Page 12 of A Beary Merry Christmas

Fuck, I wanted to kiss her so damn bad. Licking my lips, I watched her as she bit her lower lip, holding back a small smile. Damn. Heat glided down my spine, pooling in my groin. My cock reacted to the sight of her alone, but when she did innocent moves that were anything but innocent in my mind… Fuck, indeed. I wanted to shove her against the side of my Rover, kiss her until she was breathless and then carry her to my bedroom and make love to her all night long.

Breaking the spell, she averted her gaze. “The cold air has to be hurting your throat and chest.”

It wasn’t until she mentioned it that I felt the sting with every inhale. She really did make me forget every symptom. “You’re right.”

Reaching out, she placed a gentle hand on my chest. “Let’s go inside before you get worse.”

Grabbing her hand, I lifted it to my lips, kissing her fingers. I was in awe of her. She was sexy and strong and smart. She worked fulltime and went to school fulltime for four years straight. Since she’d lost her grandmother on Christmas, she volunteered at a soup kitchen every year during the day before spending the night with her best friend. If that alone didn’t showcase her beautiful soul, then I didn’t know what would.

She covered shifts at work for single moms when their kids were sick. She donated everything she couldn’t use or didn’t want. She was quick to reply to my messages most of the time, and didn’t play games. She was one of the few people in this world who treated everyone like they were a person with feelings. She was nothing short of amazing.

And seeing her today only made me want her more than I already did. Knowing what I did about her combined with her gorgeous curves, soft eyes, and pouty lips. Fuck! I was freefalling right now.

Being sick was the only thing keeping me in line. Hell, it was probably a blessing. I was on the verge of jumping her with a cold. God only knew if my control would have snapped by now had there been no risk to her health.

My bear clawed at my insides, causing me to move a few steps away from her. Smacking him down, I barely suppressed his roar.

Plastering a smile on my face to hide my irritation with my beast, I glimpsed at her. “Let’s go inside, beautiful.” I held out my hand, waiting for her to take it.

For once, I was grateful she didn’t act immediately. It gave me a few more second to compose myself and ensure my bear was contained for the moment.

Chapter Nine

December 19th

Lora

His home was reminiscent of a mini mansion in the woods. The two-story brick house had a good size front porch, complete with a swing. The landscape was minimal, but sufficient for the setting, as it was surrounded by forest. He had a true front and back yard that was insulated by oaks, pines, firs and many other types of trees, an eclectic mix, their trunks acting as a frame around the property.

Despite having an older, traditional style of architecture, the house itself looked newer. If I had to guess, it was built within the last five years.

Accepting his outstretched hand, I closed the car door and let him lead me inside.

Stepping across the threshold, the air felt warmer than outside, but it was obvious the heat wasn’t on. Crossing my arms over my chest, I looked around, not journeying deeper insider. I was taken aback by the cathedral ceilings. It turned out, he didn’t have a two-story house; he had a single story home with extra tall ceilings. It made the space seem larger, grander, and barer.

The open concept design had little in the way of décor. The kitchen countertops were sparse aside from a toaster and a massive bottle of vanilla protein powder. The walls didn’t have a single photo on them. Perhaps the most obvious, though, was his lack of a Christmas tree. Even though I had no one to celebrate the holidays with, even though Sharon was the only one who saw my apartment aside from me, I still decorated. It added a layer of warmth that made you want to go home at the end of a long day and curl up on the sofa in comfortable clothes with a cup of something good. It made me feel like I wasn’t as alone as I truly was.

“Make yourself at home.” He closed the front door and walked to the oversized kitchen island. Opening a drawer, he pulled out two folded pieces of paper. “We only have two places that deliver in town: a Papa John’s knock off or semi-decent-on-a-good-day Chinese.”

Rolling my lips, I considered him. Pizza sounded better, but Chinese food was the best option for him probably. He could order soup and veggies or soft lo mein noodles. Those could be swallowed easier than potentially crunchy crust pizza. “Roll the dice with Chinese?” I cocked a brow. Just because I thought it would be good for him didn’t mean he wanted it.

Shoving one of the menus back in the drawer, he whipped his cell phone out. “Worst case scenario, we order pizza after.” Stalking towards me, he handed me the tri-folded paper. “What do you want, beautiful?”

God, that smile. He was breathtaking. It took effort to peel my gaze from him. I wanted to pinch myself. Was this real life? Was I really here, with him, in his house?

A nervous chuckle escaped me. “There’s no way to eat Chinese food and be sexy.”

His laugh turned into a cough. He quickly covered his mouth. He sucked in a deep breath. “Babe, you’re sexy. There’s nothing you could do that would make you less sexy.”

As a nurse, many scenarios came to mind, but I didn’t offer them up. Instead, I savored his compliment. This handsome, powerful male thought I was sexy. “Thanks.” I cast a fast glimpse at him, fully acknowledging his words.

Browsing the limited selection, I passed the menu back to him. “Small chicken lo mein with broccoli.”

“You got it, beautiful. Now go make yourself comfortable.” He jutted his chin towards the living area.

I should have been uneasy. I should have hesitated. In the past, I would have hesitated. That just went to show, once again, how different things were with Stone. His home wasn’t filled with the touches that welcomed you in, but I found myself sauntering to the leather sofa, without a second thought, pulling off my Ugg knock-offs, setting my phone and keys on the coffee table, and sitting Indian style on one end of the couch.

A large, flat screen TV was mounted on the wall across from me, above the fireplace. No wires or boxes were visible. I’d always hated the mess behind electronics. It was why I only had one television in my entire apartment and a laptop rather than a desktop computer. That single piece gave me a newfound appreciation for his minimal décor. He didn’t have a lot, but he still paid attention to the finer details.

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