“Old boyfriend?” he asked.
“That would be some serious cradle robbing if that was true.”
He paused. “How old are you?”
I wondered if age mattered to him. Reno looked to be in his thirties. “I’ll be twenty-three soon. What are your favorite foods?”
“Mexican, and sometimes Thai,” he said.
My ear pressed against his chest and the rumbling vibrations tickled my cheek when he spoke. It was comforting to feel and hear him up close.
“Thai is unusual. I had Vietnamese food once.”
He chuckled. “Not the same. What about you?”
“My favorite is home cooking. Beef stew, casseroles, greens—all that good Southern food. Not many restaurants around here specialize in that unless they’re a chain. It’s all fast food.”
Reno mumbled in agreement. “How many men have you dated?”
“One.” I replied quickly before my inner voice piped up and I chickened out.
He stopped breathing. “One?”
I could feel his heart pounding against my forearm. “I didn’t date until I went to college. One Saturday, I went to the movies with my sister and ran into this dashing young man in the lobby and spilled his popcorn. We talked for a few minutes before the movie started and exchanged numbers, but I didn’t think he’d call me.”
“How serious was it?”
Did I hear jealousy in his voice?
“He was… well, he was my first. Things were beginning to get serious between us, or so I thought. But then he started cheating on me. I know a lot of men cheat, but he did it frequently with my best friend and we haven’t spoken since then.”
“I don’t believe that. Only one man has ever seen you naked?”
That was an embarrassing way to put it. It felt like a hot spotlight was burning down on me.
“Do Shifters get married?”
Reno rubbed the side of his nose and angled his body toward me. A burst of tingles moved down my body, and I thought about the restrained passion in our kiss. “Something like that. All a man has to do is declare a woman as his mate and his pack will respect their union. We don’t use rings or tattoos to prove we’re mated. If someone asks, we tell them. Usually what happens is the couple will gather with the local Packmasters to witness their vows.”
“What are the vows you say?”
Reno shrugged. “I’ve never been to one. I don’t think there’s a script or anything,” he said with a chuckle. “They probably take a vow to protect and die for each other. They sign a document to keep it on record in case there are disputes within the pack or other troubles. Word usually spreads and most of us don’t encroach on someone’s territory. We mate for life.”
“So no dress or church?”
“Our customs aren’t the same as yours. Being life mates isn’t about a party.”
I smiled and thought about how much money humans spent on weddings. “Did Lexi mate with Austin?”
His breath warmed the top of my head as he spoke. “Yeah. Austin’s claim on her is as good as gold, but her mother wants a wedding. I didn’t ask if they signed the papers, but all the local packs know they’re life mates. Nobody messes with a Packmaster’s woman.”
“Well, if she has a wedding, I hope I’m invited.”
“April? Do you want to get serious with me?”
The music faded and thunder rolled outside. My finger traced a small circle on his chest. “I won’t live as long as you will, and I’m guessing by how old you implied you are that you age slowly. I don’t. Let’s enjoy tonight, because I’m not sure if by tomorrow I’m going to feel the same way as I do right now in your arms. We’re too different for this to work.”
“I like different,” he said, brushing his right hand through my hair.
“And in thirty years when I’m fifty, are you still going to like different?”
Reno didn’t answer.
Chapter 15
When I opened my eyes, I found myself bathed in a pool of sunlight. The magic of the night before with the soft orange glow of the lamp, the feel of Reno’s warm body beside mine, the newness of my life, and the sound of blues music had melted away into a distant echo. It brought a pang of sadness because I had fallen deeply in love with a shining moment in my life, one I would treasure in my mind for years to come. Not just discovering that the world wasn’t what I thought it was, but allowing someone to give me hope again.
When Reno had fixed my leak, bought me food, and hung a pretty curtain in my doorway, it returned a normalcy that I had long desired. I’d spent so much time focusing on getting away from my life, and Reno made me see that I could have everything I wanted right here. Living better was a state of mind that only required a few extra dollars, not a fancy job that paid a lot of money. It reminded me that I wouldn’t always have this debt, and if I worked hard enough, I’d eventually have a place of my own, one that wasn’t a hand-me-down, maybe even a house.