Page 31 of Love in Unexpected Places

Matty looked down at himself.He was wearing jeans, a button-down shirt, and a sweater on top of it.He’d wanted to dress well, not knowing where Sullivan was taking him, which meant he’d be overdressed at the diner.

Luckily for him, he wouldn’t be the only one.Sullivan was dressed the same way, but he looked better than Matty.Matty was slightly uncomfortable in his clothes, but Sullivan didn’t seem to be.He moved as if nothing and no one would stop him, as if he didn’t care what other people thought of him.Matty wasn’t sure he could ever be so confident, but maybe he didn’t have to be.Maybe he needed to focus on Sullivan and what was growing between them.

Matty had eaten at the diner several times since he and his family had moved into pack territory, so he knew what to expect.The place was crowded, and from the looks of it, he and Sullivan weren’t the only ones having a date.A couple was at a booth at the back, pressed so close together that it would’ve been impossible to slide a sheet of paper between them.Two teenagers were sitting at another table, staring at each other as they drank milkshakes.Their hands were on the table, their fingers linked as they softly talked.

There were families and people eating alone, too.It was homey, and Matty loved it.

The waitress gestured at them to sit at one of the tables that were still empty.Once again, Matty allowed Sullivan to take over.He didn’t mind it when it was easy decisions like where to sit or even what to eat.Hell, he appreciated it.Not having to obsess over that kind of detail made his life easier.He’d had to make life-or-death decisions almost weekly over the past four years.He was fine with someone else choosing his food.

They slid into their seats on one side of the booth Sullivan had chosen.They didn’t sit quite as closely as the other couple Matty had noticed earlier, but Sullivan never let go of Matty’s hand.He pressed it on top of the table as he reached for the menu.

“Have you ever eaten here?”Sullivan asked.

“I have.”

“Is there anything you’d recommend?”

“Everything I’ve eaten here so far has been good.It really depends on what you’re in the mood for.I’m hungry, so I’ll get a burger.”

Sullivan nodded.“Sounds good.”

Everything tonight—the dinner, the conversation, the walk in the park—felt almost like a dream, but Matty knew that his mind wouldn’t have been able to come up with a dream that was this good.Sullivan wasn’t perfect, but it was hard to remember that when he behaved like the perfect man.He listened to everything Matty said.He seemed actually interested, even though Matty knew that some people disliked his ramblings.

Not Sullivan.

Sullivan didn’t seem to mind that Matty didn’t eat his entire burger, even though he paid for it.He asked questions and made Matty feel like he was the center of his world.Matty knew that wasn’t the case, but if this was what he would have with Sullivan in the future, he wanted more of it.

He wanted more of all of this, including Sullivan.

EspeciallySullivan.

Chapter Six

Sullivan was sneakingback to his bedroom after having visited the kitchen when it happened.He was carrying food and was eager to reach his room so he could eat without fearing that the coven leaders would find something wrong with what he was doing, but he should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.Nothing ever was with the coven.

Like everyone else, he’d been spending most of his time in his room.He barely left it anymore, not even to use the office he shared with other mages.If he couldn’t do something in his bedroom, he tried not to do it at all.

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