The Moonlight Breed 8: Leap in the Dark by Gabrielle Evans (chrysanthemum read aloud .txt) 📕

He shook off the asshole’s grip on his arm, took Keeton by the elbow, and dragged him toward the exit without bothering to pay for their meal. No one followed him, but he still didn’t release the breath he was holding until they were safely inside the pickup and on their way back to Haven.

“He messed up my hair.”

Yes, of course, that was exactly what they should be worried about. Forget the fact that they’d barely escaped without being pummeled. They should be worried about Keeton’s hair. “Why can’t you ever just keep your mouth shut?”

“What? That guy was a total asshole.”

“Yes, and he was also twice your size.”

“Chill out, Brax. We’re fine, those guys are long gone, and the day wasn’t a total bust.” He shifted around in his seat so that he was leaning against the passenger door. “Your hair looks amazing.”

Braxton was going to strangle him. He was just going to pull over to the side of the road, calmly reach across the console, and throttle him. “Logan is going to flip when he finds out.”

“That is precisely why we’re not going to tell him.” Keeton’s eyes tightened at the corners, and he pointed his index finger in Braxton’s direction. “Nothing happened. We’re not hurt. Some bigoted assholes got in our faces, big deal. It’s not like we haven’t dealt with this shit before.”

It was true, but Braxton still didn’t think he could hide it from Xander. He told his partner everything, and it didn’t feel right to keep something like this from him. Then again, it would probably just start a fight, and he’d had enough of the discord in their relationship.

As though he summoned his mate from thought alone, his cell phone blared out Xander’s special ringtone from where it rested in the cup holder. He debated for only a heartbeat before he snatched the phone up with a shaking hand and answered it. “I’m fine.”

“What happened?” Xander demanded, having obviously sensed his distress through their bond.

“Just some guys looking for trouble. I’m on my way home now. We can talk about it more when I get there.”

“Chulo, I can hear your voice shaking. Even if you’re not hurt, you’re not okay. Tell me what happened.”

It had been weeks since Xander had called him by the pet name, and Braxton felt a lump form in his throat. He wanted to comment on how much better his lover sounded, but when he opened his mouth, the entire story of what had happened in the diner came spilling out instead.

“We were having lunch just outside of Rawlins, and this guy came up to the table out of nowhere and told us to leave.” As he talked, his chest loosened, like an enormous weight had been lifted from him. He didn’t leave anything out, not even the part where the cowboys had gotten physical with them. “So, I guess it wasn’t that bad. I’m just a little shook up.”

Xander had listened quietly, not interrupting him even once until he was finished. “How much gas do you have in the truck?”

“Uh, almost a full tank.” Braxton frowned at the odd question. It wasn’t at all what he’d expected Xander to say after hearing his tale. “Why do you ask?”

“I want you to drive straight home. Don’t stop. Don’t get out of the car. Just come home.”

“I gotta pee,” Keeton said right on cue.

Xander sighed on the other end of the line, and Braxton could just picture him pinching the bridge of his nose like he did when he was frustrated. The mental image made him smile, and it gave him a measure of hope that he hadn’t felt in a while.

“I’ll be careful, and I’ll see you in about an hour and a half.” He glanced at Keeton out of the corner of his eyes and huffed. “Don’t tell Logan.”

“He already knows something is up, but I’ll wait and let Keeton tell him. We’ll talk more when you get here.”

“Thanks, love.” He started to disconnect the call, but Xander said his name again. “Yes?”

“I love you, baby.”

A huge grin stretched across his lips, and Braxton squeezed the phone just a little tighter. “I love you, too, big guy.” Then he really did hang up.

“Thanks for not ratting me out to Logan.”

“You’re going to have to tell him something when we get home.” He slipped his phone back into the cup holder and placed both hands on the wheel. “He knows something is wrong.”

“Damn shifters,” Keeton mumbled under his breath. “Let’s write a children’s book.”

Braxton parted his lips to respond but snapped them together quickly. After a lifetime of friendship, he was used to Keeton’s odd way of communicating, but it still caught him off guard every once in a while. “Where did that come from?”

“We were just talking about it in the diner.” Keeton rolled his eyes. “You never listen to me.”

The man was insane, but Braxton loved him like a brother. “Okay, I’m listening now. I’m all yours for the next eighty miles.”

“We’ve kind of tossed around the idea before. I can do the illustrations, and you write the words. I was thinking we could do something fun with it.” He sat up in his seat and waved his hands around in excitement, grunting when his knuckles cracked against the window. “We could write these cute little shifter stories. Human kids would like them, and the shifter kids would be over the moon.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea.”

They’d discussed something similar in the past, minus the shifters, but it had never come to fruition. He could definitely use a change of pace, and there wasn’t really anything holding them back. His Quest series was finished, and he hadn’t started on anything new. Hell, he hadn’t done anything productive in longer than he could remember.

“Let’s do it.”

“Really?” Keeton seemed shocked at his easy acquiescence.

Braxton shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

“Well…” Keeton trailed off as though he didn’t know what to say. He’d clearly been