He nods without hesitation.“Yes.”
Before I can say anything else, Ranger comes back to the table, scoffing as he drops into his seat.“Meat lovers is better,” he mutters.
Blade shakes his head, clearly amused.“Just because you’re a carnivore doesn’t mean we all are.”
Ranger quirks an eyebrow.“I eat fruit, just not on pizza.”
Stash chimes in with, “I’m the only true carnivore.”
Ranger gives him a quick nod.“Only when you’re—” Blade cuts him off with a sharp shake of his head.Ranger pauses, takes a slow sip of his drink, and then continues, “In town.”
Blade nods, but I can’t help but feel as if I’ve missed an inside joke.
I glance between them and then ask Stash, curious, “So you only eat meat at home?”
“Something like that,” Stash replies, his tone cryptic, leaving me with more questions than answers.
With a shrug, I shift my focus back to Blade, my hand instinctively brushing against his leg.“I’ll be right back.I’m just going to the ladies.”
He catches my hand before I can pull away, his fingers warm as they cover mine.“Want me to order you a Hawaiian?”His gaze is steady, and I can see the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
I dig through my purse for my credit card and hand it to him.“Sure.Use this and get yourself something too.”
Blade’s smile widens, and I catch the warmth in his eyes as he nods.I stand, my heart giving a little flutter, and make my way through the bar, heading toward the ladies’ room.
Thankfully, when I push open the door to the ladies’ room, it’s empty.There are only three cubicles, so I pick the one farthest from the door.I take care of what I need to do, then when I step out, I see Tessa from the café standing by the sink, washing her hands.
She catches my eye in the mirror and smiles.“I see you found Blade.”
“I did,” I reply, my voice soft.
“The Kings are all super cute, huge, and so private,” she adds, almost as if she’s weighing her words.
I nod, agreeing with the first two.“Yes to the cute and huge...but I’m not sure about the private part, yet.”
Tessa dries her hands on a paper towel, then looks back at me.“Tell Vex I said hello.”
I raise an eyebrow.“Why don’t you come say hi yourself?”
Tessa tilts her head slightly as if she’s considering it.“I’ve tried before.They all look...”she pauses, searching for the right word, “...annoyed.”
“Really?”I ask, surprised.
“Yeah.”She shrugs.“He’s nice to me when he comes into the café, but outside of it, it’s as though I don’t exist.”
“That’s weird,” I say, frowning at the thought.
“You’re telling me.”She gives me a playful wink as I finish washing and drying my hands.“Have a good night.”
We step out of the bathroom together, and as we pass the men’s room, the grumpy old man from the café walks out.He sneers at us, his eyes narrowing with disdain.
“I see you’re sitting with the Kings.”He spits on the floor right in front of us, making a point of it.“You watch yourself, girlie.They ain’t right.”
Before I can respond, Vex appears, almost out of nowhere, glaring at the man.“Do we have a problem?”
Blade steps up behind Vex, towering over the old guy.The man quickly shakes his head, grumbling as he shoves past them.Blade’s eyes follow him, and Vex meets his gaze, exchanging an unspoken understanding.
Tessa, sensing the shift, says with a forced smile, “Hi, Vex, fancy meeting you here?”
