Jason's POV

　　"I don't think there would be room in the bath for all five of us, Pumpkin," I admitted gently to Lizzy, an innocent smile spreading across my face.

　　I watched confusion seep across both girls' faces, Lizzy counting on her finger.

　　"Five?"

　　"You, Abigail, me, Damien and HIS ego." I winked with a smirk. Abigail's chuckle told me she was not offended but amused. Lizzy, I knew would have questions.

　　"What's an ego?" She asked, genuinely confused.

　　"Why don't you ask Damien!" I winked. Luckily, I was saved from answering further by the waitress who came to take our orders. Settling on a mixed grill and a beer, I waited for Abigail to order Lizzy's pizza. Asking the waitress to make sure it didn't have fish on it with a playful wink to Lizzy. Turning my attention back to my lunch companions, I winked at Abbi playfully, seeing her cheeks slowly return to normal as she looked through the menu quickly, obviously sensing the waitress getting annoyed at her taking her time and not being ready.

　　"Take your time; there is no rush!" I assured her with a glance to the waitress to let her know I didn't like her rushing Abigail; she could take as long as she wanted. 

　　"Just a salad, please, chicken and bacon if possible." She asked, but I shook my head, taking the waitress's arm as she tried to rush off.

　　"That's not enough food; it's my treat; please have something more substantial." I raised my brow, seeing her sigh picking the menu up again. My wolf and I purred inwardly at how submissive she seemed.

　　"As a mate should be," Archer added.

　　"She's not our mate, buddy." I cautioned Archer nervously, turning my attention back to Abigail. I watched her scan the menu.

　　"Good girl." I praised her, instantly regretting my choice of words, seeing her freckled face darken and her eyes narrow on me. Even the waitress seemed to wince at me.

　　"Chicken and bacon salad, and as Mr old fashioned here is paying; I will add extra cucumber and celery." Handing the menu to the waitress before she walked off. I grinned, watching Abigail as she sat back in the booth and stared at me daringly, Lizzy content colouring.

　　"There are hardly any calories in celery and cucumber; that's not enough to keep you going all afternoon." I assessed, leaning my arms over the back of the booth, trying my hardest to keep my cool. Her big green eyes seemed to pursue the muscles of my arms; the way she tried to hide the fact she was admiring them was not lost on me, nor was the taint of red to her cheeks.

　　"I am aware, but why do I need the extra energy? It's not like I am going to run through the forest howling at the moon or anything." She quipped with a grin looking over to check on Lizzy's drawing. 

　　"Touché," Archer laughed. His ears piqued at her underlying meaning. I was enjoying their company immensely and didn't want it to end, thinking on my feet for a reason to spend more time with them.

　　"So I am guessing you are in town to buy a fish tank?" I prodded, hoping to change the subject, Lizzy went off on a tangent about what tank she wanted, and I listened intently, nodding when needed. Still, neither my wolf nor I took our eyes off this beautiful creature sitting opposite us in her white cotton dress, pale skin, and scarlet hair. She truly was the perfect image of purity and fire!

　　Despite the slight headache, I felt brewing. I was thoroughly enjoying our 'lunch date.' I soon found out that Lizzy was only quiet when she had food in her mouth. She was quite something; Archer and I had not missed the sadness and anger that radiated off Abigail every time Lizzy brought her mother up, leaving me curious about the dynamics of Abigail's friendship with the mother and Damien. I wanted to know more; I wanted to know everything where Abigail was concerned.

　　Growing up in a pack that spent most of the day training and working out, you learned very young that when it came to dinner time, you ate quickly or went without. It had become a habit to inhale food rather than chew and enjoy it; looking over at Lizzy, a tight line furrowed my brows watching her shovel food in her mouth, but it was different; she evidently was not used to knowing when the next meal was coming. Deciding to slow down, I patted Lizzy's hand gently. 

　　"If you slow down and chew your food, I will buy you the biggest ice cream you can fit in your belly for pudding." I coaxed, eyeing Abigail cautiously. I didn't want to overstep, but this child was pulling at my heartstrings, and from my experience with the pups in the pack, ice cream was a great bribe.

　　 "If Abigail says it's ok," I added, trying to be respectful. Although I doubt she heard me, she seemed absorbed in her phone, her delicate fingers moving quickly over the keypad. I watched her flick it onto silent and drop it in her bag. When had it gone off?

　　"Who is contacting her?" Archer grumbled, wanting to know who was interrupting our time together. 

　　"She's allowed to have friends, Buddy," I mumbled, trying to soothe his concerns.

　　"Said who?" He snapped moodily. Ignoring my wolf, I returned my attention to Lizzy, who had wasted no time spinning her head to look at Abigail, her little cheeks full of food but her dark puppy dog eyes looking hopeful.

　　"You look like a hamster." Abigail laughed gently, poking her cheeks. "Slow down, and chew each mouthful slowly. Then, yes, Jason can buy you pudding." She laughed, which was music to my ears.

　　"And you can call me Abbi or Ab's. My mother is the only one who calls me Abigail, usually when I was misbehaving as a kid." She had relaxed around me fully over lunch; she had the most feminine tone to her voice; I wondered how I had missed it yesterday.

　　"Ab's it is!" I acknowledged proudly, smiling inwardly at my wolf, currently prancing back and forth in my head, repeatedly saying her name.

　　It wasn't long before we had all finished; I had learned a lot in the time it took for us to finish our food. I didn't want the afternoon to end just yet, Archer and I wanted to know everything about Abigail leaving no stone unturned, but we knew that was impossible over dinner. We had to find a way to spend more time with this beautiful creature.