Page 23 of His Determined Bear

I had a feeling he knew that hadn’t been what I meant. But I let it go.

“You’ve not tried my pastries. My croissants would melt in your mouth, and I make a Cinnamon Honey Creme Brulee that would make your eyes roll back. It’s practically orgasmic.”

Cooper choked, and he spun around to face me, his mouth wide open. He closed it slowly and cleared his throat before stepping closer to me. “I hope it turns out to be as good as it sounds.”

He was flirting. He had to be. My lips curved. “I would do my absolute best to make sure you left well satisfied.”

His eyes trailed up and down my body, and he licked his lips again. My bear growled, and I think maybe I did too.

“I just bet you will,” Cooper murmured. “But we are—”

Before he could withdraw from me, I blurted, “Have dinner with me.” When he didn’t reply immediately, I added, “I would love to hear your assessment on one of the finest restaurants in town.”

Cooper studied me for a moment longer, and I did my best not to squirm. “Alright, then you’re on. Let’s have dinner.”

Relief crashed into me like a tidal wave, and I released the breath I had no idea I’d been holding. “It’s a date.”

I tried not to fist pump when he didn’t contradict me.

Chapter 9

Graham

When I pulled up to Aaron’s ranch to pick Cooper up for our date, I was relieved to find that he hadn’t called or texted me to cancel. Part of me was convinced that he would cancel from the moment he closed the door when I’d dropped him off a couple of hours ago.

But much to my relief, he hadn’t. I was finally going to spend some much-needed private time with my mate. Would this be considered our first date?

I parked out front and got out of the car, smoothing down my black cashmere sweater. Even though it was cold as fuck, I didn’t see the need to wear my coat just to go to the door. Would he think that was weird?

“You are so overthinking this,” I muttered to myself, trying to shake off this sudden bout of self-doubt.

As I made my way up the steps, the door swung open before I could reach to ring the bell. I knew it wasn’t my mate since my bear would have felt him. Aaron came through the doorway and met me on the porch before closing the door behind him.

Damn, should I have asked him for permission before asking Cooper out? I knew cat shifters were very protective of their families. Even though wild cougars were considered solitary creatures, the same couldn’t be said for their shifter counterparts. Cooper was part of Aaron’s family now.

Before I could make my apology, Aaron cut me off.

“Graham, I don’t know what you did or said to Cooper, but thank you.” The emotion in my friend's voice caught me off guard for a moment.

“I’m not sure what you mean. Cooper still hasn’t picked his favorite cake yet. He brought home the four he liked the most for you and Kelly to make the final decision. I think he felt uncomfortable about making the final choice since it’s your wedding,” I said.

Aaron waved that off, shaking his head, “That’s not what I mean, son. I don’t know what you said to him, but Cooper gave Kelly his blessing. She would have married me without it, but I could feel how much it bothered her to do it without his blessing. We both want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

“I just told him the truth, Aaron, and I guess Cooper saw it for himself too. You’re a good man, and you deserve this happiness. Kat would want this for you.”

Aaron’s eye’s began to mist over as he stared off into the night. I waited for him to collect his thoughts. “She would, wouldn’t she,” he finally said. “And I know they’d get along and be friends under different circumstances.”

“They really would have,” I agreed. Both women were strong, devoted, and fierce. Even in the short amount of time I’d known Kelly, I could tell she loved completely with her whole heart. “You’re a lucky man to have found two such wonderful mates.”

Aaron didn’t reply immediately, but I could feel him watching me like he expected me to say more. I did my best not to squirm under his intense gaze that tended to see too much.

“So, you and Cooper… dinner….” He let the statement hang there, fishing for more information.

“Yeah, I’m taking him out for dinner,” I agreed.

“Anything you want to tell me?” Aaron was not one to beat around the bush. It really didn’t surprise me when he came right out and asked when I didn’t elaborate on our plans.

I knew I could trust Aaron with the revelation that Cooper was my mate, but for some reason, I held back. I felt it was important for us as a couple for Cooper to find out first, even though I wasn’t positive he would know what that actually meant. I knew Cooper had some knowledge about shifters from a previous conversation I’d had with Aaron. Fuck, but did he know I was a shifter too?

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