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Tido smiled, the corners of his lips pulling up into a warm grin that made Kenji's heart flutter. “I thought maybe we could go to dinner early. I’m totally bored.”
“I already got us covered.” Tido moved back as Kenji got out and grabbed the plastic bag. “Thought maybe we could eat at my place or yours. We could chill in the backyard, or I could store the food in the fridge and we could still go to the diner.”
Tido pursed his lips. “Depends on what you got in that bag.”
Now that Kenji knew the human was his mate, he stood there staring down at him, so awestruck that he’d forgotten what his mate had just said. It was easier talking to Tido while he’d been in the SUV. They’d had a door between them.
Kenji had been cool at the ice cream hut because, at the time, he hadn’t known Tido was his mate. Now he was fully aware, and so was his wolf. They were standing there staring at each other, and god, all Kenji wanted to do was pull his mate up into his arms and kiss the hell out of him.
“Kenji?” Tido’s gaze slid from Kenji’s to the bag and then back to Kenji. “What’s in the bag?”
Finally, as if he was fully awakening, Kenji shook himself out of whatever that was and held the bag up. “Fried chicken and French fries.”
And after the phone call from Maceson, he was worried the fries were now cold.
Tido licked his lips, and Kenji inhaled a quiet breath, watching as his mate’s pink tongue glided across his lips. A groan was stuck right there in Kenji’s throat, ready to come charging out, but he held it back by sheer will.
“Want to go inside?”
Tido looked across the street then back at Kenji. “We’ll eat at your place.”
* * * *
“I think another one bites the dust,” Drake said as he and Elijah walked into the Bluebird Café.
“Who’re you talking about?” Ajax asked as he came from around the counter. There were customers seated here and there, a few on the patio out back, but no one seemed to pay Drake any mind.
Every time Drake was near his mate, he wanted to jump Ajax’s bones. He’d felt that way since first meeting his mate, and the attraction hadn’t dissipated one bit.
If Elijah and the customers weren’t there, Drake would have dragged Ajax into the kitchen for some early-afternoon nooky. “Tido.” Drake leaned against the counter, noticing the way Ajax looked him over with hungry eyes.
“Drake thinks Tido and Kenji are mates.” Elijah looked at the lemon meringue pie under the cake dome and licked his lips. “I say he’s reading into things. Maybe they just find each other attractive. Flirting doesn’t necessarily make people mates, Drake.”
“You didn’t see the way Kenji leaned in and sniffed Tido. It was the same way Ajax had sniffed me,” Drake argued. “After his little sniff test, Kenji offered to drive Tido home.”
“They live across the street from each other,” Elijah argued. “Can I get a piece of that pie? I swear to god it looks like clouds are sitting under that dome.”
Ajax walked behind the counter and cut Elijah a slice, handing him the plate. “But if Kenji is sniffing him, this is different,” he said to Elijah. “Do human males go around sniffing each other?”
Elijah smirked. “That depends on where you are and how badly you want that person.”
Drake took the plate Ajax offered him. His mate was always doing that, feeding him. Like Drake’s waistline needed any more damn sweets. Still, he wasn’t going to pass up a slice of pie.
“Seriously.” Ajax crossed his arms as he watched Drake and Elijah take a bite of the pie. Drake moaned.
“I can’t believe you bake like this,” Elijah said. “I wish my mate baked.”
Drake scowled. “Mason cooks the best barbeque in the world, and you wish he could bake, too?” He rolled his eyes as he took another bite, unable to stop eating his slice. It was that good. “At least you can come here anytime you want and get some pie. Or you could go to The Sweet Spot.”
“Nah, Ajax makes better pies.”
Drake doubted that. He loved Ajax, and his mate was one hell of a baker, but his specialty was coffee. The owner of The Sweet Spot, Sanjay, was born to bake.
“I’ll have to call Kenji and ask him what’s going on,” Ajax said.
“No!” Drake and Elijah said at the same time.
“He’ll know I told you,” Drake said.
