Page 38 of Miles's Pact
Thirteen
Miles
I had some big plans for today, but I'd done my best to keep things simple at the same time. I was extremely aware of the fact that human life was still quite new for Duckie, and the last thing I wanted to do was overwhelm him.
I'd gotten the note idea from a show I'd watched, and after a bit of teasing, Rhiannon had happily spelled it for me.
Since Mateo had Snowball, he'd taken the car, which was just as well because walking would give me the chance to tell Duckie all about his new home.
"Ready?" I asked once Mateo had left, and Duckie peered at me with his dark, dark eyes before nodding. He looked nervous, but also a little excited. Or maybe I was imagining—hoping for—that part.
Leaving the house, we walked down the street side by side, my fingers twitching every time they accidentally brushed against Duckie's. I wanted to hold his hand, but I wasn't sure if he'd be open to it.
Rolling my eyes at myself, I cleared my throat and glanced over at him. "May I hold your hand?"
Duckie's eyes fell from mine to our hands, and I watched as he swallowed hard, then contemplated it for a moment before nodding.
Smiling, I wrapped my hand around his slightly bigger one, linking our fingers and giving it a squeeze.
Duckie sucked in a breath before squeezing back, and I pulled my gaze away from our joined hands with some difficulty.
"Do you like ice cream?" I asked as we drew closer to the town center, and he made a soft, humming sound.
"It's been a long time since I had some, but yes."
"Me too. There's this little ice cream shop on the next block. Wanna get some?"
Duckie nodded eagerly, and I squeezed his hand again, leading him across the street and to the ice cream shop. It was one of the few remaining human-owned businesses in town, and from what Cam had told me, the guy who owned it had refused all of Raiden's offers to buy him out. Of course, Raiden would never forcefully buy someone out, so the shop stayed.
A little bell jingled as we stepped into the shop, the air thick with the scents of chocolate and caramel.
The place was empty since it was about ten a.m. on a weekday, and Felipe, the shop owner, glanced up from behind the counter as we came in, his eyes flicking from me to Duckie.
"Hey, Miles. Where's your troublesome half?"
Chuckling, I headed to the counter as Duckie stuck to my side, glancing between us curiously.
Felipe was in his late twenties, with riotous dark curls that bounced around every time he moved, deep brown eyes, and soft brown skin. He got along great with most people, but especially Mateo.
While we tried to keep our distance from humans not in the know, Felipe was easy to get along with, and Mateo and I had spent many a free afternoons in this shop over the years, starting when Felipe's dad had run the shop.
"He's off doing his own thing. Felipe, this is my date, Duckie. Duckie, this is Felipe, and he makes the best ice cream in town."
Felipe gave a showy bow, making his dark curls fall forward, and Duckie smiled, the unease he'd been exuding disappearing instantly. With both of us in our human form, I couldn't sense his emotions the way I would if one or both of us were in our bird forms, but his face was extremely easy to read. I guessed since he'd grown up in his duck form, he'd never learned how to mask his emotions. I found it endearing.
"So what can I get you?"
I turned to Duckie, who eyed the display cases full of flavors with much trepidation.
"How about we get two flavors to share now and we can keep coming back until you've tried them all?" I suggested, seeing Felipe's brows shoot up out of the corner of my eyes. I imagined it would be strange for a human to suggest a commitment like that on a first date—though I had no idea how Felipe had figured out this was a first date—but Duckie and I weren't human. We were fated mates, and while we were still getting to know each other, I had no doubt we would end up together.
Duckie thought about my suggestion for a long moment before nodding, then picked double chocolate with mint. I went with blueberry since I hadn't tried it yet, and we got them in cones so we could walk as we ate.
"Where to next?" Duckie asked curiously before taking a lick of his ice cream, and my heart skipped a beat as I watched his tongue move.
Swallowing hard, I dragged my gaze away as my dick twitched in my pants, reminding me it'd been a while.
"Miles?"
