Page 5 of Feral Heart
The bartender glanced at him, and so had a few other men, but his thoughts were as frantic as the music. Is my dreamboat in the kitchen? Should I wait here? What if he’s busy? What if he forgot I was coming? Stop acting like a hyper chipmunk.
Taking a deep breath, he drummed his fingers on the bar, practically vibrating with anticipation. Then he began to slap his hands on it when “Bulletproof” by Godsmack blasted from wherever the speakers were hidden. Jamie sang along, happy his off-key tone was drowned out by the artist singing it.
Closing his eyes, he swayed his hips when the tempo shifted, the driving beat melting into a hypnotic groove.
* * * *
“Hey, got someone out there asking for you.” Miguel grabbed an onion ring off the large plate sitting on the chrome workstation and took a bite. “Why does everything you cook taste so good, but I can screw up a simple pot of spaghetti? Jared’s mom made this meatloaf that had me weeping into my mashed potatoes.”
It couldn’t be easy being mated to a cheetah shifter, but Miguel was making it work. So were his mate’s parents. But if he kept eating the customers’ food, Cesar was going to piss off Jared by neutering Miguel.
“What have I told you guys about—” He thought about what Miguel said. “Who’s asking for me?”
Curious, he turned and started for the bar but backtracked and grabbed the dish, smacking Miguel’s hand away when he reached for another one. “Don’t get your ass kicked, bro.”
“Since I’m no longer allowed to cook in here, make me a batch.” Miguel tried again, only for Cesar to smack his hand harder this time.
“And why is that?” he asked as they headed toward the main room. “Oh yeah. Because you and your mate decided to make an omelet and destroyed the kitchen instead. A goddamn omelet!”
He still remembered standing in the kitchen after Miguel and Jared’s fiasco, puzzled at how egg was stuck to the ceiling. It had taken a full day to air out the room and get rid of that burned smell.
Entering the bar area, he noticed how packed it was for a Sunday evening. Laughter punctuated the music as Cesar headed toward the table that’d ordered the dish, plate balanced on his palm. He didn’t stick around once he served them.
If the customers wanted something else, Lucio and Chopper were waiting tables tonight.
Cesar was heading past the bar when he did a doubletake. At the other end stood Jamie, his body swaying to the music, eyes closed, completely lost in the rhythm.
Holy fuck.
Jamie’s movements were natural, uninhibited—hips rocking side to side, head tilting back to expose the column of his throat. The dim lighting caught on his features, softening them, making him look almost ethereal among the rough crowd.
Cesar couldn’t look away.
It was like the music lived inside Jamie, each beat translating directly to his body without thought or hesitation. His lips were slightly parted, mouthing lyrics that couldn’t be heard over the noise.
Others had noticed too. Several wolves had paused mid-conversation, drinks halfway to their lips, watching the slender male move with a grace that seemed at odds with his earlier nervous energy.
Cesar leaned against the wall, mesmerized by the way Jamie’s body rolled with the music, the way his fingers tapped against the bar in perfect rhythm.
This wasn’t the flustered, rambling human from the grocery store.
This was someone lost in the moment, beautiful in his abandon.
When the song ended, Jamie’s eyes fluttered open. He grinned, clearly enjoying himself, which made Cesar chuckle softly.
The smile faded as Jamie glanced nervously around, becoming aware of the attention focused on him.
Brows furrowed, Cesar watched from across the room as Jamie’s lips moved. He was counting backward in Spanish, gripping the edge of the counter like his life depended on it. “Doce... once... diez...”
Shit. He was spiraling. Cesar’s wolf bristled protectively. Jamie was in distress, and these idiots were making it worse by gawking.
“¡Dejen de mirar, pendejos! Lo están asustando,” Cesar barked at the room, his voice cutting through the music. “¡Lo invité aquí!”
Heads snapped away, men quickly returning to their conversations. Moving swiftly, Cesar made his way to Jamie, whose counting had accelerated.
“Cinco, cuatro, tres...” He was staring at the floor, chest rising and falling too rapidly.
“Jamie,” Cesar said softly, taking the human’s trembling hands in his. His skin was clammy, his pulse racing beneath Cesar’s thumbs. “Hey, colibrí, look at me.”
