Page 21 of Bear Creek Valentine
After another round of hugs, he sent them off with a gift box of chocolates and high hopes.
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Since Blanche had already gone home and it was a slow day, Aiden put Toby to work in the kitchen, mixing up some of the new coffee-flavored Java Bars. His early experiments narrowed it down to four varieties: Chocolate Silk, Caramel Pecan, Vanilla Bean, and Mint Mocha. Customers couldn’t get enough, using them for snacks, dessert, or breakfast on the go. Per Dash’s suggestion, he offered each one in a caffeine-free version for those who wanted the flavor without the jolt.
Aiden kept himself busy out front with the occasional customer, phone call, or online orders for the next day. He alsochecked to see if there were any new reviews or emails on theDeliciouswebsite. To avoid problems, incoming messages and comments required moderator approval before being posted for all to see. Aiden wasn’t about to allow trolls and malcontents to vent their spleen publicly and trash his reputation.
He found a new email message in the “waiting for moderation” queue and opened it up. The strange missive made no sense at first glance.
“Someone’s getting all rich and famous. Nice for you, but how about old friends? I know where you are now, so you can’t hide. I’m watching...”
What the hell? Aiden had no idea who this could be or what they were talking about. Perhaps they’d sent the message to the wrong website. Either way, he wasn’t going to respond and almost deleted it. Instead, he moved the email to his “unanswered” file folder and returned to work. There certainly were a lot of strange people in this world. Aiden shrugged it off and began thinking about seeing Dash after closing for the day. While he looked forward to eating a hot meal, he was much more interested in devouring a hot bear.
Aiden’s cock filled at the thought of intimacy with Dash. The beautiful man was just the right mix of power, submission, and aggression that turned Aiden’s crank every time. Still, they hadn’t progressed to penetrative sex, and he wasn’t sure if Dash was waiting for him to initiate it or if he was avoiding it for some reason. Maybe it reminded him too much of Harv or was part of the shifter mating rituals he’d heard about.
He definitely needed more information before doing something that might upset Dash. Fortunately, he knew someone in a similar position who could fill in the blanks. A quick phone call wouldn’t take long, but Toby didn’t need to overhear this particular conversation. Aiden went to check on his progress and found him cleaning up the kitchen. Workingtogether, they completed the job with fifteen minutes to spare, and Aiden saw an opportunity to squeeze in that call.
“Why don’t you take off, Toby? I’ll pay you for the entire hour and close up by myself tonight.”
The young man jumped at the chance to head home early.
“Okay! My mom needs me to sort out some stuff in the garage tonight, anyway. Thanks, Aiden. Oh, I meant to ask you earlier, but do you think Leo and Serena will work with us? They seemed really nice.”
Aiden noticed the youngster’s flushed face and suspected the handsome Mr. Leo Park was the reason. At Toby’s age, Aiden had been lusting after every attractive male he laid eyes on, full of hormones and with no available outlet except his right hand. He wouldn’t tease the sensitive teen about it.
“Well, I don’t know for sure, but I think they’ll say yes. You’ll be the first to know after I hear back from them.”
Toby threw his soiled apron in the hamper, grabbed his jacket, and took off. Aiden locked up the back and went out front to make his call, hoping Levi had time to talk. He picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, Aiden! How are things with you?”
“Hi, Levi. Listen, I was hoping you could help me with some personal questions about shifters and their mates. Is this a good time to talk?”
Levi was smiling on the other end of the phone, unsurprised that his friend needed the same advice he received while dating Knox.
“No problem. Knox’s bear needed to stretch his legs after supper, so it’s just me in the house. I take it you and Dash are getting serious about one another?”
“We are, and I don’t want to do anything to spook him. You probably don’t know this, but Dash had a mate who died a long time ago. He’s hesitant to take another, but I know he wants me.Our... roles are the opposite of you and Knox if you know what I mean.”
Levi winced. Those were significant issues, and certainly not ones he’d faced.
“I understand why Dash is having trouble, but I’m sure you’ll be patient with him while he works out his feelings. It might take a while for him to change; just don’t give up on him. Do you know if his mate was human or shifter?”
“Shifter. Does that make any difference?”
“Probably. They would have advantages over a mixed couple. Just know that anything I tell you is based on personal experience and advice I was given by a mated shifter. Let me start with this—have you and Dash ever used his bedroom for sex?”
Aiden frowned at the odd question but figured Levi had a good reason for asking it.
“No, and the door is always shut. We’ve used the spare room at Dash’s place and my bedroom, though.”
“Ah... it probably means Dash isn’t ready to claim you yet. This may sound strange, but shifters have a thing about their bedroom. In their minds, it represents THE place where mating happens, which involves marking you in some way during sex.”
Aiden now realized how close he’d come to making serious mistakes.
“Damn, I had no idea! Now it makes sense why I’ve never evenseenhis bedroom. The other thing is that we haven’t really had full-on sex yet. Is he afraid of mating with me accidentally? Should I ask him about it first?”
Levi wasn’t used to being so frank with someone about their love life, but Aiden was his friend, and this was more important than any discomfort he might be experiencing.
