Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
His gaze settled on Dex, who petted the massive dog while speaking to the two men, and the server with bright red hair. Would Hammer want to be seen with him? Would he want to hold him in public? He did enjoy both at Cora’s party, but that had been a world of its own, so maybe not the best way to measure his uncertain attitudes?
Dex scooted by the dog to pet his head and laughed at something one of the men said, making Hammer itch to find out what it was. The hint of jealousy was irrational. Dex wasn’t flirting. He’d gotten a great fucking back at the showers, and Hammer had established with him that they would only have sex with other people while together. At least he hoped that was what he’d conveyed, because communication wasn’t always his strongest point.
And yet he looked at Dex, at the couple, and considered walking over. Would anyone even notice if he also put his arm around his… what? Boyfriend? The more he thought about it, the less opposed to that term he was. He’d never been commitment-phobic—he wouldn’t have kept a property patch on the ready for the past five years otherwise—it was just that relationships had never worked out for him in the long run.
But as he was on the verge of getting up, one of the men handed Dex the leash, and the kid came back with a bright smile and eyes sparkling with glee.
“You have to pet him,” he said to Hammer.
The dog pushed his snout at Hammer’s thigh and breathed in his scent, as if he were meeting new people all the freaking time. His fur was thick, but only by touching him could Hammer feel just how dense and soft it was.
A smile tugged at his mouth, and he nodded at the gay couple, moving his hand to the beast’s ear, to scratch the skin there. “Wow. If I ever have a dog, I want one just like that. Big, strong, and fluffy. Perfect for both intimidation and relaxing.”
Dex grinned and stroked Hammer’s fingers in the dog’s fur. It felt… nice. None of the women he’d dated had ever made him feel so accepted, and he was starting to realize that maybe there had always been a trace of fear in his relationships, and that was what messed them up. Something he would never intentionally provoke yet which was always there due to who he was, his size, his gender. But Dex had been at ease with him from the start.
“What would you call him?”
“Err—” Hammer bit his lip. “Fen. You know, short for Fenrir. That’s what my childhood dog was called. It was a spaniel, so it didn’t quite fit, but I really wanted to imagine him as this dangerous beast at the time.”
Dex cocked his head and laughed. “What kind of name is Fenrir? Sounds fancy-pants, not dangerous.”
Hammer chuckled. “It’s from Viking myth. The wolf who eats the sun at the end of days. I always thought that was pretty cool.”
"Look how smart he is," Dex cooed at the dog and ruffled its fur. “Yes, he is. My man is so smart.” He kissed the side of the dog’s head and got up. “I better take him back.”
“Did you and the dog just mock me?”
The beast cocked its head and made the tiniest yelp, as if it wanted to answer the question.
Hammer snorted. “Wow. That warrants harsh punishment, Prospect.”
“No way! I mean it. You’re so cool, and collected, and you know stuff. But I’ll take the punishment anyway.” Dex winked and… stroked Hammer’s hair before walking back to the bar with the dog, leaving Hammer stunned.
My man.
Dex called him his, and touched him in public as if it wasn’t a big deal, and Hammer still felt that touch burning at his skin as he kept his gaze on the kid’s back. Was this what he wanted? So maybe there would be some douchebags who might confront him about showing affection to another man, but Hammer feared no one, especially not men who tried to establish their self-worth by attacking random strangers.
And it had felt good to be touched.
Called Dex’s.
Now that they’d established basic rules, were they… boyfriends? Even if Hammer didn’t want to tell the club about this development, they could enjoy each other more openly on trips out of town.
He watched in astonishment when Dex received two plates with massive pieces of cake from the red-haired waitress and brought them over to their table.
“She gave them to me for free. How nice is that?”
“How did you manage to convince her? Would they go into the trash tonight otherwise?” Hammer asked, baffled. The only times he got anything for free was when producers of expensive items wanted to ensure his further custom and added free shit to his orders.