Page 6 of Midnight Rain

Just as Cormac was taking the last of the meat off the grill, Orion ran inside, Duncan and Izel right behind him.

Cormac yelled, “Come get this meat and put it on the table.”

Beckett and Hayden hurried over, grabbing both trays as Milly started bringing out the side dishes and setting them on the table reserved for the food.

Duncan and Izel came out carrying two chests of ice and drinks. Bran and Santee brought out the paper plates, plastic utensils, and the cups, along with the napkins.

Orion wasn’t the only one starving.

Cormac had overreacted at the café, and since, he hadn’t had much of an appetite. Anyone would have been ticked off about a dog pissing on their boot, but he could have handled it better.

All day he’d thought about the guy, wishing he could apologize for the way he’d reacted, but the stranger was probably long gone by now. Normally Cormac didn’t behave that way to anyone who didn’t deserve it or were a lot smaller than him.

He wasn’t even sure why he’d been a jerk. The dog had clearly smelled Cormac’s cheetah and reacted. Shit happened, but Cormac had taken his irritation out on the human.

“Paloma!” Milly said excitedly. “I’m so glad you came.”

Cormac turned off the burners, closed the lid, and had turned to head toward the table when he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at a head full of purple and dark blue hair.

He had to be seeing things. There was no way the guy from the café was here, holding the dog in his arms. The stranger was Orion’s cousin?

He was dressed in dark slacks and a cheetah-print shirt, that fanny pack still around his waist. There was no denying the guy was gorgeous, but Cormac was in shock that he was in their backyard.

“You!” the guy said when his gaze landed on Cormac.

Everyone grew quiet as they looked between Cormac and Orion’s cousin. Austin. That was his name. He recalled Orion mentioning it last night.

Beckett turned the music down low. “You two know each other?”

“Why do you look pissed?” Orion asked Austin as the dog started barking like crazy.

“Because I ran into Mr. Grump this morning at the café.”

“And your dog proceeded to use my boot as a toilet,” Cormac countered.

“I apologized for that,” Autin argued from twenty feet away. “I told you she’s never done that before.”

Beckett laughed. “You didn’t tell us you got peed on this morning.”

“She also tried to bite me,” Cormac reminded Austin. “Thanks for bringing her with you so she can try again.”

So much for feeling bad about the way he’d reacted this morning. It was as if he couldn’t help himself. There was something about Austin that brought out the jerk in him, and he couldn’t understand why.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a chihuahua,” Duncan said with laughter. “Do you want me to keep you safe from her vicious temper?”

Cormac glared at Duncan. “If ladies weren’t present, I would tell you what to do with your offer.”

The dog wiggled so hard that Austin dropped her. Lucky Cormac, because Lila ran right toward him and bit his pant leg, tugging fiercely.

“Lila!” Austin raced to get the dog off Cormac. “I told you to behave today!”

If he wasn’t such an animal lover, he would have yanked the tiny terror off himself. Instead, Cormac crossed his arms, waiting as Austin fought to get her to release his pant leg.

“I think you have an admirer,” Hayden said with a shit-eating grin.

“Nah,” Beckett said. “The dog just has Cormac pegged for the sourpuss that he is.”’

When Austin finally got the dog off of Cormac’s pant leg, a sweet smell wafted toward him. Cormac frowned as he inhaled the scent.

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