The Omega’s Beary Special Christmas (A Bear Under The Christmas Tree)

2. Hugo

TWO

HUGO

Hurry . My bear was desperate to be in a location where the surroundings weren’t covered in snow.

The plane doesn’t leave until this afternoon, and besides, we have to wait for Ferris to arrive.

Pfft . Hector can show him around .

Hector was my neighbor from two doors down and my best friend. His bear didn’t mind the cold. He reveled in it, and they spent days frolicking in the forest.

Nobody frolics. Give me an example of frolicking .

I picked up my phone, but my bear yelled not to look it up. You said they frolicked, so you must know what it is .

Right. Of course I do . I had to think hard and made a leap then a pirouette and finally a twirl. That would convince anyone.

You don’t know, do you? My bear huffed, curled up, and went to sleep, saying, Wake me when we’re at the beach .

I had wanted to meet Ferris, but a big client scheduled a last-minute video conference call, even though I was technically on vacation. Christmas was three days away. But I gritted my teeth, texted Ferris that Hector would meet him, and packed my bags.

And now that my friend and house-swap guest were coming from the airport, I’d checked in online for my flight and imagined I could already scent the salty sea air.

Peeking out the window for Hector’s car, I was eager to be on my way. I’d calculated how long it would take to go over everything in the house. I’d made a list and sent it to Ferris, but I still needed to do the walk around. Hector would be nearby, but I couldn’t rely on him to do my job.

The familiar humming of Hector’s vehicle alerted me the wait was almost over. From another brief glance out the window, Ferris was much smaller than Hector and me. He was human, so it was kinda to be expected.

Not wanting to give the impression that I was curtain twitching, I waited until they got out of the car before opening the front door. A gust of wind whipped up the driveway, tugging Ferris’s hair, and he shivered. But it also performed another function: it brought my house-swap guest’s scent straight to me, slapping me about the face and chest, as if I was in a boxing match.

The human’s scent did almost knock me out. I sagged against the railings, my vision blurry while air was sucked out of my lungs. The sensation woke up my bear who demanded we stay and not go to the beach.

Mate this man. Now!

Mate . That word penetrated my fuzzy brain. The human was my mate.

I can’t. He’s paid for a vacation at my house but without me.

Who cares? It’s just money.

Despite living as part of me, my beast either didn’t understand human conventions or chose not to. Probably the latter.

My stomach contents rose up my throat, but I forced them down. I couldn’t throw up over my mate on our first meeting.

You don’t feel it as I do . My beast was kicking and screaming inside me, giving me a belly ache.

I am experiencing the mating pull . Ten or a hundred times over. But he was on my doorstep, and I was leaving in an hour, and my tummy was hiccuping because we would be apart.

What a mess!

But I could spend ten days at the beach, and Ferris was supposed to arrive at his condo before I departed. Maybe then we could spend some time together. Perhaps go out for coffee or a meal. My mind was whirring at how to keep this human in my life until he… fell for me or experienced whatever humans did when they met their shifter mate.

What if he doesn’t? My beast was more savvy than me because Ferris was human and who knew how and when it would affect him, if at all.

Okay, calm down . I have an hour to make a good impression . Or was that a second impression?

“Welcome to my home and your home for the next ten days.” My voice was higher than normal, maybe two octaves. Ferris probably expected me to break into song or tap dance across the living room floor, twirling a top hat.

“This is beautiful, so warm and cozy. I can see myself spending most of my time in this room.” His gaze swiveled between two armchairs. “Oh.” His voice was more of a squeak. “There’s a big chair and a middle-sized chair.”

“Family heirlooms. There’s a small one upstairs.” I didn’t give a damn about the chairs ‘cause I pictured him lying on the fluffy white rug buck naked, fondling himself, and I tried to stifle the lust threading its way through my body.

He gave me an odd look, perhaps because my expression was more constipated than desire-filled.

“Glad you like it. I’ve spent many happy hours in here.”

Hector cleared his throat and tapped his watch.

“Let me give you the tour before I go.”

Ferris pulled out his phone and brought up the list I’d sent. I was conscious of how close he was as we went from room to room and I spoke of the house’s eccentricities.

We retraced our steps and went to the closet by the front door. I showed him the coats he was welcome to use and the snow boots. My college friend was about Ferris’s height, and he’d left his boots which should fit my mate.

I avoided the fireplace, leaving that until last and showed him the switch for the heated bathroom floor.

“Wow. That’s amazing.” He removed his socks and wiggled his feet on the stone. Even his toes were cute, and I imagined our legs entwined as we sat on the sofa.

Ferris glanced at the fireplace. “It’s so warm in here.” I showed him the thermostat and said while a fire was romantic—damn, why did I use that expression?—it was a lot of work. I didn’t add, “And I don’t want you to burn my house down,” but the guy was interested in how to start a fire, so I gave him the abridged version while shaking my head at Hector. He shrugged. And what was he supposed to do from two doors down if my home caught fire?

I grabbed the car keys from the small table in the entryway. “I’ve put the snow tires on the car.”

Ferris made a face.

Awww, he’s adorable. Mate him now while he’s making that funny face .

I ignored my beast as Ferris said he might walk everywhere.

“There’s a sled in the garden shed.”

His face lit up. “Sounds like fun. And I can’t wait to build my first snowman.”

Having lived here all my life, I was saddened that Ferris had never enjoyed rolling snow into different-sized balls to make a snowman.

“There are carrots in the kitchen.”

He raised one of his brows, and I bopped his nose. As soon as I did it, I realized my mistake. We’d just met, and yes, he was my mate, my lifelong partner, but he didn’t know that. Hector sent me a “What the heck are you doing” look.

“For the snowman’s nose.” I grinned, hoping Ferris wouldn’t think I was weird, or worse, invading his personal space.

“Oh. Okay.”

I covered up my awkwardness by showing him the candles and the flashlight in case the power went out. He shivered, and it took all my strength not to rub his arm and say it’d be okay.

“You have my number, so call if you have any questions.”

“But I don’t want to interrupt your holiday. I’m sure I’ll figure everything out.”

Damn, so I wouldn’t get to hear his voice on the phone in the middle of the night.

I gathered my things, wishing there was a reason I had to stay longer, but I’d gone through everything, and the plane wouldn’t wait just because I’d met my forever mate.

“Enjoy your stay.” I gave an awkward wave, and Ferris stood on the porch, shivering, his arms wrapped around him.

“How can I leave?” I whispered to Hector. “He’s my mate and he’s not wearing enough warm clothes.”

“I kinda figured out the mate thing.”

“Drive around the block. I want to make sure he goes inside.”

“For heaven’s sake, Hugo. You’re his mate, not his nanny or his mother.”

“Just do it, please.”

But Ferris had gone inside by the time we rounded the block. Shoot, I so wanted to catch another glimpse of him.

“Let me stay with you tonight and I’ll catch a flight tomorrow”

Hector slammed on the brakes. “What are you going to do? Hide in the bushes all night and freeze your ass off?”

He had a point.

“Besides, his friend Charlie has the condo keys. He's expecting you.”

Hmmm, why had we done that rather than Ferris bringing them here? Charlie would call Ferris if I didn’t show up.

I reluctantly got on the flight and thought of Ferris the whole journey. Charlie was a hoot, and we went out to dinner and he filled me in on all things Ferris. He was going on a surfing trip and invited me, but I said I was going to lie on the beach, eat good food, and sleep for ten days.

What he didn’t know was that I was going to be at the airport bright and early and fly home. What was I going to do when I arrived?

I hadn’t thought that far ahead.