Page 14 of Fighting Furry

“If you eat steak three times a day, you might have a problem, but otherwise, no.”

I grinned, thinking of all the foods I'd denied myself because I'd been training. I was always training. “I know just the place.”

I let Axel pay, because it was sort of his fault I needed to eat so much and because I was planning to pay for dessert. Axel followed me out of the Thai place without a word. I walked next to him down two more blocks to an all-night diner. Usually, I hated silence. I was a talker and I always had something to say, but I didn't feel the need to speak to Axel. It was kind of nice, walking down the street next to him in silence. Some guys across the street whistled at me and Axel tensed, but this was my neighborhood. “Hey boys,” I shouted back and waved.

“Julie Jacobs, who's that man you got with you?” One of the guys shouted back. They were teenagers pretending to be punks. My neighborhood wasn't the ritziest, but it was hardly the slums. Those kids had lived too cushy to have any idea what it really took to be a punk.

“He's my brother,” I shouted back without really considering it. I couldn't exactly tell them the truth.

Axel snorted and the guys across the street called bullshit in several different variations of slang. Flashing them the finger, I pushed open the door to the diner. I waved to the guy behind the counter and got us a booth.

“You going for a cheeseburger and fries, now?” Axel asked.

“Nope.” The waitress walked up and smiled at us, her eyes on Axel.

“Can I get a hot fudge sundae?” I asked. “The biggest one you have?”

“That's a bad idea,” Axel said. “Why don't you order some fries?”

“Because I want the ice cream.” I looked to the waitress who was shifting and eying Axel like he might be a problem. “It's fine,” I told her. “I'll have the sundae. What do you want?” I asked Axel.

“I don't want anything. Julie, I really—”

“Just the one sundae,” I said to the waitress, ignoring Axel. When the waitress didn't move, I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Men, always telling us we're too fat.”

Her eyes widened and she hurried away. She glanced back over her shoulder once, an angry, worried look marring her young face.

“You scared the poor kid,” I said. I shook my head. “You just can't help telling me what to do can you?”

“It has nothing to do with that. You can eat as much fat and calories as you want, but sugar…” He caught my eye and sighed. “Nothing I say is going to change your mind, is it?”

“Nope. I haven't had ice cream in over a year. Unless it's going to kill me, I don't want to know.”

He studied me for a moment, tapping his fingers on the table, considering. “It won't kill you,” he said, smirking.

Great, just when I was starting to have some fun, he had to go and destroy it. I should have asked him what would happen if I ate the sugar, but that would be akin to asking for help, and I refused to do that.

I was three bites in when the sugar hit and my jitters increased. Axel watching me eat without saying a word, a smug expression on his stupidly handsome face. Even with that scruffy beard I could see that he had a strong jaw and his eyes, well it was hard to see anything past those brilliant amber eyes. Those eyes that were glinting with amusement. Screw him. I wasn't going to back down. I kept my eyes on his, dipped my spoon into the ice cream, and scooped up a huge bite. I licked off the ice cream and then I stuck the spoon in my mouth and sucked on it a bit. I moaned and closed my eyes.

When I opened them, Axel was leaning in closer, his gaze on my mouth, the table between us suddenly way too small. “You shouldn't tease a hungry wolf, sweetheart.”

Was he honestly flirting with me? “You still hate me, right?” I needed to check in, because the sugar was making me feel a bit drunk.

“More than anyone I've ever met.”

“Good. I smashed a cockroach once I liked better than you.”

He grinned. “You going to finish that sundae?”

Finishing that sundae was the last thing in the world I wanted to do, but I wasn't going to let Axel know that. Not over my dead fucking body. “Every bite,” I said, licking my lips for good measure.

***

“Is the sidewalk rolling?” I asked.

“No,” Axel said. “You're sugar drunk.”

I giggled. I actually fucking giggled. I tried to spin and face Axel, but the sidewalk rolled and I lost my balance. He caught me before I hit the pavement and I dangled for a moment at the level of his crotch. “Why hello, there,” I said, running a finger over the bulge behind his jeans. “I bet you're more fun than the big head.”

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