Chapter Two
Colton couldn’t believe the shy human was his mate.
As Zack walked away, Colton’s gaze zeroed in on the guy’s ass.
Nice.
From the kitchen pass, Axel barked for table six’s check, and Zack moved with a frazzled energy Colton found endearing. He took a slow drink of coffee, finally dragging his attention away from his mate’s backside.
By the time Zack dropped the check at Colton’s booth, the breakfast rush had thinned out.
“Three,” Zack said, tapping the edge of his order pad against the table. “If you stand me up, I will take it very personally and probably make up some dramatic story.”
Colton smirked. “Not my style.”
“I don’t know that.” Zack smiled, but there was a tightness to it.
“I’ll be here.”
His mate just stared at him. Bright blue eyes full of hope that Colton kept his word. “Okay,” his finally said. “I believe you. But just so you know, if I have to eat it alone, I’ll be forced to flirt with my ice cream.”
There wasn’t a chance in hell he would ghost Zack. Fate gave preternatural only one mate, and Colton didn’t plan on disappointing his.
“Sounds…terrible.”
“You understand my burden.” Zack straightened. “See you at three, Colton.”
Say my name a hundred more times.
After paying, Colton headed out. Warm afternoon air hit him the second he stepped outside. Traffic moved at a lazy pace down Main, and the sidewalk had that baked-stone smell the town got on bright days. Plenty of time between now and three. Not much chance of him doing anything useful with it.
He spent the next hour and a half trying and failing to act like a man who had not just found his mate in a diner while the mate in question had nearly delivered fictional breakfast to a random customer. Life had a smug sense of humor.
At ten till three Colton was back, anxious to see Zack again.
Hash It Out’s front windows caught the light, turning the glass pale gold.
Inside, the diner looked calmer than it had earlier.
A few booths held late lunch stragglers.
Axel stood near the register going over something with Jace, broad shoulders filling half the space around the wolf shifter.
From where Colton waited just outside, he could hear the muted clatter of dishes and catch the smell of grilling meat and onions every time the door opened.
Zack came into view carrying a bus tub against one slim hip. Colton tracked his every move. His mate disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared two minutes later without the tub, then checked another table, smoothed a hand over the front of his shirt, and glanced toward the door.
His entire face brightened when he spotted Colton through the window.
That did strange things to a man’s insides.
A second later Zack pushed through the door into the warmth outside, apron untied and wadded in one hand. “You came back.”
Colton looked down at him. “You sound surprised.”
“I’m a waiter.” Zack stuffed the apron into a tote bag slung over one shoulder. “Half my life is people promising they’ll be right back and then vanishing forever.”
“Harsh.” And a little too precise. Had someone important abandon his mate or simply failed to keep their word?
“Accurate.” A pause. “Also, hi.”
“Hi.” Colton grinned.
Close up, Zack looked a little tired around the eyes, but happy enough to make up for it.
His dark hair was mussed from the shift, blue eyes clear, mouth made for sin.
Compact enough that Colton had the overwhelming urge to pick him up into his arms. Not a thought he needed at three in the afternoon on a public sidewalk.
Axel cracked the door open behind them. “You clocked out?”
Zack twisted around. “Yes, Dad.”
Axel snorted. “You wish I was your dad.”
“You wish you had a son as fabulous as me,” Zack playfully shot back.
His boss’s gaze slid to Colton, taking his measure in one glance. Muscled, tall, and not especially subtle about either. “You the ice cream guy?”
His mate must’ve been talking about him. That made Colton want to preen. “Yeah.”
“You fellas have fun.” Axel glanced between them, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Not too much fun.” He ducked back inside the diner.
Zack stared at the closed door. “I’m twenty-six.”
“He contains jokes,” Colton said.
“He contains opinions. Endless, protein-powered opinions.” Zack adjusted the strap of his bag and started down the sidewalk. “Come on, before I decide I’m too sweaty for public consumption.”
“You look fine.” As Colton slowly walked, his gaze swept lazily over his mate’s tempting body.
Zack shot him a look. “That was either very smooth or deeply suspicious.”
“Little of both.” A soft, deep purr rumbled through Colton’s chest, a sound he hadn’t meant to make. His panther had forced it out.
Zack’s face flamed, making it obvious he’d heard the sound. “Honesty. Bold strategy.” He nodded as if he approved. Whether it was for the purr or Colton’s answer was a mystery.
Second Scoops sat two blocks down, painted mint green with a striped awning and a chalkboard sign shaped like a cone.
Sweet cream and waffle cone hit Colton before they reached the door.
Inside, the air was cooler, carrying vanilla, chocolate, strawberries, sugar.
A glass case curved along one wall, metal tubs bright under the lights in every color nature had never approved.
Zack stepped up beside him and inhaled like he’d entered a church. “See, this is what I mean. This is sacred.”
Colton arched a brow. “You take ice cream seriously.”
“I take very few things seriously. Ice cream is one of them.” Zack pointed through the glass. “Mint chip is elite. Chocolate is dependable. Strawberry gets unfairly judged. Cookie dough is for people who fear commitment.”
Folding his arms, Colton grinned. “Vanilla.”
With a gasp, Zack slowly turned his gorgeous head. “I’m sorry?”
“Vanilla.”
It was hilarious how offended Zack seemed. His lips were parted, brows raised, and his fingertips were pressed against his chest. “That is not a favorite flavor. That’s a tragic surrender.”
“It’s classic.” Colton shrugged, immensely enjoying their banter. His mate flicked his hand while rolling his eyes. Fuck ice cream. Colton wanted to lick Zack instead.
“It’s bland.”
Colton’s groin rubbed against Zack’s shapely ass when he moved aside for some teenagers. He trapped the hiss in his throat and forced out, “It lets the quality speak.”
Zack reached back and playfully swatted Colton’s hip, acting as if they stood this intimately on a regular basis. “It says you looked at thirty flavors and decided you wanted frozen milk with ambition issues.”
A laugh caught Colton before he bothered stopping it. “You talk like this all the time?”
“Yes. Some find it exhausting.” Zack leaned closer to the case, studying the labels, leaving the spot against Colton cold. “Tell me you at least have a respectable second choice.”
“Coffee.”
That earned him a thoughtful look. “All right. Annoying, but an option I can respect.”
“And mint chip tastes like toothpaste,” Colton pointed out just to see his mate react dramatically. He was already learning the guy.
Zack clutched one hand to his heart. “Now you’re just trying to hurt me.”
“You started it.” It didn’t matter to Colton how many people in line moved past them. He was enjoying the banter with his mate. They could stand there for the rest of the day for all he cared.
“With taste and conviction.” Zack huffed, clearly scandalized on principle. “Mint chip is refreshing. It has texture. It has personality.”
Colton touched Zack’s elbow and gently moved him closer when a gaggle of teenagers joined the line. Before he dropped his hand, he slid his fingers down Zack’s arm. “It tastes like brushing your teeth after dessert.”
“That is slander.” Zack glared at him, lips twitching from fighting a smile. The human was too perfect.