Burning the Chef's Buns — Charlie Richards

Keeping the Peace: When a lion shifter discovers his mate in a belligerent chef, he must find a way to pre-heat their connection.

Seever Kerns has spent the last fifty plus years as his best friend's subordinate, even though his lion is far more powerful. When he meets Reese Nelson, he realizes the human is his mate and thinks Fate is rewarding his patience. Unfortunately, even though Seever can scent that Reese is attracted to him, the human resists, hiding behind a belligerent facade. Trouble with a rogue shifter soon interrupts his attempts to woo his standoffish mate, and Seever makes a grave mistake. He had assumed that Reese--who was there visiting his cousin, Rocky, a human bonded to a shifter--was aware of shifters and the paranormal world. Reese freaks out, refusing to believe what is right before his eyes. Even Rocky's influence does little to calm him. Can Seever convince Reese that they belong together, or will Reese cut his losses and flee, which would put his human into even more danger?