Santa Paws: BBW Holiday Bear Shifter Romance (Christmas Bear Brothers Book 1) (2 page)

Behind him, the ambulance doors were opening, and a voice was calling Dermot’s name, but he couldn’t move either. That told her he had another side too, a big beast of some kind, if Vicky wasn’t mistaken. Probably a bear—after all, Bear Bluff was famous for them.

“Dermot,” the voice came again.

“You should go,” Vicky said, and while she meant, to help with his patient, she also meant
from here
, from Vicky’s life. She was too mixed up to be good for anyone right now. Let alone her mate, at Christmas. If one thing was guaranteed, she was going to be miserable this Christmas, and she didn’t want to inflict herself on anyone else.

“I … should.” He nodded, taking a step back, but not taking his eyes off her. “Don’t move.”

If she could have persuaded her feet to move, she would have run away. But no part of her would obey the screaming urge to get as far away from here as possible. Her other side was leaping up and down joyfully, frolicking in the snow.
Well, at least someone has found their Christmas spirit
. Yet even as she thought that, her creature stopped playing and stood mournfully, with her head down.

“Maybe he can help us,” Vicky said quietly. “Or maybe we’ll just be a let-down to him, too.” She didn’t know how he would react when he found out that his mate was about to ruin Christmas
for everyone
.

“Sorcha! It’s so good to see you,” Mrs. McKinley was saying, kissing the young girl who sat in a wheelchair being pushed across the courtyard, which had been cleared of snow.

“Thank you, Geena,” a woman, who Vicky guessed was Sorcha’s mom, said. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me for you to let us stay here for so long.”

“Don’t be silly now. You two need all the help you can get. Now, let’s go and get this young lady settled. You push her in here, Timothy,” Mrs. McKinley said to the other paramedic. “I think Dermot has some personal business to attend to right this minute.”

The older woman, her face bright with happiness, bustled around, organising everyone, until only Vicky and Dermot stood alone in the cold evening, the snow falling more thickly around them. Yet neither of them noticed the cold. Even the snow, beautiful as it fell to the ground, didn’t distract them. There was nothing but the two of them in that moment in time, as he walked towards her and stood staring, his eyes so full of hope, so full of love.

Vicky wanted to match those feelings, let herself drown in wonder that they had found each other at last. But she felt so unworthy of a mate, especially one so hopeful.

“Hello,” he said, and she could feel the tension in his body. This was a predator, and as she looked into his eyes, she saw there was more than hope, there was longing too. Heat pooled between her thighs: he wanted her, and she was his. He wanted to take her, to claim her as his own. So why not let him?

He could take all her pain, all her fears and regrets, away with his touch. He could make love to her until she could think of nothing else. Why fight it?

Wasn’t this how it was supposed to be?

“Would you like to come inside?” she asked, opening the door and stepping backwards into the cabin, not taking her eyes off him.

“Yes.” He took a step forward, following her as though they were connected. “But I have to go back to the hospital.”

“Oh.”

He shook his head. “Damn it. I want to stay. But I can’t.”

She saw how hard he was fighting the urge not to give in and follow her inside. But when the sound of excited voices came to her, she knew Timothy was coming out of the cabin next door, and the ambulance would soon be leaving. Taking Dermot with it.

With her heart thumping in her chest, she took the initiative. She stepped towards him, standing on tiptoe to wrap her hands around his neck, and pressed her lips to his. He groaned, his hand going around her waist and pulling her close. Fierce, his mouth on hers claimed her, his tongue pressing for entry, which she gave him.

She tasted Christmas spice on his lips, felt the warmth of his body against hers, and the hard length of his cock. Toppling backwards, she released him, leaving him shocked and confused. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, you have to go back to work.”

“I’ll come back. My shift is over in two hours.” His eyes pleaded with her to say yes.

“I’ll be here,” she said. But deep down she wondered if she would be, or if she would find the strength to run away.

“You OK?” Tim asked as they drove back towards the hospital.

“Yeah, why?” Dermot asked, not ready to talk about meeting Vicky. Not with Tim, anyway. Although Tim was a good friend, he was not a shifter and had no idea of Dermot’s other side. It was tough, but that was the way things were in Bear Bluff: you didn’t share your secret with non-shifters, unless they were your mate.

He smiled to himself.
But his mate was a shifter
. She had seen the connection between them; she knew they were fated to be together. So why was he worried? Because she had a look in her eyes that told him she might just bolt for it. Feeling a little subdued, he turned into the hospital entrance and parked the ambulance.

“OK. Time for coffee. I think that was our last drop-off, so as long as we don’t get any emergencies, we can put our feet up for half an hour. It’s been a long day.” Tim opened his door and slid out. Dermot did the same.

“Are you working tomorrow?” Dermot asked.

“No. They didn’t need me. I offered.” He sighed. “I haven’t lived in Bear Bluff too long, gotta say it’s going to be a lonely Christmas for me.”

“Don’t you have family you can visit? If not, I can make a few calls, I’m sure I can find someone who will take in a good-looking paramedic,” Dermot laughed, thinking of Penny and her longing looks.
Especially since this one is spoken for
.

“No family. Not without getting on a plane, and that is not something I want to do over the festive period. And thanks, but I would feel a little odd imposing on someone else’s Christmas.”

“Well, if you don’t come up with something, you can always take over my shift,” Dermot joked.

“If you’re offering,” Tim said eagerly. “I don’t mind. I hear they put on a Christmas lunch for the parents of the patients who have to spend Christmas in the hospital. I was thinking of gate-crashing anyway. Unless that was your plan. You said your brothers are working, so I guess you will be lonely too.”

Not this year
. He thought of his mate. Damn it. He hadn’t even asked her name. Surely, she would want to spend Christmas with him. Or maybe she had plans. He didn’t know her. What if she already had a boyfriend in Bear Bluff and she was spending the holidays with him? Or other family. He should have asked. He should have checked her finger for a wedding ring.

“Dermot.”

“Yes?” His train of thought stalled and he turned his focus on Tim.

“This way.” Tim laughed and then added, “I think you ought to have some time off, because you look as if you were away with the fairies.”

“You know, Tim, I think I might take you up on the offer. There is someone I want to spend Christmas with.”

“Go for it. Let’s grab some coffee and go and get the shifts changed.” Tim led the way and Dermot followed, feeling mighty peculiar.

He had found his mate. Reaching for his phone, he dialled Damon’s number, needing to tell someone. It rang and rang, and he was just about to give up when his brother answered.

“Hi, Damon. Quick call to say I won’t be on duty after all over Christmas.”

“Is everything OK, Dermot?” Damon asked, sounding breathless.

“Yes.
I’ve found her
.” Dermot spoke quietly, hoping Tim couldn’t hear.

“You have?” He sounded surprised. “Well, that is a coincidence, because I have found my mate too.”

“Are you joking, Damon?” Dermot asked, hearing some strange sounds in the background.

“Are you on a call?”

“Yep. I’m trying to rescue my mate.”

“What? Is she OK? Do you need the ambulance? I can come now if you need me.”

“No. It’s all good. At least, it will be. She’s a cat. And she’s stuck up a tree.”

Dermot burst out laughing. “You’re telling me you actually get called out to get cats down from trees?”

“This is not the first time,” Damon said. “Listen, I have to go. Wish me luck, because she looks like she’s full of hellfire and sharp claws. I only hope she calms down when we rescue her.”

“Surely she will, when she knows her mate is waiting with open arms.”

“I hope so. Listen, Dermot, good luck and have a great time. I have to go. Tell Declan not to worry if he can’t get hold of me. Let’s hope he’s not feeling too sore when he finds out he’s the last bachelor Walker brother.” With that, the line went dead and Dermot headed into the hospital to switch his shifts. He was looking forward to having a quiet Christmas with his mate. Surely, next to Damon’s, his would have to run more smoothly.

The cabin was beautifully cosy, everything she could wish for. She went through to the small kitchen and put the kettle on, making herself a cup of tea before she ventured into the bedroom to unpack. For reasons she didn’t want to dwell on she was putting it off; mostly they revolved around Dermot.

Her head had been filled with the image of him, of him naked. Yes, her mind had spent many minutes, while she had been trying to look around the cabin, thinking of what would happen when he came back. Vicky knew that until she unpacked, she still had the option to leave, but to go into the bedroom and hang her clothes in the closet and put her toothbrush on the sink meant she had accepted her fate. And her mate.

Was she ready for this? No. In a word, she was terrified. How much dared she tell him about herself? Would he be repelled when he knew what she was? Or more to the point, what she no longer was.

It might come back
. No, she doubted it; she had been trying for the last two months to recapture what she had lost and it seemed impossible. A part of her was missing. If finding her mate hadn’t brought it back to her, then she didn’t know what would.

Maybe she was being naive to think that when she had set eyes on Dermot for the first time, everything would have magically fallen back into place. When magic had gone from her life. Every last drop of it.

Taking her cup of hot tea, she went back to the small living room where she had dropped her suitcases, and picked them up. Then she made herself go to the bedroom and begin to hang up her clothes. She was fed up of running. No one knew her here, she could be with Dermot and pretend the other side of her never existed; she was just a normal reindeer.

A reindeer. How pathetic was that next to a big, strapping hunk of bear? Well, hopefully he would learn to love her for who she was.

A knock on the door told her she might find out sooner than she thought.

“Coming,” she called, surprised not to have the prickling feeling along her neck. Maybe that only happened on first meetings.

“Hi.”

“Oh, hi. You’re Sorcha’s mom, from next door,” Vicky said, taking in the tired-looking woman in front of her. “Do you want some tea, you look exhausted.”

“Oh, no thanks.” Sorcha’s mom dragged her hand through her hair. “Sorry, I should have smartened myself up before I came to see you.”

“No,” Vicky said, touching her shoulder comfortingly. “I didn’t mean it like that.” She took a deep breath, held out her hand, and said, “Can I start again? I’m Vicky.”

“Marla, and I’m sorry, I’m a bit cranky. Lack of sleep and nerves does that to me.” Marla smiled weakly.

“I can only imagine, Listen, I have just made some tea if you want some,” Vicky said, gesturing inside. “It’s freezing out there, why don’t you step inside and then you can tell me what I can do for you.”

“Oh, nothing. It was more me asking you if you wanted to spend Christmas with us. Lunch, anyway.”

Vicky nearly dropped her mug of tea. “I … I don’t know what to say.”

“Yes would be a good start, unless you’re already busy.”

“No. I have no plans, as far as I know,” Vicky answered. It was the truth; she had only just met Dermot and although they were mates, he probably already had plans with his family over the holidays. Then she reminded herself she had come here to be alone, and to wallow in her self-pity. In the space of an hour, those plans seemed to have become distant memories.

“Then say yes. Mrs. McKinley said she thought you were going to be lonely this Christmas. So why not join us, we’re a bit of a strange bunch. I think Mrs. McKinley chooses her guests in these cabins based on how weird they are. If you’re not strange, you’re not welcome.” Then her face fell. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply you were weird! It’s just, well, this is the kind of place you come to escape the world, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Vicky said in a moment of frankness. She couldn’t help wonder what had happened to Marla and her daughter for them to end up here. “What can I bring?”

“Oh, nothing. Mrs. McKinley is doing most of the cooking. We’ve become her surrogate family.” Marla wiped away a tear before it had a chance to run down her cheek. But Vicky saw it; she had shed enough tears over the last few weeks to understand the need to hide your emotions from people. “I’m very grateful to her.”

Vicky wanted to ask what had happened to Marla and her daughter, but she knew it wasn’t any of her business. “Maybe I could get a gift for Sorcha instead?”

“Oh, wow, that would be wonderful. You know, I haven’t had time to do much shopping for her this year. So I’m a bit short on gifts for her. The town has almost everything we need, but not a big toy store. She wanted one of those dolls every girl is after this year. They were all sold out by the time I got to the big toy store in the city.” Marla shook her head. “There are times when I feel I fail Sorcha every day. She is so brave.”

Vicky felt her heart breaking for Marla. She couldn’t help drawing her into her arms and hugging her tightly. “I think you are mistaken; I am sure your daughter knows exactly how amazing her mom is.”

A sob erupted from Marla, but she quickly got herself back under control. “I should go. Mrs. McKinley is looking after Sorcha, but she has so much else to do. Anyway, we look forward to seeing you Christmas Day. And I apologise in advance if we wake you too early. You know what kids are like after Santa’s been.”