Chapter 17
UNDERWEAR SHOPPING IS FOREPLAY
The cinnamon roll was warm, sticky and sweet in the very best way.
Aaren stopped in front of the bakery, his face crushed into the opening of his paper bag, biting off another mouthful. “This could be the rest of my life, and I would be happy.”
“Really?” Hades asked, looking amused. “Standing here with a cinnamon roll for the rest of your life?”
“Well, it has to be a never-ending supply of cinnamon rolls. Fresh ones. Mmm!” Aaren bit into the warm, sweet center of the roll and wriggled. “I can’t have enough.”
He took another bite, savoring its soft chewiness. Then he took another bite. And another.
Suddenly, there was no more cinnamon roll in his bag.
Aaren stared at the empty bag in dismay. “Where did it go?”
Hades coughed lightly. “Here.”
He handed over another paper bag. Aaren took it and gasped at the unblemished, perfect cinnamon roll inside. “Wait. Isn’t this yours?”
Hades shrugged. “I’ll get another.”
Aaren clutched the new roll to his face and moaned again. “You’re the best. You’re the cinnamon roll angel.”
He took a bite of the warm, soft cinnamon roll and moaned in happiness. Hades smiled, shook his head, and went back into the bakery.
Just like that. With no words about whether Aaren should eat more than one cinnamon roll.
Aaren couldn’t help but watch as Hades got in line. Then he came back out with two more paper bags, and Aaren swooned.
“You really did it,” he blurted. “You know how to court an omega.”
Then he realized what he had just said, and blushed furiously.
Hades puffed out his chest. “I try my best. Here. Want your coffee back?”
Aaren had completely forgotten about it; he had taken a sip and gotten distracted with the cinnamon rolls. Now that Hades was holding out the cardboard tray with both their drinks, Aaren retrieved his, moaning again when the sweet vanilla latte rushed over his tongue. “All of this is delicious.”
“If you could have one sweet bakery item for the rest of your life, what would it be?” Hades asked.
“No! You can’t ask that question,” Aaren howled. “I would live in the bakery for the rest of my life so I can eat everything.”
Hades laughed. “Wiser words have never been said.”
“What would you pick, if you had to? One bakery item for the rest of your life,” Aaren said curiously.
“Maple donuts,” Hades rumbled. “Like sugar donuts, but with more nuance to the sweetness.”
“But sugar donuts are fluffy,” Aaren said. “The maple frosting on maple donuts makes them harder and less fluffy.”
“Well.” Hades’ eyes twinkled. “I like hard things.”
Aaren groaned. “Of course you had to say that.” Then he realized that Hades had not actually eaten any of the cinnamon rolls he’d bought. “You don’t like cinnamon rolls?”
“I do. But I was saving them for you.”
Aaren frowned deeply. “If you don’t eat, you might starve.”
“All right.” Hades sipped his coffee and took a bite of his cinnamon roll. “Mmm. This isn’t a bad forever-food. I would stand out here with you, for the rest of my life, eating cinnamon rolls.”
Aaren’s eyebrows shot up. “You like it that much?”
Hades ducked his head. “It’s pretty good. But it’s really the company that makes this good.”
And now Aaren’s eyebrows were merging with his hairline.
Did he just propose to me?
It couldn’t be; they had only known each other for a few days.
Maybe Hades was joking. Aaren focused on eating his cinnamon roll so he wouldn’t say more awkward things.
By the middle of his third roll, he was starting to slow down.
“Okay, I think my stomach’s had enough. Do you want the rest of mine? ”
“Sure.”
Their fingers brushed when Hades took the bag from him. Hades finished it in two bites, and threw away their trash.
“Where to next?” Aaren asked.
“Here. Rosy’s Intimates.” Hades put his arm around Aaren’s shoulders, turning him toward a store decked out in pastel pink. Why did the shop name sound familiar?
Hades took Aaren’s drink, opening the door before Aaren could do it himself. “Have you been here?”
“No, but it sounds—”
“Aaren!” A small, scrawny omega waved from behind the register. “What’re you doing here?”
“Tripp!” Aaren straightened. When Hades had said they were going shopping, Aaren hadn’t expected to find his friend working at the very same store. “What are you doing here? I thought you had that other job...”
Tripp scowled. “This is my other job. The other place cut my hours because of my disability.” He waved at the wheelchair folded up behind the counter; he was sitting on a high chair.
“Aww, that sucks,” Aaren said, his heart sinking. “I’ll ask Olson if he has any openings for you.”
“I’ll ask around too,” Hades added, which made Aaren’s chest swell.
“Thanks,” Tripp said, cracking a smile. The shadows in his eyes faded slightly. Then he noticed Hades’ arm on Aaren’s shoulder, and he looked back at Aaren in bewilderment. “Who is he?” he whispered.
“Oh! This is Hades,” Aaren said excitedly, turning to his alpha. “Hades is Storm’s friend. Sworn brother. Hades, have you met Tripp? He’s Storm’s actual blood brother.”
“Huh.” Hades raised his eyebrows, extending his hand for a handshake. “Storm didn’t mention that you moved here.”
At that, Tripp looked sheepish. “I wanted to surprise him, but ever since I arrived in Meadowfall, things have been kind of tough.” He waved vaguely at himself. “I want to be more settled in before I tell Storm. I don’t want him to worry about me.”
Hades sighed. “He would much rather help you now, than know you were struggling all this time when you’re both living in the same damn town. You’d feel the same if your situations were reversed.”
Tripp made a face. “I guess you’re right.”
“Let us help,” Aaren said. “If you need food or something.”
“I’ll think about it,” Tripp said. Then he leaned closer to Aaren furtively, cupping his mouth to hide his whispering from Hades. “So you’ve ditched Ballus?”
Aaren winced and glanced around, even though he knew for sure Ballus wouldn’t step into a store like this.
“I’m still, uh, officially with Ballus.” Tripp looked scandalized.
Aaren pushed aside the squirming in his gut and continued, “Kind of. Not really. I just need him to stay as my official boyfriend for a bit longer. For money. Not his money, but... a contract with my Gran. It’s a long story. ”
Tripp gasped. “And you never told me!”
“I was gonna! This thing with Hades happened like... a few days ago.” Aaren blushed. “We came here to get some... clothes. Apparently you have stuff in my size?”
Tripp eyed Hades and Aaren speculatively. Then he nodded and perked up. “Yeah, we do! What are you looking for?”
“Some underwear in Aaren’s size,” Hades said mildly. “Something pretty.”
“Oooh! They’re around that multi-tier display with the mannequins. Totally the sexiest lace you can find.”
Hades glanced over and rumbled in approval. Then he set down their drinks at the register. “We’ll be back for these later.”
“Take your time!” Tripp waved them off.
The lace panties were easy to locate; three mannequins wore them in the middle of the display, surrounded by stacks of panties in varying colors, designs, and sizes. One mannequin had lace covering its entire crotch. But the other two...
The panties were crotchless. Aaren had gotten a vague idea when Hades described them, but now that he was seeing them for himself.
.. It was eye-opening. The middle mannequin wore a wide band of intricate lace around its hips.
But where the crotch of the panties should be, there was nothing.
Just two bands of elastic tucked close to the mannequin’s thighs, leaving everything in between exposed to the air.
“See what I mean?” Hades murmured, sliding his fingers down Aaren’s spine.
“It’s so hot,” Aaren whispered, squirming. “Do people really wear that?”
“Of course. It puts your sensitive parts on display,” Hades purred. “Like how you frame a picture. It draws the viewer’s attention to the focal point.”
“Quite literally a point,” Aaren blurted, his face growing warm.
Hades grinned and gave him a little nudge. “Go on, see if there’s a style you like.”
Aaren held his breath, slowly flipping through the tags on the nearest stack of panties. He expected the sizes to stop at something that was too small for him.
But there were panties for people larger than even Aaren. He gasped.
“Are these... for alphas too?”
“Or people who are alpha-sized,” Hades said, something flickering in his eyes.
Aaren studied him. “Alpha-sized but not alphas?”
Hades sighed and looked away. “I met some slimy fuckers in prison,” he said quietly, flatly. “They kidnapped omegas and performed experiments on them, to force their bodies to grow into alpha sizes.”
Aaren tried to imagine that; he could only reel in horror.
Hades squeezed his hip. “We made sure to beat up those fuckers regularly. And we told our other friends in prison too. No worries on that end.”
“Are the omegas okay?” Aaren whispered, his heart sore.
“I’ve asked around. Some are okay, some will be. I heard there might be a support group for them in Meadowfall.”
Aaren nodded, relieved.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to derail the conversation,” Hades murmured, pulling Aaren into his arms. He hugged Aaren tightly and rubbed his back. “I’m glad that the worst thing you’ve suffered is a few jerkass alphas who can’t keep their mouths shut.”
“There are worse fates,” Aaren agreed.
“And now you have me.”
That cheered him up. He hugged Hades back just as tightly. “And now I have you.”
Hades dropped a kiss on his head. “Ready to pick out some panties that’ll let me see your pretty hole?”
Aaren shivered. “Okay.”
He returned to the stack he had been riffling through, glancing at a price tag.
He froze.
These were expensive.
“This costs as much as a week’s worth of groceries,” Aaren yelped.
“Shh. I’m paying for it, sweetheart.” Hades rubbed his hip. “Find something that fits you, that you want to wear.”