Page 210 of Labor of Love

An overwhelming urge to cry struck me out of nowhere. I could only assume it was because I was overtired, still a bit sick, and the whole day had been a rollercoaster of emotions. Clearing my throat, I pretended his words were embarrassing, and we helped him lock up the shed for the night.

5

CONRAD

Staying true to my word, the first date I took Tim on was a public one. Even though the farm ran seven days a week, Sam was a fair boss who had all the farmhands on a rotating roster. So, with my monthly weekend off landing only days after asking Timmy out, it made sense to make use of it properly.

I picked him up around ten in the morning, blushing my way through his mother’s amusement and his dad’s stern stare, and we climbed into my beaten-up old truck and set off towards a nearby town. Our town was a mite too small to enjoy a real date, but an hour’s drive saw us pull into a bustling main street with at least twice the offerings of Shifters Sanctuary. It even had a tiny movie theatre. It was one screen only, but that didn’t bother either of us.

We chatted and flirted during the drive there. It was nice to see Tim loosening up a bit, even though he still blushed and got self-conscious and coy with me. I hoped he’d never really stop doing that. It was adorable.

Hewas adorable.

“Is it sad that I haven’t been to an actual movie in years?” he asked as we climbed out of the truck and meandered onto the sidewalk.

I reached for his hand and, predictably, his cheeks turned pink as he slid his much smaller palm against mine. We probably looked ridiculous together with how petite he was against my bulk, especially when I towered over him like I did, but I liked it. He was my sweet little fox, and my inner bear enjoyed being so much larger.

“I haven’t been in years, either,” I admitted, strolling towards the small ticket stand in front of the tiny lobby.

The building itself was sandwiched between two others, giving it a real old-world, small-town kind of vibe. Which, considering we were in the middle of Nowhere, Iowa, wasn’t far off the mark.

There was a gaggle of teenagers milling about the lobby, which made sense because we were seeing the matinee screening of the latest superhero flick, but they paid us no mind after we collected our tickets and headed towards the concession stand. The enticing scent of fresh, buttery popcorn called to me and made my stomach rumble, earning a bubble of laughter from my date.

“I have missed this smell, though,” he sniffed the air. “Nothing beats it.”

His sweet omega scent, paired with his bright fox shifter scent, certainly outranked popcorn in my head, but I wasn’t ready to start saying sappy shit like that just yet. At least, not on our first date.

“The smell is so much nicer than the experience of eating it, though. Not that that ever stops me,” I rubbed my belly pointedly, making him giggle again.

We held hands through the movie, then ate a late lunch at a nearby burger joint. I was amused to see him practically inhale the burger and fries he’d ordered.

“Flu finally fading?” I asked, and he nodded, slumping back against the vinyl of the booth seat with a happy little sigh.

“Yeah, thankfully. And today I’m starving. It’s like my body has realized it can have food again and is overcompensating.”

“Well, I’m just glad you’re feelin’ better. I’m happy to feed you whenever and whatever you’d like.” My alpha agreed wholeheartedly, taking a sense of pride in being able to provide for his omega.

Andugh.How many times did I have to try and explain to my inner beast that Tim wasn’t ours?

Unaware of my thoughts, Tim’s cheeks turned rosy. He dipped his chin. “I like that,” he said shyly. “Today has been fun.”

I preened. I’d never really been much of a dater before; my history was more casual hookups. But Tim was different. Special. He deserved to be wooed and romanced. “It has,” I agreed. “Does that mean I can take you out again?”

His blinding smile warmed my insides. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

I was conscious of taking things slowly with Tim. During our drive home after our first date —having parked down the street from his house and made out like teenagers for a few minutes— he quietly told me he was a virgin. I’d suspected as much, but it wasn’t difficult to assure him we had all the time in the world. My alpha wanted him, but even he was content to wait until the time was right.

That wasn’t to say we didn’t push boundaries during our dates, though. Our make-out sessions were hot and heavy, oftentimes leading to Tim straddling my lap as we kissed, rubbing our cocks together through our jeans until one or both of us came. As weeks went by, he became increasingly insatiable,but he still wasn’t ready to do more than frot, and I wasn’t going to push him.

It all led to my dreams becoming progressively more vivid, though. I supposed that wasn’t unexpected, considering the last time I’d had sex was at the summer Unlocking party. I didn’t remember much outside of finding myself in a dark room with a random beta that night.

From what little I did recall —being strung out on a synthetic rut and blindfolded as per the party’s silly rules— the beta I’d been with had used a ridiculous amount of lube. Now, it wasn’t difficult to imagine it was Tim’s slick, instead. To imagine the slender waist I’d held belonged to my sweet fox omega. To fantasize that I’d been able to mate him, rather than pull out after my knot had begun to pop following my orgasm.

So, my dreams morphed the heavily-lubed-up beta into a slick-dripping omega. While I couldn’t remember the sounds the beta had made, I dreamed of Tim whimpering and crying out in ecstasy. That was also easy to do, seeing as I’d watched him unravel in my lap several times by that point.

But, despite the dreams and my growing infatuation, and despite Tim’s youthful appetite to make out and frot at every possible opportunity, we spent time really getting to know each other, too.

I told him about my childhood and my travels since my teens, and he shared his experiences growing up sheltered and adored by his parents. Even though our lived experiences couldn’t be further apart, we bonded over our differences. It was nice to get his perspective, and when we debated some of the bigger picture issues in the world, he opened my eyes to alternative thoughts. In turn, I did the same for him.

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