Page 17 of Bear Creek Christmas
Knox left the house less than five minutes after receiving Levi’s text, eager to reach his side soonest. After some consideration, he’d made two small alterations to the basic plan. First, Knox brought along his own laundry—taking a cue from his clever mate. Yes, he had a washer and dryer at home, but now they could do ittogetherinstead of Knox watching.
Second, he knew Levi loved coffee in the morning and decided to make a stop at ZING!, the coffee shop Levi preferred. It wouldn’t hurt to pick up something to eat while he was at it, and the place carried locally-made pastries. Knox pulled into an empty spot a few doors down and went in. While most of the tables were full, no one waited at the counter. The young barista greeted him with a friendly smile.
“Good morning, Sir. How may I help you?”
“Morning! I’ll have two extra-large drinks, one coffee and the other hot chocolate. Throw in four of those fruit pastries and make it to-go, please.”
The barista looked up at him with a question.
“How would you like the coffee?”
Oops. Knox didn’t know Levi’s preference.
“Umm, it’s for someone else, so I’m not sure. Have you seen the new vocal music teacher in here? Blond, blue-eyed, and handsome?”
Her eyes widened.
“Oh, Mr. Green? I have him for one of my classes! He likes heavy cream and light sugar. Coming right up!”
Knox watched her prepare the order, paid for the purchase, and threw in a generous tip before heading back out to the truck. Three blocks and two turns later, he pulled up next to Levi’s jeep. He set the food and drink in his laundry basket and carried them inside. Levi turned and smiled at him, eyes landing on the bag with the ZING! logo.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Yep! Coffee and pastry for my man.”
Knox put the basket on the floor and wrapped his arms around a very willing Levi. Then, in a welcome change, they met for a soft kiss before Knox scented him. Fortunately, there was no one else in the place, and Levi took the opportunity to feel up Knox’s muscles. After all, the sexy shifter was literally inches away from him! The big bear rumbled appreciatively and stepped back with a heavy sigh.
“Missed you, and I like your hands on me. Someday I’m going to... never mind. I brought coffee for you with heavy cream and light sugar, and a hot chocolate for me. You can have them both if you want.”
Levi had a pretty good idea of what Knox stopped himself from saying, even as his dick twitched with interest.
“I’m not going to drink both! And how did you know the way I take my coffee?”
“The barista remembered, and I tipped her extra for helping me out.”
Levi laughed at Knox’s shit-eating grin.
“I didn’t have time to make a pot this morning, so this is great! Thank you. Why don’t we get our clothes in the machines first?”
Knox opened the washer in front of him and stuffed it full. Slack-jawed, Levi intervened.
“Wait! Youcan’twash your clothes that way! There’s too many for one machine, and they’re all mixed up. Watch what I’m doing.”
While Knox held the laundry basket, Levi filled two machines—one with towels and the other with dark clothes. In the process, a sexy pair of black briefs had fallen to the floor. Knox scooped them up, drawn by the alluring scent of Levi’s junk. Blushing furiously, he snatched them out of Knox’s hand and tossed them in with the others, only to find himself pressed up against the row of machines by a very aroused bear shifter.
“You’d look good in black. Promise me you’ll wear those the next time we meet.”
Levi forgot to breathe with Knox’s enormous hard-on pressing against his stomach. He knew Knox could smell his own arousal, so there was no point in being coy.
“I’ll wear whatever you like when the time is right. Now, why don’t I finish showing you how to do your laundry, hmm?”
Knox insisted on another kiss first, and Levi welcomed it. All of Knox’s clothes were pulled out of the washer and sorted by type. Levi explained what he was doing and why.
“Your clothes will last longer and look better if you keep similar things together. You also need to pay attention to water temperature, amount of detergent, and the dryer settings.”
Knox never learned to do it properly, but he followed along and asked questions so he could do it the same way at home. If this was important to his mate, then it was important to Knox. Once all the machines were running, they brought the food and drinks over to one of the benches and sat down. Knox handed Levi his coffee, danish and a napkin before picking up his own. They sat so close their thighs were touching, and a distracted Levi got the conversation started.
“So, I’m curious about what kind of music you like. Are you a singer?”
