He chuckled and shook his head. “Tonight’s fine. I didn't have anything planned.”
I checked my watch. It was a little early for dinner, and I wasn't thrilled that we were in two separate cars. “How about this? What if I follow you back to your place and you can leave your car there. I'll bring you back home at the end of the night.” My wolf whined but I shushed him. Rushing Elton would only make him run.
He gave me a skeptical look. “I feel like you want to drive so I can't leave.”
I put my hand over my heart. “I swear on my wolf I will take you home the instant you ask.”
He nodded. “Okay, thank you.” We exchanged phone numbers, and he texted me the address of his apartment building and his unit number.
I followed him all the way there without us getting separated by traffic. I'd been willing to let him go up to his apartment alone if he needed a minute to himself, but he invited me up with him. “I just need to feed Gomez.”
“You have a dog?”
“No, I have a cat.”
I hoped the cat liked dogs, or at least dog-like people. We'd never had a cat in the packhouse before.
Elton lived in a second-floor walk-up. The building was old and smelled fairly musty, but the carpet in the hallway didn't have any stains, and none of the neighbors were terribly loud by human standards. “Come on in. I have to warn you, it's not much.” He held the door open for me to go in ahead of him. The place was small, a one bedroom with an open kitchen and living room. The furniture was mismatched and old. Probably thrift store finds, but he’d put some thought into choosing the pieces, as they all worked together. The vibe was comfortable and welcoming. Colorful throw blankets were draped over the drab upholstery of the small couch and single armchair. He didn’t have a dining table, but instead he used the space for a huge antique desk, which would be beautiful if it was stripped andrefinished. Framed photographs, mostly candid shots of people, hung on the walls.
“I like it. It feels homey.”
He eyed me as if trying to evaluate whether I was lying or not. “Thanks. I don't have a lot of spare cash to decorate, what with my schooling and medical bills.” He pointed at the desk. “I found that at a garage sale last month. I’m hoping to put it in my therapy office when I get one.”
I knew better than to touch the topic of his medical expenses. We’d discuss them after he got to know me better. “You’re studying to be a therapist?”
He put his keys on the kitchen table next to a big wooden bowl filled with a bunch of different kinds of balls. “I've finished my classwork, but I’ve still got a couple hundred supervised clinical hours left before I can sit for my license exam.”
“That’s impressive.” I hoped I hadn’t sounded distracted, but I couldn’t make sense of the bowl of balls. There was a baseball, a golf ball, one of those stress balls you squeezed, a Magic 8 Ball, a little crocheted ball, a ball of rubber bands, and more. “Um, what’s with all the balls?”
He laughed. “My brother gave them to me after I had my first testicle removed. He said he didn’t want me to run out of balls.”
I grinned, but he seemed a little melancholy. Then shook himself and looked around the apartment before calling, “Gomez!” The cat did not appear. He shrugged. “He's probably hiding in the bedroom. I don't have a ton of visitors so he can be a little skittish.”
My wolf and I both wanted to ask several questions about what visitors Eltondidhave, but I hadn't earned that conversation.
He opened a cabinet and pulled out a can of cat food. Next he got a bowl out of a different cabinet and popped open the lid of the can. “This’ll bring him running.” He dumped the contents of the can into the bowl and added some water from the sink. He put it down on a placemat on the floor near the kitchen table, where the cat already had bowls of water and dry kibble.
I heard the brush of fur against the wall, and when I turned my head, a sleek black cat slunk into the room from the bedroom doorway. He froze, and I stayed still as he examined me. Dismissing me as a threat, he dashed across the living room before skidding to a stop in front of the bowl of canned food. The cat stuck his head in the bowl and started practically gulping down the food, only smacking his teeth together occasionally. Purring filled the room.
“Does he always eat like that?”
Elton chuckled as he rinsed out the cat food can. “Only with the wet food. He's not starving, I promise.”
“No, I see he has other food.”
Elton rinsed his hands. “Let me get changed really quick. Are we going anywhere I need to dress up for?”
“No. Casual is fine. I'm not going to change.” If I'd been by myself, I definitely would’ve. Everyone in the pack knew what I'd been doing today, but I didn't necessarily want them to smell it on me. But I wasn't about to leave Elton alone for the time it’d take to shower and change clothes.
He went into the bedroom, and I walked over to look at the balls. Wolves weren’t dogs. We didn’t play fetch, no matter what jokes some of my pack members made, but balls in general were fun for anyone to play with. I snickered to myself at my mental innuendo, then winced, thinking of Elton’s impending surgery.
I picked up what I thought was a handball. It had a nice heft to it. I put it back and lifted the Magic 8 Ball. Automatically, I shook it. Might as well ask.Will Elton agree to be my mate?
When I stopped shaking the ball, I held my breath as the answer appeared.Cannot predict now.
Well, shit. My wolf growled in irritation, and I tried to pretend I hadn’t been putting any weight on the outcome. “Shh. It’s just a kid’s toy.”
I turned my attention to the cat, who was finishing his meal. The purring slowed, and he sat down and washed his face in between covert glances in my direction. I crouched down and held out my hand. I’d never ask Elton to give up his beloved pet, but it’d be a whole lot easier on our mating if I could make friends with the beast.
