Free Tigers Like It Hot by Tianna Xander

hoofing it from here. With luck, it’s not too far.”
     
    They were lucky. The shop was just down the street and it had just what they needed. The costumes were beautiful, almost as beautiful as their mates. It was all Gareth could do to keep his raging hormones under control as he thought about Jessi wearing it.
    He didn’t like the thought of other men seeing her in it, though. Thinking about how the costume would enhance every one of her lush curves made him hard all over. He couldn’t imagine the sight not turning other men on and the thought almost made him growl.
    He took the bag containing the costume for Jessi and hoped he’d guessed her size correctly. It would lose the effect if it was too big. A little too small would be okay. It would only accentuate the curves he loved so much. He couldn’t wait to see her in the costume. In fact, he and Mac loved the costume so much, they bought the damned thing. Who knew something so insubstantial could cost so much?
    It didn’t matter. She would be lovely in it. He wanted her to see that, too. She needed to see that she was a sensual and sexy woman. She needed to see how beautiful she really was, and she wasn’t going to see that wearing baggy jeans and oversized shirts the rest of her life. Hiding her body wasn’t the answer. Showing it off like the goddess she was was the answer, and he and Mac intended to teach her that just that as soon as possible.
    Zach snatched up the bag with Kelly’s costume and they left the shop. “I’m hungry. We never did get any lunch.”
    “We’ll stop at that hot dog stand we passed on the way back to the hotel and grab a couple of dogs. I can’t wait to get back there and see this on our lady.” Gareth held up the bag.
    “I can’t either,” Derek said with a sigh. “What do you think it is about the men these days?”
    Mac frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “They all seem to think that just because a woman has a little extra meat on her bones that she’s lazy or eats too much.” He shook his head. “Do you remember that girl that used to compete with the men during the festival in the village? She ran, shot, fished and climbed trees with the rest of them, but she was a big girl and I don’t remember ever seeing her eat more than any other woman ate.” He sighed. “You know I chased her for a year and a half and the woman never gave me the time of day?”
    “She had good taste.” Mac grinned.
    “Fuck you.” Derek shot him the bird.
    “Those dogs smell great,” Gareth interrupted as they approached the booth. “I’ll take two of those with mustard.” He glanced at Mac. “He’ll have two with chili and mustard.” He pulled a fifty from his pocket and handed it to the teenaged attendant. “Keep the change. Save up. Go to college.”
    “Thanks, mister!” The boy made change, shoved the remainder in the tip jar and sanitized his hands before preparing their dogs. “How about you two?”
    “We’ll just take four with ketchup and mustard.” He grinned. “I noticed no one got onions.”
    “Big date, huh?” the boy asked as he made the hotdogs, wrapped them in aluminum and handed them over. “That’s eight dollars, please.”
    Zach, too, handed him a fifty. “Keep the change.” He smiled at him. “And my friend is right. Go to college.” He pulled a card from his pocket. “If you need help, just give me a call. I’ll find a good paying job for you, to help you work your way through.”
    “That was…random.” Mac frowned.
    “Yeah, well, he had his transcript on the bench behind him and his applications right there. Anyone who wants to go to school so bad he’s filling out his apps at a hotdog stand, deserves all the help he can get.”
    “I guess you’re right.” Gareth hadn’t seen that. He glanced back at the boy who had returned his attention back to the bench. “I hope he manages it, then.”
    “Yeah, me too,” Zach added between bites of his hotdog. “He makes a great hotdog,