Page 48 of As The Shifter World Turns

We drove the short distance and pulled into a very full parking lot. “If the wait’s too long, we can find someplace else. You might have to help me figure out where else to eat.”

After parking, I met him at his door and offered him my hand. He took it and leaned into my side as we walked to the entrance.

“Oh no. There’s a sign.” He pointed to a notice taped on the door. “That doesn’t look good.”

As we got closer, I could see he was right. “Private event,” I mumbled. “Guess we’re at the portion of the evening where you suggest a restaurant.”

“How about we grab sandwiches and go home,” Archer said, my expectations for the evening instantly deflating.

“Yeah. Okay.”

We walked back to the car, his fingers curled around mine. “Any preference on where we get sandwiches? I know a great steak and cheese place that has vegetarian options based on their advertisements.” That defeated the purpose of being a steak and cheese place, but if there was a market, why not.

“No preference,” he said, a smirk on his lips. “They don’t taste great when reheated and I always want a sandwich after I come.”

Did I just hear him correctly? No. I had to be projecting my daydream?

Archer’s hand grabbed my knee, then started to climb up my thigh.

Maybe I had heard him correctly. “You?—”

“I was thinking we could start with dessert?” His fingers slid higher which had my breath catching in my throat. “My jeans have been too tight since I met you in the hallway and being in this car, even with the window open… your aroma has turned me on.” He walked the fingers on his other hand up my arm. “Let’s grab sandwiches or even skip that part. Just take me home and fuck me like you mean it.” He stopped short of where I wanted his touch the most—my crotch—and rolled down the window, gulping in mouthfuls of fresh air.

“I have no food at home or I’d say skip the sandwiches, but I have a feeling we’re going to work up an appetite. The gas station has sandwiches,” I stammered as I backed out, using what concentration I had on not being hit by another car. “Or Subs, Subs, Subs.”

“Subs, Subs, Subs isn’t on the way home. I vote gas station.”

And that was how our fancy date to the hot new restaurant turned into grabbing premade sandwiches out of the gas station cooler.

“I owe you a real dinner,” I told him as we reached Sunshine Manor. “Like with utensils and napkins and food not from a plastic container.” I found my spot and pulled in. “But honestly, no part of me is sad that place had a wedding or whatever.” I was babbling. I didn’t even care.

“Me neither.” He had his door popped open before I even had my keys out of the car.

I grabbed the sandwiches and joined him. “Yours or mine?” he asked.

“I grabbed both.”

He pulled me to him and bit my lower lip. “I mean apartment. Yours or mine?”

I couldn’t think straight to decide why it mattered and then I remembered his toy. “Yours.”

We raced upstairs to his place, where he fumbled with the keys, eventually managing to get us inside. He grabbed the sandwiches and tossed them in the fridge.

“Okay alpha, now that we’re here, what are you going to do with me?” Archer closed the distance between us.

“I’m going to start with this.” I pulled him in for a long, hard kiss.

We nibbled, licked, sucked at each other, his body wiggling against mine, both of our erections rubbing together with the stupid denim between us. When our kiss broke, we were both out of breath.

I scooped him up. “I seem to remember something about you wanting me to fuck you like I mean it.” I nipped at his jaw as I walked to the bedroom. “I think I can arrange that.”

“I’m so slick.” He curled into me. “I think I changed my mind.”

I stopped dead in my tracks and started to let him down. I wasn’t an alphahole. If he changed his mind, we were done. And that was fine. Not what I wanted, but I got it.

“Why are you putting me down?”

“You said you changed your mind.”

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