Page 5 of Bear Creek Christmas
If this was the owner, Eden’s brief description didn’t do him justice. While the man’s eyes held a certain sadness, he ticked off a lot of Levi’s boxes. He wasn’t here to find a boyfriend, however, and gave the fellow a friendly smile.
“Hello. Are you Aiden?”
He nodded and extended his right hand.
“Aiden Romero at your service. And you are?”
Levi reached out to shake, noticing the man’s blue-stained fingers.
“Levi Green. I’m a friend of Eden Shaw and the new vocal music teacher at Tri-County.”
Aiden raised his chin.
“Got it. Eden told me a little about you when she stopped by the other day. I take it you enjoyed the Nut Bombs?”
Levi’s eyes crinkled with mischief.
“You need to change the name of the shop to “Mouthgasms” becauseDeliciousdoesn’t even come close. Are you sure this stuff is legal?”
Aiden’s short, sharp bark of laughter echoed in the empty storefront. Levi had the impression it wasn’t used very often.
“Well, since coffee is a legal addictive stimulant and nobody’s being arrested, I think I’m safe from the law. Why don’t I show you what I have and see if there’s anything else you’d like to try.”
Aiden gave him a well-practiced tour of the display cases, each item identified by name and cost per pound. Chocolate candies dominated the menu, but there were also various bars made with nuts, fruit, and honey—all popular with bear shifters and human customers, he was told. In a separate case sat some large, rather homely-looking things called Bear Brownies. Levi couldn’t resist asking about them.
“I have to say, those don’t look very appealing, compared to everything else I see here.”
Aiden didn’t seem surprised or offended by the comment.
“True, but you’re not a bear. I can’t make them fast enough for the shifters in the area, and they aren’t found anywhere else.”
Levi hadn’t considered such a thing and felt stupid for dissing Aiden’s creation.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be insulting. I’ve never lived in a mixed community before and have a lot to learn. How long has the shop been open?”
“No worries; you’ll get the hang of it before long. I openedDeliciousalmost three years ago, and the community has been very supportive.”
“Do you run the place all by yourself?”
“For now, yes. I’m looking for some part-time help, so if one of your older students seems like a good fit, send them over.”
Levi chose several different things to try, and Aiden bagged them up for him. As he finished up, Levi asked what he’d been working on when he arrived. Aiden wiggled his blue-stained fingers.
“I got a delivery of blueberries today and mixed up a new recipe. Would you like to try it?”
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Knox slammed on thebrakes when he spotted Levi’s red jeep outsideDeliciousand swerved into a parking place a little too fast. This was the chance he’d been hoping for, and his bear pushed to claim the man, sight unseen. Knox gave him a stern talking-to and then got out of the truck and opened the shop door. With Aiden nowhere to be seen, the lone customermustbe his man, and Levi turned to look him over from head to foot. His scent, now mixed with interest and a whiff of desire, nearly drove Knox to his knees.
Moving slowly, he approached the striking human and leaned in to scent him. Levi backed away, now confused and slightly alarmed. Knox stifled a growl and smiled instead, offering Levi his hand.
“We haven’t met yet. I’m Knox McCoy.”
Thanks to Eden’s coaching, Levi recognized him as a bear shifter—husky, dark-haired, blue-eyed and hairy. Glancing down, he spotted the outline of a sizable erection. This guy was way too obvious, but Levi didn’t want to be rude and reached out to shake.
“Levi Green. Nice to meet you, Mr. McCoy.”
Knox enclosed the proffered hand in both of his—large, a little rough and warm. An electriczingraced all the way up Levi’s arm, and Knox looked as though he wanted to eat him. What the hell?
