if you need anything.”
Yeah, he needed something all right. “I’m Levi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She gave him a solid eye-fuck before squeezing his wrist. “You come find me when you’re through.”
Jackpot. “Sure thing, Ashley.”
His shifter friend on the stool chuckled softly, but Levi ignored him. He had food, bad beer, and the chance at some pussy. What more could he ask for? Almost bouncing in his seat, he took a big bite of his burger.
And immediately regretted it.
The guy next to him straight up guffawed. “Could have told you that was a bad idea, too.”
Levi spat the definitely-not-food into a napkin. “Burgers and pizza are like sex—even when they’re bad, they’re good. How can something that should be good be so very bad?”
“Bar owner can’t cook for shit but thinks he’s fucking Guy Fieri. Now, the diner in town? Pure heaven.” His eyes got a dreamy sort of look in them, and he shook his head. “Man. Best food I’ve ever had.”
Levi scowled at the thing that was supposed to be a burger. “It looked closed when I drove through.”
“Yeah, only breakfast and lunch.”
“Figures.” Levi shoved the food away and glared at his warm, pisslike beer. The night had gone from bland to horrible in a sip and a bite; not even the promise of a little attention from Ashley could save it. He was done. He’d rather go wolf, do a little hunting on four legs, and jack off in the shower than try to choke down that piece of not-food just to get into a chick’s pants.
“Heading out?” the shifter next to him asked as Levi stood up.
He held a hand out to the man. “Definitely. I’d rather chase a few rabbits than suffer this shit.”
“There’s plenty of those up in these hills.” The man shook his hand, his eyes roaming the bar. Before he let go, he leaned in and lowered his voice. “Watch yourself leaving here, all right?”
Great. Just what Levi needed…a cryptic warning from a nomad. “Yeah. Sure. You, too. Have a good night.”
The shifter turned back to his beer and nodded, but he offered nothing more. Levi left without another thought, striding through the door into the nasty-smelling air outside. Maybe that stench wasn’t from the factories as he’d originally thought. Maybe it was from the owner’s attempts at cooking. He could see that since his mouth pretty much tasted as foul as the air after that bite of not-a-hamburger.
“Hey, handsome,” Ashley called, appearing like some sort of dream girl in one of his fantasies…or nightmares, really. Could go either way. “Think you can come here and give me a hand with something?”
Levi sighed. His truck was right there, just a few cars down. The last thing he wanted to do was have to jump her dead battery or fix something on her car. But he was a gentleman and had been trained to be helpful and work as a team. Ashley didn’t seem to have a team, and who knew what would happen to her if he walked away.
“Sure. Of course.” Levi trudged across the broken parking lot cement, hoping whatever she needed help with could be quick. He was no longer in the mood for anything she could offer him.
Ashley was tucked between a car and a larger truck, looking nervous and almost shy. That sent Levi’s hackles flying. The chick had practically given him a rubdown. She was definitely not shy.
“What’s up, Ashley?”
She shrugged. “Want me to suck your cock?”
Normally, Levi would probably categorize that as the stupidest question ever. Lips on cock was a definite yes. But her placement between the vehicles, the way she was acting, the fact that he couldn’t smell anything past the stench of burnt food in the air…all put his guard up. “No, I don’t.”
Her face fell, and she glanced toward the truck for a split second. Got it…the threat would come from there. Levi edged back, leaving room so he couldn’t be taken by surprise from the side or back.
“C’mon,” Ashley said, beginning to appear almost