Page 34 of Fighting Furry

His cheeks pinked a bit. “The older ladies in town worry I'm not eating enough. They keep my fridge stocked.”

“How nice for you.” I'd noticed he'd dropped eye contact when he'd said older ladies. I had a feeling the older ladies weren't the only ones who cooked for him, but that didn't bother me. Not. At. All.

He stuck the container in the microwave and I found plates and silverware and set them on the island. He poured us each a glass of water and dished the lasagna onto our plates when it had finished heating up.

I stuffed a big bite in my mouth and nearly mouth-gasmed. “Oh, my gaw.” I chewed and swallowed. “Who made that? It is amazing.”

Axel rubbed the back of his neck and forked up some food. “Might be Ella Mae,” he said, before he shoved the food in.

“You'll have to introduce me to her,” I said. “I'd love to get her recipe.”

Axel almost choked on his lasagna, making it clear that Ella Mae was interested in more than just his eating habits. He swallowed and took a long drink of water. “You hate to cook.”

I shrugged. “Like you said, I'm going to have to learn. I can't get take-out here.”

“I can cook for you,” he said, the urgency in his voice making me bite my lip not to laugh.

“I'd rather learn to cook for myself,” I said. “It's not like you'll be around to cook for me every night once I get my own place.”

“I can teach you,” he said. “You don't need to talk to Ella Mae.”

We finished our meal in silence, me brooding on this Ella Mae and what the hell she thought cooking for Axel was going to get her. Wondering what it might have already gotten her. I stuffed in another bite of pasta and forced the thoughts from my head. Axel could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted.

We finished eating, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and took turns in the bathroom to brush our teeth and get ready for bed. I went last in the bathroom and emerged wearing only a lacy thong and a t-shirt that was just barely long enough to cover my bra-less tits. I sashayed into the room and it only took Axel ten seconds to grab me and show me how much he liked my outfit. Suck on that, Ella Mae.

***

I woke up to late afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window and warming my bare skin where the sheets didn't cover me. I stretched and reached, without thought, for Axel, but I was alone in the bed, his side chilly. Shivering as my feet hit the cold floor, I stood and walked over to my suitcase. I grabbed some clothes and carried them with me into the bathroom. My stomach grumbled at me, but it would have to wait. Quickly, I showered, dressed, and put some product in my curls, letting them tumble loose.

I needed a work-out, a run and a couple hours in a gym, but I needed to find food and Axel first. His house was small enough that I knew he wasn't inside and his fridge was as empty as his house. There were none of those magical plastic containers like the one he'd found last night. There weren't even eggs or milk in there. My stomach increased its growling.

I pulled on shoes and went outside. The rental truck was still in the driveway and now there was also an obnoxiously huge truck next to it. I headed around the back of the house and found a wooded backyard with a huge patio and a fire pit. A well-worn trail led from the patio through the woods and up the mountain. I could hear music and some sort of buzzing in the distance, so I started up the path, figuring I'd turn around if I didn't find Axel. I didn't need him, I could go to the grocery store and find some food myself, but it seemed rude to take off without telling him.

The morning air was crisp and cool in the cover of the forest and the rich scent of earth and growing green things made my wolf stretch and whine for a run. The music and the buzzing got louder as I continued up the trail and I stopped caring if Axel was at the end of it, I was just curious to find the party.

The trail ended in a small meadow that contained an enormous building, bigger than Axel's house. A path of paver stones led back to it and along the path were enormous metal sculptures, bears and unicorns, dragons, and wolves. They were almost as tall as me and they were amazing. The detail, down to the scales on the dragons and the strands of fur on the wolves, was out of this world and they were decorated with brilliant rainbow-colored stones and gems. A weird crackling sound was coming from the huge building. I followed the sound, not at all sure what I would find. The door was open, so I walked in. To the right was a fully outfitted gym with free weights, and smith machines, as well as kettlebells and medicine balls. There were two guys working out, both wearing only shorts, one old enough to be my father, the other old enough to be my grandfather. They smiled and waved and I waved back.

I turned to the left, the source of the crackling, buzzing sound, and saw more sculptures like the ones outside, as well as tables full of smaller sculptures. In the center of it all, was Axel, shirtless, his nipple rings flashing in the light from a welding torch as he worked on something metallic and huge. His face was covered by a mask and his skin was shiny with sweat. I just stood and watched him for a moment, watched as his muscles bunched and flexed as he worked. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen, and I'd seen a lot of beautiful men.

I wiped a bit of drool from the corner of my mouth and turned back toward the door to force myself to stop staring at him like a crazy stalker. Food. I needed food. But first, I needed a workout, so I needed to change—

The crackling ceased and I could feel Axel walking up behind me more than I could hear him. He dropped a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said, his rough voice grating over me and making my panties instantly wet, my body pulse with desire. It made me angry how much I wanted him, how addicted to him I'd become in such a short amount of time. “How'd you sleep?”

I spun to face him, moving away from his touch. “I slept great, but I'm starving. I couldn't find any food inside.”

His cheeks reddened. He gripped the back of his neck and ducked his head. His sweat-darkened hair tumbled across his face. “I threw out all the food from the ladies. Didn't seem like you were too happy about it.”

I shrugged. Damn, he was annoying. “Why should I care about anything any ladies give you? That was a waste of perfectly good food.”

He looked up and grinned like I'd just given him a gift. The man made zero sense. “We can get something from the diner. Stop by the grocery store after.”

“I don't want to keep you from your work.” I gestured to the hunk of metal he'd been working on.

“I could use a break.” He patted his belly. “Could use some food, too.”

He grabbed a t-shirt from a table near the door and pulled it over his head. “Be back in a bit, guys,” he called to the two men working out.

They nodded, both with their hands full of weights. I turned for the door and headed down the path, Axel right behind me. “Did you make all these?” I asked.

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