Chapter Three #2
Impressive. There was something attractive to her about a man who could handle big machinery.
Her phone vibrated with a text, and when she checked it, her sigh turned to a growl.
Strange, because the growl wasn’t really her thing.
It tickled her throat whenever it happened because she just wasn’t used to it.
Her mom had texted her, I really don’t like this.
My instincts tell me you shouldn’t be anywhere near a Cat. You know how they are.
Ren pursed her lips as she speed-typed, If you don’t ease up, I’m going to invite him to Uncle Ronnie’s wedding this weekend as my plus-one. Send.
I forbid it! came the instant reply.
“Let me guess,” Mars murmured. “Your mom?”
“She thinks you’re dangerous.”
“She would be right,” he uttered. She could hear the truth in his tone, and she studied his handsome profile.
“Why aren’t you paired up yet?” she asked.
He looked surprised by the question, and shook his head, denying her an answer. He got out and she pushed open the door and nearly plummeted to the earth trying to escape the cab of his jacked-up truck. “It’s just I feel like your tires are the height of me,” she teased.
He snorted. “Here, hand me your phone.”
“I’m not giving you my phone.”
“To take a picture of you by the tire,” he said patiently.
“Oh. Right.”
She hid a smile as she handed the phone over and posed by his bigass back tire. It really was humongous. She did a few poses as he took pictures of her, and then said, “You know what they say about a man who drives a big truck.”
“I have a small dick,” he deadpanned.
The smile fell from her face. “Oh. Um. Is it a medical condition or something?”
He belted out a laugh and handed her phone back on the picture he’d just taken of her mortified face she was making next to his truck. She snorted. “That is atrocious. I’m posting it.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Yeah. I make it a point to only post stupid pictures of myself. I only have like four friends on my page, and it’ll surprise them zero percent.”
“Huh. That’s cool. So, who is Uncle Ronnie and what time is the wedding?”
“Ew, Mars. Did you go through my phone?”
“Your mom texted something like she’s calling the police and the text thread accidentally opened.”
“Accidentally, huh? Well, she probably won’t call the police. She’s just dramatic sometimes.”
Mars held open the door to the restaurant and waited for her to pass through. “So, Ronnie is your mom’s brother?”
“Mmm, you told me yesterday to not tell you any personal information, remember? Besides, it’s not fair that I have to answer all of your questions, but you don’t answer mine.”
He blew out a breath and told the host they needed a table for two. Then as she was gathering the menus, he turned and said, “What question?”
“Why aren’t you paired up already?”
He narrowed those glowing blue eyes at her. “I’m not exactly good boyfriend material.”
“Oh, you’re fuckboy?” she asked, scrunching up her face.
“This way,” the hostess said, leading them toward the back of the small restaurant.
Ren smiled brightly and followed her, swinging her arms while he followed behind her and asked, “What does a fuckboy mean?”
“Oh, they’re these really hot guys who know how to trick girls into thinking they’re so cool and they get what they want from them and then dump the girl and move to the next.”
“Okay.” He sounded confused and smiled politely at the hostess as he pulled out a chair.
“What are you doing?” Ren asked as he just stood there, with his hands on the back of a chair.
“Pulling out a chair for you?”
She exchanged glances with the hostess, who looked surprised, but also a little mushy.
“Right,” she murmured as she sat down in his offered chair. He pushed it in on her way down smoothly and the placement of the chair was perfect, like he’d done it a hundred times before.
Her suspicions were growing. “Were you raised with sisters too? Or just brothers?”
“Brothers,” he muttered, pouring the glass container of water into the glass in front of her. Oh, he was smooth.
“And your mother wasn’t close to you, but she taught you how to be a gentleman?”
“She didn’t teach me anything of value. She only taught me what not to do.”
“Oh. Well, that’s kind of sad.”
“I haven’t lived a sad life. I’m fine.” There was a defensive edge to his voice.
“I didn’t mean to make assumptions,” she said softly. “Just trying to get to know you and—”
“You think I’m hot.” He said it like a statement, not a question.
Shocked, she froze, mid sip of her water. Slowly, she set it down and clasped her hands in front of her on the table. This was the danger zone. “What makes you say that?”
“You said fuckboys are really hot guys.”
“And that was your only take-away from that entire description?”
“Look, lady. It’s been a minute since I’ve been thrown a compliment. Can you just repeat it so I can feel a molecule of serotonin?”
She cleared her throat primly. “As if you don’t know what you look like, yes. I find you attractive. Mildly.”
“You lied on the last word.”
“Goshdangit!” She’d forgotten for a second that he was a Cat. She was getting way too used to those glowing blue eyes of his. “I find you hot. Yes.”
He ducked his chin slightly. “Thank you. You’re hot too.” Truth. “Now we can both have serotonin.”
“I don’t know if my serotonin comes from words of affirmation.”
“I don’t know your psychobabble. I’m just pretty sure girls like compliments like guys do.”
“Well, this is new to me because I’ve never been around a guy who fishes for compliments.”
“Forget it,” he gritted out. Were his cheeks turning red? Had someone convinced him he wasn’t attractive?
Okay, he was interesting. “Of course you are good looking, Mars,” she said softly.
“Look at you. Dark hair, blue eyes, chiseled jaw. Perfect beard stubble. Tall and muscular. You look like a model. You look out of everyone’s league.
You hold doors open and pull chairs out and give compliments without a woman asking.
Of course you are attractive.” Now her cheeks were burning and she ducked her gaze to the menu and busied herself pretending she knew how to read a single word on this laminated piece of card stock.
“Do you know what a Rabbit is?” he asked, eyes trained on his menu.
“Yeah? Long ears, fluffy little tale. Breaks into people’s houses and puts Easter baskets on tables for little kids. Why?”
His icy blue eyes found hers, and a slight frown drew his dark brows down. “No, I mean a Rabbit.”
“Is this like drug terminology or something? I don’t do drugs.”
He chewed on the corner of his lip and seemed to want to say more, but instead, he asked, “Have you eaten here before?”
“A ton of times. It’s walking distance from the shop.
Sometimes I even meet my Uncle Ronnie here for lunch.
” She grinned. “My mom’s brother. Yes. My dad was a no-show in my life.
I never met him, but my uncle was always around.
He even coached my little league softball team when I was growing up.
He went to the father daughter dances and everything. ”
“You don’t know your dad at all?”
“Chhh, my mom barely knew my dad. He blew into town, swept her off her feet for a night, and blew right back out of town, and never came back.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmured.
“I’m not.” She scanned the menu, debating between her two favorite entrees here.
“I turned out fine and I don’t have the curiosity.
Most people do. I just never had it. I wasn’t interested in tracking him down, I didn’t want to know him.
He bounced before I was even born. That’s all I needed to know. ”
Mars rested his hands in front of his mouth and studied her. “I don’t know which one would be harder. Never knowing a dad or knowing one and he ends up being a piece.”
“A piece?”
“A piece of shit.”
She huffed a laugh. “I would bet money that mine was both absent and also a piece.”
“Is your mom still mad at him?”
“She pops off about him every once in a while, but I think she healed from that one-night stand a long time ago. She’s dating someone nice. They’ve been together for years and she’s happy enough. My dad didn’t ruin her whole life,” she said with a wink.
“I like that you aren’t crying over it,” he said. “I wouldn’t know what to do with tears.”
“Tough guy?” she asked.
He shrugged and poured water into his own glass. “I don’t know what I am. I remember the before, you know?”
“The before?”
“Before I was Turned. I was more emotional in my reactions. I felt things differently. I felt…well I felt everything. I was young, I get that, but then I got the animal and all of a sudden everything was dull.”
“Is it still dull?” This was so interesting to her.
He chewed the corner of his lip and ripped up a piece of his napkin. “I think so. I’m starting to forget. It’s been a long time.” He shrugged and looked around. “I don’t know why I’m talking about this out here in public.” He shook his head, looking confused.
“I don’t mind,” she assured him.
The waitress approached and introduced herself as Sasha, and then took their orders. When she walked away, Mars asked, “How was it for you?”
She took a sip of her water and asked, “How was what?”
“Do you remember how you were before you were Turned?”
She froze, not wanting to think about this part. Steady. “I don’t remember myself before I was…this.”
“It happened young?”
She nodded. “Really young.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry. Who did it to you?”