“You need something to drink or are you hungry?”
Kade’s eyes drifted down from the menu to stare at a man with eyes the color of sapphires. They were dark and so blue that they almost looked like they held a mixture of purple as well. Kade’s leopard was going nuts as he took a step back. “I’m just looking right now.”
The man gave a nod of his head, his shoulder-length blond hair swaying slightly forward. He was smiling at Kade, totally unaware that he was looking at his mate. Kade moved over when another customer walked up to the counter, but his eyes never left the handsome face that he was drinking in.
Kade wanted to tell the guy who he was and that fate had decided to pair them together. He had scented human. Therefore his mate was clueless. Kade wanted to keep him that way. What did he have to offer anyone? Kade did not have a place of his own or a way to support the man who had the sweetest, most innocent eyes that he had ever seen.
As his mate gathered some fruit out of the display case, Kade took that opportunity to check out the slim lines and light contours of the man’s body. He was thin and—his mate locked eyes with him, peering through the glass.
Kade didn’t smile, didn’t nod, or do anything but stare. The guy gave him a generous grin before closing the sliding glass door and turning, giving Kade his back. He heard a whirling sound and assumed a smoothie was being made.
Taking a step forward, Kade peered through the glass to check out his mate’s backside. He should leave.
He really should.
Lingering around was only torture, but Kade couldn’t seem to turn around and walk out. As badly as he wanted to forget that he found his mate and had no way to take care of him, he couldn’t seem to move.
“Have you decided yet?” his mate asked as he handed the drink to the customer and then turned toward him, still wearing that boyish grin.
Kade cleared his throat. “I’ll have a strawberry banana smoothie.”
His mate gave a light laugh, the sound flowing through Kade like silken ribbons. “Dude, you are way too buff to drink something that fattening. Our smoothies have a lot of cream in them.”
The corner of Kade’s mouth twitched. He liked the fact that his mate had complimented his body. “Then what do you recommend?” Kade moved closer, although he knew he shouldn’t.
“I’ve been trying some new blends. How about I surprise you?” The sapphire sparkled, his smile never wavering. “I promise not to poison you.”
Kade gave a light chuckle. “You’re on.”
This seemed to please the guy as he grabbed a small basket and began to fill it with fruit from the case. In all honesty, he hadn’t a clue what the guy grabbed. Kade was too busy appreciating his mate’s good looks.
The guy was what some would refer to as a surfer dude. He had a bunch of bands around both wrists, some plastic, some made of thin leather. There was also a necklace around his slim neck, also made of thin leather, but there were a few beads decorating the front. In the tone of his mate’s voice, Kade could hear the inflection of someone who didn’t take life all that seriously.
If only he could be that carefree. He envied his mate that.
“Okay, try this. Now be totally honest, dude. I need to know if I’m blending correctly.” A small cup was passed over the case, Kade’s fingers grazing the blond man’s. The contact ignited Kade’s blood. His snow leopard yowled loudly, damn near making Kade purr.
Sapphire-blue eyes watched him as he took a drink. Kade’s hand flew to his mouth as he stuck his tongue out and shook his head back and forth. He couldn’t stop the reaction. Whatever this was, it was disgusting.
His mate laughed once again, but Kade was too busy trying to brush the taste off of his tongue to appreciate the musical tone. “Okay, okay. I take it I put too much whey in there.” His mate turned around and the machine began whirling again.
What the hell was whey?
When another cup was handed to him, Kade was almost too terrified to take a drink. His left eyebrow slid up as he looked across the case. “Are you sure you’re not trying to poison me?”
His mate twisted the side of his mouth and cocked his head to the side. “Just try it.”
Sending up a prayer, Kade tossed the drink back as if he were taking a shot of alcohol. He was ready to ask for a chaser but the fruity taste wasn’t half bad. “A little too much strawberry.” He handed the cup back.
“Would you like to be my guinea pig? I’ll give you a free lunch for letting me torture you.” His mate grabbed the cup out of Kade’s hand.
Why on earth was he sticking around? Finding a job should be his first priority, but the thought of leaving felt like a weight had settled in his stomach. “You have a deal.”
“All right!” His mate practically bounced as his smile grew wider. “By the way, my name is Keaton,” he said as he held his fist over the top of the display case. Kade reached up and tapped it with his own.
“Kade.”
“Get ready to be tortured, Kade.”
His skin tightened when Keaton said his name. Kade picked up an accent. It was barely detectable, but he caught the way his mate pronounced the A as if it were an I. It sounded like he was saying Kide.
“I’m going to give you something I’ve been working on. Now remember, Kade, you have to be honest about how it tastes.” Keaton began to gather more fruit. Kade groaned when he saw kiwi being tossed into the basket. He
