Page 9 of Perfectly Leashed
His lips parted slightly then tugged into a slow, uncertain smile. “I should be the one paying since you’ve been the one giving lessons.”
“Nope. I made the offer first. Do you know the tavern Sin & Steel?”
“The biker bar?” Darcy’s brows rose.
That was the downside of making the place appear uninviting and threatening. It kept the cops from coming inside, as well as unwanted guests, but it also made hot little numbers like Darcy steer clear of the place.
“I promise it’s mild during lunchtime.” Most of the time anyway. Luca would call Cesar, the pack cook, and give him a head’s-up that he was bringing a “special” friend. Not that he needed to. Cesar’s cooking was next level. “Half an hour? That way I can close up the shop for lunch and you can recover from your dog-related trauma.”
“No dogs?” he teased.
“No dogs, lucerito,” Luca confirmed. Just wolf shifters. It wasn’t a lie. No dogs would be there.
“What is that you keep calling me?” Darcy asked as they began to walk. A cop car passed by them, and Luca’s hackles rose when he saw the way Deputy Gilmore glared at him. Fucking prick.
“Lucerito?”
Darcy nodded.
“It means little starlet.” Luca gently bumped shoulders with him, though his gaze was still locked on the cruiser. “Unless you prefer I call you bomboncito loco or corredorcito.”
“What do those mean?” They stopped on the corner, Darcy’s toes pointed in the opposite direction of Luca’s shop.
“Crazy little marshmallow and little runner.” He held his hand out, like he had a leash in it, then jerked forward.
Darcy rolled his eyes but gave a soft chuckle. “Very funny. I think I’ll stick with starlet.” He gestured to his right. “My apartment’s this way. See you in half an hour?”
“Count on it.” Luca held up a hand. “But just in case, maybe we should exchange phone numbers.” There was no telling what might come up in thirty minutes. A tow, pack meeting, the apocalypse. Being a wolf shifter meant there was never a dull moment.
Once he had Darcy’s number stored in his phone, Luca took a step back, the temptation to kiss the male too powerful. “Thirty minutes.”
“Yep.” Darcy hurried away, and Luca stood there, smiling like an idiot. He was also checking out Darcy’s slightly flared ass. Nice. He’d been checking it out since the moment he’d walked up on Meatball using Jared’s spare tire as a chew toy.
But every time he flirted, it seemed to go right over Darcy’s head. If Luca wanted to make his intentions clear, maybe subtlety wasn’t the best option. The thought made him pause. What exactly were his intentions? Getting the male into his bed was definitely one of them. But beyond that was a mystery. He liked the human, so maybe Luca would see where this might lead.
He turned toward the shop, gears already spinning on the work waiting on him. No sooner had he walked through the door than Lenny stepped out of Luca’s office. “Got a tow call, boss. Camry took a shit.” He lit a cigarette, deep inhale, smoky exhale. “Over on Hawk’s Ridge. Said the car up and died on him while driving.” He took another hit of his cigarette. “Want me to go grab it?”
“I got it.” Luca bummed a smoke. It wasn’t a regular habit, but he enjoyed one every now and then. “You keep working on Jared’s car.” He handed the lighter back to Lenny. “Miguel shelled out some cash for the new alternator and wants to surprise his boyfriend with it.”
Lenny chuckled, shaking his head while switching to Spanish. “The boy’s crazy for that kid. Wish I could get my wife to take care of me half as decent as Miguel treats his partner.”
Luca took a hit, exhaling slowly. “Carmilla gave you three sons. Cut her some slack. You know damn well she’s crazy for you.”
“Yeah, she is.” He blushed. “Want me to do anything before you take off?”
“Nah, I got it.” Luca stubbed out his smoke under his shoe, then tossed it into the trashcan. He glanced at the clock on the wall. The tow shouldn’t eat up a lot of time. He should make it to Sin’s for lunch.
A familiar rumble pulled up behind him as he loaded the winch. Chopper swung off his bike, wearing a wild grin that made him look half feral. “You rolling out?” he asked like he meant to hitch a ride whether invited or not.
“Backroad tow.” Luca jerked his chin toward the flatbed. “Get in. Company might make this less boring.” With someone to talk to, he wouldn’t think too deeply about Darcy. The male was endearing in a way that made Luca want to fix every bad day he’d ever had.
Another thought that made him pause, but he shoved it to the backburner.
Chopper slid into the shotgun seat, boots thrown up on the dashboard. They talked the entire ride, cracking jokes and just enjoying the drive. Birds spooked from the brush as they came around the bend. The Camry sat crooked on the shoulder, ass end partially on the road.
“That’s an accident waiting to happen,” Copper commented. “Luckily no one hit it.”
They pulled in behind it. Luca put on the hazard lights just in case some idiot came flying around the bend, then hopped out. No owner, but that wasn’t unusual. Most called a loved one or friend to pick them up.
