Page 20 of The Omega's Beary Merry Christmas

“Well, that was only half the truth. I didn’t want just anyone. I was waiting for you. My mate. It means, someone chosen by Fate and the goddess, someone made just for me.”

“And you think that…that mate is me?”

“I know it is. My bear sensed it the second we met. And I think you did too. Didn’t you wonder why you weren’t nervous about me talking to Natalie outside?”

I thought back to when I walked out and saw him debating bears frolicking. How different that conversation looked now that I’d met Bert’s bear. I didn’t remember mentioning my nerves or lack thereof.

“How did you know I wasn’t nervous?” I wasn’t freaked out, more curious.

“Because humans, when they’re nervous, their heartbeats change, their breathing changes. There are lots of clues, and you had none of them.” He’d been paying attention.

“So…what does this mean? This ‘mate’ thing?” The only understanding I had of the word directly correlated with sex. This felt much bigger than sex, although now that sex entered my mind, it somehow came front and center.

It wasn’t my fault Bert was hotter than heck and completely naked.

It was difficult, but I refused to let my eyes wander as he went on to explain that mates were destined to spend the rest of their lives together. It was like marriage, but a perfect marriage, guided by fate. While I was able to pick up a lot, I missed some, my desire to lean forward and taste his lips, run my fingers across his skin, press my hardness against him kept getting in my way.

“I know that things with you and Mark are still raw—how could they not be? And he was important to you and Natalie. There’s no part of me that wants his memory squashed, but I’d like…I’d like it if you gave us a chance.”

“It’s not that they’re raw, not really.” I wanted him to understand. “It’s that we had everything planned out. Organized. Ready. And then, all of a sudden, with that one accident, everything changed. Yes, I missed him. I still do. He was my best friend, and I loved him.” And nothing would change that. “But, over time, it’s been more about trying to figure out how to make all those dreams happen on my own that I struggle with. I feel inadequate. Like I’m not good enough for her.”

“Trust me, Conrad,” Bert said, his voice low and steady. “You are everything that little girl needs. Look what you did for her by coming here. This wasn’t in your plans.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Not even close. “But I’m glad we came.”

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. I didn’t think about what it meant or the consequences—I just needed to feel his touch.

He kissed me back, softly at first then with more intensity. A cool wind cut between us, and I realized how cold it was out here for the first time. I’d been so distracted that somehow I missed it.

I had boots on and some clothing. Bert, however, was completely naked. We needed to get inside. I didn’t want to move though. It would break the magic. “It’s too cold out here. We’ll get sick.”

“I… Yes, of course.” Something told me he didn’t feel the cold the way I would, had I been the naked one.

We walked back inside together, but I wasn’t ready to say good night. I didn’t want to leave him. But standing out here with him buck-ass naked, where Natalie could walk out at any moment, wasn’t a good idea, either.

“I should go to bed.” Still, I didn’t move.

“Or?”

“Or?” I wanted to instantly agree to whatever the or was, anything not to have to walk away.

“Or maybe… Do you want a sleepover in my room?”

“A grown-up sleepover?” I’d be fine if it was just the two of us sitting in his room talking the night away, but now that I’d taken a look at his full body, naked fun sounded even better. The answer was yes, regardless, I just wanted to be sure I knew what I was agreeing to.

“Very grown-up.”

I smiled, reached for his hand, and pulled him toward his room. I wanted nothing more than a good old-fashioned adult sleepover.

Chapter Twelve

Bert

“How does this mating thing work?” he asked, turning toward me as soon as we were inside the bedroom with the door closed. “Because, believe it or not, this is all new to me.”

“Not all.”

“What?” He cocked his head in query. “I never even knew shifters existed before we met.”

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