“Your knuckles are already healing,” she pointed out as she looked at his hand resting on the edge of the dining table.
“Yeah, by morning there will be no evidence of a fight.”
“Wow, I don’t heal that fast!”
“I eat a lot of steaks.”
Her eyes went so round they dried out almost instantly. “You eat cow?”
Dead waggled his eyebrows. “I can eat cow whenever you want.”
She snickered and crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, Mr. Famous Bull Shifter. What are you cooking me?”
“You aren’t as shy as I thought.”
Scrunching up her face, she said, “Being shy is annoying sometimes.”
“Yeah, but you’re fine in small groups. Just not in crowds. And who likes big crowds anyway? I don’t.”
“You’re just being nice so I don’t feel so bad,” she murmured, dropping her gaze to the nice wood flooring. “This thing must’ve been very expensive.”
“It’s half paid off so my monthly payment isn’t bad. I used my winnings from the last event on it. Figured it was a good investment.”
“I’d say.”
“Chicken.”
“I’m not a chicken,” she said.
“No, I mean I’m making you chicken tonight.” He opened a fridge door and pulled out a package of chicken legs and a bag of zucchini.
“It’s so crazy that you can cook in here,” she murmured, in awe of what all this little home could do.
“Of course, but I’ll probably never use that stove,” he said, pointing to it with a pair of tongs. “I have a grill outside. Want to grab us a couple drinks? I’ll go turn on the fire.”
“Okay,” she said and made her way to the fridge. She grabbed a couple of canned orange sodas and then washed her hands in the little kitchen sink. There were three sharp knifes attached to a strip of strong magnet on the wall above the sink, so she went to work, washing and cutting up the zucchini into spears.
“You don’t have to do that,” Dead said as he came back inside. “I’ll cook for you. Go sit on down and relax.”
“I like cooking. Plus, we’re a pretty good team, as was super-evident from our work at the signing table tonight. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“Yeah, well, usually I fuck it up a little more thoroughly. I was showing off for you a little.”
She laughed and set a few veggie spears into a glass bowl he pulled out from under the sink. “Do you always try to destroy everything?” she asked.
“Yep. It’s in our nature.”
“Not mine. I try to fix everything.”
He didn’t respond, so she turned to see if he’d grown busy, but he was just staring at her with this thoughtful look in his striking green eyes. “You’re different.”
“You mean weird. It’s okay to say it. That’s what I’ve heard my whole life.”
“No, I said what I meant. You’re different. In a good way. Interesting. Unexpected. Fun. You’re like a puzzle where all the pieces fit just fine, but the picture is something different than was on the box.”
She froze because her chest was doing something strange. It was fluttering, and her insides were turning, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. “I…I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Mmm, well that’s sad. I complimented your tits earlier, and you weren’t nearly as grateful.”
She laughed and poured olive oil over the veggies. “I respond better to the sweet stuff.”
“Well, I read magazines on what women like, and from my extensive research—”
“Research?”
“From my extensive research, I have come to the conclusion that you like a man to be both a gentleman and a monster. You want a little spanking in the bedroom but for us to hold doors open. A little chokey-choke time during sex but then buy you flowers.”
“Oh, you would never have to buy me flowers. I work with flowers all day long.”
“You’re a florist?”
“Kind of.” She poured the lemon pepper seasoning he handed her onto the veggies. “I do flower arrangements for a few funeral homes. I work at a specialty shop that doesn’t have customers come in or anything. It’s just a warehouse type building where online orders come in from the funeral homes, and we bring the arrangements and set them up the day of the funerals.”
“Wow. What made you want to work with something so morbid?” he asked quietly.
“For me, it’s not morbid. I’m helping. These families go through great grief, and they’re supposed to pick out flower arrangements on top of everything else they’re dealing with. The funeral homes I work with try to streamline it and make it easier on the grieving families. They have our brochures there and put in the orders a couple of days before the events, My boss and I make sure those families have a seamless setup the morning of. I don’t think it’s a sad job. To me, it’s fulfilling. I’m getting to help people when they are feeling at their lowest. Make their day just a tiny bit easier.”
“Puzzle. Such a surprising puzzle.”
She grinned. “Most people back away slowly when I tell them what I do for a living. Funerals are one thing people don’t enjoy thinking about or talking about, but for me it’s just a part of my work. A part of my day.”
“So you’re good at flower stuff. What else do you do for fun? Besides getting tattoos, stalking champion bull shifters—”
“Oh, I set my sights lower than that, Dead of Winter. I only go for third place bull shifters.”
He chuckled. “I know I’m supposed to be offended, but I’m not. You came in at my lowest. I won’t stay there for long. And call me Dead! I’m serious. It’s weird hearing my whole name all the time. Spill your guts, woman. What do you do for fun?”
“Uuuuh…oh geez, I don’t
