Page 21 of Mink Hijinks
“You really think they’ll like me? I’m no one. I’mhuman.”
“No one is going to care that you’re human. A few of my cousins are mated to humans. Not everyone is mated to a mink. There’s gonna be humans and wolves and mink. A few deer, couple river otters, a black bear, a snake, bobcat?—”
Pax hugs me, and I lose my train of thought. He nuzzles in my neck, scenting me, and I follow suit.
Pax pulls away first. “Before we go, I need something from you, Alpha.”
I swallow, my eyes narrow on his lips.
“Kiss me.” His eyes plead with mine, and I scoop him into my arms.
I lean in, our lips crashing together, the kiss hungry and desperate. How have we not kissed yet? He tastes like the lingering Pumpkin Spice Latte from two towns over and I lick his lips open for more. I press him to the doorframe of myhouse, practically rutting into him as we continue exploring each other’s mouths.
“Aaron,” Pax laughs my name. “We can’t. There are kids we need to surprise.”
I lick his jaw as I come up for air. “We do in deed.” I release him so I can unlock my door. The scent of cherries and chocolate rushes out once I get it open. Home sweet home always smells so good.
Pax darts in and I just watch as he takes in the decor. Every room is themed, and I hope he plans to explore every one over the next several days. The foyer has Astroturf on the ceiling with a flower chandelier.
“Whoa,” he whispers as he spins and looks up. “This is?—”
“A lot, I know,” I say as I grab the frankly huge bag of toys still sitting at the front door where I left it.
“Amazing!” Pax’s eyes sparkle under the chandelier and I want to kiss him again. All night long, in fact. But we have kids to surprise.
“I’ll give you the grand tour when we get back. But like you said, we have kids to surprise.”
His eyes light up at the bag as I heft it over my shoulder.
“We’ll walk over to mom and dad’s. It won’t take long. Unless you wanna drive over there, but it’s just—” I wave in a direction.
“I’m good with walking.”
And so I lock up again and lead the way to the parentals.
“So all of you live together?”
“Kinda? Mom and dad have a boatload of land and offered us kids each an equal section of it to do with as we pleased. I built a house to be close to family. My siblings did the same. True mink aren’t homebodies, they prefer to be loners. But shifter minks, we want community.”
“It’s beautiful here.” Pax’s eyes wander along our path.
The snow falls softly against the darkening sky, each flake shimmering like tiny crystals. I pull up the collar of my coat, glancing at Pax beside me, his wide eyes full of anticipation and cheeks flushed from our quiet walk.
Mom and dad’s house comes into view and Pax sucks in a breath. “It’s a mansion.” He stops and tugs on my elbow. “Aaron, I grew up in a trailer. I’m a mechanic. They?—”
My heart aches for him. “They aren’t going to care about any of that. I promise. And I don’t care about it. We’re Fated, and while we’re still figuringusout, I refuse to think down on you.”
“Okay.” He swallows, and I wrap an arm around him, pulling him close.
The sounds of the kids playing in the snow reach my ears and I can’t help the smile. “This is it,” I say, glancing at him. “You ready to step into the chaos of my family’s holiday traditions?”
Pax gives a nervous smile. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” He takes a deep breath and I swear I can see the tension flow off him. “If they’re anything like you, this is going to be amazing.”
I chuckle, appreciating his honesty. “I think you’ll like it here.”
As we approach the house, the joyful sounds of my family get louder. So much of my family are already in their mink or other animal forms, darting through the snow. The moment one sees us, it’s like a wave of animals surge forward.
Pax laughs and grabs my arms a little tighter. I don’t blame him. If I weren’t a shifter, I’d be apprehensive about a stampede of animals coming my way, too.
