He strode straight for Daniel, and the older man stood, waiting for him with obvious pleasure. Alex figured he was Daniel’s son, or maybe his grandson, produced before whatever tragedy had made Daniel choose to become a werewolf. Though what could have induced this specimen to become one, too—and hide himself away here in the Arctic when he could be strutting shirtless on a catwalk somewhere—Alex probably didn’t want to know. Then Hot Guy reached them, cupped Daniel’s jaw, and planted one right on his lips.
Alex blinked. Then she blinked again. Then she glanced around the coffee shop, but no one appeared as shocked by this as she was. She suspected they’d seen it before.
Eventually the new arrival stopped giving Daniel the tongue and lifted his head, meeting Alex’s eyes and winking. “Probably want to close that mouth, ma’am, ’fore you catch flies.”
He had the most gorgeous southern accent, incongruous with the flannel shirt and heavy boots he wore, and the land of ice he’d just walked in from.
“I—uh—yeah,” Alex returned. Why she’d thought all werewolves were straight she had no idea. In truth, she’d never thought much about werewolves beyond how she could kill them.
Daniel turned, stars in his eyes, goofy smile on his lips, and the young man reached for Daniel’s hand with a gesture Alex found very sweet. They stood there, the tall, muscular, youthful demigod and the short, skinny, dapper old gentleman, both grinning like idiots. Alex just hoped Daniel didn’t get his heart broken anytime soon. She didn’t want to be here to see it. She liked Daniel.
And since when did she like a werewolf?
“This is Josh,” Daniel said.
“Hi.” Alex offered her hand. “I’m—”
“Alex.” Josh placed his palm against hers. His was toasty warm, despite having just come in from the cold without gloves. “I know.” He shrugged, and his lips quirked engagingly. “We all do.”
“Right.” She’d met them in the town square while naked. That should bother her, but it didn’t. There were a lot of things that used to bother Alex that didn’t any longer.
“We’re off to the market,” Daniel said.
“We need to get some hamburger,” Josh informed him.
Alex hoped hamburger was actually hamburger around here.
“Don’t you have a job?” she blurted.
Daniel cast her a quick glance, and she realized she might as well have asked: Is he your boy toy?
But Josh just laughed. “We own the movie theater. Don’t have to go in until later.”
“There’s a movie theater?”
“It’s a town. Why wouldn’t there be?”
Considering that the inhabitants of this town liked to spend their evenings running on four paws beneath the light of the moon, Alex didn’t figure a theater would get much business.
“What do you show?” she asked. “Wild Kingdom kind of stuff?”
Josh’s forehead creased. “What?”
“Caribou? Rabbits? Whitetail? Maybe some zebra and antelope to jazz things up?”
Josh glanced at Daniel, who shrugged. “She thinks we show films of prey.”
Understanding spread over Josh’s face, quickly followed by confusion again. “Why?”
“She’s still new.” Daniel patted Josh’s arm. “She’ll catch up.”
“Catch up?” Alex echoed. “To the caribou?”
But the two were already headed for the door.
“See you tomorrow!” Daniel called as they left.
“You seem worried.” Rose had left her perch at the cash register to join Alex behind the counter.