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What had Gio or Carter ordered? She probably shouldn’t be nosy, but she couldn’t keep from asking. “What is all this stuff?”

“Kitchen items mostly,” the guy answered, bumping the dolly over the threshold and into the house. “Mixer, bowls, things to measure with, stuff like that.”

“If it’s for the kitchen, then I guess it should go in there,” she said, pointing to the arched entry. The guy grunted and headed that way. She grabbed a box and followed him. He left the stack just inside the kitchen and headed back out. After setting her box on top of his, she followed him back out.

He was already coming back up from the truck with another stack of boxes!

“How many more are there?” she asked when he got to the door.

“Only three more,” he said. “After I finish unloading the truck, I’ll move these others inside.”

“Thanks!” she said, thankful she’d set aside one cinnamon roll.

After all the boxes were inside and the driver left with the last roll, she stared at the boxes and fought the urge to start opening them.

The doorbell rang again. She swung the door open, expecting to see the driver again, but this time it was a young woman with her hands full of grocery bags.

“I’ve got your order,” she announced cheerily.

Babette was jumping around making excited sounds as Mila reached out to take the bags. “Thank you!”

“I’ll get the rest,” the girl said, making Mila notice the hatchback in the driveway.

Mila rushed to put the bags in the kitchen and met the girl in the foyer with more bags. By the time they were done, the island and all the countertops were covered in bags.

It was only when the girl was driving away that Mila realized she hadn’t tipped her and didn’t even have a baked good to give her.

Feeling guilty, she made a note to ask Carter if he’d tipped the woman through the app.

“I can’t believe I ordered this much!” she declared to Babette who was still having a great time sniffing all the boxes. With a giddiness she hadn’t felt in a long time, she got busy unpacking and putting everything away.

Gio

The moment he was able to get up, Gio rose from the bed. He wanted to rush downstairs, but he was wearing yesterday's clothes, and he needed a shower.

While he waited for the water to heat up in the shower, he put an order in for blood and noticed the order for goods was marked as delivered along with a grocery order he hadn’t put in.

Satisfaction filled him. Mila had ordered food to his home. Carter probably had to talk her into it, but judging by the list of items, she’d picked most of them. The massive amounts of meat screamed Carter’s influence, but he couldn't imagine Carter ordering green onions, shallots, or paprika.

He hurried through cleaning himself and dressed in the only clean outfit he could find that didn’t have paint stains on it. He might need to do some shopping.

He hated shopping for himself.

The moment he opened the bedroom door, various smells of cooking and baking hit him. He didn’t crave food, but he could still remember what good food smelled like, and this was it!

Hurrying down the stairs, he found Mila and Carter in the kitchen. Mila was plating something at the island while Carter sat on one of the stools. While she worked, she laughed at something Carter said.

It was such a perfect picture that Gio paused in the archway to take it in. Now that he was in the same room as Carter, he could feel the link between them humming with contentment.

Sensing his presence, Carter swung around on his stool. “Gio, Mila made steak, potatoes au gratin, and Caesar salad. She made everything from scratch all by herself!”

Mila blushed. “You helped with peeling the potatoes.”

Gio joined Carter at the island, taking the stool next to him. “It all smells wonderful. Hiring you as a personal chef was the second-best thing I’ve ever done.”

Carter gave him a little shove with his shoulder. “Only second?”

“The first was attending the first Unified Packs of San Diego Winter Solstice celebration,” Gio said, unable to keep his hands off Carter any longer. Grabbing the big wolf by the back of his head, he pulled the larger man down so he could press his lips to Carter’s. He tried to keep the kiss chaste, but hunger roared to life. When the kiss ended, he could feel Carter’s lust matching his own.