Page 6 of Claiming the Shifter's Heart

Maybe it was.

Either way, he’d never felt anything like it. So positive and full of joy.

All Kris had to do was fill Nick’s boots and his big velvet suit for a short while, which included keeping up with several of the magnificent wooden structures and pieces that were all part of the Christmas experience at Manning Farms.

Like the custom bench and sleigh Santa would spend most of his time on. He could do that. No problem.

Kris was an expert carpenter, after all. And a bit of a tinkerer, too.

His custom tables and chairs were legendary—sent all over the world, earning him a small fortune. But Kristoff never cared about money. It was nice to have, of course. But it was never the why.

She can be my why.

He thought about his accomplishments and whether it would matter to Della. After all, the New York Times had even called his furniture "art," and some pieces had sold for astronomical prices, pieces that were more sculpture than seating.

He was proud of what he’d created over the years. But after making enough money to sustain him for multiple lifetimes, he only created now for the joy of it.

The things he would make for her and the kids, good God, he could not wait.

As for moving to South Jersey and leaving his job on the force, it wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Maccon City was absolutely beautiful, and the Atlantic was so close, he could smell the icy salt water from his apartment.

There was peace here, a quiet that his city life had never provided. But the real treasure, the one he hadn’t expected, was ten feet away from him, hiding in plain sight.

She was curvy, stunning in a way that felt both effortless and captivating. And yet, she had no idea.

Della Connors had captured his attention, and that of his Wolf ever since the first time he’d spied her that night in her neighbor’s yard.

He’d been there as an Enforcer. The Beta had ordered him to tie up the one Crow still breathing, but every instinct he had said he should kill the fucker.

Oh, he would have enjoyed snapping the neck of that prick who’d dared touch her. But he’d only just met her, and he didn’t get enough of a scent to be sure she was his.

Besides, been given an order, and his Wolf was too good a soldier to disobey.

Now though, well now he’d gotten her scent under his skin and his animal knew exactly what she was.

Mate.

But she was clueless, and Kris just didn’t understand. She seemed to have no idea how he watched her from the corner of his eye. How he longed for her when she wasn’t looking.

Every time she passed him, every time she smiled his way with that innocent warmth, he could feel his heart ache just a little more.

She was everything he wanted. Everything he needed. Yet she remained blissfully unaware that he yearned for her with every inch of his mortal soul.

Fire burned in his veins for this female. His Wolf howled, the enormous animal scratching at his insides, demanding he do something.

But he was doing something. He was working. Keeping an eye on her and her sweet babies. Kris had gotten a look at them a few times, and both he and his beast were already completely taken by the cheerful little boy and beautiful baby girl.

He wanted to claim all three of them as his own, but all he could do was wait for a sign or signal, any hint that she felt the same.

What else did he have to do?

The idea of spending another lonely holiday was unbearable. But Kris couldn’t help but feel that maybe, just maybe, this Christmas, the real magic wouldn’t come from a sleigh ride or a perfectly crafted piece of furniture, but from her. From the woman he could never seem to stop wanting.

Please Santa, if you’re real, let me get what I want this Christmas.

Chapter 4

When did the clock start moving so dang slowly?

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