Page 17 of A Beary Merry Christmas

And I was right. Only she had two bottles of wine instead of one.

Chapter Twelve

December 21st

Stone

Impossibly, I cared for her more today than I did yesterday, and already I knew I would love her a little more tomorrow, and each day after that.

Yesterday, we laid around, ate pizza, drank hot cocoa, mine doused with protein powder, and watched a mix of action movies and romantic comedies. Today, I woke up feeling better than I had in weeks. I still had this stupid cold, but my lungs were clearing up. I was beginning to breathe easier, which meant that soon I would be able to smell her. I wanted to bury my nose in her hair. I wanted to know when she was near by her unique scent.

Damn. I missed her already. Letting her go last night was hell. It didn’t matter that we talked from the time she had signal until she was at her front door, still wearing my shirt beneath her hoodie. Fuck, she looked good in it. If I thought my cock was hard the other day, the perpetual hard-on I’d had these past twenty-four hours put it to shame.

I felt like an eager, impatient child. I couldn’t wait to see her again. Unfortunately, she worked the next three days straight. On the up side, it gave me time to kick this crud. On the down side, it gave me time to miss the hell out of her and every sweet curve on her body. Damn, the ass on her. I loved her for that alone. It was a hell of a lot bigger than I expected it to be, especially for a white girl. Fuck! I couldn’t wait to see her bent over.

Shit. I squeezed my cock through my shorts. Damn. I was this fucking needy for a woman who wasn’t my true mate. I couldn’t imagine wanting someone more. No wonder true mates met and fucked so fast. It was a miracle I didn’t lose control with her yesterday, especially during that kiss.

Damn, could she kiss. Her lips felt like sensual pillows. She tasted like pure sweet nectar. And the feel of her rounded edges against me…

Fuck. I groaned, pinching my cock harder. Heat shot down my spine. Desire knotted low in my belly. My balls tightened, my cock straining further upwards. All of the blood in my body pooled in my apex. I didn’t even know if a cold shower would work right about now, but I was desperate enough to try.

Chapter Thirteen

December 24th

Lora

Giving myself a final once over in the mirror, I smiled. I couldn’t wait to see him. Stone and I had gotten closer than before, communicated more than ever before. In the blink of an eye, he became my addiction, the way I got through each day.

He kept me smiling. Each text had my patients asking for details and my co-workers green with envy. He made me happy. He made me feel like the most precious gift in the world, even if I wasn’t his true mate, and he was precisely the kind of man that Gran wanted me to end up with. The fact that he could shift into a bear was merely a unique bonus that I was certain my grandmother would have gotten a kick out of; she had always believed in fairytales and magic.

After learning more about the animal side of him, and the fact that Stone was still cognizant and in control in that state, he made me feel even more safe and protected. No man would be foolish enough to challenge a big, burly bear.

Or my big burly man for that matter.

We didn’t have titles, because, in the modern era of dating, apparently relationships were implied but not labeled. There were some things I would never grow accustom to.

But it didn’t matter whether I had the title of his girlfriend. He’d said he was one hundred percent committed to me, and I was equally as committed to him, and us.

Twirling, I laughed. I was wearing the same outfit I was supposed to meet him in the first time, down to the hair, make-up and cropped leather jacket. This time, I knew I wouldn’t get a cancellation notice, though. Instead, all day, I’d gotten messages counting down to four o’clock, when we were supposed to meet for coffee. Then we were going back to his place to cook dinner together. And, if I was lucky, I would get him and all of his deliciousness for dessert.

Good God. I didn’t even sound like the same person. He brought out the playful, teasing, carefree part of me, the piece that rarely saw the light of day before him, and usually only with my best friend.

Thinking of Sharon, I let out a devious squeal. I couldn’t wait for her and Nate to meet tomorrow. I had a feeling he would be just what she needed, and Stone was certain after I text him a picture of her that she would be exactly what Nate wanted for Christmas. The only part that put knots in my stomach was the fact that Nate was a werebear, like Stone. I wasn’t sure how my friend would take that news. Fingers crossed she took it well, if they had a spark of course.

Doing a happy dance, I gathered my phone off of my bed and dashed to the living room. Snatching my keys, duffle bag and structured purse off of the console table, I sauntered out the door, off to meet the man of my dreams.

Chapter Fourteen

December 24th

Stone

Watching her as she approached the glass door, my heart skipped a beat. Holy fuck she was beautiful. I had the insane desire to pinch myself. She was beautiful the other day, too, but her curves were on full display and my cock was at full attention. Even my bear sat up, peeking through at her. She was even more breathtaking than I remembered.

Seeing her, I was glad I dressed in my nice khaki slacks and blue sweater. She would still outshine me, but I didn’t feel like a complete schmuck. Fuck. I was damn proud to call her mine.

Stepping toward the door, I opened it for her and damn near stumbled as her scent hit me. My heart took off and my bear rose up on his hind legs, immediately fighting me for freedom to do what we’d always wanted to do: claim our true mate.

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