I raised my hand and motioned to the nearest waiter, who started to ignore me but then did a double take and swung over to our table. “We’d like to place drink orders while we wait for the last member of our party,” I said.
He whipped out his pad and pencil. “I’m so sorry I made you wait. Will these be on separate checks?”
Tad shook his head. “My treat tonight.”
“No—I invited you,” I started to say but he cut me off.
“My parents are loaded, and that means I’m loaded. Dinner’s on me.” When Tad wanted, he could be firm, and right now, he was being quite firm.
“Well, when you put it like that,” I said, grinning, “how can I help but accept? Thank you.” I looked up at the waiter. “I’ll have a triple mocha with a shot of Baileys.”
“Very nice,” the waiter said, and I realized he was talking to my boobs and not to me. I cleared my throat and he blushed, quickly turning to Ari.
“Red wine,” she said.
Caitlin ordered a lemon drop, Wren asked for hot tea, Teran asked for a tequila sunrise, Andrew ordered a scotch, neat, and Hank and Tad ordered microbrews. Western Washington was famous for its wineries and microbreweries, and there were literally dozens of choices. I asked for a basket of breadsticks to hold us till Killian arrived, and the waiter headed back toward the bar.
“So, forty-one?” Wren asked. She had been on vacation when I first joined Conjure Ink, but within an hour of meeting her, we were gabbing like old friends. She was a soft-spoken woman who reminded me of my aunt, and she loved to garden, bake, and do all those things that would have made her the perfect housewife. Wren was slight, though, where my aunt was tall and stocky, and she had long blond hair while my aunt continually dyed hers. Teran was currently sporting an edgy mix of green, aqua, and black curls. I wasn’t sure how she managed to change her hair color so drastically without ruining it, but she kept saying if that happened, she’d just shave her head and start over.
“When’s Killian getting here?” Teran asked.
I glanced at my phone. He had just texted me again. “He’ll be here in five minutes.”
“Good, because I’m hungry and I don’t want to drink on an empty stomach.” But she winked at me. Then, pausing, she cocked her head. “Something’s different about you, but I can’t put my finger on it. Besides your hair—which is gorgeous, by the way. Red suits you.”
“Thanks. If you’re joking about me getting older—”
“No, that’s not it. Just…there’s a different feel to your aura. I swear, when you walked in the restaurant tonight, for just a moment, you just looked all soft focus and glamour girl.”
“She’s right,” Tad spoke up, staring at me. “There’s a subtle difference—whatever you’ve been doing, keep it up. You look great.”
The conspicuous feeling I had felt first walking through the restaurant returned. I shrugged. “Ari and I partied a little too much last night, so maybe I’m just feeling the aftereffects of that.”
At that moment, Killian arrived. He was tall and muscled, with shoulder-length curly brown hair that he always pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes were the color of emeralds, and he had the softest lips of any man I’d ever kissed. And best of all, he was my boyfriend.
I looked up as he leaned down and planted his lips against mine. The warmth was palpable, and the scent of caramel and cinnamon and musk flooded my senses. Killian was a wolf shifter, and there was something rumbly about him—he wasn’t the alpha of his pack, but he was an alpha in terms of energy, and he had the makings of a good leader. He was sensitive to the needs of others, and his love for his profession—veterinarian—shone through in the way he treated both animals and people.
He was carrying a wrapped box, and he put it on the side table that was covered with presents. It had been a long time since anybody had paid more than cursory notice to my birthday, and it made me feel odd. Ellison had always given me a gift, but it was perfunctory—an obligation that he found tiresome. And then it hit me—I was feeling conspicuous because tonight was about me, and I wasn’t used to being the center of attention.
I scooted over toward my aunt to make room so Killian could slide into his chair.
“Happy birthday, love,” he said, kissing me again. “Before anybody gets the bright idea, I’m the one who gets to spank her, if any spanking’s to be done.” He arched his eyebrows and I blushed.
“Nobody’s spanking anybody,” I said, which resulted in a chorus of boos.
Killian took my hand, holding it firmly in his. “I promise you’ll enjoy it,” he said with a grin.
“That custom bit the dust years ago, dude,” I said. “But you can help me celebrate in other ways, if you like. When we’re alone.”
“Glad to oblige,” he said, winking.
The waiter arrived, handing us our drinks, and when Killian ordered black coffee, he got a frown in return. “Are you sure you don’t want a cocktail?” the waiter asked, staring at our hands.
This was a shifter-owned restaurant, but as far as I knew it wasn’t a particularly strict one, so I held onto Killian’s hand. Some shifter-owned restaurants were fairly strict about no PDAs. But there was something about the waiter I didn’t like.
“I think we’re about ready to order,” I said, turning to Killian. “Do you need some extra time?”
He shook his head. “I looked at the menu online while I was warming up my car. I didn’t want to hold up things.”
The waiter cleared his throat. “All righty, then. What will you have?” he said, pointedly turning to me.
Irritated at the attitude that was wafting off him like bad BO, I frowned. “I’ll have the southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and a side of sliced tomatoes, please.”
The waiter wrote down my order, then went around the table, finishing up with Killian. He then stalked off, looking as irritated as I now felt.
“What’s up with him?” I asked, leaning forward. “He’d better tone it down or we’re not leaving him a good tip. Did I say anything to piss him off? I thought we were being polite.”
“I don’t know, but he shifted gears the moment he arrived at the table with our drinks,” Teran said. “Well, never mind him. Let’s drink to your health, and then you open presents while we wait for our dinner.”
So I lifted my glass with the others, and tried to ignore the oddities of the evening.
Two hours later, Killian and I were back at my house. He had stripped down to his boxers, and I was wearing a long sleep shirt that came down to my thighs. I was pleasantly full—the food had been good, even though the waiter had acted odd all evening—and I was getting sleepy.
“By the way, I don’t think I told you how much I like your hair,” Killian said. “Red suits you well, especially that shade.”
“Thank you. I like it a lot.” I found what I was looking for—I had been poking around in the cupboard for a box of after-dinner mints, which I finally found—and returned to the living room, curling up on the sofa beside Killian. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in for a long kiss. I leaned my head against his shoulder.