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“Huh. Well, enjoy, because that rule book might say you can’t drink here either.” I smile at him. “And I’m a beg-for-forgiveness, not an ask-for-permission, kind of woman.”
He smiles back as he lifts his mug. “I fear you are trouble.”
“Both of us can’t be rule followers if we’re going to have any fun.” My mug thuds back down on the table. “Do you live far from here?”
“No.” Ryan sucks down more beer. “My pack is from Wolf Neck Cove.”
Wolf Neck Cove and Howling Point share the same zip code with a larger town known as Wolfborough. “The next cove over? Wait a minute. Howling Point, Wolf Neck Cove...”
He nods. “We’ve been around for centuries.”
“That’s why they named the app Life Shift.” I chuckle. “Mayor Black is witty, I’ll give him that.”
“He’s also the beta—the second-in-command,” Ryan says quietly before he drains his mug of beer.
“So, Mayor Kevin Black had an ulterior motive in creating Life Shift, and all the men on it are from Wolf Neck Cove.”
“Correct.” Ryan glances around to make sure nobody is listening to us. “Over the years, our female population has dwindled.”
“I was right.” I lower my voice. “You plan to breed us.”
Ryan shakes his head and holds out his hand. “You’ll be a partner. We created the app to build families. Isn’t that why you are on Life Shift?”
I place my hand in his, then I admit something I don’t usually say out loud. “I suppose I do want a family. But can we wait a bit on the baby part? Get to know each other first?”
“I’d like that.”
When the waitress approaches the table, we release our hands to make room for the plates of food. Ryan orders another beer, and when it arrives, he flashes the waitress a sexy smile.
“Thank you,” he says. “You may as well bring me another, because this one isn’t going to last long.”
She giggles. “Happily.”
I bite my cheek to squash down my annoyance at the girl’s obvious crush. “Ryan?—”
He squints his eyes at me and says in a firm voice, “Make it two more.”
“Okay,” the waitress chirps back before she practically skips away.
He gulps down more beer, and I start to wonder if there’s a reason his pack doesn’t drink. “You should slow down with that,” I say. “Unless you’re a lot more tolerant of alcohol than we are.”
“I’m fine.” He leans back and flaps the collar of his shirt. “Is it really hot in here?”
I shake my head at him. “No. You’re getting drunk.”
Ryan waves a fry in my direction, and ketchup splatters onto the table. “Being a control freak can’t be much fun.”
The waitress sets down Ryan’s new beers with a thud, and I pull them toward my side of the table. I give the girl a look. “Please don’t bring any more, no matter what he says.”
Then I cross my arms over my chest and glare at my mate. It’s not like I don’t know I’m a control freak, and I guess I am a little touchy about it, but this is different. “I am not being a control freak here. You’ll thank me tomorrow for this.”
Ryan laughs and leans forward, smearing the stray ketchup on his arm. “I’ll fix you.” His words are a bit slurred.
“You are most definitely drunk.” The table is cool on my forearms when I lean in to speak more quietly. “I bet the reason your pack doesn’t drink is because werewolves can’t hold their liquor. And how exactly do you plan to fix me?”
“I’m going to do things to your body no human can do.” Ryan stops himself abruptly and grabs his mug again. “Werewolves can definitely hold their liquor.” He lifts his glass and drains the contents. “I love this stuff.”
He reaches for another, but I grab it and hold it out of reach. “Seriously, you need to stop drinking.”
