Page 16 of Snowed in at Santa's Lodge
“Be more specific, Ragnar. Christmas is a lot.”
He leaned forward and put his nose into my neck. He moved back, his eyes still closed, a soft smile on his face. “Pine trees. Gingerbread. Faint peppermint. Orange. Cranberries. Clove. Sometimes, when you’re happy, there’s a hint of cinnamon.When you’re needy, it’s more like mulled wine and balsam trees. Like I said, you’re Christmas, baby.”
“This time with you has been a dream.”
I noticed him stiffen beside me. “You are my dream, omega.”
I sipped on my hot chocolate and, again, that déjà vu feeling washed over me. “I don’t ever want to leave.”
“So don’t.”
Frosty perked up and curled up in my lap. “It can’t be that easy, Ragnar.”
“But it is. You told me your job isn’t that great. You said something about not even liking your apartment.”
“I can’t just live here with you.”
He took my hot chocolate from my hands and turned me so that I was facing him. “Why not? Tell me the real reasons why you can’t live here with me, omega.”
I thought it over. He was right. I had complained about my job and my shitty apartment. I had only a few friends and it was the kind of relationship where I had to reach out first or there was zero communication.
“Because we have only known each other for a few days. It feels too easy. Too good to be true. I’m afraid I’ll move here and you will change your mind.”
“I would never. Gah, I wish we were marked, and that way you could feel the depths of my love for you.”
“Love?” I gasped. “You love me?”
“Of course I do. I haven’t said it because I was afraid it was too much too soon, but I do with all my heart. I want you to live here with me and run this place with me and be my mate and my partner for the rest of our lives. Nothing about you is temporary for me, Aspen.”
“But this is your family history. Your legacy.”
Ragnar huffed out a laugh. “You don’t get it, baby. You are my family now. You are my life. What’s the point of this place if I don’t have someone to share it with?”
“I love you, too, and I want to stay here with you and Frosty.”
“Say it again.”
“What part?” I asked, laughing.
“All of it. Hearing you say that feels like a dream. Please.”
I climbed into his lap and cupped his face with my hands. “I love you, Ragnar, and I want to stay here with you. Forever.”
Like my words were a magic spell, I felt something click into place inside me. This was right. All of this was right. The alpha. This place. Even Frosty. My destiny was happening here and now.
“I want to mark you, mate. I’ll wait if you want me to, but I want you to wear my mark and be mine.”
I tipped my chin up and kissed him. “I was hoping you’d ask me. Take me to bed, alpha. Make me yours.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ragnar
I took him to bed.
And we made love again, this time slowly, with both of us understanding the significance of our mating. Fate had matched us already, but the marking would signify our acceptance. Any shifter who saw the mark would also understand.
I held him in my arms and kissed him, his lips, his cheeks, his nose. “You’re so precious to me, omega.”
