“You just pushed me, for God’s sake.”
“That was not a push. You want to see a goddamn push?” Caleb bent at the waist and rushed forward, his shoulder hitting Hunter in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him as he shuffled backward to avoid falling on his ass.
Hunter grabbed his friend by the shoulders and lifted a knee right into Caleb’s chest.
Caleb reeled backward, arms flailing as he tried to catch his breath. “Fuck you.”
“No thanks,” Hunter taunted, unable to stop himself. “I found someone else for that job.” He took another swing, hitting Caleb in the chin.
Caleb’s face turned red with fury as he charged forward again. He never made it though. Instead, he suddenly stopped dead at the exact moment Hunter inhaled the scent of his mate.
Caleb spun in the same direction as Hunter, obviously catching the same essence in the air.
Fuck, Hunter thought the split second he had no choice but to admit they had both met the same woman today.
And then he saw her and stopped breathing. Not because he didn’t expect her to be approaching. That part was a given. What rocked his world was the fact that there were two of her.
“Fuck me,” Caleb whispered as he stepped closer to Hunter, so close their shoulders brushed. “Twins.”
“Jesus.” Hunter’s gaze honed in on the sister in the skintight black dress and heels. Even though the two women were still several car lengths away, approaching from the back of the parking lot, he knew exactly which of these identical twins was his destiny.
My God they were similar. Not in style. That was for sure. But if they were both naked, he doubted anyone could tell them apart. Not that he’d ever probably see the one in black pants naked in this lifetime, nor would he ever let anyone see his woman naked either, but still.
Hunter’s tongue was tied. He couldn’t find his voice at all.
The same must have been true for Caleb because he’d also gone mute.
The two women were watching them, both frowning, a look he decided was adorable and would probably be the death of him in the future. As they got closer, they gave Caleb and Hunter a wide berth and kept going, entering the bar while both men spun around to watch them disappear.
“Apparently we were both right,” Caleb pointed out unnecessarily.
“I guess so.”
The crowd, which had gathered around the entrance, dispersed, probably no longer interested since it would seem the fighting portion of tonight’s entertainment was over.
“They are so damn similar.”
“Identical,” Hunter agreed. “Though we won’t have any trouble telling them apart.”
“Nope. That’s for sure.”
Hunter turned toward his friend and grinned, their ridiculous fight all but forgotten. “I claim the one in the dress,” he joked.
Caleb rubbed his jaw. “Good idea, unless you want me to hit you again.”
Hunter chuckled. “I’m pretty sure I’m the one who got two punches in. You fight like a sissy.”
Caleb groaned. “I don’t fight at all, asshole. You started this.”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “You want to stand out here all night arguing? Or should we go inside and stake our claim before someone else does?”
The wide eyes on Caleb’s face followed by hasty steps toward the entrance was all the response Hunter got. Two seconds later, they were back inside, scanning the room, both of them inhaling long and slow.
It took seconds to scent the women at the exact table Hunter and Caleb had vacated. Royce had cleared away the empty bottles and wiped the table top.
“They have no idea,” Caleb murmured.
Hunter agreed. These women either didn’t have the ability to scent their mates, or Hunter and Caleb were being played masterfully. Hunter was betting on the former.
Without consulting Caleb, he approached the women. He had no idea what he was going to say, but he wasn’t going to waste another moment.
Hunter’s attention was focused on the woman in the tight dress, loving the way it rose up her thighs now that she was sitting. Her tanned legs went on forever. Her calves were sexy as fuck in those damn heels. He already knew she was a runner, so he wasn’t surprised she had muscular legs.
Long unruly curls haloed her face and hung down her back. When she turned to face him, she cocked her head to one side. “Hey. I saw you while I was jogging earlier, didn’t I?”
He nodded. “You did.” He extended a hand, beyond pleased she wasn’t blowing him off. “Hunter.” He couldn’t be sure how hard he might have to work for this woman. If she knew nothing about how mating worked, it could take a while. If she knew nothing about the existence of shifters, it could take even longer.
There weren’t many non-shifters these days who either hadn’t heard of shifters or denied their existence for one reason or another, but it happened from time to time.
The smile that spread across this woman’s face nearly made his knees buckle. When she set her small hand in his, an electrical tingle raced up his arm and warmed his entire body. “Layla,” she purred.
“Layla…” He tried it out on his tongue and loved it. “That’s beautiful.” And so are you. He couldn’t take his gaze off her.
She giggled. “Thank you.” Her hand was still in his. He was reluctant to release her. If he had his way, he would never stop touching her from this moment forward. Might not be practical, but it seemed like a solid plan from where he stood.
All his life he’d heard other shifters speak about what this moment would be like. Nothing anyone had said prepared him for the onslaught of emotions welling up inside him. Let alone the stiffness of his cock that he instinctively knew would not be abated anytime soon.
He had no idea what the two women were doing in town, but he didn’t want to ask either. If she said they were just passing through, he might lose the loose grip he had on his sanity. He’d leave that question for later.
He cleared his throat. “I already know you can run. Can you dance?” He felt like an idiot. That was the cheesiest line he’d ever used on a woman.
She rolled her eyes. “Is that the best line you can come up with?”
The smile that spread across his face was genuine. He liked her already. Convenient really. She wasn’t going to make his life easy. Ever. And he loved it. He shrugged. “I could probably come up with a few others, but I’m not sure they would be better.”
When she returned the smile, the world stopped spinning. Please, God, make it so that I get to see that smile every day for the rest of my life.
Shifters believed that Fate was the woman who moved everyone around like puppets on a string. She had long ago determined when and where Hunter would meet his mate. He believed that with every fiber of his being. And here he was. Fulfilling his destiny. Or at least laying the groundwork.
Layla glanced at her sister for a split second. The other woman wasn’t paying attention though. She was currently being wooed by Caleb.
“I promise to return you to the table after a dance. Don’t worry.” He wanted her to feel comfortable with him. No matter how badly his wolf screamed to get her out of this bar and back to his house where he could fully claim her in his bed, that wasn’t going to be an option. Not immediately anyway. He had a lot of explaining to do before he could get that sexy dress off her body.