Page 9 of Tiger Bitten

“Why aren’t you paired up already?”

He narrowed those glowing blue eyes at her. “I’m not exactly good boyfriend material.”

“Oh, you’re fuckboy?” she asked, scrunching up her face.

“This way,” the hostess said, leading them toward the back of the small restaurant.

Ren smiled brightly and followed her, swinging her arms while he followed behind her and asked, “What does a fuckboy mean?”

“Oh, they’re these really hot guys who know how to trick girls into thinking they’re so cool and they get what they want from them and then dump the girl and move to the next.”

“Okay.” He sounded confused and smiled politely at the hostess as he pulled out a chair.

“What are you doing?” Ren asked as he just stood there, with his hands on the back of a chair.

“Pulling out a chair for you?”

She exchanged glances with the hostess, who looked surprised, but also a little mushy.

“Right,” she murmured as she sat down in his offered chair. He pushed it in on her way down smoothly and the placement of the chair was perfect, like he’d done it a hundred times before.

Her suspicions were growing. “Were you raised with sisters too? Or just brothers?”

“Brothers,” he muttered, pouring the glass container of water into the glass in front of her. Oh, he was smooth.

“And your mother wasn’t close to you, but she taught you how to be a gentleman?”

“She didn’t teach me anything of value. She only taught me what not to do.”

“Oh. Well, that’s kind of sad.”

“I haven’t lived a sad life. I’m fine.” There was a defensive edge to his voice.

“I didn’t mean to make assumptions,” she said softly. “Just trying to get to know you and—”

“You think I’m hot.” He said it like a statement, not a question.

Shocked, she froze, mid sip of her water. Slowly, she set it down and clasped her hands in front of her on the table. This was the danger zone. “What makes you say that?”

“You said fuckboys are really hot guys.”

“And that was your only take-away from that entire description?”

“Look, lady. It’s been a minute since I’ve been thrown a compliment. Can you just repeat it so I can feel a molecule of serotonin?”

She cleared her throat primly. “As if you don’t know what you look like, yes. I find you attractive. Mildly.”

“You lied on the last word.”

“Goshdangit!” She’d forgotten for a second that he was a Cat. She was getting way too used to those glowing blue eyes of his. “I find you hot. Yes.”

He ducked his chin slightly. “Thank you. You’re hot too.” Truth. “Now we can both have serotonin.”

“I don’t know if my serotonin comes from words of affirmation.”

“I don’t know your psychobabble. I’m just pretty sure girls like compliments like guys do.”

“Well, this is new to me because I’ve never been around a guy who fishes for compliments.”