Aaron might not have the same senses as the shifters and other paranormal creatures, but the scent of rain would always remind Aaron of those nights in the council compound when he’d climbed into his best friend’s bed when he’d been terrified.
Nothing had been going on between them at the time other than friendship. They’d been too young, too traumatized, duringthose early years in the compound. Still, the scent of rain was comforting.
“Hey, Aaron!”
Aaron looked over to where the mayor was waving at him from the entrance of the office next door. Like really the mayor’s office was directly beside theirs. How was Leo still avoiding him?
“Hey, Easton.” Aaron wasn’t exactly friends with the mayor but they’d run into each other around town, especially when Aaron was with Carter, since Easton and Hudson were close. “Done for the week?”
“I am.” Easton swung his messenger bag over his shoulder and joined him. “Headed for your date?”
Aaron sighed. Did everyone know that he agreed to a date every single night?
Easton laughed. “I thought Hudson was exaggerating but maybe not?” He lifted one eyebrow in question.
“Probably not,” Aaron agreed. “So, what’s up?”
“Is Leo already gone? I tried calling earlier but he didn’t answer.”
“Oh!” Aaron didn’t want to lie. “I’m not actually sure. I kind of ran out when I realized that I was late.” There. That was not a lie at all.
“That’s fine. I’ll call him on Monday morning. He submitted some paperwork that I have a question on,” Easton said.
“Sounds good.” Aaron pointed toward the center of town. “I do need to go.”
Easton smiled and waved him off. “Go. You don’t want to keep your man waiting.”
“Thanks! Talk to you later.” Aaron jogged off. His man. His boyfriend, someone else had called them when Carter had taken Aaron to lunch at the diner a few days before. Eventually Aaron wondered if Carter would be called his mate. The word didn’t fill Aaron with dread and regret any longer. Two weeks and Carter had already trained Aaron to respond to that word with a smile. Mate.
There was something else that Aaron wondered about.
The more time that Aaron spent with Carter, the more of Carter’s natural dominance came through. It was sexy as hell and made Aaron need.
Up ahead, he spotted Carter in front of the park entrance with three leashes wrapped around his wrist. He was talking with another man in front of a truck. From the back of the other man, Aaron knew who it was. Hard to miss the gorgeous head of blond hair that flowed in the cool breeze.
“Hey, Carter. Hi, Logan,” Aaron said, reaching them.
Carter turned and gave Aaron a big smile. “There you are!”
“Yeah. Sorry I’m late. I got caught up at work,” Aaron explained.
“It’s fine.” Carter waved his hand. “I was just catching up with Logan. He has a new flower that he’s adding to the park landscape.”
“Oh?” Aaron turned to Logan.
Logan smiled back at him. “I can’t take the credit. These beauties were Carter’s suggestion.”
Aaron didn’t understand until he peered into the back of Logan’s truck to see bushes of the purple flower with dark centers from his dreams. He gasped before looking back at Carter.
Carter pulled Aaron close as the pups yipped and jumped at his ankles. “It’s a pity that no one else gets to enjoy our flowers.”
Their flowers. Like Carter had claimed them for the two of them and was doing something nice by sharing the flowers with the rest of the world. Lifting his head, Aaron smiled. “I love it.”
“Now when we take the pups for their walk, we can remember the very first time that you pulled me into one of your dreams,” Carter said.
“The first time but not the last,” Aaron teased. He didn’t know how he did it, why Carter was the only one to ever join Aaron in his dreams, but Aaron loved it was something just for the two of them.
“No, Angel. Not the last.” Carter kissed him then. Coaxing Aaron into responding until Logan cleared his throat.
