Page 25 of Bear for the Holidays

“Ooh, cookies.”

The cookies were delicious, and they ate them together on the loveseat, not saying much, sometimes kissing the taste of chocolate and peanut butter off each other’s lips.

An hour later, they checked the box, and nestled inside was an enormous black tomcat, large bat-wings folded flat to his sides, purring up a storm as he nuzzled the blanket his mate had been resting on.

CHAPTER SEVEN

∞∞∞

At first Deanna was hesitant to let what might well be a very feral cat have the run of the place, but the moment they placed his box in the bedroom, all he wanted to do was to be with his mate. There was some exploratory sniffing, the mama cat licked his face, and then the tom hopped straight into the drawer with her, curling up with their babies in between them, both of them purring loudly.

Back out in the living room, Nik held up his hand.

“You hear that?”

Deanna listened, but with the bedroom door closed for warmth, there was only the silence of the storm.

“I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly.”

Nik looked so relieved and happy that she couldn’t help grabbing him for a kiss, and the moment she touched him, something in her gave way, opened up. This was her mate–there was no one else for her, and all she wanted, all she needed in this perfect, silent moment, was to be with him. Somehow, he seemed to understand what she wanted, desire communicated skin to skin, and he laid her down in front of the fire.

They stretched out together on the plush rug, and Deanna moaned as Nik kissed his way down her throat, taking his time. There was a care to his touch, as if he needed to know every inch of her body, and it all felt amazing. His touch made her languorous, sensual, and she couldn’t get enough of it.

“What are you doing to me?” she found herself whispering. “I want to touch you. I want to be all over you, but this is so good.”

Nik chuckled against her skin, his large hands edging up the hem of her shirt.

“All it has to do is feel good, sweetheart. Just let it, all right?”

She hesitated on the edge, a sea of pleasure waiting for her, but there was one more thing. Dammit, why did there always seem to be one more thing?

“Condoms,” she said reluctantly. “I don’t have any.”

“Me neither. What do you want to do about that?”

“Cry?”

“Aww, honey, no, we can still have fun, okay?”

“And you’re good with that?”

“I’d be good with it if all you wanted to do is sleep. Look at me.”

She did, staring up into his unexpectedly serious eyes.

“It’ll always be okay,” he promised. “We do what we both want to do, or we don’t do it at all. That’s it, beginning and end. All right?”

The determination in his words made the breath catch in her throat. Deanna didn’t trust herself to do more than nod, and he smiled again, kissing her forehead.

“Nothing that requires a condom tonight, but like I said, we can still have fun if you want to. Can I kiss you?”

“God, yes.”

He did, kissing her face and her throat until she felt warm all over, as if she was being marked with his passion. She was breathing hard and clinging to his broad shoulders when he paused.

“Can I get you naked?”

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