Tommy.
“Hey, it’s you!” he says, pointing at me like I just walked into a trap instead of an ice cream shop.
The kid is grinning like a total idiot, too, which immediately makes me suspicious.
“Who is that?” another voice asks.
I shift my gaze—and that’s when I see him.
Male.
Single.
Older than Tommy.
Not by a ton, but enough.
Broader shoulders.
Sharper eyes.
Standing behind the counter like he belongs there.
My Tiger doesn’t like him.
Like not at all.
There’s a low, dangerous rumble in my chest before I can stop it.
Unmated male.
Close to my mate.
Too damn close.
Now, I can brush Tommy off. Kid’s barely out of high school, still smells like sugar and sunscreen.
But this one?
This one’s a problem.
“That's the Tiger, bro,” Tommy says, way too loudly. “Came in here growling ‘mine’—remember I told you?”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
The other guy smirks.
“Oh, you’re the one who’s been after Hadley, right? All the emails and texts she had me block?”
My vision goes a little red around the edges.
Because one—there are no humans in here right now.
And two—I’m about two seconds away from reaching across that counter and rearranging his face.
“That’s right. Hadley’s my mate,” I say, voice low. Dangerous. “Now, who the hell are you?”
He doesn’t even flinch.
