’d said much the same the first time he’d gotten his hands in another guy’s pants and driven his first stick. He’d never tried anything else after.
His burger arrived, and he ate as he filled out all the information. He even found a half-decent selfie that he’d taken about a month ago.
Profile complete.
Now what?
He chewed on a fry, waiting for matches to pop up. Nothing. Ah well, the app had kept him entertained for a bit and made him think about what he wanted and liked. Knowing what he didn’t want and didn’t like only went so far.
Which is why he’d been on his own for the last six months.
Before that, he’d been folding up his mother’s life with no room for anything but grief. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. She’d put off holidays and such, always thinking she’d have later to enjoy the things she wanted to do. That was one of the reasons he’d packed up and left. The other was the way all the memories were too sharp. It didn’t matter which way he turned—he got cut.
His mother wouldn’t be checking out the monsters from behind her beer glass. She’d be talking to them and wanting their life story. And because she’d been that kind of person, they’d tell her. She liked people…and she’d ended up with him. He’d been the weird loner at school, more interested in pulling things apart to see how they worked than hanging out with the jock and cheerleaders.
Together, they’d made a good team.
His phone pinged. He had a match.
So, some algorithm had matched his data to a monster’s. Given that he wasn’t sure about some of his answers, he didn’t trust the accuracy of it, but he was curious to see who he’d been matched with.
His username was Whitehorse. The photo was of a man—no, a kelpie—according to his profile. Whatever the fuck that was. He had skin like moonlight, and ears like… Oh, a kelpie was a horse shifter. He had horse ears. His hair was also white, with streaks of green. Were they natural?
Wait, if he was a horse shifter, was he hung like a horse?
Was his junk normal or…monstrous?
He’d only drank one beer. Not nearly enough for this kind of thing. He put his phone on the table and concentrated on finishing his fries until it pinged again.
Who—and what—had he been matched with this time?
But it wasn’t another match.
Whitehorse had sent him a nudge, as if aware that Rox had viewed his profile.