by Katie Reus
On Friday they’d made decorations for the Christmas tree, and some of the other guys and even cubs had joined in. It meant they hadn’t gotten any alone time when they watched movies later that night, but he was okay with that.
He just wanted to spend time with her, to get to know the female he’d started to fall for a year ago. His wolf had already completely accepted her and he knew what that meant. He was just waiting for Noel’s wolf to catch up and realize they were mates.
So when she’d hesitantly asked him to come with her to this session, he’d jumped at the chance. He understood what a big deal it was, that she was letting him into this part of her life.
When the front door of the clinic—which was actually a house—opened, he stood as Noel stepped out, wrapping a red and white scarf around her neck. “Hey. I was wondering where you were.”
“Just wanted to sit out in the fresh air. How’d everything go?”
“Good.” Her body language and scent were relaxed as she linked her arm through his.
He subtly inhaled, letting her amber and vanilla scent wrap around him as they descended the short set of stairs and started down the walkway to the sidewalk.
The doctor’s office was in a quiet part of downtown, nestled in between other professionals’ offices which were also homes. Dusk was falling and everything was relatively quiet, most of the businesses having closed an hour ago. Snow covered most of the lawns but all the roads and sidewalks had been cleared off.
“It’s nice to have someone to talk to. Someone who didn’t know Carmen.”
He noticed that she had no problem saying her sister’s name, seemed more okay talking about her, and he was glad.
“It makes a difference.” It had taken him a long time to get to that point. “I go to Aiden if I need to talk about my family. Or anything, really.” It had been ages since he had, but Aiden had always been the easiest packmate to talk to.
Noel smiled softly. “Yeah, I can see that. He’s a good wolf. Now you have me…if you ever need to talk about them. Or just want to. I’d love to know more about your family anyway.”
He’d already opened up to her in the past few days and planned to continue to do so. “I will.” He didn’t want to talk about the past right now though. No, he had something else entirely in mind. “I, uh, have a surprise for you. One I think you’ll like.”
Excitement lit her gaze. “Yeah?” She held his arm just a little tighter and he savored the connection.
“Near the ski lodge there’s a drive-in theater showing Christmas movies the next couple days.”
A soft smile lifted her full, kissable lips. “My mom took us to those when we were kids. We’d all sit in the back of my dad’s truck and watch them together.”
“I’m surprised your Alpha was okay with that.” He only knew what she’d told him about her father, how he’d been set in his ways.
She laughed lightly, leaned her head against his shoulder for a brief moment as they walked. “That was one of the few arguments my mom won. He was so weird about us not integrating with the human world. As if…” She sighed. “I really don’t know what his problem was. And sometimes I feel guilty that I’m glad Connor’s my Alpha now.” She shot him a sideways glance, as if afraid he’d judge her for the words she didn’t say.
Nathan didn’t think Noel was glad her father was dead, but she clearly liked Connor as an Alpha better than her own father.
From past experience he was aware that Connor was one of the best types of Alphas out there. He treated everyone like they mattered, understood that the betas, who many Alphas saw as weak, were the true backbone of any pack. They had level heads for the most part and kept packs running smoothly on a day-to-day basis in a way that most shifters didn’t have the temperament for. There was something in Alphas, true ones, that called to them to take care of others. “I’m glad to have him as an Alpha too.”
“Do you remember the first drive-in theater?”
He snorted. Close to reaching one hundred, he’d been a teenager when the first had come to his town. He’d lost his pack not long after that. “I actually do.” And that made him feel a thousand freaking years old. He’d seen so many changes in the last century.
A few blocks over they reached his truck. She’d wanted him to park farther away so she could walk, have more time with him before seeing the doctor. And he liked spending any extra time with her.
On the ride to the drive-in theater they talked, mainly about their favorite movies. She might not have seen the Star Wars movies—which he was going to remedy soon—but she was a movie nerd like him. One more thing for him to adore about her.
“I can’t believe they’re playing Die Hard.” She took the quilt he handed her from the extended cab while he pulled out the small cooler and back pillows.
He tossed them into the bed of the truck. “It’s the best Christmas movie.” He’d seen his share over the decades and Die Hard would always be a favorite. And people who thought it wasn’t a holiday movie were wrong.
“I know. I’m just glad they’re not playing some awful black and white movie. You know, from your era.” She whispered the last part, snickering as she tucked the quilt under her arm.
“Age references, really?” He grabbed another blanket and shut the door.
Laughing, she walked to the back of the truck. “I’ve got to have my fun.”
He was glad she was having fun, loved her teasing—had missed this facet of her personality the last year. He’d parked with the bed facing the big screen so they’d be able to stretch out. “Any more age references and I might not share what’s in the cooler.”
Her eyes lit up at that. “Food?”
“Yep. And drinks. I brought your favorite cider.”
She blinked in surprise. “I can’t believe you remember that.”
Oh, he remembered every single conversation they’d ever had, had replayed them all in his mind too many times to count. He lifted a shoulder before taking the edge of the quilt she was holding.
Together they stretched it out and climbed up into the bed of the truck. He pulled the tailgate up as she set up the back pillows.
“This was a good idea,” she said, motioning to the pillows.
He just grinned and opened the cooler. They were a little early but other vehicles were starting to arrive, pulling in around them, thankfully with enough space in between that they weren’t on top of each other.
Noel stretched out her legs, watching him with undeniable appreciation as he pulled out two thermoses.
“What’s in there?”
“Apple cider in this one, hot soup in this one and…” He pulled out a small container and popped the lid off. “Cream cheese penguins.”
Noel grinned at the sight of the little penguins made from black olives, cream cheese and little red pepper strips for their scarves. “Did you make these? They’re adorable.”
He cleared his throat. “It was December’s idea. And…she made them for me.” He hadn’t been able to make the olive heads stay on right.
“Thank you,” she said as he handed her a mug of cider. “For more than just the drink. For tonight, for everything.”
He wasn’t sure what she meant by everything, but he nodded. This was part of courting his future mate. Whether she realized that was what she was to him or not. He didn’t plan to stop courting her even after they were mated either.
Because Noel was his female, and he wanted to keep making her happy for the rest of their lives.
* * *
Angelo growled low in his throat as Brianna shifted on her feet nervously. His mate had been acting nervous all day and it was making his wolf edgy. “They’ll be here soon. Everything will be fine.”
A female voice came over the loudspeaker at the small airport, telling everyone one of the incoming flights had been delayed by fifteen minutes. The flight they were waiting on.
Petite and adorable, his fae mate looked up at him with something he’d never seen in her gaze be
fore. Something he couldn’t define. And the riot of scents that rolled off her were too many for him to sift through. “I recently turned down a job she asked us to go on.” Her soft lilting Irish accent wrapped around him.
It took a lot to surprise him, but the indefinable scents on her and this news did just that. “When did you turn it down?”
“A week ago.”
He frowned. “You didn’t tell me?”
“I was going to.” She bit her bottom lip, looked away from him and toward the wide glass doors where all passengers eventually exited.
But? He asked along their telepathic link, waiting for her to continue.
Instead of responding she just kept chewing on her bottom lip, staring at the doors. Brianna was never nervous about anything but he was pretty sure that was what was going on now.
Which didn’t make sense. She’d seen her family since mating with him. They hadn’t been thrilled at first, but they’d finally adjusted to it. Her family was part of the Tuatha, the royal line of the fae, ancient and brutal. Oh yeah, he’d gotten himself hitched to a princess.
A very strong, smart one. She didn’t have the extrasensory abilities he did, but she could harness lightning-like energy and destroy anyone she wanted with it. She could also heal others under certain circumstances. She’d long since proved her trustworthiness to the pack even before they’d mated, had the loyalty of even Jayce since she’d killed the male who’d tortured and nearly killed his beloved Kat. Hell, she could even subtly influence humans to bend to her will. She was incredible.
His female did not do scared or nervous.
Until today.
“Sweetheart?” he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You’re going to have to tell me what’s going on in your head right now.”
She was stiff, staring straight ahead and still not looking at him. “I need to tell you something. But now is not the time.” In the ten months since they’d been mated, some of her formal speech patterns had relaxed, but she occasionally fell back into that formality he found sexy as hell.
The first time they’d met he thought she was haughty, had gotten off on making him crazy. Then he’d realized none of that was true—that the petite blonde had just been nervous around him.
“Now isn’t the time, huh?” He leaned down, subtly inhaled her sweetness. Would it be appropriate to grab a quickie in the nearest bathroom? he asked along their link. He knew the question was certain to rile her up.
She snapped her head up to stare at him, her bright blue eyes wide. “I’m pregnant,” she blurted, fear lacing those two words.
He blinked once. Twice. Then a grin split his face. “We’re having a cub?” Joy like he’d never known punched through him. They hadn’t been trying. Well, they hadn’t been not trying either, considering how often they made love. But a mating between their species was so damn rare.
“The baby could be fae. I just do not know how a shifter-fae child will…turn out.” Her voice trembled.
“I don’t care if the baby’s fae or shifter or a mix of both of us. I just care that he or she is healthy.” Could she really doubt that?
“I know that.” Her voice broke on the last word, her eyes welling with tears.
Needing to touch her, to comfort her, he pulled her into his arms. Screw whoever might be watching them. He tuned out everyone at the airport, gripping her tight as he buried his face against her neck.
“My hormones are going crazy,” she whispered against his chest. “I’ve never felt like this, so out of control and scared. Having a baby… I just didn’t expect it to happen so fast or maybe even at all.” The fae didn’t conceive as easily as shifters. “And I never expected to be afraid.”
“You can be as crazy as you want. And we’re in this together. You’ve got me and a whole pack to support you, and if that means we stop taking jobs for your family for a while, that’s fine. And hell, I’m afraid too,” he murmured against the top of her head. “I think that’s what happens when you become a parent.” Or an almost-parent. Because holy shit, a kid? Yeah, that was a little scary to think about.
Sniffling, she pulled back and gave him a watery smile. He cupped her cheeks, swiped away the falling tears. It was so strange to see his mate crying, and his wolf was going crazy, clawing and snarling and demanding that Angelo make it stop, to fix this.
“I found out a week ago and I wanted to tell you. I just didn’t know how.”
He brushed his lips over hers, not caring that she’d waited a week. It was a huge deal, and if she’d needed to come to terms with it, he understood. “This is pretty much the best Christmas present you could have ever gotten me.”
“I guess I’ll return your present, then.” She said it so deadpan, it took him a moment to realize she was joking.
A bark of laughter escaped him. His mate didn’t make jokes often. It wasn’t part of her nature. He pulled her into his arms again, half-listened as an announcement was made that various flights would be disembarking soon.
“That was their flight number,” she said, a hint of nerves flickering in her gaze again.
“You want to tell them?” Her mother and brothers were coming to visit for a couple weeks. Thankfully, not staying at their house. They’d rented a place instead.
He liked them all well enough, but he didn’t want to have to hold back with his mate for a couple weeks. Keeping his hands off her was impossible.
She sucked in a steadying breath, nodded. “At dinner tonight.”
“We’ll tell them together, then.” Taking her hand in his, he turned toward the glass doors as they opened and people starting streaming out.
He couldn’t believe they were going to be parents soon, that he was going to have a child with the female he loved more than anything.
Falling for a fae had never been in his plans, but he’d known from pretty much the start that she was the female for him. And when he’d thought she’d planned to go back to Ireland without him, he’d intended to follow her. Because he’d follow her anywhere, even to the afterlife.
Now they were about to start their own family. I love you. He streamed the words along their telepathic link, more raw emotion than actual words.
“I love you too,” she whispered, gripping his hand tightly.
Chapter 9
Parker wiped a sweaty palm on his jeans, inwardly cursed himself. He was a grown man and the sheriff of this town.
None of that seemed to matter around Maria Cordona. Whenever he was near her, he felt like a sweaty, nervous teenager.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to the bookstore his sister, December, owned. Maria was working tonight, so like usual for the last six months, he was bringing her a drink. Tonight it was hot cocoa. Sometimes it was iced green tea or coffee or whatever he thought she might be in the mood for.
Standing at one of the display shelves, she glanced over her shoulder and grinned when she saw him. “Hey, Sheriff.”
Laughing, he strode toward her and held out the tray. One hot cocoa for her and a coffee for him. “I’m not on duty tonight.”
“I can see that, Parker.” Her eyes flicked over his sweater, leather jacket and jeans before meeting his gaze again, that dark gaze sultry and teasing.
All the muscles in his body pulled taut, as was usual around her, especially when she said his name. Shifters had exceptional scenting abilities and he had no idea if she could smell his lust. At this point, he didn’t care. He wanted her to know how much she affected him. They’d become friends about six months ago, not too long after she’d lost her sister.
At one time he’d hated shifters because of the way his brother had been murdered. But Maria’s sister had been murdered by a human and she didn’t hate all humans.
Because that would be freaking stupid, she’d told him once when he’d questioned her about it.
He still felt shame for the way he’d reacted to his sister’s relationship with Liam at first. Thankfully things were good between them now.
>
At the moment he was hoping for a Christmas miracle, that the funny, slightly sarcastic Maria would want to go on a date with him. He’d been trying to ask for six damn months but for some reason just couldn’t man up and do it. Deep down it was because he wanted more than a date.
He wanted everything from this woman. She’d blindsided him with her funny attitude and quick wit, and after two weeks of being friends, he’d known he wanted a ’til death do us part kind of relationship. He’d just never expected to fall for a shifter. But blaming an entire species for the actions of one was stupid. Unfortunately he’d been stupid for too damn long. Not anymore, however.
“How’s work tonight?”
A slight shrug. “Good. A lot of customers are disappointed that the Erin action figures are gone, but December ordered a new box that should be in a couple days after Christmas at least.”
He snorted. “I heard what Kat did. How’s Erin taking it?”
“Pretty sure she’s plotting her revenge.”
“Would you like to go to dinner with me when you get off work?” Tomorrow was Christmas Eve so the store was closing up at six tonight. And yeah, it was last minute and he knew he should have given her more notice.
“Yes.” She didn’t even pause in her answer.
He blinked. He needed to make sure she understood he wanted more than friendship. “As in a date.”
“I know. Been waiting for you to ask me out for six long months, Sheriff,” she murmured, putting emphasis on his title as she stepped closer. She set her cup down on the nearby display shelf. “You know how many times I’ve touched myself thinking about you?” The question was a sharp, bold and unexpected demand.
One that had his entire body reacting. She’d fantasized about him? His cock jerked against his pants and he nearly dropped his drink. That was the hottest thing she could have said to him. He blindly set the coffee down on the same shelf before sliding his hands around her waist, pulled her close. He didn’t bother fighting the groan at the feel of her in his arms. God, holding her like this was like holding a piece of heaven. She was all soft curves and lush feminine scent. “Hopefully as many times as me.”
