Chapter 4

Sophia

Amazing. That ' s the only way I could describe how hot Roosevelt looked naked. Every muscle was well-defined. His shoulders were thick and powerful, with a lean torso and large powerful thighs. But despite how incredibly toned he was, it was nothing compared to how impressive his dick was. It was a dick a porn star would be jealous of. I couldn ' t help but stare. Don ' t judge me. Anyone in my position would have.

" See something you like? " he asked, a brow cocked.

" Mmm . Sorry." Quickly I averted my gaze. " I didn ' t realize that you ' d be naked. "

" Yes, sorry. I didn ' t think you ' d be awake. Figured I could sneak in. It ' ll take some getting used to having a woman in the house."

" I couldn ' t sleep. "

" Why? Is the bed uncomfortable ?"

" No. The bed and the room are good. Thank you." I hesitated a moment before answering. To hell with it. The worst that could happen is he ' ll think I ' m as crazy as this town seemed to be. At least I ' d fit in. " Were you the wolf I saw in the woods last night? "

He stared at me for a moment and then nodded. " Yeah. That was me. It was a full moon. I didn ' t want to scare you , so I took off. I can't control the transformation on a full moon."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I leaned against the wall. " Can you transform whenever you want to? "

" Yes and no. Every werewolf is different, depending on their lineage. On a full moon I can ' t control the shift. At other times, when my emotions are heightened, I ' ll start to turn. That's probably why people at the diner mind their tongue when they're around me. In truth, I prefer to be in human form. Years of living in the regular world taught me to hide who I was. No one would understand. They ' d capture me and run tests, I ' m sure of it. That ' s what humans do to things they don't understand. This is the only place in the world where I can truly be myself and not worry about the consequences of being me. It ' s the only place any supernatural can be who they are without prejudice."

I couldn ' t imagine carrying a secret like that – living day to day, knowing I wasn ' t like everyone else and hoping no one would discover the truth.

" It must be nice. I mean to be in a spot where you don ' t have to hide who you are. "

He seemed to consider the question a moment then threw his hands up in the air. " Doesn ' t matter. This is where I am and where I foresee myself being for years to come. " Walking past me, he grumbled, " It ' s time for bed – I need at least a little shut-eye before I have to open the diner."

Sophia

A soft knock came at my bedroom door rousing me from sleep.

" Come in. " Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I pulled myself up into a seated position on the bed, pulling the blankets up over my chest.

The door opened to reveal Roosevelt in his chef ' s uniform. " I 've gotta go open the diner. There ' s a few things to do in the town if you want to check it out. There ' s a library and a few shops. Some boutiques. So once you ' re up , you can go explore if you like. Just keep in mind that the town has a variety of supernatural beings in it. Try not to stare, some are more sensitive to human attention than others."

He turned to leave.

" Stop. Wait." Pushing off the blankets, I swung my legs and slipped out of bed. " I want to go with you to the diner. "

" You ' d only be bored . I ' ll close up early so we can get to know each other better later if you like. I can take you on a date."

" No! " Running to the dresser, I began pulling out my outfit for the day, a pair of jeans and a snug-fitting t-shirt that highlighted my long legs and the curve of my hips. " I want to go. That ' s why I ' m here, right? How can I get to know you and figure out if this is real if we waste the day? You said we only have a week, right? "

" Yeah, we have a week. "

" You never told me what happens in a week." Stepping into the jeans I pulled them up over my thighs and ass.

" You leave and I stay here. Simple as that. I ' ll be in the Jeep. You have five minutes." He turned abruptly and left, closing the door behind him.

He wasn ' t telling me the truth. I didn ' t have to know him well to know that much. Tossing the teddy onto the bed, I finished getting dressed , sprinted out of the house, and hopped into the passenger seat of his car before he had a chance to change his mind and leave without me. Roosevelt already had the engine running, prepared to leave.

" You ' re going to be bored. "

" Well, you seemed to be pretty swamped yesterday. Maybe I can help out? Why don ' t you have a waitress anyhow? "

" Everyone in town has a job to do, it ' s not like there ' s an ample supply of workers in the town. I make do."

" But you could use an extra set of hands, right? "

He chuckled, averting his eyes from the road for a moment to look at me. " Are you offering to be my waitress? That ' s hilarious. Have you worked a job in your life? "

My eyes narrowed at him. " Why are you such an asshole? If this is your way of wooing me , then you ' re doing a piss -poor job."

He was silent for a moment before nodding. " You know, I ' m sorry. You ' re right. I guess I wasn ' t prepared for you to show up and I …" He ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

" You what? " I prompted.

A smile spread across his lips as he looked at me once more. " It doesn ' t matter. I ' m sorry. You ' re right, I ' m being an asshole. I ' ll do better. I promise."

Roosevelt

Maybe I misjudged her. Either that or she was intent on proving me wrong. Either way, Sophia was proving to be an invaluable help in the diner. She started off slow and unsure, but by lunchtime she ' d really gotten the hang of it and seemed to really enjoy it. The customers loved her.

" Order up, " I yelled from the kitchen as I placed two plates of pasta on the counter and waited for Sophia to pick it up. It would probably be useful to get a bell to save me from all the yelling in future.

The future.

I immediately paused my line of thought. It ' s too early for that.

She was so full of life. Maybe my initial evaluation of her was right and she was a pampered princess, but she was proving to be much more than that. It made me wonder about her life before coming here.

At one point in my life, I was a sought-after chef to the stars. I ' d met more than my fair share of pampered princesses. Perhaps I ' d let my prejudices jade my initial impression of her. It was more than that though. With only a week I didn ' t want to get my hopes up that we ' d fall in love and she ' d want to stay here forever. To get my hopes up would make the disappointment all that much more painful when she left. I mean, why would anyone want to give up a life of luxury to be a waitress in a diner for a grumpy fuck like myself.

" Hey! You ' re slowing down! Try to keep up! " she announced. The playful twinkle in her eyes broke me.

Giving my head a shake, a smile crept onto my lips as I met her gaze. Damn, she was beautiful. Her eyes were the most stunning shade of blue. A lifetime staring into those eyes would be a dream come true.

A warmth was forming inside me as I stared at her. She had a smile that could light up the darkest of nights. She sure brightened the mood in the diner. I don ' t think there was a single person in the place that didn ' t find her delightful.

Her smile faded. " Is everything okay? "

" Yes. Of course . I was just thinking that you were doing an amazing job and that I underestimated you. I saw the nice clothes, fancy car, and perfect make-up and it gave me an impression of you that was wrong. Could you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

She planted her fists on her hips. " Well, my first impression was that you were a dick. You don ' t seem so bad after all. So much for first impressions. " She grabbed the two plates and spun, her long dark ponytail swaying as she crossed the room. Her hips seemed to have a little extra sway to them – for my benefit? I ' d like to hope so.

Chuckling, I went back to work. Something had been sparked within me. Between us, I could feel it brewing. For the first time since I arrived here, I felt hopeful for the future.