Page 39 of The Librarian’s Familiar

“Yeah. Coffee? Porridge?” He shut the door.

“Both? I got up at six to cut firewood because I figured I should do something useful since I was awake.”

“I stayed in bed and doom scrolled because I didn’t want to get up.” They could not be more different.

August shoved his hands into his pockets. “I need to learn how to do that.”

“Apparently, it’s not good for your brain, so I should be learning how to get up and cut wood.”

“I’d like to make a joke about handling wood, but it’s probably not appropriate.”

Charlie snorted even though the joke hadn’t been made. “Oh, that kind of wood I am always ready to handle in the morning.” He held up a mug. “Sugar? Milk?”

“Both. Thank you.”

Charlie handed him the mug and dished up the second serving of porridge, adding a swirl of maple syrup the same as his. He took it to the table and set it opposite his spot. From his seat, he could see the backyard and the little birds that came to check out the bird feeder. He didn’t know how long it had been there, but he wasn’t about to cut off the birdseed supply.

August pulled out the chair and sat. “So we ended up having breakfast.”

Don’t make a joke.

“But you’re the only one who played with wood.” Damn it. The words rolled off his tongue before he could stop them, like August was encouraging his magic to be more chaotic, which was deeply unsettling while also being more than a little curious.

“Trust me, I was not naked or having fun.” He ate a bite of the porridge and nodded. “This is really good.”

“Did you expect me not to be able to cook?”

August shrugged. “I’ve known plenty of guys who can’t do anything other than grill or order pizzas.”

“I can do that as well, but I don’t mind cooking. You?”

“I can cook. I eat a lot more than people expect, so being able to cook my own meals is kind of essential.”

“You don’t eat whole steaks raw?”

August laughed. “I prefer whole beef roasts. It’s a bigger chunk.”

“Okay, good to know.” But he wasn’t ready to see August in his polar bear form.

August tilted his head and stared at him. “You’re a little afraid.”

He couldn’t lie about that, as August was smelling the fear on his skin or maybe hearing it in his heartbeat. “I’ve seen a polar bear at the zoo, and I’ve seen wolf and cat shifters.” But there was something terrifying about a polar bear, even if it was a shifter.

“That might be a problem.”

Living in a town where half the shifters were polar bears, it was definitely a problem, but it was one he hoped never to encounter face-to-face. Aside from the man sitting opposite him. He forced a laugh. “Why, are you planning on shifting to finish your breakfast?”

“No, I wouldn’t shift in front of you unless you’ve given me the go-ahead. I don’t want to freak you out. Besides, it’s not polite to randomly shift in front of people, especially in their own home.”

Who knew there was so much etiquette around being a shifter?

August picked up his coffee mug. “I want to see what happens if we kiss.”

Charlie had a bloody good idea about what would happen. They’d kiss and somehow end up naked, but his dick was definitely on board with that idea.

The corner of August’s mouth curved as if he knew exactly what Charlie was thinking. “I want to know what happens to the bond.”

That was the reason he didn’t want to kiss August. “You aren’t worried about being stuck as my familiar?”