Page 6 of Tiger Bitten

The bell over the door dinged and Ren came to a stop in front of Mars. He froze, his frost blue eyes locked on hers.

“Do you want to go out to lunch with me?” she demanded.

“What?” he asked, the phone still pressed to his ear.

“Do you…want to go out to lunch…with me?”

“Dame, let me call you back.” He hung up the phone. Mars stood up straighter and looked her up and down, then cocked his head. “What do you like to eat?”

“Surprise me.”

“How long do you get for lunch?”

“An hour normally, but I’m fully comfortable taking an hour and a half break today,” she gritted out, ghosting a glance at the tinted windows, where she knew her mother would be watching in fury.

She didn’t know why she felt so rebellious right now, but she was so done talking about Cat culture with a woman who had spent so much time convincing her it was destructive. She wanted to find out for herself. She wanted to ask questions.

“I just need to get my purse,” she murmured.

“No need. I’ll pay.”

“You don’t have to. I am asking you out. The asker is supposed to pay.”

He inhaled sharply and said, “Ren, will you go to lunch with me? There. Now I’m asking.”

Oh, he was turning the tables, huh? Okay. An accidental smile took her lips about the same time heat started creeping up into her cheeks. She ducked her gaze to the sidewalk. She hadn’t been asked out in so long. “Um, that sounds good to me. So…yes. But I need my purse, because I have pepper spray in there, and if you try anything funny with me, I’ll blind you and then murder you.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Adorable. Okay, go get your pepper spray. I’ll start the truck.” He started to walk away, but then said, “Unless you want to drive? If you are more comfortable driving, we can do that.”

She grinned. Okay, that was cute. He was trying to make her more comfortable, and she did appreciate it. “I am fine with you driving us if the restaurant is close.”

He tilted his head toward the west. “It’s three blocks over.”

“Okay, let me tell my mom where I’m going.”

“Your mom is in there?”

“Yes. She hates Cats. I’m setting everything on fire today.”

He snorted. “You are a Cat.”

She shrugged. “Daughter of the year.”

He pursed his lips against a smile. “Want me to meet her?”

“Hell no. I’m using you to make a statement. No more, no less.”

He looked surprised but recovered quickly. “Fair enough. Do you like Thai food?”

“Are you taking me to Thai Lake on Maple Avenue?”

“Planning on it.”

“Then yes. Don’t judge how much I’m about to eat.”

“I would only judge if you ate too little.”

She giggled. He was quick. “B-R-B.”