What Are They Eating

It’s time for the monthly What Are They Eating post, and do you know what? It took 23 months, but now we have a story where they don’t eat. Insane, but it should make this post easy, right? LOL

There is coffee, always coffee. Both cold coffee and freshly brewed coffee.

Cash had been his everything.

Growling, he smacked his cheeks. This was not the time to think about Cash.

Minutes later, his eyelids were drooping. Yawning, he shook himself and rolled down a window. The frigid air should help wake him, but he yawned again. Fuck. Blinking, the road blurred before his eyes, and he rubbed them.

How many car crashes had he been to where the driver had fallen asleep behind the wheels? Too many.

He fumbled with his phone and connected it to the car stereo. With the windows rolled down and heavy metal loud enough to make the car speakers jump, he reached for his to-go cup with the coffee he’d bought on the way to the funeral but had been unable to drink since his throat had been blocked.

The coffee had ice crystals in it. Grimacing, he chunked it down. Caffeine should help him on his quest to reach the south before midday tomorrow, or he guessed it was today.

Pulling the too-big sweats on, he ventured out. It was still pitch-black outside. The white snow shone in the moonlight. Tranquil. In Cottleway there were always noises, lights shining, and cars driving. Here silence ruled. The coffee maker made its first sound of the day, and Lex looked over at Cash. He wasn’t handsome—big and strong, but not classically handsome. Rugged, more so now than he’d been at twenty-one, but there was something. He had something no one else had, something that spoke to Lex on a deeper level. Cash was the one he compared everyone else to, and no one ever measured up.

Cash smiled. “What?”

“Nothing.” Lex shook himself. Goddammit. He was losing his mind.

Cash didn’t push, instead, he watched the coffee maker. When enough for two half cups had dripped down, Cash divided the coffee between them before putting the pot back in its place. “Milk and two sugars?”

“Only milk these days.”

Cash looked at him over his shoulder. “Finally realized you’re sweet enough as you are?” He winked, and a pang of longing hit Lex. Cash had always told him he was sweet enough without the sugar in the coffee. Such a silly, sappy thing, and yet it had a lump forming in his throat.

“Yeah. And health issues.”

“You’re sick?” The serious expression almost made Lex want to poke fun at him, but he didn’t have the energy.

“Not to my knowledge, but sugar isn’t good for you, and I work weird hours, so coffee keeps me afloat. It amounted to a lot of sugar in a day.”

Cash nodded. “What do you do?”

Then we have Lex waking from a dream, and in the dream, his granny was making him breakfast. We don’t know what she was making, but breakfast. Since it’s a dream, they don’t eat it, though.

Sometime later, Cash woke to a distressed sound. His initial response was to fling himself out of bed and deal with it, only it came from the bed.

Lex was crying.

Cash stilled. A tear trickled down Lex’s cheek, and Cash pressed his lips together not to whine.

“Lex.” He gently shook him. “Lex, honey, you’re dreaming.”

Lex stiffened against him, his eyes snapping open, and he looked around. Then he tilted his head back and looked up at Cash. He wouldn’t be able to make out his facial expression. Cash remembered how crappy Lex’s night vision was, but he smiled anyway.

He shouldn’t have. Lex’s face crumbled and new tears spilled from his eyes.

“Oh, babe.” Cash hugged him close. “Was it that bad?” He should have woken him earlier.

Lex shook his head.

“It wasn’t? Then why are you crying?” Fear gripped him. “Are you hurt? Fuck, we should have gone to the hospital. Humans are fragile. Is it your neck? Your back?” Cash looked around. He’d have to call someone. Samus. Samus would drive them to the hospital. Lex needed x-rays, and what if he had a concussion? Cash had taken him to bed instead of making sure he was okay. He was a terrible mate.

“I’m not hurt.”

“Are you sure? I think we need to go. You cried in your sleep. You’re in pain.”

“I’m fine.”

Cash grabbed his shoulder, gently. “Honey, you’re not fine. You’re crying.”

“It was the dream.”

Cash sighed, tried to relax into the mattress, and carefully gathered Lex in his arms. “What was it about?” He wasn’t sure he believed the tears were because of the dream, but if Lex could tell him what it was about, then maybe.

“Nothing special. Nana making me breakfast.”

“Do you want me to call her and let her know you’re here?” Maybe sneaking out in the middle of the night had caused him to dream.

Lex sniveled and wiped his eyes. “No, she’s not there.”

That’s it, I’m afraid. Not much in way of food.

Returning to the Werewolf

returningtothewerewolf Lex Gray was in love once. He was young and gave his heart to Cash Udolph, who he believed would be with him forever. When his world fell apart, Cash was nowhere to be found. Lex left Warwood, the tiniest village ever placed on a map, and swore never to come back. Seventeen years later, he’s there to attend his grandmother’s funeral.

Lex needs to get out of Warwood, but driving in the middle of the night might not have been his best idea. A naked man jumps up on the road only to turn into a wolf before his eyes, and Lex slams the brakes hard enough to slide off the road. When Cash is called in to sort a situation with a human, he never expected the human to be his Lex. He’s been given a second chance, but Lex wants to leave as soon as possible. Can Cash convince Lex to allow him back into his life before the tow truck gets there?