Page 6 of Bear Creek Thanksgiving (Holiday Mates #3)

Dustin changed into a pair of serviceable blue jeans, a loose T-shirt, and an old pair of sneakers before heading out.

The drive only took a few minutes, and he pulled into the parking lot near the maroon barn.

The large double doors had been rolled back, and Gruff’s dark blue pickup truck was partially backed in.

He didn’t hear any noises, though Baxter sauntered out to greet him with a barrage of chatter.

Dustin leaned down to scratch the purring puss under his chin.

“Hello, boy! You’re mighty cheerful today. What have you been up to?”

Gruff’s sudden presence and deep voice startled the pair, and Dustin looked up to see that he’d made some changes. The neatly trimmed beard made him appear younger—closer to his actual age of twenty-four, according to DeeDee.

“Hunting. Three mice, a mole, and two sparrows so far.”

Dustin laughed, walking right up to Gruff for a scenting.

The sexy man leaned forward a little to inhale deeply, growling softly, while Dustin’s heart skipped a beat or two.

Gruff didn’t linger like he had the first time they met, but when he pulled back there a tiny smile on his face.

Dustin blurted out what he was thinking.

“I like your beard that way. You look really… good.”

Gruff’s face heated at the compliment, unsure what to do with it.

“Uh… thanks. Come on in and I’ll show you what we’re doing. You’ll have to keep track of your own time. Just round it off to the nearest quarter-hour, and give me the total at the end of each week.”

Dustin winked at the embarrassed man.

“Sure thing. I never liked timeclocks anyway.”

Inside, Gruff showed Dustin how to sort the fruit, discarding damaged blueberries and detritus before transferring them into shallow, stacking trays.

Once full, these were loaded onto the truck until they ran out of room.

Since Dustin needed to know the entire process, he accompanied Gruff into town for delivery to Delicious .

The first mile or two was uncomfortably quiet, with Gruff desperately trying to think of something to say to the very distracting man sitting next to him. Thankfully, Dustin broke the ice by asking a few questions.

“Did the apple press arrive?”

Gruff gave him a single grunt.

“Yep.”

“Will you show me how to use it?”

“Yep.”

“Do you have a good apple crop this year?”

“Yep.”

Dustin rolled his eyes. They would never get anywhere this way.

“Please don’t tell me ‘yep’ is your favorite word, or I might have to get rough with you.”

Gruff growled this time, surprised by the man’s jesting.

“Okay. That better?”

Dustin smacked his arm and started laughing. They were both still grinning by the time they got to town, having reached what seemed like an important first step in their professional relationship. Whether it stayed that way remained to be seen.

############

Early evening, Dustin’s apartment

Living solo took some getting used to.

While the apartment now contained everything Dustin needed , he was having trouble finding where he’d put it .

Nothing was familiar yet, and he had to stop and think what went into each room, cupboard, drawer, and shelf.

The refrigerator handle ended up on the wrong side.

Light switches weren’t where he expected.

Tripping over furniture suddenly became a threat to life and limb.

And cooking supper? A humiliating exercise in futility—especially for someone who could prepare food with his eyes closed.

Hmmm…Dustin figured it would have been easier if he HAD closed them!

Even so, he’d managed to prepare his first meal and grab a shower (accompanied by the sounds of groaning water pipes) before settling down on the lumpy couch with his laptop.

Northeast Pennsylvania was unfamiliar to him, and he brought up a map of the region to get a better idea of his surroundings.

He zoomed in on Wilkes-Barre, the nearest city, to see what they offered.

Before long, an incoming call redirected his attention, and he answered with chagrin.

“Hi mom! I was supposed to call you, wasn’t I?”

Joan laughed at his admission and then began to tease.

“You certainly were young man! I’ve been waiting all day to hear how the move went, and both of your sisters have asked for an update. Are you settled in?”

“Sorry, mama. It’s been a long day and I forgot.

The trip up here didn’t take very long and I have everything unloaded and put away.

Now I know why this apartment was empty—all the water pipes are buried in my walls, and you should hear the racket when the shower is running.

I’m pretty sure there’s nothing they can do about it, so I’ll just have to put up with the noise. ”

Joan gave an exasperated huff.

“Oh, dear. Apartment life isn’t ideal, but you won’t have to live there forever. Maybe a better unit will open up somewhere else. Have you met any of your neighbors?”

"No, but I’ve seen people coming and going, and I helped Gruff this afternoon with the blueberry harvest. He’s a nice guy, and I think we’ll be able to work well together.”

Dustin could almost hear the wheels turning in his mother’s mind.

“That’s wonderful, sweetie. I’m sure you’re going to be busy getting the Barn all set up.

It’s a huge job starting a new business, and I wish your father and I could be there to help.

I wanted to tell you we made a change of plans and will be traveling sooner than expected.

Your father got a great deal on a Caribbean cruise and we’ll be gone until the middle of next month.

I don’t know if phone service will be reliable, but I’ll try to keep your sisters updated. ”

Mother and son spent a few more minutes talking before ending the conversation.

Dustin was willing to bet his abrupt change in circumstances had freed up his parents to do their own thing for a change.

They hadn’t been expecting an empty nest so soon, but he was excited for them to have some well-deserved fun.

He’d be all right; certain if he really needed something, Gruff would help him out.

Thoughts of the sexy shifter roused more than his imagination, and he palmed a stiff cock with a lusty groan.

Remaining clear-headed around the man might be difficult, but with all the work they had to do, there wouldn’t be time for any, uh, extracurricular activities.

Not that he’d be the one to initiate them!

Once Dustin stopped moving about, he realized how tired he was, and the new bed called to him for rest. He shut down the laptop, performed his nighttime routine, and slipped under the covers to get some shut-eye.

############

A few blocks away, around nine p.m.

Gruff was too worked up to hold back tonight, pumping furiously into his partner’s receptive ass.

The man didn’t mind at all, and in fact egged him on with soft grunts and growls while they worked out their pent-up need.

Shifter sex, especially during mating season, could be intense when both parties were desperate for release.

While they were outside as usual, there were little ears close by that might notice anything truly energetic , and come looking for the source of strange backyard noises.

Gruff had only spent a few short hours in Dustin’s presence, yet the enchanting man’s scent, smile, and laugh haunted both mind and heart.

His bear groused for MORE, and Gruff couldn’t give it to him.

The only way to get any peace at all was by multiple orgasms with someone else, though in his mind’s eye he was making love to a very naked and willing Dustin Mowry.

What would the sweet man say if he knew what his new boss truly wanted?

############

Two a.m., Dustin’s apartment

He’d awakened from a vivid dream hard and aroused, though it had seemed so real.

Was it wrong to lust after Gruff while the poor man suffered through mating season?

Perhaps, but he couldn’t control his dreams, and his uncomfortable hard-on needed attention or he’d never go back to sleep.

Dustin imagined being stripped naked by the bearded hunk under an apple tree, and then scented all over before having his hole drilled into submission. Oh, what a man like him could do!

Dustin played with a nipple while he stroked, imagining what Gruff’s body looked like and the noises he might make during sex.

Would it be fast and furious or slow and steady?

Was Gruff a good kisser? What could he do with that prehensile tongue Dustin had read about?

The orgasm rushed to completion, wringing moans and grunts from him between gasps for breath.

Streaks of white painted his stomach and chest, leaving him covered in warm jizz and cold sweat.

Once his heart stopped pounding, Dustin cleaned up the mess and rolled over to get some sleep.

More than likely, nothing would ever come of this silly infatuation with his boss, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt him.

Tomorrow, he’d avoid making Gruff uncomfortable or send the wrong signals.

No flirting. No innuendo. No touches. Shop talk only and nothing personal.

Right. He could do this—he could . He just didn’t want to.