Chapter Five
Despite the loud roar of the engine, twice now Ash had heard the unmistakable growl of Danny’s stomach. At the next turn, he veered left, heading toward Mama Lou’s. It was a weathered roadside diner he’d been frequenting for the past two decades.
The place had survived three owners and two renovations, but the food was always worth the trip. The smell hit him before the faded blue sign came into view—greasy burgers, juicy steaks, and a light note of Mama Lou’s famous lemon meringue pie.
Ash throttled down, the bike purring as he pulled into the packed dirt lot, navigating between dusty pickups and family sedans.
Someone had even wedged an ancient Winnebago behind the squat concrete building.
Every parking space seemed taken, every table inside likely full.
Finally, he found a spot near the back of the diner.
“Thank god,” Danny groaned as they parked. “I was five seconds away from dramatically passing out from starvation.”
Cutting the engine, Ash savored the pleasant weight of Danny against his back for a moment longer before it disappeared. “Princess.”
“Only if I touch my forehead with the back of my hand.” His mate dismounted with unsteady legs, his fingers finding purchase on Ash's shoulder then arm before gripping the bike for balance. “Why do my legs feel so wobbly?”
“First ride’ll do that, newbie.” Ash swung off the bike, feeling oddly complete as he watched Danny struggle with the helmet. “Want me to carry you, sweetheart?” He wiggled his brows.
Danny paused and stared up at him. “Why do I have a feeling you’d actually do it?” He fumbled with his helmet strap, fingers slipping on the clasp.
“Because I would. Hold still,” he murmured, gently moving Danny’s hands away.
When the helmet came free, Danny’s face relaxed into a sigh. “God, that breeze feels so amazing.”
Ash ran his palm over his mate’s flattened hair, missing the spikes but loving the softness.
“Your spikes went flat.” He traced the shape where one should be.
“I like them, but this is nice too.” He didn’t add that he’d never seen anything more perfect.
The goth look suited Danny, but more than that, he liked that his mate was unapologetically exactly who he was.
Danny nibbled his lower lip, stealing a quick glance at Ash. “I’m not used to being myself.”
“For what it’s worth, I like who you are.
” Ash set aside the helmet and brushed his thumb across Danny’s cheek.
His eyes softened as he studied his mate, searching for something beyond the nervous flickers and practiced smiles.
He wanted to wrap his arms around this man who seemed both fragile and fierce, to shelter him without caging him.
Whatever storms had weathered Danny, Ash found himself wanting to be the calm after.
They headed toward the door when his mate’s stomach growled once again.
Weathered vinyl booths lined both walls, most already occupied by the dinner crowd.
Grease hung thick in the air, mixing with coffee and something cinnamon-sweet that made Ash’s mouth water.
A waitress with tired eyes and orthopedic shoes squeezed past them, balancing four plates that steamed with meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
“Two?” another waitress asked, not even pausing for an answer. She just grabbed menus from the hostess stand and headed toward the back corner.
Following her through the narrow aisle, Ash kept his hand light on Danny’s lower back, guiding him past tables crowded with families and truckers hunched over their meals. Country music played from speakers mounted in corners, competing with the clatter of dishes and overlapping conversations.
They slid into opposite sides of the booth, vinyl protesting under Ash’s weight. Danny immediately opened his menu, but his eyes kept darting around the diner, taking in the yellowed photographs on the walls, the pie case by the register, and the cook visible through the service window.
“So.” Ash leaned back, studying how the fluorescent lights caught the blue in Danny’s eyes, making them seem almost mythical, like a wood nymph who’d snuck out to cause mischief. “How’d you like your first ride?”
Those enchanting blue eyes brightened, his hands moving as he spoke.
“Okay, so at first I thought I was going to die.” He gestured wildly, nearly knocking over the salt shaker.
“Like, legitimately thought my obituary would say ‘death by motorcycle terror.’ But then…” His hands spread wide.
“Then my body suddenly relaxed. The speed, the way everything just rushed past, how the engine felt like this living thing underneath us…”
That smile. God, that smile would be Ash’s undoing. He found himself leaning forward, drawn in by his mate’s genuine enthusiasm. This was the Danny he wanted to get to know. This was the version of his mate who felt safe enough in Ash’s presence to be himself.
“And the curves!” Danny’s voice pitched higher, as if he could barely contain his excitement.
“When we leaned into them, I thought physics would just give up and dump us on the asphalt, but it didn’t.
It was like flying but better because—” He stopped mid-gesture, his features sobering as he glanced out the window. “Sorry. I’m rambling.”
“I don’t mind. I like listening to you.” Watching Danny light up, seeing him drop his guard without realizing what he’d done, made Ash’s bear softly growl in contentment. Made him want to take this beautiful human on every road in the state just to see the way joy lit up his eyes.
“Well, well. Ashley Michael Brennan.”
Ash looked up to find Mama Lou herself standing beside their table, all four-foot-eleven of her, silver hair pinned back in her signature beehive. Her eyes crinkled with genuine warmth as she set down two water glasses.
“Been a good minute since you graced me with your presence.” She swatted his shoulder good-naturedly with her order pad. “You cheating on me with another diner?”
“Never. I made a commitment to your cooking, and I’m a faithful eater.” Ash caught her weathered hand, squeezing gently. “Mama Lou, this is Danny. Danny, meet the woman who’s half responsible for half my weight. Damn woman makes food too good to resist.”
Not true. She had nothing to do with Ash’s size, but it never hurt to praise a woman for her hard work.
He seriously couldn’t resist anything she made.
A year ago Ash had stopped in with an appetite from hell and damn near wiped out her inventory.
As hard as her staff had worked to bring him dish after dish, Ash had left a generous tip to let them know how much he’d appreciated what they’d done for him.
And Danny wasn’t just some rando he’d brought to his favorite diner. The cinnamon roll was his. His mate. His to show off with pride.
“Aren’t you just the cutest thing.” Mama Lou’s sharp gaze accessed him. Danny’s eyeliner, the chains, the way his fingers played with his napkin. Her smile grew softer. “Welcome to my place, Danny. I hope you enjoy your time here.”
Danny’s fingers ripped apart the napkin faster, and Ash could feel his leg bouncing under the table. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Ma’am.” Mama Lo’s smile widened. “You have lovely manners. You better not let this one get away, Ash.”
If she only knew. “That’s entirely up to him, but I’m really hoping he keeps me.” Ash winked at his mate when Danny whipped his head around to stare strangely at him.
“Then you better show him you’re worth keeping.” She pulled out her pen. “Now, what can I get you boys?”
Ash wasn’t going to pretend to be anyone but himself.
If he wanted to see the real Danny, his mate deserved the same respect.
Bears were fierce, loved to cuddle, gentle when necessary and deadly when threatened.
Glen should consider himself lucky Ash hadn’t wanted to frighten his mate.
But he would revoke Glen’s breathing privileges if the man-whore came anywhere near Danny again.
The guy had so many notches on his bedpost, it would be surprising if he had a headboard left.
“Double bacon cheeseburger, extra pickles,” Ash said when he remembered he’d been asked a question. “Sweet potato fries and the pacemaker burrito with double the atomic hot sauce.”
Danny shot him a worried look before scanning the options. “The club sandwich with regular fries and not a drop of that hot sauce. I’m on a no-melting-my-organs diet this week. Is the pie good, or does it come with a warning label?”
Damn. His mate was going to make Ash fall fast and hard with that brand of humor. Dry but funny as hell.
Mama Lou laughed out loud. “My pie could make a preacher curse.” She winked.
“Because of the hot sauce?” Danny frowned, but Ash could see his mate was fighting a smile.
“Only the sinners get those slices. I’ll bring you a regular piece of chocolate cream. On the house for brightening my day.”
After she bustled away, Danny fidgeted with his water glass, condensation making his fingers slick. “She’s joking, right?” He glanced toward the counter. “Please tell me she doesn’t really put hot sauce on pie.”
“No, she doesn’t.” Ash stretched his legs under the table, his knee brushing Danny’s. “Come here with my brothers sometimes. She’s good people.”
“Brothers?” Danny perked up. “How many?”
“Two. Warren and Aiden. Both pains in my ass.” Affection bled through despite his words. “Warren’s the youngest. Thinks he knows everything about everything. Aiden's the middle child, acts like it too. Always getting into trouble then charming his way out.”
Danny laughed, the sound bright in the dim diner. “And you’re the responsible oldest?”
“Someone had to be.” Memories surfaced—teaching Warren to tie his shoes, bailing Aiden out of detention, making sure they had food when their parents worked late. “What about you? Siblings?”
“One sister. Laura. She’s...” Danny’s expression went soft. “She’s basically sunshine in a bottle. Always checking on me, making sure I’m eating enough, but still somehow managing to be a pesky sibling.”
The protective note in Danny’s voice when he talked about his sister made something in Ash’s gut tighten. Family meant everything to him too.
“Sounds like my kind of person.” He took a sip of water, watching his mate over the rim. “Maybe I’ll meet her sometime.”
“Maybe.” Danny’s voice grew quiet, almost wary. Like he wasn’t sure they should be talking about meeting family when this was only their second date. Ash wouldn’t rush him. He’d prefer to keep his brothers away from Danny for now.
They were good men but a bit much. Their lively personalities might make Danny question his relationship choices.
But Ash would be his last dating choice.
Not that he would become overbearing. Whether Danny knew why he felt so drawn to Ash, he felt the pull.
That’s why his mate kept seeking him out.
And why things felt so easy between them, regardless of whatever trauma his honey bear was hiding. Ash would give him safe space to be himself, to let Danny blossom instead of wither. To drop those walls and trust Ash to protect him.
Their food arrived in a cloud of steam and grease, Mama Lou setting down plates with practiced ease. Danny’s eyes went wide at the triple-decker sandwich spilling over with turkey and bacon.
“Enjoy, boys.”
After she left, Danny picked up a fry, examining it like it held secrets. “Do you come here a lot?”
“Couple times a month.” Ash bit into his burger, savoring the familiar taste. “More when I need to think. Something about the drive clears my head.”
Danny cocked his head like a curious bird. “What do you think about?”
Everything. Nothing. You. “Business stuff. Family drama. Whether the Bears have a shot this year.”
Hint dropped. Pun intended.
Danny took a bite of his sandwich and made a sound that shot straight to Ash’s cock. Low and appreciative, his eyes fluttering closed as he chewed.
Jesus. If Danny made sounds like that over a sandwich, what would he sound like when Ash claimed him? He couldn’t wait to find out. It was taking great restraint not to pull his mate across the table and end him over, pounding that tight little ass as Danny begged for more.
Sit. Now Ash had a boner. Thank fuck the table hid it.
“Oh my god.” Danny covered his mouth, still chewing. “This is insane. How is a sandwich this good?”
Don’t you dare turn that filthy.
“Mama Lou doesn’t believe in doing anything halfway.” Ash forced his mind away from his guttural thoughts, focusing on his fries. “Wait until you try the pie.”
His mate checked over his shoulder like he was afraid she’d pop up out of nowhere. “Swear there’s no hot sauce in it. I don’t have an iron gut like you.”
“I might joke around, but I’d never lie to you, honey bear, especially about something that would harm you.
” Ash was taking a chance with the sauce, but it elevated the pacemaker burrito to new heights.
Without it, he was just eating a bacon-loaded wrap.
Not that he had to worry about clogged arteries.
It was the Scoville rating that had the potential of knocking him on his ass.
“Okay.” Danny gave a slight nod. “I believe you.”
They ate in comfortable quiet for a while, Danny occasionally making those little pleased noises that were slowly killing Ash. His mate attacked the sandwich with enthusiasm, a drop of mayo catching on his lip. Ash’s fingers twitched with the need to reach over and wipe it away.
To lean across the table and lick it off.
“You’re staring.” He chewed as he stared right back.
“Incredible view.” No point in denying it.
“The sandwich is more interesting than me.” His mate took another bite but chewed more slowly this time.
Like hell. Ash could watch him eat for hours. Watch him do anything, really. The way his throat moved when he swallowed. How he licked salt from his fingers. The satisfied sigh he made between bites. It was like watching someone discover joy for the first time.
Mama Lou was giving him her recipe.
“Tell me something…” Ash needed a distraction before he really did drag Danny across the table. “What’s your favorite movie?”
“Besides Harry Potter?” Danny grinned around a fry. “Which I still haven’t seen all of, by the way.”
“Easy fix.”
“I like horror movies.” Danny ducked his head. “The cheesier the better. Like, terrible special effects, plots that make no sense, dialogue written by someone who’s never had an actual conversation.” He grinned. “So bad it’s good.”
“Friday the 13th bad or Sharknado bad?”
An evil smile formed on Dannys face. “Halloween Resurrection.”
Ash hissed. “You came out swinging.”
“Yes I did.” Danny laughed. “Isaac and I have this tradition. Every Halloween we marathon the worst ones we can find. Last year we watched something called Zombie Strippers, and I’m pretty sure it gave us brain damage.”
Ash never wanted their meal to end. “Sounds like quality entertainment.”
“It was terrible. Like impressively terrible.” Danny’s hands moved as he talked, painting pictures in the air. “There was this scene where—”
Their conversation flowed easy, swapping stories about movies and music and Danny’s theory that all cats were secretly plotting world domination.
Ash found himself laughing more than he had in months, drawn in by Danny’s animated storytelling and the way his whole face lit up when he talked about things he loved.
The pie arrived as Danny was describing a customer who’d tried to return a watermelon because it was “too wet inside.” Mama Lou set down a slice that could've fed three people, chocolate cream piled high enough to qualify as architecture.
Danny’s fork hovered over the massive slice. “I’m so full, but...” He took a bite and softly moaned, eyes rolling back, his whole body going slack with pleasure.
Ash gripped his glass of soda hard enough to shatter it. That goddamn sound. Christ, it would haunt him. Would replay in his dreams until he heard as his mate writhed naked under him.
“You have got to try this.” Danny held out his fork, chocolate cream clinging to the tines.
Leaning forward, Ash let his mate feed him, their eyes locked as sweetness exploded across his tongue. Danny’s breath hitched, fork trembling slightly.
“Good?” His voice came out breathy.
“Better than perfect.” He slid his tongue over the tines once more, only slower this time. “I love eating cream.”
Danny’s lips slightly parted, a small squeak escaping.
Without breaking eye contact, he scooped another forkful and fed it to Ash, who turned a bite of pie into an arrestable offense.
By the time the plate was clean, Ash had a hard-on from hell and Danny was panting so heavily he could’ve fogged up every window in the diner.
“Ready to ditch this place?” Ash slid his tongue over his lower lip to catch a drop of cream.
“Uh-huh.” His mate slid out of the booth so fast Ash thought for sure he’d hit the floor. But he didn’t. Danny caught himself and headed straight for the door.
“He’s as red as a beet,” Mama Lou said from beside Ash, a smirk on her face. “Wonder what made him fly out of here.”
Ash glanced down at her, his smile never wavering. “I really enjoy our friendship, Lou.”
Her grin faded, wariness creeping in. “Loud and clear, Ash.”
As much as he adored her, if she’d caused his mate to experience even an ounce of embarrassment because of his arousal, Ash would have no qualms about never stepping foot in this pace again.
His mate’s excitement wasn’t something to mock, even good-natured. It was beautiful, and Ash wouldn’t have it diminished for someone’s throw-away joke. He’d known Lou for over twenty years, but she’d come dangerously close to severing their friendship today.