Page 9 of Santa's Knotty Workshop

Fifteen seconds later—the longest fifteen seconds of my life—the door opened, and the scent of his heat slammed into me.

“I came because… I think this is my fault.”

That had him stepping out of the way for me to come in. He shut the door quickly behind me and went to the couch, where heplaced a pillow over his erection. Poor guy was already suffering, and if I didn’t scent his heat down the hallway, it was still very early on.

“What do you mean, it’s your fault?” He didn’t meet my eyes.

“I’m your mate.”

His head snapped up and his mouth formed a perfect O. The things I wanted to do to him and with him and for him.

“You sure?”

“You found the toy, right?”

This time his jaw dropped, and it was all I could do not to laugh.

“I’ll take that as a yes. I sensed my mate was near and put a little magic into the toy so only my true mate would find it. Did you like it?”

His eyes went wide.

“It’s a pretty good replica, if you ask me,” I said.

“It’s… it’s you?”

“Yes. Do you like that?”

“It’s so big, and I didn’t know what to do with it, but no one else could have it. It was mine.” He buried his face in his hands. “Is that messed up?”

“No, mate, it’s not.” I inhaled deeply again. His scent was getting stronger. The time for rational conversation was quickly coming to an end. We had decisions to make. “I don’t want to rush you, but we are running low on time. Did you want me to stay with you or do you want me to go and we’ll—”

“No!” He bounded out of his seat and came barreling toward me. “Don’t leave.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I need you. Please.”

I hugged him to me. “Of course, mate. I’m here for you… always.”

“I’ve… I’ve never done this… not the heat but been with someone. I was waiting for you. I didn’t know it, but I was.” He brushed his lips against my cheek tentatively, as if testing the waters.

“I’ll take good care of you.” I pulled back enough to kiss him properly. He didn’t hold back, and when our lips broke apart, we were both panting.

“Can you get me some things? I hate to ask, but…”

“Absolutely. Anything for you.” The thought of leaving him hurt, but if he was asking, there was no denying him. He grabbed apaper off the kitchen counter, gave me his keys, and asked me to hurry. As if there were any chance of me dawdling.

I wasn’t sure what I expected on a heat list from an omega, but it wasn’t this. Every single item listed was a sweet. Did my mate have a sweet tooth that rivaled my own? I rushed to the bakery where all the holiday goodies were made. Unsure how much to get of any one item, I got a dozen of each.

When I got back to the apartment, the scent was thick, his need heavy. It had changed so much since I left, and I felt guilty for not moving faster than I had.

“I’m back.”

“Nick! I’m in the bedroom.”

Unsure what to do with the items, I brought them with me into his room.

Percy lay splayed out on the bed, his once pale skin now flushed with a rosy hue. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, and a thin sheen of sweat coated his body, making him glisten in the soft light of the room. His eyes were dark and glazed over with heat-filled need.

Every muscle in his body was tense, ready to pounce at any moment. My dick had never been this hard. The surrounding air crackled with raw energy and desire, pulling me toward him like a magnet. But I needed to remember that this was my mate’s first time. It wasn’t just about our desire, it was so much more.

“Nick...” he panted, reaching for me with trembling fingers. “I... I don’t know what’s happening to me. My body feels like it’s on fire… It’s never been like this before.”

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