Page 24 of Handcuffs & Honey

Julian frowned. “You went dark fast.”

“I read a lot of spy novels.” Elijah laughed. “No, I don’t. I do watch a lot of suspense movies, and I also watch the Lifetime Channel. I’ll deny it if you tell anyone, though.”

Julian grinned. “Your secret’s safe with me.” He leaned against the wall, thankful for Elijah’s humor. He also wouldn’t admit that he loved the Lifetime Channel, too. “But as far as Rob’s dad is concerned, there’s nothing I can do—no way to prove that I had nothing to do with his son’s death.”

Elijah nodded. “Right. It sucks, but it’s probably best if you just lay low for a while. Luckily, if I ever decide to cut Kyle’s brakes, I have three best friends who will give me an alibi in a heartbeat.” He clapped his hands together. “On a lighter note, at least you have a sexy stud sheriff to keep you safe.” He wiggled his brows. “Has he used his handcuffs on you yet?”

Julian nearly choked. “Just because we’re becoming friends doesn’t mean I’m going to give you any details when it comes to my sex life.”

“So, you two have had sex.” Elijah grinned. “Was wondering when you would loosen up and give the sheriff a shot. He’s been eyeballing you for the past month.”

If Elijah only knew the truth. Not only had Julian given Dominic a chance but they’d also mated.

Julian cleared his throat, trying to ignore the heat that crept up his neck. “We’re taking it slow,” he finally admitted. “And I don’t need you or anyone else prying into my personal life.”

“Okay, okay.” Elijah held up his hands in surrender. “I won’t ask anymore. I’m just happy for you. You deserve some happiness after everything you’ve been through. Not that I know everything you’ve been through because you keep details about your life to yourself.”

Julian nodded, grateful for Elijah’s understanding, even if the guy was acting snarky about it. He couldn’t talk about the shifters and the supernatural world with anyone, but it was nice to have someone to confide in. “Thanks, Elijah. It means a lot.”

Elijah grinned, clapping Julian on the shoulder. “Anytime, hon. But now, let’s get back to work. Roman is giving us the stink-eye.”

When Julian looked toward their boss, sure enough, Roman was glaring at them.

Julian quickly straightened up, feeling a bit guilty for getting caught up in personal conversations instead of focusing on work. Customers were without their food, and tables needed to be cleared. There were also orders waiting on the pass-through.

As they made their way back to their workstations, Julian realized he missed Dominic like crazy. He longed for the sheriff’s touch, the way Dominic would wrap his arms around him in a possessive embrace. It was still new, but Julian couldn’t deny that he craved Dominic’s touch like an addict yearned for their next fix.

Roman raised his eyebrows at Julian and Elijah as they approached the pass-through to grab plates. “We’re running behind on orders. Glad you two could join us, unless you guys have another super-secret meeting you need to rush to the hallway to have.”

“You’re just upset you weren’t invited,” Elijah said. “Next time you can come play in the sandbox with us.”

Julian chuckled at Elijah’s daring comeback and felt a bit more relaxed. Until he saw Dominic heading into the diner. Julian’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of his mate. He was wearing his uniform, which showed off his muscles, and his dark hair was styled in a messy yet sexy way.

He also loved his mate’s sexy swagger as he entered. Julian could almost smell the musky scent of his cologne from where he stood.

“Speak of the devil,” Elijah muttered under his breath as he noticed Dominic too. “No sucking face at work.”

Roman, however, was not amused. “Great, now you’ll never get your work done,” he grumbled.

But Julian couldn’t help himself. He needed to see Dominic, to feel his touch again. He stole a glance at the clock and noticed he had two hours before his shift was over. Since this was Julian’s first day back since his attack, Roman had scheduled him to work only five hours.

“Get my orders to my tables,” he said to Elijah before making his way over to where Dominic was sitting.

“Sure, I love extra freaking work,” Elijah called out.

“Hey, handsome,” Julian said as he approached Dominic.

Dominic’s smile spread across his gorgeous face. “Hey yourself,” he said, standing up to wrap his arms around Julian.

Julian melted into the embrace, their bodies fitting together perfectly. He could feel the heat radiating off his mate’s strong chest, and he inhaled deeply, taking in his scent.

They stayed like that for a moment, lost in their own world. But eventually, Roman’s voice cut through the haze.

“Julian, get out of here already. And, Dominic, do you mind sparing us your love-fest. People wanna eat, not be subjected to PDA.”

Julian and Dominic pulled away from each other, reluctantly breaking the contact. Julian gave Dominic a quick kiss before turning to his boss. “I promise to behave. You don’t have to kick me out.”

Roman arched a brow—he did that a lot—but didn’t say anything else, so Julian took that as his cue to go back to work. He couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed at Roman’s interruption, but then again, he knew his boss had a point. He was on the clock, after all. And this was also a family-friendly restaurant.

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