She laughed again and I swore right then I’d devour the whole basket of fried pickles if I got to keep hearing that sound. “I didn’t get a chance. I don’t even think your butt was all the way on the seat before you dug in.”
I leaned an elbow on the table. “You noticed my butt?”
She rolled her pretty eyes, but that smile was still on her face. “Just figure out what you’re ordering.”
I shrugged and grabbed the laminated menu, using it to hide my dumb smile. It did not go unnoticed by me that she’d didn’t deny noticing my butt. I’d take that as a win any day.
“Hey there. Are y’all ready to order?”
I turned to find a waiter standing at the edge of our table. He had dark hair that was over-styled, and just enough stubble to look like he didn’t care when it was clear he really did. I instantly didn’t like him.
When I realized he hadn’t taken his stupid blue eyes off Callie, I hated him.
“Can I have two double bacon cheeseburgers? One with loaded cheese fries and the other with onion rings. Oh, and a chocolate shake?”
I turned narrowed eyes at Callie, Stubbles the waiter forgotten for a moment. “Are you storing up food for the winter?”
She tipped her head back and laughed loud, the sound making my heart thud again, but this time, I didn’t mind. She was so beautiful in that moment, I wouldn’t have cared if the whole pack heard my pulse pounding.
“Shut up, Wyatt.”
Damn it, I loved the way she said my name.
My eyes were still tracing her face, getting stuck over and over on that little birthmark next to her lips. I wondered if she knew how sexy it was.
“Sir? What’ll you have?”
I dragged my gaze from Callie and focused on the waiter again. His smile seemed to have dimmed a few notches, but I didn’t care.
“I’ll just have what she’s having.”
He nodded once, grabbed our menus and turned to leave, but not before shooting Callie one last grin. “Let me know if you need anything in the meantime.”
I ground my teeth together as Stubbles made his way across the restaurant. When I glanced back at Callie, I found her staring at her phone and not watching the waiter like I had been. It calmed the wolf in me to know she wasn’t paying as much attention to him as he was to her.
“So, a cheeseburger? Really?”
She looked up at me but kept her eyes far away from mine. “What’s wrong with a cheeseburger?”
I sat back in the booth and propped an arm along the back of the seat. Her eyes darted from my chin to my biceps so fast I almost missed it.
My smile got bigger.
“It’s just surprising is all.”
“Why? Because a woman should eat salads and kale and crap? What? Are cheeseburgers too manly for me?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “No, nothing like that. I just figured, you know...” I gestured idiotically with my hand. “You’re all into the environment and drive a Prius and shit. I thought you’d be vegan too. A vegetarian at the very least.”
She rolled her sky-blue eyes and picked up the placemat in front of her. “Everything in this restaurant is locally and responsibly sourced.”
I glanced at the information she was pointed at before focusing on her again. “I shoulda known.”
“Yeah, you should have.”
I chuckled and sat back in my seat again.
“And besides,” she leaned forward and lowered her voice, “I’m a werewolf. Have you ever met a vegan werewolf?”
“No, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you were the first.”
Her lips twitched with a smile as she folded her hands in front of her. “I tried it once. When I was younger.”
“Not surprising.”
“I didn’t even make it a whole twelve hours without bacon.”
A loud laugh shot out of me at her confession, making Callie’s cheeks turn the prettiest shade of pink. It made the birthmark near her lips stand out even more and I clenched my hands into fists to stop myself from reaching out and touching her. I’d been doing a lot of that lately and figured I’d better get used to it.
Chapter 8
Wyatt
“Son of a biscuit!”
A chuckle burst out of me just as fast as the expletive had burst out of her. “Watch your mouth, Callie.”
She narrowed her eyes in my direction before looking back down at her phone. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t know what the Panthers are thinking.”
“The Panthers? You mean the Carolina football team?”
“Of course that’s what I mean. What other Panthers would I be talking about?!”
“You like football?”
“Are your muscles eating away at your brain cells?”
I grinned at her like an idiot. “You noticed my muscles?”
She shook her head, but her lips twitched with a smile of her own. “Two things you need to know about your new pack, Carter. We love the Panthers, and we love Taylor Swift.”
“Taylor Swift?” I asked incredulously.
She nodded, her face serious. “Haven’t you noticed how many of her songs are played at every pack barbecue?”
“I don’t spend much time at the pack barbecues.”
“Why? Think you’re too cool or something?”
The real reason was Wes and I were still not comfortable leaving Mom alone. One of us was always with her, and if we couldn’t be, Beatrice filled in for us. But I wasn’t going there with Callie. I’d barely gotten her to talk to me, I wasn’t going to bring my human mother into the equation so soon into our relationship.
“No, I don’t think I’m too cool. I’ve just got… other things to take care of.”
“Things that are more important than Taylor Swift sing-alongs? I doubt it.”
I laughed again and shook my head. “You’re really serious about this Taylor Swift stuff, huh?”
“Yes, I am. And if you’re going to be a part of this pack you better get on board.”
“I’m willing to give T-Swift a chance, but you won’t catch me rootin’ for the Panthers anytime soon.”
“Ew. What are you a Titans fan?”
I pounded my fist against my chest. “Hell yeah.”
“Ugh. Well, if I were you, I’d keep that to myself. You’re in Panthers country.”
“As long as you’re not rootin’ for the Jaguars, we’re good.”
She scoffed. “And I guess being a Titans fan is better than a Falcons fan.”
I chuckled and shot her a glance. “How’d you know I was a Titans fan, anyway?”
“You’re from Tennessee, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, but how’d you know that?”
“There are no secrets in a pack, Wyatt.”
Oh, but aren’t there?
And I was keeping the biggest one of all.
I had a human living with me on pack lands and I’d been hiding her from the rest of my packmates for months. I knew it’d come out eventually, but Wes and I were still unsure about the reception she’d get and neither of us would ever do anything to jeopardize her safety. But deceiving our pack didn’t sit well with us either.