Page 10 of How to Lose an Omega in Twelve Days
But I knew. I had gone and fallen for him. Shit. He was human. It would never work. Bad idea.
Besides, he was spying on me for my father! It seemed like his enthusiasm for Christmas was genuine; although I couldn’t imagine how he reconciled a love for Christmas with keeping tabs on me to make sure I grinched my way through the holidays. I wondered what my father had told him. And what he was being paid. He hadn’t batted an eye at the price of the expensive handmade mask or sweater.
As the bus started making its way up to the lodge, I told myself to steer clear of Theo. But I couldn’t shake the memories of the day. His seemingly real joy at the market. The feel of his hand in mine. The way he held it as we ran over the ice. How he smiled and laughed…
He probably wasn’t even gay, I told myself.
But the moment I saw him at the masquerade, sporting a suit and looking all handsome and mysterious in his mask, my knees went weak.
“Damn it,” I muttered to myself, walking toward him even though I knew I shouldn’t. “That mask suits you,” I said. It had looked whimsical and almost silly in the shop, but it looked perfect on Theo.
“Thanks, stranger,” he said with a grin. He studied me a moment and his smirk turned almost tender. “So does yours. Your eyes are…”
“Are what?” I couldn’t resist asking.
Theo chuckled softly. “They’re the same color as a real snow leopard’s eyes. You couldn’t have picked a better mask.” He reached up and stroked the soft, faux fur over my cheek, before yanking his hand away and blushing. “Um…” He cleared his throat. “Sorry?”
Oh gods, maybe he was gay. Why was I being tested like this?
“It’s fine.” Hoping that I looked like I was joking, I ran a finger over one velvet covered antler and tried to laugh.
We stood there awkwardly for a moment. He’s human and he’s working for my father. He’s human and working for my father. He’s human and…
“You wanna dance?” Theo asked, completely shutting down my mantra.
“I-I’d love to,” I stammered.
He held out a hand and I let him lead me to the dance floor. As we danced, he made it really, really hard to forget I wasn’t supposed to like him. I barely remembered to keep up my Scrooge act. He put a hand on my waist and I hardly had to think about where my feet were supposed to go as he led me around the room.
“I love this song,” he commented as a catchy Nutcracker song came on.
“Tchaikovsky wrote some good music,” I said, still trying to avoid any Christmas appreciation.
It was hard to tell with his mask, but I could swear, just for a moment, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.
“I’m going to take a break,” I said. I smiled, but as soon as I turned away from him I glared, hating how my hands felt cold without his. Theo was, well,great. Whatever my father had told him, whatever he was being paid for this, I had decided there was no way it was all an act. He genuinely enjoyed the holidays.
If only the circumstances were different.
Dancing with him had even felt like dancing with an alpha. The way he took command and led without being asked… In fact, even though I had been the one giving a sort-of-tour of the Christmas Market, I had felt like I was safe with an alpha mate the entire day.
Ugh, this sucked.
I got a drink, gathered myself, and went to find Theo again. Sure, this wouldn’t last. But why couldn’t I enjoy it while it did? As long as I didn’t screw up the Christmas thing, my father couldn’t take the resort. What leg would he stand on? I had danced with a cute guy? I had shown him around? I bought a mask for the masquerade. A masquerade that I hadn’t planned or decorated or had any say in, for that matter. I bought a sweater because it was cold and I packed quickly. I had even chosen a fairly neutral sweater. No, my father would have nothing on me.
Theo seemed happy to dance with me again. Much to my delight, he kept the prodding about Christmas to a minimum.
We stayed a lot later than I had planned to and were some of the last attendees left as the final song played.
“You still want that toothpaste?” he asked me.
“Oh.” I had totally forgotten. “Yeah, please.”
Halfway to his room, I realized we were still holding hands. We didn’t let go until we were inside his room. He grabbed the toothpaste and offered it to me.
“Thanks,” I said. I reached up to take it, but my fingers closed partially over his and time seemed to stop.
He was so close I could kiss him.
