Page 2 of Handcuffs & Honey

“Stop drooling over the sheriff and pay attention to what you’re doing,” Roman warned.

“I was not!” Julian argued.

“Paying attention?” Roman asked. “Yeah, I could see that.”

“No, I meant drooling over…well…I wasn’t.” Julian tossed a hand in the air as if it was an absurd idea. “Just because he has amazing facial angles, pretty mocha skin, bedroom eyes, a well-groomed beard and mustache, and is built like a bull doesn’t mean I was drooling over him.”

Roman frowned. “You just listed every reason why you are flustered by him. Pay attention so you don’t burn someone’s balls off with that hot coffee.”

Unfortunately, Roman was right. Julian needed to get his mind off of Dominic and back on his work. At least his boss hadn’t fired him. Julian shuddered at the thought of having to live in his car if he lost his job. His paychecks barely paid his bills, but he did have a roof over his head and food in his fridge.

When Julian turned, he saw Elijah snickering. His coworker thought the situation funny, and if roles were reversed, Julian might have thought the same thing.

Julian groaned when he saw Dominic trying to wave him over. He was half tempted to send Elijah over there, but it was his table, so Julian made his way to the sheriff.

“I’ve decided on breakfast,” Dominic said.

Great, that meant the guy would be at the diner longer. As much as Julian loved ogling the sheriff, he didn’t need another screwup. And if Dominic stayed, there would definitely be screwups.

“What can I get for you?” Julian pulled out the little handheld device he’d been given on his first day to take orders. It enabled Roman to get the orders on a screen in the kitchen, which meant orders came out faster.

Right now it was pretty dead, but most mornings were chaotic.

“I’ll have the Cinnabon French toast, sausages, bacon, eggs over medium, wheat toast, and a side of grits.”

Julian looked Dominic up and down. “And where do you plan on putting all that food?”

True, Dominic was a towering guy. Julian guessed he was around six-five, and he had to weigh close to three hundred pounds. Three hundred pounds of pure muscle.

Stop it!

“I have a ferocious appetite.” The way Dominic looked at Julian, the innuendo hanging between them, made Julian’s face catch fire.

“Is that sausage patties or links?”

“Both.” Dominic patted his flat gut. “Need the calories if I’m going to serve and protect.”

“More like eat and nap,” Julian teased then curled his lips in. “I’ll get that to you as soon as it’s ready.”

He ran away from Dominic before he said something else stupid.

* * * *

Dominic smiled as Julian kicked up dust trying to get away from him. When the human had first started working at the diner, Dominic had thought his mate was rejecting him, but he’d soon learned that Julian was just immensely shy.

He could work with shy. That was one of the many reasons Dominic had made sure to stop at Deep Dish every morning. He wanted his mate to know he was interested, but so far, their conversations didn’t last long and hardly went past business.

It was both sweet and frustrating.

As Julian rushed off to the kitchen, Dominic stared at the human’s luscious curves, which seemed to jiggle as he ran. His primal instincts kicked in as the aroma of Julian’s sweet scent of warm rain on a hot summer day filled his nostrils. It was a scent that made his bear roar with desire.

Dominic tried to ignore the sensation gripping him as he waited for his breakfast, but the more he gazed at Julian, the more his bear wanted to possess the guy. It didn’t matter if Julian didn’t know about the preternatural world. His bear didn’t care about such trivial things.

Finally, his breakfast was served. As Dominic ate, he couldn’t stop watching Julian’s every move. When the human brought him more coffee, Dominic noticed the way his mate’s cheeks flushed as he and Julian made eye contact.

“How is everything?” Julian asked.

“Perfect.” Dominic slid his gaze over Julian. “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after your shift.”

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