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I hummed softly and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You’re terrible in the best way possible.”
“You love it.”
“I do.” I kissed him once more.
“I should get breakfast back to everyone,” Gabe said. “What are you sending me home with?”
“Definitely the caramel apple cinnamon rolls. They should just be coming out of the oven.”
“Sounds perfect.” Gabe helped me get dressed again, and led me out back into the kitchen where I checked the timer to confirm. There were only ten seconds left on it, so I turned it off and pulled the steaming pan out of the oven. They would still need time to cool so I got Gabe to rest with his tea while I flipped the cinnamon rolls and let them rest for a few minutes before boxing some up for him.
I sent him home with the steaming buns, kissing him goodbye, and finally settled back into work. That bread wasn't going to bake itself.
5
NICKY
Bytheendofmy shift I was a bundle of nerves. Every time someone new arrived at the library I nearly jumped out of my skin expecting it to be Billie. After the tenth person, it finally was. They showed up at exactly seven, right as the day librarians were pushing me out the door.
“Morning, Books.” Billie grinned at me. Their lips had a fresh coat of black lipstick and their purple curls were tied into two braids.
My heart did an excited flip. “Good morning. Where are we going for breakfast?”
“I know this great little bistro a few minutes away. I hope you don't mind driving, Tony dropped me off.”
“No, not at all. Lead the way. Do you not like driving?” I asked, curious.
“I hate it, always have. I can do it in a pinch, but the pack never makes me except for refresher lessons each summer.”
Billie and I left the library together, heading into the parking lot to where my car waited for us. “I don’t blame you for not enjoying it. Driving has never been my favourite, just a necessity.”
They directed me through the streets and we parked in front of a tiny little hole in the wall bistro. The sign hanging above it had loopy text and a cartoon chef.
“I know it doesn't look like much, but the food here is incredible.”
We were seated quickly since it was still very early, though there were a few tables occupied already. Our server came by and I ordered a cup of mint tea so that the caffeine wouldn't keep me up all hours.
“I usually get eggs Benedict when I go out for breakfast. Should I get that or is there something specific you'd recommend here?” I asked.
“You enjoy your eggs benny. I'm going to get the stuffed French toast and you are more than welcome to steal some bites.”
The server took our orders when she returned with our drinks. Billie had gotten a fruit smoothie and took a long, noisy swig of it.
“So, tell me about the pack?” I asked. “I know there's you and Jasper and Tony, and two others, right?”
“Yep. Hana and Gabe, too. Both alphas. Hana’s basically a goddess—tall, strong, could definitely bench press you—and she works as a personal trainer running sunrise boot camps and classes. She’s kind of intense, not a huge fan of big changes, and super loves her alone time. Hmm, what else? Hana’s notquiteour leader since we’re a very egalitarian pack, but she does make sure all the bills are paid on time and keeps us organized.”
“I can relate on the loving alone time,” I said. “I feel like a sunrise boot camp might end me.”
Billie giggled. “You and me, both.”
Hana sounded intriguing, if a tiny bit scary. “What about Gabe?”
“Gabe is our chill alpha. He works as a bouncer and is really sweet, very go with the flow kind of energy. Basically the opposite of me for vibes.” Billie laughed.
“Do you all work overnight then? Sunrise training, bouncer, baker—those are all off daytime hours.”
“Oh, yeah, we’re pretty nocturnal. We coordinated our sleep schedules so that we can spend the most amount of awake hours together.”
