Page 10 of Bear Creek Valentine
“Mmmm... I love your scent. You smell like sweet birch and spring rain. Something else smells good in here. What have you been making?”
Aiden laughed. There was no way a chocolate-loving bear shifter would miss the scent of sweets lurking in the kitchen.
“I thought it would be nice to have a little something to nibble on while we talked, so I mixed up some new recipes. Knox often helps me with taste testing, but I was hoping you’d give me your opinion.”
Dash growled again as his bear sent him a mental picture of tasting Aiden, as well as the treats. He wasn’t opposed to the idea, but he was here for a business proposal and couldn’t allow himself to hope for more. Aiden offered him a seat at the dining room table, where he’d set out plates, napkins, glasses, and pitchers of cold water and milk. Next, he brought out two trays from the kitchen, each loaded with samples of different items, and placed them in the center of the table. He sat directly across from Dash with a pen and notebook at the ready.
“On your left are coffee-flavored treats, while on the right, you have some enhanced with peppers and spice. Once the recipes are finalized, I have an entire line of items in mind for both.”
Dash was nearly drooling over the coffee-flavored items but looked up to make a comment.
“If these have caffeine, you might want to label them so customers know. I suspect you’ll get requests from those who don’t want it.”
Aiden thanked Dash for the suggestion and added it to his notes before describing what was on the left-hand tray.
“The square ones are caramel Java Bars, but I have a bunch of other flavors I’d like to try. In the middle are Mocha Rounds, made of thin, crispy cookies covered in dark chocolate. In the dish is what I’ve named Cuppa Beans; whole almonds triple-dipped in flavored semi-sweet chocolate. On the far side are the Mud Truffles. They’re filled with a strong coffee ganache and coated with milk chocolate. Try them all, and tell me what you think about flavor, texture, or anything else that comes to mind.”
Dash chose a Java Bar and nibbled, moaning with pleasure as his superior senses parsed out the flavors. The noises he made aroused Aiden, sounding more like an orgasm than a tasting session. Being on opposite sides of the table prevented him from jumping the sexy bear, and he tried to refocus on the task at hand. Midway through the second bar, Dash rattled off his thoughts.
“Good, but more coffee flavor. I love the soft, chewy texture. Maybe use chocolate chunks instead of cocoa powder.”
Aiden jotted down Dash’s comments as he worked his way through the other items on the tray.
“Add diced pecans to the Mocha Rounds.”Got it.
“Try a sprinkle of sea salt for the Cuppa Beans.”Hmm, good idea.
“Offer a dark chocolate variety of the Mud Truffles.”Oops, missed that!
Half the samples were gone by the time Dash finished, but Aiden found his suggestions inspiring and couldn’t wait to try the altered recipes. Dash wasn’t finished surprising him, though, as the next question caught him off guard.
“Have you ever tried using cocoa made from criollo beans instead of forastero?”
Most people didn’t know there were numerous varieties of cocoa beans used for making chocolate, each with their own flavor signature. Criollo was the best tasting but hard to grow and only used for three percent of the world’s chocolate.
“I’m impressed, Dash. In over three years, not a single customer has asked about the beans themselves. Anyway, to answer your question—no, the criollo are too costly for my budget. Besides, I don’t think my customers are discerning enough to appreciate and pay for the difference. Ihaveconsidered trinitario beans. They’re a hybrid of the other two but are supposed to taste more like the criollo. Someday I’d like to experiment, but I don’t have the time or money right now.”
Dash’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment, and he ducked his head.
“Sorry. I just wondered what kind of amazing things you could do with high-quality cocoa. I bet you’d be winning prizes and selling to royalty.”
Aiden sincerely appreciated Dash’s compliment, reaching across the table to clasp his hand.
“I’m flattered you think I’m that good. How about you try the hot and spicy treats now, and then we’ll get down to business?”
Shifters rarely go for spicy foods, so Dash wasn’t sure he was the best choice to taste them. They smelled fascinating and complex, which meant his bear was eager to try them. Aiden explained the inspiration for his new recipes as he loaded up a plate for Dash.
“The Aztecs used cacao beans to create a bitter chocolate drink called Xocoatl. It was made by grinding roasted beans into a paste and then mixed with water, vanilla, chili peppers, and other spices. My job is to find the right combination of heat and spice, and balance it with sweet chocolate. I think your bear canhelp with that, but I’ll pour you a glass of milk to neutralize the burn if it’s too much.”
Dash began to purr with the first bite, intrigued by the odd mix of heat, cocoa, and sugar. In his opinion, the bars needed more chocolate and less pepper, while he suggested using black walnuts instead of pecans with the Rounds. The covered almonds seemed to have a perfect balance of ingredients, and the truffles could use less heat and more spice. He glugged down two glasses of milk to soothe his tongue but declared the new sweets an unqualified success. Aiden finished jotting down notes with a huge smile on his face.
“Thank you! Once I tweak these recipes, I’ll have my regular team of tasters come in and try them. I value your opinion, so I hope you’ll join us.”
Between his full stomach and the lingering warmth of peppers, Dash’s bear felt like curling up for a nap, preferably with a naked Aiden tucked against him. The randy thought plumped his dick to full mast, making it difficult to hide as he and his host made their way to the living room couch. After Dash sat down, Aiden pulled him close, claiming his delicious mouth with demanding kisses. There was no hesitation on Dash’s part, and he let Aiden do whatever he wanted, as long as the sexy mankeptdoing it. Dash’s soft beard and lusty growls stoked Aiden’s fire even further until they were both aching and out of breath.
“You taste good. I could kiss you all day and never get tired.”
Dash made a sound Aiden hadn’t heard before, as though he were purring like a cat. If he were a betting man, he’d say the aroused shifter wanted to take things further. Oh, how he wanted to! But this didn’t seem like the right time, and they still needed to discuss the business proposal. Aiden moved to sit side by side and threw his arm around Dash’s neck to pull him closer.
