Outsider (Outsider Series) (12 page)

I snickered when the girl at the register, who had been checking out Caeden despite the fact that we were obviously together, asked, “Is this to go?”

“No,” said Caeden and pointed to me, “I’m on a date.” He grinned at me and I blushed down to my neck.

The girl looked peeved but then brightened. “Are others joining you? They must with all that you ordered.”

“Nope,” said Caeden with a smirk. He rubbed his flat stomach and said, “It’s all for me and I’ll eat every last bite.”

“Oh,” she said looking slightly disgusted as she handed him back his change. I rolled my eyes and sat down at an empty table that was slightly out of the way. Caeden got his drink, swigged it down quickly, refilled it, and then grabbed a container of malt vinegar before sitting down across from me.

“That girl was so into you before she found out you were going to eat all of that,” I remarked.

“Really?” asked Caeden looking up through his dark hair with those impossibly blue eyes. “Jealous?” he asked
waggling his eye brows
.

“No!” I scoffed as my cheeks flamed red. I was caught.

He grinned and his dimple stood out. He pointed a finger at me. “You so are,” he scolded. He sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “
I kind of like you jealous.” He appraised me, “It’s hot.”

“Stop it!” I said as my face became even redder.

He grinned. “I don’t think so. I like this.”

I threw my hands in the air. “So, I have feelings for you. You already knew that. Isn’t it logical that I would be jealous of another girl checking you out. Wouldn’t you be mad if a guy was checking me out?”

“Ah,” he sighed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you ack
nowledging your feelings for me it’s like music to my ears.
As to another guy, if he dares take one look at you, I’ll rip his throat out.”

I shook my head at his words but it was the first sentence that struck me. Looking into his eyes I knew that Caeden was already in love with me and I knew that I felt the same. But I wasn’t ready to admit it. We had been friends since I moved here but I knew that to say, “I love you”, would mean another step in our relationship and I wasn’t sure if I was ready. I was just getting used to idea of us being mates, being boyfriend and girlfriend; I wasn’t ready to give him that piece of my heart yet. Once I said it there would be no taking it back and I wanted it to be special to the both of us. I wanted it to be because I had truly fallen in love with him and not because my body was telling me that I loved him.

They called my order number and a moment later they called Caeden’s. He stood. “I’ll get yours,” he said with a wave of his hand to get me to sit back down.

He came back with our food and before I had taken one bite of my cheeseburger he was already on the last bite of his first.

He swallowed, took a sip of his drink, and grinned. “Sorry, normally I’m more mannerly but I was starving.”

“You should have said something,” I scolded. “I’m not used to all this shifter stuff,” I whispered.

He stuffed some fries in his mouth while he unwrapped his second burger. “Don’t worry, I’ll remember, because if it’s left up to you, you’ll starve me to death.”

I tossed a fry at him which he deftly caught in his mouth. He smirked and I rolled my eyes.

“You’re impossible,” I muttered.

“That’s what my mother says,” he grinned.

“Oh,” I said, “so, you’re calling me your mother now?”

“No,” he said quickly. “But that is what she tells me.”

“Probably because it’s true,
”
I laughed.

He smirked. “How else do you think I managed to get Murphy? Do you think my mom would willingly let a seven-foot dog in her house?”

“Murphy’s big but he’s not seven-foot,” I said
sarcastically
.

“
Wanna
bet?” said Caeden.

I shook my head. “Boys,” I muttered.

“Seriously,” he said. “If I put Murphy’s paws up on my shoulders he’s over seven-foot.”

“I believe you,” I muttered, “The dog’s the size of a horse or maybe a small house.”

“Don’t diss the dog,” he said around a bite of burger. “He’s my familiar.”

“Your familiar?” I asked.

“Yeah, you know, my
familiar
,” he said with a flourish of his hand as he finished his large fry and started in on his
third burger. He said
familiar
like I should know what it meant.

“No, I don’t know. That’s why I asked, Einstein,” I said rolling my eyes.

“Well,” he said and swallowed. “Every shifter has a familiar. It’s an animal that you just kind of,
connect,
with. They
know
you. Supposedly they can find you anywhere. They’re your animal counterpart.”

“Do I have one?” I asked.

“Of course,” he replied. “We just have to find it. Or maybe it’ll find you.”

“Didn’t your dad have a familiar and your mom? I didn’t see any other dogs there.”

He chewed quietly and said, “My dad’s familiar was a Siberian
Husky
named Marlo but he died when my dad died.
And my mom’s familiar is a Siberian
Husky
too, her name is Mattie.”

I gulped. “Does that mean my familiar will be an Irish Wolfhound?”

He laughed, “I doubt it.”

“Phew,” I said and let out a breath. “I’m not sure one would fit through Gram’s front door.”

“It would be a tight squeeze,” he conceded.

I finished my food while Caeden polished off his last burger and ate the last of his vinegar drenched fries. He finished and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach. “That was good,” he said.

“Full?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow.
I certainly hoped so. I had just watched him single-handily devour four massive burgers, two large fries, and two large drinks, in just a matter of minutes.

“
Mhmm
,” he said thoughtfully, “I think I saved room for des
s
ert.”

“Your disgusting,” I said with a laugh.

His dimple appeared. “I can’t help it. I’m part wolf. I have four stomachs.”

“That’s cows, you idiot,” I said with a laugh.

He grinned, “Moo.”

“Let’s go find you some dessert,” I said getting up and throwing away my trash. Caeden quickly followed suit and held the door open for me.

He took my hand and led me down the street towards a tiny ice cream parlor. He ordered a large root beer float and got me a scoop of banana ice cream even though I insisted I didn’t want anything.

We sat down at a table by the window. Caeden slurped his float while I stirred my ice cream.

Taking a bite I said, “How did you know banana ice cream is my favorite?”

“I, uh, I don’t know. I gue
ss it’s a mate thing,” he said shrugging his wide shoulders.

“Really?” I asked. “Hmm,” I said thoughtfully. “Ask me what your favorite candy is?”

“What’s my favorite candy?” he asked me.

I thought for a momen
t and replied, “M&M’s?” I asked questioningly.

He grinned. “That’s right. Let me guess yours.” He thought for a moment and said, “Reese’s cups?”

I laughed. “You’re right! This is so cool!”

We finished our ice cream with a smile. He held my hand on the way back to the car. “I had fun,” I said.

“Best day of my life,” he said, “because I got to spend it with you.”

I shook my head and smiled at him, “Suck up.”

He feigned indignation, “Sophie, are you accusing me of lying?”

“Never,” I said and we laughed all the way to the car. He held the car door open for me like a gentleman and then we started the long drive back home.

He held my hand as he drove. I had noticed all day that his hand always remained toasty warm.

“Why is your hand so warm?” I asked.

He gave my hand a light squeeze and said, “Well, shifters are always slightly warmer than the normal human. Once you shift the first time you get even warmer. But we’re not that
much
above
the average temperature for a human so it’s nothing to worry about
. It just always feels like we have a slight fever.”

“But why?
” I asked. “What’s the purpose?”

He shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes on the road. “The common theory is that it’s because we’re outside so much. It would suck in the winter if we had a normal temperature,
since
we’re always running around doing our watches,
we would get sick. So, I guess we’re warmer so that we don’t end up sick all the time. Because… uh… when we shift… our clothes don’t shift with us…”

“So, you’re saying when you go all wolf you lose your clothes, s
o you’re like naked?” I gulped. I don’t know why I had even bothered to ask. I already knew the answer from when Caeden showed up at my house last night.

He glanced over at me and winked. “You get used to the human anatomy real fast when you’re a shifter.”

I blushed an unhealthy shade of crimson. Oh dear, what would I do?

“Don’t worry about it, yet,” he said, “there’s still time until you turn and I’ll be there to help you.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I said.

He laughed, “Don’t worry, I won’t look.” He glanced at me and wiggled his eyebrows, “That is unless you want me to.”

“Stop it, please stop it,” I said trying to hide my flaming cheeks. We didn’t need any heat in the car
,
my cheeks provided plenty.

He laughed and squeezed my hand, “Really, I don’t want you to worry about it. If it makes you feel better talk to Chris and Charlotte.
They won’t turn until after you but they’ve always known about the whole no clothes thing so maybe they can help you cope. They don’t seem uncomfortable with the situation. But what do I know,” he said shrugging his shoulders. He laughed and added,
“I guess we all did run around naked with each
other when we were little. So,
you are kind of out of the loop.”

“And you’re not helping,” I muttered.

“I’ll be quiet,” he said. But then a moment later he said, “Hey, why don’t you come over to my house tomorrow. Sunday is our workout day
although we work out pretty much every day this is the one time we’re all together
. The whole basement of my house is a gym and the whole pack comes over and we lift weights and do some martial arts.”

I groaned. Exercise was not number one on my to-do list. I wasn’t fat but I wasn’t small either. I liked my size. I thought I looked healthy. But I guessed if I was a shifter then I better bulk up like Amy said. “Sure, why not,” I muttered.

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” said Caeden with a smile. “Don’t worry you’ll love it,” he said. “Just wait and see.”

“Is that your favorite line, ‘don’t worry,’ because it’s really starting to get on my nerves? Don’t you know that ‘don’t worry’, usually means you
should
worry?”

He laughed and murmured, “We’re a match made in heaven.”

“More like hell,” I said with a laugh so he’d know I was joking.

He was already pulling into Gram’s driveway before I realized that I had left my car at his house. “Caeden,” I said, “my car’s at your house.”

“I know,” he said putting the car into park. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow and take you to my house. You did agree to working out, remember? Or are you already chickening out?” he asked with an evil glint in his eye.

Despite my reluctance I was not about to prove him right, “Nope,” I said. “I’ll be bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow morning and be prepared to ge
t your butt whooped,
”
I joked.

“I hope that’s a promise,” he said with a grin and I smacked his arm. “I’ll walk you to the door,” he said getting out of the car.

I hopped out of the SUV and followed him to the door. We stood there for a moment just gazing at each other. His hand slowly came up to meet my face. His finger, ever so slowly and lightly, grazed my skin.

My heart raced and my body involuntarily leaned closer to his. My chest lightly touched his, sending electric currents through my body, I wondered if he felt it too.

He bent his head closer to mine. His breath tingled my face causing an erratic cadence to my heartbeat.
I wanted to close those few precious gaps and press my lips to his. I wanted to kiss him and not think he was dying. But more than that, I just wanted
him
.

“I want to kiss you,” he whispered.

I sucked in a breath and said, “Then do it.”

His hand cupped my face and he pressed his lips to mine. Heat coursed through my body and I found my arms wrapping around his neck holding him close. His other hand grabbed my waist. His scent invaded my senses like the most delectable drug ever invented; pine and cinnamon. My fingers tangled in his silky hair as our lips continued in their complicated tango. Kisses like this didn’t exist. They shouldn’t. A kiss like this was dangerous. This was the kiss someone gave you when they owned your soul.