Page 12 of Season's Greetings
Usually, seeing the bigger picture was easy—at least where his clients were concerned.
This time, though, the picture kept shifting.
Daniel was so deep in thought he didn’t notice Matthew wake or move to stand behind him. He registered nothing until he felt hands grip his upper arms and soft lips press feather-light kisses to his back.
Biting back a whimper, Daniel clenched his teeth—but couldn’t stop his body from recoiling.
He needed space. He needed time.
His lungs froze on a breath and held as the room seemed to close in around him.
He needed air.
He could be here—but notnow.
Everything he’d ever wanted was reaching out toward him, but he couldn’t take it. And he didn’t know why.
Shrugging off Matthew’s hands, Daniel trembled. His bear was so close to the surface he could feel his features begin to shift.
He couldn’t change here. Not now.
He needed to be alone—to understand what was happening inside him.
Turning from the window, he saw Matthew still standing there, eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and hurt.
Guilt coiled in Daniel’s stomach.
He opened his mouth to speak, to offer some kind of explanation—but the words caught in his throat. He couldn’t lie. Not to Matthew. He couldn’t pretend everything was okay when it wasn’t.
Daniel couldn’t stay.
Moving past him, Daniel grabbed his discarded clothes, pulling them on with jerky movements. He had to go. Had to get away—at least until he could sort out the jumble of emotions warring inside him.
“I… I need some air,” he managed, his voice raspy.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and fled the room, leaving Matthew standing alone, the silence broken only by the soft thud of the door closing behind him.
As he hurried from the cabin, Daniel felt the first tendrils of the change begin to creep through his body. The familiar prickle of fur. The ache in his bones. The shifting of his form.
All the signs indicated his bear was about to break free.
He had to get away. Had to find a secluded spot where he could let the shift take him. Where he could wrestle with his own nature—and the new feelings that swirled inside him.
He had to understand why, after years of longing, the reality of Matthew’s closeness filled him with dread instead of joy.
He had to know why he couldn’t accept what he’d always wanted.
Matthew
Just lying next to his alpha made Matthew’s heart pound.
He was having the best fantasy-turned-reality experience of his life. Being able to touch soft skin stretched over hard muscle made his fingers itch and his body stir with need. It didn’t matter that he was feeling a little tender from a night of hard use—being this close to Daniel was every dream, every wish come true.
As he snuggled in closer, he resisted the temptation to nuzzle and nip Daniel’s skin with his teeth. Oh, how he wanted to leave his mark—a scratch, a bite, it didn’t matter. Holding himself back was sweet torture.
Yet even with all his senses overwhelmed by want, he could feel how tightly wound Daniel’s muscles were.
Feigning sleep, Matthew held still, kept his breathing even, and waited for his alpha to calm. He’d hoped for a repeat of last night—exploring Daniel’s body with his tongue, worshiping every inch of his alpha’s cock.
