Page 5 of Dancing for His Omega

The real question of the day, from Dr. Shay himself, was why I stayed so long when Jacob was providing me the bare minimum. Why I poured my heart out for another and never into myself.

Hard things to think about, much less figure out in one hour.

And here I doubted how good a small-town therapist would be. Shame on me.

I bid goodbye to the receptionist and walked out, reveling in the sun on my face. People passed by. Some gave me a tight-lipped smile. I was standing in front of the mental health clinic. They could probably see my tear-stained face or my puffy eyes.Ugh, the makeup artist at the theater always complained about those if I’d cried in the week before a show.

I was a messy crier. Today was no exception.

My tummy rumbled. I wasn’t hungry for lunch, though I’d missed it. Probably just looking for something to soothe me emotionally. I knew all about that. I’d once been a chubby child. I ate my feelings when my parents fought, which was loud and often. They argued more than they got along. But dance had saved me, not only helping me with my health but giving me an out—an escape from my home life.

Today, I deserved a treat, and there was a place I’d been wanting to visit. A chocolatier. Chocolate Dreams was the talk of the town. The owner apparently made art and bouquets for all kinds of occasions. The flavors and shapes and sizes varied with whatever the owner felt like making. I’d heard one man, a fox shifter, moan out loud at what he said was the best passion-fruit-filled chocolate he’d had in his life.

I didn’t even know passion-fruit-filled chocolate was a thing. But if it made him moan like that, it had to be good.

The best thing about Oliver Creek was that everything was only a few blocks away. The general store. The bakery. The restaurants, and that didn’t even count the food trucks filling the air with all kinds of delectable smells. The dragon’s breath smokehouse truck was near the top of my list, right under this chocolatier.

As I approached, I saw a sign stating their business hours. Damn it. It was almost closing time now. Maybe I could slip in and get a few things before they closed. I opened the glass door, hearing the ting of a bell above me and instantly assaulted by the smells of vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, and all things sugar.

I noticed a man at the counter, a stack of metal sheet pans in his hands. When he looked up with the most breathtaking eyes I’d ever seen, my whole world stopped.

He dropped the entire stack of metal…whatever they were. They crashed to the floor with a loud noise that had me cringing.

“Oh. Shit. Sorry.” I rushed over to help him pick up the items and realized they weren’t pans. They were chocolate molds. Shells, pyramids, roses, bunnies, and even some bears.

He squatted down as well. My bear forced me to inhale deeply, and that’s when I knew.

This man. Goddess, I didn’t even know his name. He was my mate.

Mine.

The notion and the power of what my bear told me had me fumbling, and I fell back, right on my ass.

He smelled like all the finest chocolate in the world melted together into one hell of a fine man. Short hair. Beautiful eyes and, as he chuckled at me falling backward, I noticed his dimples.

I joined in to his laughter.

It had been too long since I heard myself express any kind of happiness.

“Are you okay?” I finally choked out, accepting his hand to rise. His grip was firm and warm and everything good.

“I am. I was about to ask you the same thing.”

“Let me help you.”

We picked up all the molds. “I like the bears best. Those are cute.”

The omega blushed. Up close, he had a smattering of freckles on his nose. “I like them, too. I like bears a lot. My name is Micah. I haven’t seen you in here before.”

“I’m Edwin,” I answered.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Edwin. I was about to close, but I could stay open a few more minutes.”

“You would? I would really appreciate it. It’s been a day.”

Micah nodded. His smell intensified as he moved around me. “Shall I give you the tour? I bet I can figure out the cure for your bad day.”

He already had.

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