I sat up and pushed him down, taking him into my mouth and returning the favor.
Later, we slept in each other’s arms. Did that mean something to him? It did to me. But Griffith said nothing, and the next morning, I didn’t know what to say. I ordered room service, and we ate in companionable silence, but I needed more.
I was afraid. Afraid to lose him when I’d just found him. Afraid he’d think that me just passing through the city meant this was a one-time thing.
When he was showering, I quickly wrote on the hotel notepad and popped it into his pocket. On it, I put my phone number and a quick request.
I don’t want this to end. Please meet me tonight at Animals. If you’re there, I’ll know it was meant to be. Yours if you wish it, Falkan.
Chapter Four
Griffith
Having the best night of my life after the worst day of my life had my head spinning.
Confusion reigned since I had always expected the person in my life to be an omega, and while I had no objection to fooling around with an alpha, I would have expected it to be just that. A fun time, with pleasure enjoyed by all, and then a friendly goodbye.
In fact, I’d never spent the night before.
Afterward, I should have gotten up and gone home, but I didn’t. Instead, I curled into him, breathing the warm, clean scent of his skin and feeling the strength of his arms around me. We had a nice breakfast, too, but neither one of us said anything about meeting again. Maybe that was for the best. He’d made me feel so much better, and even if there was nothing more between us, I wanted to show my gratitude.
He’d fed me twice. Alphas were so used to being the person who took care of things; being cared for was quite a change in my experience. And the hotel food was so good. Falkan ordered enough for five shifters. Croissants and danish, omelets and bacon…hotcakes…coffee and juice. And somehow we managed to make it all disappear. He would not hear of my paying my share, insisting he had plenty in his hoard for “some toast and jelly.” I ate slowly, not wanting our time together to end, but finally I excused myself to take a shower. Then I was in the elevator, and my night with a dragon was officially over. I shouldn’t feel so bereft. We’d just met, and the dragon was passing through town. We’d made a good memory together.
A firm believer that sometimes people came into your life when you needed them and then moved on, I’d always been ableto accept that. Falkan had lifted me from a deep funk, and I’d have to be grateful for that.
Even though nothing had changed long term in my life, I felt ready to take on the future. If I was a valuable employee at my previous company, I could certainly do the same elsewhere. And when I applied, I wouldn’t have to be telling anyone I quit or got fired. It was the fault of upper management or perhaps the economy or something to do with international trade. None of those things made me less employable.
Whistling, I clicked the lock on my car and opened the door, but as I bent down to enter, something fell out of my pocket. I picked it up—a piece of hotel stationary with a phone number. My heart quickened. And a note.
I don’t want this to end. Please meet me tonight at Animals. If you’re there, I’ll know it was meant to be. Yours if you wish it, Falkan.
Before I even turned on the engine, I sent him a text.
Eight o’clock okay?
He replied,See you then.
We hadn’t exactly gotten up early, so it was nearly noon when I got home, but the day still stretched out before me, with nothing to do until evening. Oh, I could start looking for work, but I wanted to take a few days to catch my breath before plunging in. A quick check of my bank account showed I’d received not only my final salary payment but all the piled-up vacation I hadn’t taken. I would take at least a week of that time and enjoy myself for once. Not go too crazy, but I could relax and hopefully spend some time with my new dragon friend.
It helped to pass the time that we texted back and forth. I offered to pick Falkan up, and he agreed. He suggested picking up a light dinner before we went, which changed our meeting time to six thirty. We agreed to dress casually. We decided to try to get in a shift outside of Animals. Little, short texts, but everytime my phone buzzed and lit up, I got a little excited. Finally, it was time to get ready and then I pulled up outside the hotel.
Would we be awkward?
“You’re right on time!” Falkan already had the door open and was sliding into the passenger seat. “I’m hungry, too. Did you have anywhere in mind?”
“You suggested casual, so I thought maybe a diner? There’s also a taco truck lot not far out of our way, if you would prefer that?”
He stretched his long legs out and leaned back. “Let’s do tacos. By a lot, you mean several food trucks?”
“And stands. It’s really popular on the weekends, and late nights, but we should be okay.”
As it turned out, it was busy, but not insanely so, and we were even able to sit at one of the folding tables while we devoured a half dozen tacos each and a Jarrito orange soda to wash them down. I’d been here dozens of times, but watching Falkan enjoy the food and the experience made it so much better.
Animals, on the other hand, was jumping. The bar was surrounded by a crowd at least six deep, and there wasn’t an empty table in the house. “Griffith,” he asked as the crowd milled around us, “want to shift now? We can have a drink after.”
“I don’t care about a drink, but my bear is pushing to get out.” Grabbing his hand, I threaded through the people, heading for a side door that would get us to the area out back. “This is as busy as I’ve ever seen it. I hope it’s not packed with animals out on the hillside.”
By the time we got outside, we’d heard enough chatter to know why it was mobbed. A well-known band was going to perform, and everyone wanted to hear them. Which meant, the outside area held few others, and we had a modicum of privacyto shift together for the second time. And the first time after we spent the night together.
