Page 2 of Heart of Glass

Now, the man had just agreed to a date with him. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a date date, but that didn’t make him any less nervous. And good gods, did the man have to be just as handsome and charming as the heroes in his books? With high cheekbones, dazzling blue eyes, and a gorgeous head of thick brown hair, Lachlan looked more suited to the Hollywood limelight than hiding behind a keyboard.

“Okay, you can do this. He’s just like any other guy, right?” Xeno nodded to his reflection, took a deep breath, and pasted a smile on his face. “Right.”

Not wanting to appear too eager, however, he washed his hands and face, tamed his unruly spikes, and smoothed the front of his T-shirt. Then he stopped by the counter before returning to Lachlan’s corner of the café to order two more coffees and a few more slices of banana bread.

“It’s good to see him smiling again.” Myah pushed the tray toward him as she tilted her head in Lachlan’s direction. “Just don’t ask about his cane, okay? He’s kind of sensitive about it.”

“What cane?”

“Exactly.” She leveled a pointed glare at him before waving him away. “Go have fun and behave yourself.”

Xeno lifted the serving tray as he wiggled his eyebrows. “I always do.”

“You’re back.” Lachlan’s eyes widened, and he nearly knocked over his coffee mug when Xeno approached him.

“You sound surprised. Did you doubt me?”

“Honestly?” Ducking his head, he peeked up at Xeno through long, dark lashes and shrugged. “Yes.”

“Well, shame on you.” Flashing a bright grin to soften the chastisement, Xeno sat the tray down on the round table beside Lachlan and settled into the unoccupied chair on the other side. “I’m not disturbing you, am I? I mean, if you’re working, I can get lost.”

“No, no, you’re not bothering me.” Leaning back against the cushions, Lachlan crossed one leg over the other and folded his hands in his lap. “So, are you an aspiring author? Is that why you wanted to talk to me? I’m no expert, but I can give you some tips.”

“An aspiring…” Trailing off into laughter, Xeno didn’t think he’d ever heard anything so absurd. “No, no, I’m not creative enough to be a writer.”

“Oh.” Lachlan’s brow furrowed, and his lips thinned into a straight line. “I–I’m sorry. I guess I don’t understand.”

Bless his heart, he really was adorable. “Lachlan, I’m a huge fan of your work. I just wanted a chance to talk to my favorite author. No ulterior motive, I promise.” Part of him did want to question the man about his lack of new books in the past several months, but he tempered his curiosity. The creative process was a fickle thing, or so he’d heard.

“Really? I wouldn’t have guessed you, well, you know.”

“What? Know how to read?”

“No, of course not. That’s not what I meant.” Lachlan covered his face with both hands, but the act didn’t completely hide the blush that crept into his cheeks. Dropping his hands, he breathed in deeply through his nose and attempted a wobbly smile. “I wouldn’t have guessed you were gay.”

“You mean until I open my mouth and my stilettos fall out?”

Gods, the guy had a great laugh, and his smile brightened the entire room. It sounded rusty and a little unused, but it still caused Xeno’s heart to flutter. It didn’t, however, mask the squint in his eyes or the way his lips twisted into a subtle grimace.

Sitting up straighter, Lachlan repositioned in his seat so that he could straighten out his right leg. “Tell me, Xeno, do you have a last name?”

“Shadowhill.”

“Like the name of the town.” Lachlan nodded as though this made perfect sense. “Any relation to the first settlers?”

He and his family had been the first to settle in Shadow Hills, but he couldn’t tell Lachlan that. The guy would never believe him, and besides, telling him would break the golden rule set forth by the Elders of their race. Under no circumstances were humans allowed to know about their world. Things had been that way for two thousand years, and Xeno imagined they’d continue to be that way for two thousand more.

“Um, you know, I’m not sure. I’ve never really been a history buff.” Damn, he hated lying, but he couldn’t change the rules. “What about you? How long have you lived here?”

“I grew up in Virginia, have lived here all my life, but I just moved to Shadow Hills three years ago. My mom remarried and moved to California.” Lachlan grimaced again and rubbed at his right thigh. “I don’t have any other family, nothing tying me to Norfolk. I wanted a nice quiet place to write, and Shadow Hills fit that bill.”

“Norfolk? Military family?”

“Yeah, my dad was Navy. After he died, we just kind of stayed there, ya know?” Lachlan bent his knee and turned in his seat, but he seemed to be having a hard time getting comfortable. “Enough about me, though. Tell me something about you, something unique.”

I’m a dreamwalking werewolf.It didn’t get much more unique than that, but Lachlan would either think him insane or laugh right in his face. “My favorite color is hot pink.”

“Boring.” Lachlan tapped his lips and pretended to yawn. “My favorite color is purple. Tell me something else.”

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