Couples kiss under the mistletoe as packs wander past, clustered around their omega. Love is everywhere, obvious even among the groups of friends and families with children.
It’s possible no one here would turn us in if they knew I’m dating my bosses, but the risk is too great. I have to ignore the urge to cling to my alphas. It’s for their protection as well as mine.
I try to just enjoy the moment like I was before. We’ll be home in a few hours, and I can smother them in affection then.
Charm pulls us over to the Moo Point food stall, whichis surprisingly busy despite the cold weather. He seems really excited for it, so the ice cream must be good.
The worker is wearing a pink cow-print dress and a cute little collar with a name tag identifying her as Bethany. She suggests the peppermint ice cream when she sees me staring at the menu, and I quickly accept.
I’m always happy for a taste of my alphas, and I can’t think of anything better since I’m worried about eating it in the cold. If I were inside by the fire, ice cream would be an easy yes.
Charm licks his ice cream cone as soon as Bethany hands it to him. I’m so distracted watching his tongue move that she has to poke me in the arm to get me to notice mine is ready. I take it and thank her, averting my eyes from the guys as they enthusiastically eat theirs.
I got mine in a cup rather than a cone, so I scoop out a little bite to try, concerned about brain freeze. The ice cream is strong and sweet, just like Orion, and deliciously creamy. It’s the best ice cream I’ve ever had, and not just because it reminds me of his come. The line for their stall makes sense now.
We finish our ice cream quickly, and it’s so good I forget to worry about brain freeze.
We skirt the crowd around Moo Point, only to run into another packed booth.
I already know why this place is busy. I happily dive between the stacks of Pen and Tellem’s pop-up.
The books are curated for the festival, so it’s all winter or Yule-themed. They have everything from alien romances on a cold planet to how to care for your chickens over winter.
My books pile up in Magnus’s arms, a mix of novels and non-fiction stuff for work.
I circle one of the shelves to find Charm looking at a Big Tex book. He smiles and shows it to me.
“Look, it’s a new novella,Big Tex & Pete Moss: Snow Retreat,” he says excitedly.
“That sounds like an interesting one,” I say, trying to stifle my giggles.
Now that I know frog Pete is named after Pete Moss, all I can imagine is frog Pete doing the things in the books, wearing a cowboy hat and helping his friend on their adventures.
“You can read it first,” Charm says, adding it to the stack in Magnus’s arms and ignoring his packmate’s glare.
“Aw, thank you. It will be my next read,” I say.
I help Henri and Charm find a few more Big Tex books to add to our collection, and we head for the checkout where Alice greets us.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well! Settling into town okay?” she asks me.
Before I can reply, she leans closer to add, “It looks like you found some nice guys to settle down with.”
I flush red and again can’t bring myself to deny them.
Charm saves me from having to answer by asking if Alice has read the newest Big Tex book. That turns into a discussion of their favorites in the series, and they mention several I haven’t read yet. Clearly there’s still a lot of Big Tex for me to catch up on.
Orion pays and Magnus gathers up our books. We say goodbye, and Cato puts his hand on my back to guide me around the next customers in line. Alice catches my eye and gives me a thumbs up.
I smile and nod before we pass out of view.
It feels good to acknowledge my alphas even with such a small gesture. I doubt Alice would tell on us if she knewthey’re my bosses, and I could always claim she misunderstood things.
The next booth is another food stand, which I have no complaints about. It’s for a bakery called Flourist that seems to specialize in flower-themed cookies, cakes, and other desserts. We choose a few of each to try, and an alpha with pale blonde hair in a messy bun boxes them up.
“We’re lucky Sterling made extra desserts for the street fair. Usually he’s sold out by this time of day,” the customer ahead of us says.
The blonde alpha blushes and says, “I’m sorry, I make as much as I can. Our operation isn’t very big.”
