Page 9 of My Girlfriend is a Werewolf

“Not seeing anyone, but not by choice. Still waiting for the right chick to come along.”

“If you call her chick, she might not stay.”

He leaned back in his chair, which creaked. The mismatched set looked to be on its last legs. “I come from a no-filter family who doesn’t do any of this modern woke-language shit. Meaning anyone I do end up with has to be able to handle me using words like fuck, shit, dude, and chick. I mean, hell, my grams calls me the little bastard since my mom and dad never married, and before you get offended, she loves me. I’m the apple of her eye, so it’s more like a term of endearment.”

“Fair enough. I get you wanting to be you, and your family is obviously important.”

“Very. So love me, love my cussing grandma and my cigarette-smoking Gramps.”

“And your parents?”

“Bethany left when I was a kid. Wasn’t cut out to be a mom. Dad’s still kicking around. He works in construction.”

“What about you?”

“Volunteer firefighter and, in my off time, warehouse worker.”

Well, that explained the muscles. “So you’re good with a hose and handling boxes.” She said it deadpan, and he choked on his coffee.

She smiled as she sipped hers.

He wiped the mess and eyed her. “That was naughty.”

“Who me?” Innocently said with a devilish smile.

Amusement curved his lips. “You’re something else.”

“Says the guy with interesting design tastes.”

“Can’t take the credit. The place came fully furnished. I basically just moved in my clothes.”

“Handy. Lived here long?”

He shook his head. “A few months now. Grams told me to get my ass out of her house. Said I needed a social life outside the farm.”

“Kind of the same reason I left ours too. Only I’m not so good at the whole making-friends thing. Sometimes I miss the chaos of having family underfoot all the time. Although I’d never admit to them I’m lonely.”

“I hear you.” Silence fell before he said, “I gotta shower before work since I skipped it after my jog. Need the bathroom first?”

“Go ahead.”

He stood but before he headed to his only washroom grabbed some money from the cookie jar on his counter. “Here’s two hundred in case you need extra for the phone and other stuff. There’s more if you need some. I’m afraid I don’t have any girly stuff here like tampons and whatnot.”

Her turn to almost choke. Most men never used the T word. “You’re being too nice.”

“I better be, or Grams will whoop my ass.” He winked and went to shower, leaving her to ponder this enigma of a man. Here she’d been prepared to offer him a blowjob for cash, and he’d just tossed it at her.

She would pay him back, plus some, soon as she got Rogers to stop hunting her.

Restless, Athena prowled his living space, inspecting it more thoroughly. He showered quicker than expected. If he thought it odd to find her ass up, face under his couch, where much could be told about a person, he said nothing.

She popped out and said, “Nice gun you got under there.”

“Grams got it for me,” he said, not a bit nonplussed by her snooping. “I’m heading out now for work. There’s a spare house and vestibule key on the rack by the door.”

“What time will you be home?”

“Around two if I don’t get fucked by no-shows at work and my bus.”

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