Page 14 of Her Embarrassed Bear Mate

“Well, there’s the time I was on the bus and it was really hot — Hah! Nice try. I’m not telling you about the most embarrassing moments of my life.” Alix couldn’t believe she’d almost been lulled into sharing something so personal.

It was frustratingly easy to talk to Veronica. If that wasn’t the case, maybe the first night would never have happened. Still, she was happy it happened.

“If circumstances were different, I totally would have called you,” Alix admitted.

The smile on Veronica's face made her even more beautiful. "I totally would've wanted you to call."

The energy between them changed as Alix locked eyes with Veronica and the first flickersof desire crackled through her veins. She was well aware that their night together was the last thing she should be thinking about now but the alcohol was lowering her inhibitions and making her head feel a little woozy. Her rational thinking was certainly impaired too. It was making her feel selfish and reckless and like if the adults weren't going to have some self-restraint, why should she?

Somewhere in the background, a glass shattered and it broke the hypnotising tension. Both of them practically jolted backwards and Alix fixated her gaze on a patch of grass coming through a crack in the patio tiles.

Alix cursed herself. Even drunk, she had more sense than her mother.

After an awkward silence, Veronica cleared her throat. "Did, umm... Did they tell you about Whitby?"

"Yuppp. Mum framed it as some sort of family holiday,”

“You don’t have to come,” Veronica said.

She made a good point but Alix knew her mum was set on this holiday, she could tell from how excited she’d been. And she was definitely dragging Trixie along for this misguided idea of creating a blended family so Alix had no choice but to comealong. Someone needed to keep an eye out for her little sister because their mum sure wasn't doing it.

Alix let out a frustrated sigh. “This is bullshit.”

Veronica finished her drink. "You're right about that."

"Yup..." Alix repeated, not sure what else to say.

There really wasn't anything else to say.

NINE

Veronica

Veronica considered not goingon their family holiday because of the intruders but she'd been looking forward to it for weeks and had already requested time off. If she didn't go on the holiday, it wasn't like she'd be able to enjoy herself. She would just be sitting at home, worrying and wondering about what was going on in Whitby. Because of that reasoning, she found herself in their holiday cottage with her dad and siblings. They had arrived first and even though their mum wasn't there, for a little while it almost felt like everything was normal. The smell of the salty sea, the cawing of theseagulls, the sound of the waves breaking. It was one of her favourite places in the world and she really hoped it wasn't about to be ruined.

Levi threw a sofa pillow at her, briefly disengaging from the game he was playing on his phone. "Move. You're blocking my sun."

Veronica deliberately moved so she was blocking even more of the sun. "You move."

Predictably, another pillow came flying her way but she dodged it effortlessly. It almost hit Jonas who was carrying a tray with drinks and he threatened to pour them over Levi's head.

“Can’t you little kids ever behave?” Nate grumbled from the corner of his sofa, mostly engrossed in whatever he was doing on his tablet.

Predictably, the next three pillows were all aimed at him. The whole thing made Veronica laugh. Joking around with her brothers was almost enough to make her forget that this wasn't a normal family holiday.

The sound of a car pulling up on the gravel made all three of them stiffen and the fun atmosphere fell away.

"Looks like they're here," Levi muttered, not one to hide his displeasure.

Veronica's whole body tensed as she waited forthe inevitable. She had her fingers and everything else crossed that something had prevented Alix from joining them. It was uncomfortable enough that Dianne would be here, or a child, but Veronica didn't know if she could take a week with Alix in close quarters.

The girl Trixie was the first to burst through the doors with a small barky dog chasing after her. She looked excited and not in the slightest shy about exploring the house. Dianne followed, her arm already around Veronica's dad. They looked sickeningly enamoured with each other and like they would prefer to be alone together.

But no Alix.

Veronica almost breathed a sigh of relief, although if she were honest with herself, a teeny tiny part of her was disappointed. As fucked up as the situation was, she couldn't stop thinking about their night together.

A car door slammed outside and rattling wheels of a heavy suitcase clattered in the hall. Moments later, Alix appeared in shredded jeans shorts that showed off her lovely muscled legs and a large shirt that fell down one shoulder. She was a vision. A tired vision, but a vision nonetheless.

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