Chapter Eight
Noble
Exhaustion was starting to creep into my being, but I couldn’t say no. My wolf seemed to speak through me—begging me to say yes to him.
He looked me in the eye, which I wasn’t used to. Most people spoke to my scars under the guise of making conversation.
“What would you like?” he asked as we approached the small, locally owned café. The awning extended out from the spot and, while the sun was beginning to rise, it would give me enough shade to stop him from seeing who exactly he’d asked out.
“Oh. A Spanish latte, please. I can…” I reached into the front pocket of my jeans, but in response, I got a stern look. “Okay. Thank you, Oren.”
Something about his name on my tongue felt right. Like it had been hiding inside me, waiting to be spoken.
I tugged at my hoodie, trying to position the hood part in a way that gave my neck and some of my face more coverage. Nothing short of sprinting in the other direction would save me from this encounter but surprisingly, that didn’t scare me as much as it should’ve.
Having Oren see all of me seemed less terrifying than usual.
Interesting.
“Sweet and rich.” His voice interrupted my thoughts. “I smelled the beans roasting from outside.”
I looked up as he set the cup down in front of me. A real cup. Not the paper kind. I hated throwaway cups. Something about them reminded me of that night. Probably because during that time, coffee was the only thing that kept me going with so little calories for my body to pull from. “Huh?”
He smiled. The tilt of his lips told me he’d done it on purpose. Describing the coffee. I got it a moment before he spoke. “The coffee. I’ve actually never heard of a Spanish latte. Strong espresso. Condensed milk. I got one too.”
I nodded. “I hate bitter coffee. I like a bit of coffee with my sugar and milk.”
He sat across from me, took a sip, and smiled. “Whoo! It’s strong but a good choice. I might be wide awake until tomorrow.”
“Sometimes, that’s the plan. So…you walk by here often?” I asked because after this encounter, depending on how it went, I might not ever leave the store by the front entrance again. Or, at least, look out before I did.
Oren huffed out a laugh. I hadn’t touched my coffee, so I took the pause to do so.
It was rich and sweet. Something I could count on.
“This is the first time I’ve walked this route.
I was looking for a bodega to grab a breakfast burger.
I’ve been to all the fancy restaurants in this city but nothing compares to a breakfast burger from a corner store. Nothing.”
“That’s true.”
“I haven’t seen you at Crowned before. Are you a new member?”
I shrugged the non-hiding-my face shoulder. “A few months. How about you?”
“A bit longer, but I don’t go as often as I’d like. You work there? At Dave’s Quickie Mart?”
I was surprised he said it with no judgment. Most people looked down on those who worked minimum-wage jobs. I was once judgmental, too. But now I got it. Simple tasks. Straightforward work. Same paycheck every week. It worked. “Yes. The night shift.”
“Nice. I bet you see some characters at night.”
Buddy, I am one of the characters. “Sometimes. Weekdays are the worst. Some people think the weekends, but that’s not so. How about you?”
“I’m a lawyer. I’ve known every kind of person there is.”
None like me.
The sun rose in the sky. It was scary for me, taking this risk of him being able to see my whole face.
It was a date killer. Not that I’d been on a date since the accident. I hadn’t. Who in the fuck would ask me out like this?
No one.
Goddess, he was gorgeous. Broad shoulders. Dark eyes. Kissable jaw. Shiny hair. There was something about him. Controlled movements. Well-chosen words. Disciplined. He was almost John Wick. Without the killing. Almost.
“What kind of movies do you watch? Books?”
I snorted. This was first-date territory but I knew better. I was almost suspicious of his questions. “Movies? Mostly zombies. Monsters. Horror.” If he got the irony, he didn’t show it. “How about you?”
“I like all kinds of movies. Documentaries are my favorite. I love to learn.”
One more thing we didn’t have in common, the first one being he was beautiful and I was…me.
My wolf spoke from that place in my consciousness. He was saying things I ignored. The more I ignored them, the louder he became. Saying things he shouldn’t. Things that couldn’t possibly be true.
“And books?” I played along, watching the sun rise every second. Couldn’t the damned thing stay still…just for today?
“I love any kind of book. All of them. I could read a romance as easily as a science fiction or a historical novel.”
“Even the law books?” I asked.
“No. Those law books are a drain on any brain. I don’t care how genius they are.”
I laughed. First time I’d done that in…I couldn’t remember how long.
Oren pulled up his sleeve and groaned at what he saw on his watch. “I really have to go but…do you know when the next time you’ll be at Crowned?”
“I don’t.” That was a lie.
He looked torn. About what I was eager to find out but I didn’t want to ask.
He had to go, and I had to leave before he really saw me.
“Here.” He reached into his suit and pulled out a business card and a pen from the other side.
He scribbled on the other side. “This is my private number. Please call me if you would like to meet up again. Day or night. I’d like to get to know you better. ”
I would love to get to know this alpha more. Love it. I slipped the card into my pocket and left with a goodbye, claiming I needed sleep.
I did. But after that coffee, it would be a while before sleep came.
What I really needed was to hide. From him. From him discovering what I was beyond the mask. In the light. In the day.
These scars had me living like a fucking vampire. At least they had handsome on their side, most of the time.