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Jake was behind the bar, talking with the regulars, but he walked Duncan’s way when he spotted him. “What can I get you?”
“A lobotomy,” Duncan grumbled.
“Lucky for you, it’s lobotomy night.” Jake grinned. “Bring a friend and you get a discount.”
Okay, that made Duncan grin. “Give me a shot of Red Spanking and keep them coming until I fall into a coma.”
“That bad?” Jake poured the drink and slid it to Duncan. Red Spanking was reserved for preternatural only. If a human drank the stuff, they’d keel over dead.
Which would only make Izel show up to reap them. Duncan shuddered, still wondering how fate thought a reaper was the perfect mate for him. Then again, he’d given Duncan a human who’d rejected him seconds after meeting him and insisted on going home instead of exploring their connection.
Maybe, for the first time in history, fate had gotten it wrong.
The thought depressed the shit out of him.
When Jake pulled out his phone, Duncan stabbed a finger in the wolf shifter’s direction. “Don’t you dare call Hayden. I don’t need him to come rescue me.”
“For your information, and not that it’s any of your business, but I’m texting back and forth with my mate.”
“Tell him to bring us some cinnamon rolls.” Duncan knocked back the shot, hissing at the burn as the liquid made its way down his throat. “Another.”
One of Jake’s brows rose, but he poured Duncan another shot. “Careful with this stuff. You don’t want to shift in front of the humans and cough up a hairball.”
After Duncan flipped Jake off, he downed the second, knowing damn well that he needed to pace himself. “Give me a beer.”
The effects of the shots were already working. Duncan felt a little lightheaded as Jake handed him the cold bottle and then returned to the other end of the counter to resume his conversation with a guy whose skin look more like leather than flesh.
Duncan just sat there, staring at his bottle as if it held all the answers. He wished. He was so out of his depths that it wasn’t even funny.
“Mind if I join you?”
The sultry voice made Duncan look up. Standing next to him was a nice-looking brunette. “Can’t stop you.”
Her smile was pretty as she slid onto the stool next to him. “Rough day?”
“Lady, that’s an understatement.” Duncan took a swig, loving how the cold brew felt on his throat. It was hot as shit outside, and instead of running the AC, Jake had the entrance door wide open to let in any stray breeze that slipped inside. Thank goodness there was a screen door or the place would have pestering bugs buzzing around.
The brunette flagged Jake over, pointing at Duncan’s bottle before asking for a glass of Merlot. “Want to talk about it?”
Duncan snorted as Jake slid a glass of wine toward her. “No.”
“Suit yourself.” She didn’t seem put off by his rudeness, just sipped her wine as she gazed at him over the rim of her glass. It was unnerving, having someone look at him like that, as if she could see right through his defenses. But for some reason, Duncan didn’t feel the need to push her away.
He wanted company, just not his mates or anyone related to him. Right now Duncan needed to process, and he couldn’t do that if Orion or Izel were with him.
Duncan took another swig of his beer then wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I don’t mean to be rude,” he said to the brunette. “I just... I’m having a hard time with some things right now.”
The brunette nodded sympathetically. “I get that. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit and not have to talk about anything.”
Duncan smiled gratefully. “Exactly. Thanks for understanding.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their drinks and watching the people at the other end of the bar. Duncan felt himself starting to relax a little, the tension in his shoulders easing up thanks to the shots.
“You know,” the brunette said after a while, “I’m not just a pretty face. I’m a good listener, if you ever feel like talking.”
She was just being kind, and he wasn’t in the habit of opening up to strangers.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Duncan smiled. “But for now, I’m just going to enjoy the peace and quiet.”
