Without Reservations

dog. Chay felt about two-inches tall. He sighed, walked over to Bit and gave him the clothes. “Here you go. The bathroom is right behind you. Go ahead and take a shower and we’ll talk. There are towels in the cabinet above the toilet.”
    Keaton took the clothes and strode into the bathroom without a glance at him.
    Chay leaned against the wall. What was he going to do? He should just let Keaton go and then they could get on with their lives. This could be a good thing. He could pick his own mate and Keaton could pick his own mate.
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    Without Reservations
    He squelched down panic. His chest felt tight at the thought of not seeing Keaton again. No, they’d have to work something out. Letting Bit go didn’t feel right. Chay’d wanted a mate for as long as he could remember, and he’d be damned if the fact his mate wasn’t a woman kept him from claiming his mate. He tapped on the door. “Hey? Are you hungry?”
    “No.” The curt answer bordered on hostile and the sound of the water being turned on followed.
    Chay squeezed his eyes shut. Bit had to be hungry. He’d spent all night in that ravine. Chay shoved himself off the wall and went to the kitchen. He didn’t know what Bit liked, but hell, he was a wolf, he’d probably eat any kind of meat. He gathered stuff to fix two bologna sandwiches and got two sodas.
    When Bit came to the kitchen doorway, Chay’d just opened a bag of chips. Bit stopped in the doorway, his hair damp and a frown on his face.
    “I said I wasn’t hungry. I need to be leaving.”
    Chay grinned. His clothes were way too big. They made Keaton appear even younger. The petulant frown on those full lips wasn’t helping matters any. “Come on, Keaton, give me a break. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. We need to figure this out. Come sit down and eat. I know damned well you’ve got to be hungry.”
    Bit stood there for several seconds before the set of his shoulders relaxed. “All right. I’m not sure what you think it is we’re going to work out, but I’m listening.” He sat at the small round table across from Chay and took a bite of the sandwich. “Umm. Thank you. You’re right. I’m starved. I got shot before I could hunt and after that I couldn’t seem to focus.”
    The tightness in Chay’s chest eased a little at the sight of Bit eating.
    He ate some of his own sandwich and washed it down with a swig of soda. “So, you’re gay?”
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    J.L. Langley
    “Yeah, you got a problem with that?” Keaton set his sandwich down and got up. “Look this is stupid and an obvious waste of time. Thank you for patching me up. I’ll get your clothes back to you tomorrow.” He turned and walked out of the kitchen.
    Chay sat there in stunned silence until he heard the front door open and close. “Shit.” What the hell had he said this time? He’d only asked the man if he was gay. Damn, Bit was sensitive.
    Chay ran into the living room and threw the door open. Keaton stood in the front yard with a hand on his chin and his bottom lip between his teeth. He looked left and right. When he caught sight of Chay he waved and started walking down the street.
    Good lord the man was stubborn. It became obvious Keaton had no clue where he was. And to top it off he had no shoes. Chay sighed and jogged into the house to get his keys. By the time he got in his truck and caught up with the man, he’d made it to the end of the street. Chay drove up beside him. “Get in and I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
    “No thanks.”
    Chay gritted his teeth to keep from yelling, but wasn’t entirely successful. “Get in the damn truck.”
    Bit glared at him, his eyebrows pulling low over his eyes, and gritted his teeth right back. “No.” He snapped his head forward and kept right on walking.
    “Keaton, get in the truck…please. We’ve got to talk.”
    Bit threw his hands up and let them fall. He came over to Chay’s truck and leaned in the window. “I’m gay. You aren’t. What the hell is left to say? So long, have a nice life? Gee, doesn’t fate suck?” Interesting, his southern accent grew more prominent with anger. How endearing.
    “Please get in the truck. Do you have any idea where you are or where you’re going?”
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    Without Reservations
    Bit sighed, opened the door and got in. “No, I’ve only been here a month. I live close to the Wal-Mart Supercenter, do you know where that