He snorted and opened his door. “Please tell me you have a blanket in the back.”
“I have a Carhartt jacket,” she said. “That’s even better.”
He was already opening the back of her little hatchback car and rifling through the supplies she always kept back there.
He pulled out her jacket and also a blanket she’d completely forgotten she kept back there. It had probably been hiding back there for a year. Maybe more.
Food bag in his other hand, he shut the back and waited for her to catch up, his elbow offered to her to hold onto as they trekked across the icy pavement.
She bundled up as they got there while he dusted off her seat, and when they were settled, he wrapped his ankles on either side of hers under the table. “I missed this,” he uttered as he pulled food out.
“Missed me?”
“Yeah. And before you go pointing out that I barely know you, I am aware. I’ve been fighting with myself for days reminding myself of that. My wolf doesn’t care.”
“I know about mating bonds,” she said low.
His bright blue eyes flashed to her, and back down to his task, unwrapping the prime rib sandwiches. “And you think that’s what this is?”
“I think you will tell me what this is when the time is right.”
“The time won’t make any sense to you.”
“Because I’m a human?”
“Yes.”
“Lots of humans believe in love at first sight.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a romantic then?”
“Yes, and before you tease me for it, you should know I’m a romanticand proud.”
He huffed a chuckle and pushed one of the sandwiches in front of her and poured half of his jalapeño flavored chips onto the sandwich wrapping for her.
“So, you’re going to want what your dad has with your mother?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“The butt pats and hand holding? The mushy shit?”
She shrugged. “It depends on what the man I’m dating is comfortable with.”
“But if it was up to you?”
“I would have that comfort with a man, yes.”
“Was your first mate affectionate?” he asked curiously.
A few weeks ago, she would’ve been shocked by questions about Chance, but as she sat her waiting for the feeling of longing and sadness to fill her, instead, she felt steady reaching for those memories. She wanted someone to know the good.
“He wasn’t a big hand holder, but he was a hugger.” She tried to remember. “We had to sleep apart a lot because it was long hospital stays, but even before then, he was restless at nights so we slept apart most of the time anyway.”
“I don’t know if I could do that,” Dodger said. He took a bite and looked off into the trees behind the gas station thoughtfully. He swallowed. “I know how my animal was the last few days and I never want to feel that again. I think if we do this, even if I tried to stay apart, he would sleepwalk me to you.”
