So My Boyfriend is a Werewolf?!

Sophie

Sophie Reynold, 25. Newly transplanted into a tiny town and not sure if I hated everything about it, or just hadn’t gotten my small-town legs yet. Either way, the best place in Pine Hollow to be on a Friday night was Barlow’s. Aka, the only place in town to get a drink and pretend I fit in for five minutes.

I’d been in town for 23 days. And I’d be lying if I said it was all bad; my new job as an event coordinator was going decently, and I’d already made a friend: Beth. She was a redhead, freckled so hard you’d think she could actually tan, and crazy as a four year old the day after Halloween. It was her idea to come to Barlow’s after a particularly difficult meeting with a bridezilla. Not that I took much convincing.

But now I was sitting alone at the bar, nursing a drink and enjoying not being in my lonely apartment. Beth had fluttered over to the other side of the room to talk to Kolby. Because of course she had. Apparently she’d been in love with him since second grade. She swore to me every day since we met that she was going to tell him the next time she saw him. Which she never did. Typical.

I didn’t mind having a quiet moment to myself, though. Keeping myself company was a skill I’d honed over years of wondering if or when my ex was coming home. I sat back in the bar stool as I thought, and watched Beth’s hair bob around the room with a smile on my face. This was a tiny bit better than staying home with my TV and another order of curry from the single restaurant that served more than burgers. Moving to Pine Hollow was supposed to be a fresh start, after all. I needed to actually participate in that fresh start rather than spending my evenings alone in my apartment.

The front door opened, letting in a warm summer breeze. I glanced over casually, my glass touching my bottom lip. Then I froze, because the most handsome man I’d ever seen strolled casually through. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and comfortably dressed in jeans and a shirt that clung to him in all the right ways. His rich brown hair was slightly tousled, and there was something effortlessly confident about the way he carried himself across the bar floor.

I tried not to stare. I really did. But damn, how could I not? I finally took a sip of my drink, suddenly feeling parched. Mr. Perfect Cheek Bones strolled up to the bar and greeted the bartender like a regular. “Heya Richie, I’ll take three double burgers, a double order of fries, and the largest beer you can legally serve me.”

The bartender, Richie, raised his blonde eyebrow and chuckled. “Hungry today, eh? You should have called ahead so I could make sure to restock the kitchen. Should be alright, though, as long as you didn’t bring your cousins with you.” He gave the newcomer a wide grin, and he shook his head.

“Nah, just me tonight. Lucky for you. But I skipped lunch, so I’m starving.” He pulled out his wallet and handed over his card. The way he leaned so effortlessly against the bar with his elbow resting on the old wood countertop and one foot up on the barstool footrest made my heart skip a beat.

Nope, no. None of that. I may have been single, but I did not intend to mingle. However, I found the sheer amount of food he ordered amusing. “What, is he ordering food for the entire bar?” I muttered under my breath, with a soft giggle.

Unfortunately, he must have heard me. He turned toward me with an amused expression, his espresso eyes glittering in the lights hanging down from the ceiling. “Y’know, if a pretty woman like you wanted me to buy you dinner, all you’d have to do is ask.”

“Wow, as forward as you are hungry,” I replied, before my brain could catch up with my mouth. My ears grew hot, but luckily he seemed more amused than offended. I took a breath to smooth myself out and gave him a teasing look. “I don’t think I’m prepared to compete with your appetite, though.”

That earned me a laugh. It was deep and husky, like his voice, and echoed in my chest deliciously. He sat on the next stool over and casually rested his boot on the back of the bar. “Name’s Caleb.” He offered me his hand. I took it without hesitation, noticing how warm and massive it was as his fingers engulfed mine.

“I’m Sophie.”

The smile on his face widened, and the spark of attraction that had appeared in my chest burst into flame. I cleared my throat and took another sip of my drink, trying not to let my expression reveal quite how much I liked his smile. He shifted closer to the edge of his seat, still leaving a comfortable distance between us, while allowing me to catch a scent of his cologne. It was warm and spicy, with an underpinning of something wild.

“Well, Sophie, are you waiting for someone?”

I shook my head and gestured across the room. “Nah. I came with Beth, but she abandoned me to go flirt with Kolby.” Sure enough, right then she was standing so close to the muddy-haired and ruddy-faced accountant that she could have licked his nose. Colby followed my gaze and let out another of those delicious, chocolate-coated laughs.

“Well, I hope she’s more successful than I’ve been at getting your attention.” He winked and my mouth went dry. I took another sip of my drink and let myself laugh. It felt so good to just let loose and flirt with somebody. Especially someone so stupidly attractive as Caleb. “But now that I seem to have it, mind if I keep it for a while?”

Good sir, I didn’t mind at all. However, I forced myself to shrug and take a casual sip of my drink. “I mean, why not? You seem to have pushed to the front of the line of eager suitors nipping at my heels.” I gestured broadly to the crowd, none of whom were even looking in this direction. Caleb snorted and grinned at Richie as the bartender slid him a massive tankard full of amber liquid and a thick foam head.

“Ah, that’s the stuff,” he rumbled, and proceeded to down a full third of the beer. I watched his Adam’s apple bounce, transfixed at the sheer volume he managed to consume at once. When he lowered the tankard, a mustache of foam clung to his upper lip. He licked it away, then wiped his face with a napkin rather than his arm. Classy. I liked it. “So, where did a pretty woman like yourself come from? And what are you doing in a place like this?” He pulled an exaggerated, disgusted face at the dark and somewhat dingy interior of the bar.

I leaned toward him, resting my elbow on the bartop. “I moved here from Springdale a little under a month ago. Big city life wasn’t doing it for me anymore, so I packed up and picked somewhere inconsequential to start over.” I kept the explanation light, not particularly interested in discussing my previous disaster of a relationship with a handsome stranger.

Thankfully, Caleb didn’t push for details. “Inconsequential, huh? Well, now you’ve gone and offended the entire town. Good job.” He put on a mock serious face, only to break right back out into a grin. “That’s alright, though. There are a handful of busybodies who need someone to tell them their latest campaign isn’t nearly as important as they think it is.” He took another long pull of his beer and scooted his barstool a little closer. “I should know. I’ve lived here my entire life.”

“Eww, I’m sorry,” I replied, again before my stupid brain could catch my runaway tongue. Caleb just laughed, though, so I was still safe. “Don’t you ever get tired of living in a small town?”

“There’re worse places to be. Besides, most of my family lives nearby. I couldn’t imagine moving away.”

His eyes shifted away from me for just a moment as Richie appeared with a literal platter of food and a suspicious look. “Don’t you go scaring off my new customer, Caleb Walker. She’s a right bit nicer to look at than your ugly mug on a Friday night.” Richie grinned and dodged a steaming french fry that Caleb threw at him like a deep-fried javelin. The two looked to be about the same age, and I’d bet they’d gone to school together based on the way they interacted. “I hope you’re not planning on eating that all by yourself.”

Caleb turned back to me as Richie moved on, and pushed the tray so it rested between the two of us. “Help yourself, Sophie. I can always order more.” He picked up one of the burgers, his massive hands making the thing look tiny. “Where were we? Oh, yeah. My family. It’s pretty big, and we get together all the time. With Dom and Em’s new baby, I think there are fifty of us now?”

I nearly choked on the french fry I’d snagged from the platter. “FIFTY? That sounds like you’re describing a small army rather than a family.” Caleb chuckled and told me I wasn’t wrong. He took a large bite of the burger, which earned me a few seconds to gather my thoughts. Used a napkin and didn’t talk with his mouth full? Double bonus points.

“Sometimes I’d rather take the army. Family gatherings can get a little overwhelming at times. But I also wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

We fell into a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes while he devoured his burgers and I picked at his fries. It was fascinating how fast he was destroying enough food to keep me fed for a week! “I can see why Richie was worried that you might have brought your cousins with you. He’d have to have enough food to feed that army!”

“Rude,” he chuckled, and gestured for Richie to fill his empty beer tankard. “You don’t have to worry about Barlow’s running out of food. We’ve been coming here since the place opened. They’re prepared.” He winked and downed a handful of fries with almost half the second beer. “That’s enough about me, though. What do you do for fun?”

I shrugged and fidgeted with a fry. “Been a while since I’ve taken the time to have fun, but I used to love hiking. Back in the city I liked trying new restaurants, but there’s not much opportunity for that here.” I pulled a dramatic sad face, and Caleb snickered through a mouthful of burger. “Watching terrible horror movies was another favorite.”

His face lit up and I swear I could hear his breathing shift in excitement. “Well, I can’t do much about the lack of restaurants in Pine Hollow, but if you ever need a hiking buddy or someone to cling to during a horror movie, I’m your man. I bet you haven’t even experienced the best parts of town yet!”

“And what would those be?” I asked cheekily.

He shook his head. “Nah, that would be telling. It would be more fun to show you around sometime.”

I recognized the offer for what it was. A little flutter of excitement wriggled in my chest, but I attempted to keep my response playful. “Oh yeah? Why don’t you prove it?” I watched Caleb scoop up the last few fries and deposit them in what had to be the black hole he had in place of a stomach.

“Is that a challenge? Because I love a challenge.” He waggled his eyebrows and finished off the beer. His eyes drifted to the clock and he swore under his breath. “Damn. I need to get going.” A pang of unexpected disappointment replaced the excitement where my lungs belonged. However, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “Would you like to continue our conversation another time?”

I smiled and tried to ignore the flush that hit my face like a dodgeball. “That depends. Are you going to order enough food to feed half a football team on our next date as well?”

“I make no promises,” he laughed. “Can I have your phone number?”

For half a second, I almost told him no. But what was the harm? I was single, now. I could give my number to whoever I damn well pleased. So I gave it to him, and watched as he entered it into the phone. A moment later, mine dinged with a text. I pulled it out and read, “There, now you have my number, too.” I saved him as a contact, then slid the phone back into my purse.

“I hope you weren’t just checking I didn’t give you a fake number,” I teased as he stood and brushed a few crumbs from his shirt. “I expect you to actually use it.”

He winked and tucked the phone into his pocket. “Don’t worry. You’ll be hearing from me real soon, Ms. Sophie.” With one more dazzling grin he disappeared back onto the street, leaving me staring at the back of the door with dialup noises humming in my brain.

It was then that Beth deigned to make a reappearance. She took one look at me and a wicked smile spread across her face. “Soooophie, what happened while I was gone? You’re smiling like a kid at the rodeo!”

“Oh, I met someone is all.” I tried to play it casual, but Beth got the crazy eyes. She pulled Caleb’s stool over so close that our knees touched and demanded to know all the details. “There’s really nothing to tell, I swear. We just talked, and he asked for my number. That’s all.”

Beth growled and shook her head. “Insufficient information, Reynold! You’re still grinning. Who was this mysterious stranger?”

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t deny it. “His name is Caleb. Caleb Walker, I think. At least, that’s what the bartender called him.” I finished the last of my drink, feeling considerably more cheerful than when I’d arrived.

“Holy shit, Soph! Caleb Walker?! Get it, girl! The Walkers are one of the largest and most well-off families in town! But watch out, because half the girls in town are convinced they’re gonna marry Caleb. Even though he hardly gives anyone the time of day.” A cloud of jealousy drifted across her bright eyes, and I suddenly felt even better.

My hand went subconsciously to the phone in my pocket. I didn’t expect anything particularly serious from tonight, honestly. A casual date, a few texts. A fun distraction. After everything I’d been through, I wasn’t looking to complicate my life. But I couldn’t get Caleb’s smile and the easy way he laughed out of my head. And if I’d managed to catch the attention of the most wanted man in town?

Well, my ego sure wasn’t going to turn that down. I wasn’t even sure he’d follow through, but I really hoped he would.