Page 18 of Reindeer Flames
The next hour flew by as we baked our signature croissants and Laurie made a batch of her delicious dark chocolate filling in our double-boiler. The heavenly smells coming from the stovetop made my mouth water. Finally, it was time to combine them for Laurie's first taste. We stood behind the counter and passed a plate to her.
She ate the entire croissant while we watched and waited. I would have felt self-conscious, but she didn't seem to mind. She even licked the crumbs from her appendage and ran her black tongue over her pointed teeth and thin lips before turning her full attention to Gold. "The perfect combination of sweet and savory. I loved it." She nodded to the pots and pans now sitting in our sink. "The best part is, I don't have to touch the canned dough anymore." She shivered. "It's not a sensation I like."
Gold continued to stare at her, hypnotized by her every movement. I nudged her with my shoulder.
"Yes," she said. "Canned dough is disgusting." I kicked her foot. "But great in a pinch. You've done really well with what you had."
"Thank you for saying so." Laurie bowed her head.
"What do you say?" I asked. "Shall we give it a try next week?"
Gold nodded, but her gaze never left Laurie's.
Once we were confident we could reheat the chocolate sauce without burning it, the way Laurie taught us, Gold offered to walk her to the subway station while I cleaned the kitchen and prepared for the next morning. I was almost finished when Gold sneaked in the back door.
"Oh, you're still here!" She sank onto the stack of crates by the cooler.
"So, you're mates." It seemed pointless to avoid the obvious.
"I was going to tell you about her, but then she disappeared." Gold tucked her hands into her apron pockets and slouched against the wall. "She would wait outside the door on the mornings I opened. I let her in because it was cold, it's always cold, and have you seen her? She's the most beautiful creature I've ever encountered in all my life, and I've seen a unicorn!"
I felt the same way about Hart. "Did you kiss her?"
"Gods, no! Why would I … we're not mates."
"She said you are."
"When?"
"I don't remember the exact wording, but she said something about dragon matings."
Gold blinked. "I thought she was joking. She really wants to … I mean, my dragon thinks she's my mate."
I walked up to the register, where I'd stored the slip of paper with Laurie's number on it, and handed it to Gold. "Call her. Ask her on a date. Kiss her, maybe."
"I said we fuck on the first date instead." Gold pulled her hands from her pockets and buried her face in them. "What did I do? She must think I'm the most uncouth creature in the entire world."
I pulled her to her feet and pushed her toward the back door, flipping off the lights along the way. Before I opened the door, I gave her a quick hug. "She's going to love you. Give it time."
Gold groaned. "I stuck my foot even deeper into my mouth when we walked to the subway! Maybe I can catch her."
I locked the door behind us and guided Gold into the alley that would take us out to the street near the subway station. "I'm sure it's fine."
She sighed and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Sometimes I wish I was the quiet one."
I gave her shoulders another squeeze when we arrived at the station, and then we went our separate ways. "If you don't find her, call her!" I yelled over my shoulder. As I climbed onto the train that would take me to my apartment, I hoped she would take my brotherly advice sooner rather than later.
CHAPTER 8
HART
It was justover a week since Silver and I hooked up, way too soon to announce to my family that I'd found my mate, but I didn't have a choice. Bopp would tell them if I didn't. At least this way, I could control the narrative with my dad and papa before the rest of the family arrived.
Fortunately, or not, family dinner was at my parents' house this week. I nearly froze my tail off on the train from my apartment to the house where I grew up. It had snowed overnight, so I grabbed a shovel from the garage and dug out the sidewalk from my parent's front walk to the heated driveway. The exertion and thoughts of the conversation I was about to have made me break out in a cold sweat.
"Ooh, you stink!" Papa said when I walked in the door. "Go shower before the family gets here!"
That would only delay the inevitable, possibly beyond the rest of the family's arrival, including my granddad, grandpop, their alpha and beta sons, and their families. Their omega sons no longer attended family dinner. Every Sunday, Granddad asked the family why, as if he didn't know the way he treated them had pushed them away.
