Page 9 of A Beary Merry Christmas

Electricity seemed to sizzle between us, even after I’d let him go, and it was that tiny experience that had my earlier fears falling away and fresh ones stepping in. I’d been a long time, if ever, since I’d felt this degree of magnetism with someone. I wanted to haul him against me, hold him tight and never let go. It was the most irrational urge I’d had in forever, and it pointed towards one obvious fact: he was different then the others. Not just in looks and actions. It was more than that. It ran deeper; what I had with him ran deeper. Which meant, if he walked away, the pain of it would run deeper.

The present had me even more shaken up about the past, about last night. He shook me up. He plucked every one of my heartstrings and then pulled back for a moment, as if he was hesitating.

And it was his reluctance that fed my own, that had me pausing to consider the unthinkable.

Until he hugged me.

Darn it! Why did I have to rush things? Why-

“If I wasn’t sick, I’d kiss you right now.” Heat flickered in his depths, nearly illuminating his eyes.

A smile broke through my shock, heat brushing my cheeks. I chuckled, most of my tension dissipating with that one admission. Regardless of what was true or false, there was one undeniable truth: the chemistry and attraction I’d experienced digitally with him transferred into real life. And if I had any question as to whether it was one-sided, his statement obliterated it.

Well done, Fate.

Chapter Six

December 19th

Stone

God, damn, she was gorgeous. Her skin was flawless, and her ass. Fucking A. I was tempted to risk a smack for the chance to touch it. Her leggings left little to the imagination, and had my undivided attention.

Shit. If I thought for one second that I could kiss her and not get her sick, or sound like I was on the verge of a panic attack with every wheezy breath, I would. Seeing her had me forgetting every symptom I had. Nate was right. I was going to be kicking myself for a long time to come over last night. Because, knowing her character and seeing her beauty matched it, I would fucking lose it, I would never forgive myself, if last night cost me all of her.

Suddenly remembering my manners, I moved to the side, allowing her to see my second home. I’d poured a lot of time, money and effort into Beast Mode. I was proud of what it had become: a staple in a were-dominated community. “Would you like a tour of the place?”

She considered me, not rushing to reply. “Sure, but only if you promise to talk as little as possible. I don’t need you getting worse on my account.” She softened her words with a gentle smile.

The way she looked at me, the way her eyes melted into pools of brown butter, pierced me, and had butterflies fluttering in my belly. And I knew right then that she was real, that the feelings I had for her were real. And I knew that she was the one. I didn’t know how. Lord knew my bear was damn near dormant at the moment, but, for me, she was it. I didn’t know when it’d happened over these past three months. Hell, it could have happened just now. Nonetheless, this woman officially owned my heart. And I knew, no matter what she asked for, I would try to deliver. She was so much more than I expected. She was prettier than in her photos, but it was more than the superficial shit. There was something warm and endearing about her.

Fuck! We’d only just met and I was already dreading saying good-bye. The way she blushed and fidgeted beneath my gaze made me want to hug her, kiss her, fuck her, and never let her go. Damn. “Deal.” I couldn’t contain my smile as I took her in. She seemed like a present with many layers, and I’d only peeked at the outer one. Suddenly, all I knew about her wasn’t enough. I wanted to know everything, to know all of her.

As I led her around the space, I watched her intently. She didn’t react with enthusiasm the way most new gym members did. She responded with awe. She took in every detail, and I knew when some piece of the design made sense to her by her slight nod and the sparkle that appeared in her eyes.

No one else had ever realized that the design segregated the workout floor while maintaining a certain uniformity.

But she did. I saw it.

On the phone, I found myself sharing things with her I never had with anyone else, not even my best friend. She slipped past my defenses so easily. And today, she came in and instantly saw beyond what everyone else did. She was different from the others, in the best way. She wasn’t my true mate, but finding a true mate wasn’t guaranteed. Lots of weres never found theirs. Regardless, she was someone I could see myself happily spending forever with.

Dammit. I was almost done showing her around when my nose decided to turn into a faucet. The fucking thing couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be clogged or not. Despite the leakage, the pressure in my sinuses felt strong enough to split them, if sinuses could burst even.

It fucking sucked. There was nothing sexy about being sick. “I’ll be right back, beautiful.” With a snap of my fingers and a point of my finger, Gary was on his way across the room to cover for me. Pinching my nostrils, I looked at her.

She’d been relatively quiet; the last thing I wanted her to think was that I was abandoning her.

With a flick of her wrist, she shooed me away. “Go.” Her voice was tender, light hearted, with not an ounce of upset.

How the hell had I gotten so damned lucky? She was smart, sexy, and sweet. She was everything a werebear could ask for, even if my bear didn’t want her.

Chapter Seven

December 19th

Lora

Poor guy. He was trying to pretend like he wasn’t sick. He tried to hide every swipe of his nose, every deeper than normal inhale, and every almost-cough. The man was clearly miserable, yet he trudged onwards, pushing himself. His body had to be sore, and I was pretty sure his throat hurt, too. He’d attempted to cover his wince, but it was my job as a nurse to catch everything patients hid.

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