Page 76 of Bear Creek Valentine
“Maybe. We haven’t been mated very long, and our professional lives are kinda crazy. Let’s just say it’s not a hard ‘no’ and leave it at that.”
The mention of careers reminded Orrin aboutDelicious.
“I was really sorry to hear about the fire, but I understand you set up a shop elsewhere for now. Did they ever catch the arsonist?”
Aiden didn’t like to talk about the whole experience, and Dash pulled him closer with a protective growl.
“Thanks, Orrin. The people responsible are no longer a threat, and if all goes well,Deliciouswill return to the original shop sometime in February.”
Orrin noted Aiden’s sour scent and Dash’s cryptic non-answer to his question. Something was going on there, but he quickly changed the subject.
“You really didn’t need to buy me gifts. You guys are way too generous!”
Aiden offered Orrin a piece of advice as they made their way to the dining room.
“The two wrapped in blue paper should be opened behind closed doors unless you want to explain‘me time’to the little ones.”
Orrin choked down a laugh and turned beet-red.
“You, uh, shouldn’t have. Now I have to wait another week to find out what’s in them!”
####
Eight p.m., Christmas eve, Delicious
Except for the shop, D2 was unnaturally quiet.
After a final delivery to the resort and a thorough cleaning of the kitchen, Leo and his crew went home around five-thirty. They’d started earlier in the day than the shop employees, and wouldn’t return to work until Wednesday with everyone else. Production had been slowly scaled back so they weren’t overloaded with inventory during the upcoming three-day holiday break. Only the satellite location inside the Hungry Bear would remain open, willingly staffed by Chet and Hayley to give Ginger time off with her kids.
While the shop still enjoyed a steady stream of customers, Aiden sent Blanche and the temps home in time for a late supper, leaving Serena and Toby to assist him until closing time at nine. Because D2’s location wasn’t ideal, foot traffic was way down compared to last year. Even so,Deliciousremained profitable throughout December. Between increased online sales, first-time customers, and supplying the resort, income levels actuallyexceededlast year by a significant margin.
Aiden was happy that none of his employees would be alone for the holidays. Everyone had either friends or family nearby for get-togethers, parties, or dinners. Even he and Dash were to spend their first Christmas together at the resort with the Hawthorns. They not only accepted Dash’s generous offer of free rooms, they chose the shifter accommodations to see how the other half lived. His nieces and nephews were all geeked about eating, sleeping, and playing in bear form, while still enjoying the unique comforts of the resort.
As the clock ticked down, Aiden and his crew finished their end-of-day checklist between helping their final customers. It still amazed Serena that people waited until the last moment todo their shopping. In her opinion, staying open until nine only encouraged it.
“I finally convinced DeeDee to survey Bear Creek’s business owners about how long we stay open on Christmas eve. I mean, even the grocery stores are all closed by six o’clock, so it makes sense for us to do the same thing. People want to go home and enjoy time with their family or just relax before the big day.”
Aiden gave her a thumbs up.
“Great idea. You should have been here last year when both Blanche and Toby were gone on Christmas Eve, leaving me to run the shop by myself! The McCoys showed up to help and worked for the rest of the day. I was wiped out by closing time.”
Now that Aiden had a mate and a life outside ofDelicious, he’d definitely vote to close earlier. If enough people asked for a change, DeeDee would agree without a lot of fuss, and she’d have an entire year to prepare for it.
At eight-fifty-nine, Aiden locked up, dimmed the lights, and escorted Serena and Toby to the back door. On the way out, he grabbed a hefty stack of mail that had been accumulating over the last few days, figuring he could glance through it during the break. After wishing one another a merry Christmas, they pulled out of the lot with sighs of relief.
When Aiden got home, Dash greeted him just inside the kitchen door with full-body kisses and sexy growls. They’d been so busy for the last month that sleep often took priority over intimacy, and Dash’s bear wasn’t happy about it. In seconds, he’d opened Aiden’s fly and was sucking his cock with gusto. The pile of envelopes in his hand fell to the floor unnoticed as Dash aggressively worked to wrench an orgasm out of his mate.
Aiden held onto Dash’s face, moaning his pleasure despite lingering fatigue. Nobody could give head like a bear shifter, thanks to their long prehensile tongue. No person or sex toy had extracted a load out of him better or faster than his talentedand determined mate. Moans soon turned into shouts and deep grunts as he filled Dash’s hungry mouth with cream. Apparently, Dash was just getting warmed up, for he picked up his lover and carried him to the bedroom for continued intimacy.
####
Sometime later
Finally sated and purring softly, Dash wrapped Aiden in strong limbs—nose planted in his neck. Thankfully, his family wasn’t expecting them at the resort until noon tomorrow, giving them time together without external demands. At some point, Aiden nodded off, and Dash’s stomach sent him in search of food. The next thing Aiden knew, he was being jostled awake by Dash returning to bed with a loaded tray. He sat up and they shared finger foods of an astonishing variety, including things he didn’t even know were in the house.
Dash pointed out a dark green envelope propped up on the far edge of the tray.
“Found it on the floor with the other mail. It smells almost like you.”
