Chapter 10
BLAKE
I found a bear in the kitchen on Christmas morning.
No one would have believed me if I told them.
I thought Ollie was a big bear when he shifted outside.
Inside, he barely fit between the galley-style cupboards.
His big tongue slurped all the way to the bottom of the clear plastic tumbler to lick up most of the milk.
The tumbler fell over, spilling the rest on the counter, but he quickly lapped it up.
The cookies were already gone, not even a crumb left on the plate.
"Why Santa, what a big hairy behind you have."
The bear snorted and rose up on his hind legs, since he couldn't back out of the kitchen without running over me. He hit his head on the cast-iron chandelier, sending it rocking back and forth, and landed back on his front feet.
Before I could reach out and touch his soft fur, his body shrank in on itself. Once again, I stared at Ollie's ass. His thigh muscles curved out below it, making him look like a Mr. Universe model.
I shifted my attention downward. Even the backs of his knees were sexy, and the curves of his calves could have been carved from granite. Every part of him begged me to lick and claim him.
I took a step back toward the bedroom door. I'd never in my life wanted to claim an alpha. Ollie was being kind by letting me share his bed. That didn't mean I was suddenly his mate.
Ollie turned toward me, and my gaze caught on the wiry hair on his shins. I tried to skip over his midsection, but there I was, face-to-face with his gorgeous cock, which was standing at attention.
"Merry Christmas to me," I whispered.
Ollie chuckled. "Merry Christmas."
My gaze snapped to his face and my cheeks burned.
"I'm so sorry. I should go. I need to not stare at my roommate first thing on Christmas morning.
" Babbling while backing away, I couldn't tear my gaze away from his body.
His pink nipples stood out from thick brown chest hair that reminded me of his bear pelt.
I tucked my thumbs into the waistband of my new sleep sweats, so I wouldn't reach for him.
"Gods, I'm being so inappropriate. I'm gonna—"
"What if I like it when you're inappropriate?" Ollie stepped toward me, closing half the distance between us. One more step, and we would be touching. I took another step backward and ran into the hallway wall.
Instead of stepping toward me, he held his hand out and looked up. I'd hung a little sprig of plastic mistletoe above the kitchen entrance.
"That was a joke," I said. "Or wishful thinking. Not a suggestion."
"Mutual interest." He flexed his fingers in invitation.
I slipped my hand into his, and he pulled me to him, wrapping his other arm around my waist. He tipped his head forward, waiting for me to close the distance.
Gods, this was a bad idea, right? I shouldn't be kissing my new roommate, but it was the only thing I wanted to do. His body was so warm against mine, though we weren't quite touching. I placed my hands on his chest, and he sighed. He sounded content.
I tilted my head so our noses wouldn't bump against each other and tentatively brushed my lips against his. The rasp of his beard against my lips felt so good. I pressed harder against him.
He took over, backing me against the wall again. I tangled my fingers in his hair and held on for dear life as he kissed me thoroughly.
His stubble burned against my cheek as he nibbled along my jaw to my throat. I couldn't resist a moan when his teeth grazed my neck.
I tilted my head back and caught sight of the sprig of mistletoe hanging well behind us. If Ollie didn't care, neither did I. I angled my head down to capture his mouth again, and he opened for me. He tasted like milk and sugary chocolate. I couldn't get enough.
He picked me up and carried me into the bedroom. The change in temperature cooled my libido for the moment. "What are we doing?" I whispered as he nipped at my neck again.
"Hmm?"
His cock pressed against mine, still trapped in my sweats. One, or maybe both of us, had leaked all over the fabric. It was cold against my skin.
"I'm not a vacation fling kind of guy," I said. At that moment, I wished I was, but I didn't want to go home and pine for this guy who would surely realize he could do a million times better than me when he had all of Chicago to choose from.
"Neither am I," he said. "You're my mate."
I swallowed hard. "Your … what?"
He groaned and pressed his forehead into my shoulder, pinning me to the wall beside the door. "Dammit. That's the bear talking."
"Your bear thinks we're mates?"
My mom and dad had insisted they were fated mates, too, but I didn't believe in it. I'd fallen too hard for too many guys I met at the club to think there was only one person in the world for me.
He pulled back with another pained groan. Dropping his gaze to my pants, where he'd left a nice little spot of precome next to my own, he groaned again. "Fuck. Sorry. I can do laundry today."
I wasn't letting him off the hook that easily. "Explain."
"Yes, my bear thinks you're my mate. You smell like my mate. You taste like my mate. I wanted to rub against you even when you were a jerk on the plane."
"Ugh. Don't remind me." It was my turn to lean against his chest with a sigh.
"You're my mate."
"What does that mean for you, exactly?" I couldn't quell the hope rising in my chest, so I hoped Ollie had a reality check for me.
"When a bear meets their fated mate, the relationship lasts a lifetime."
I groaned. "Why are you saying everything I want to hear?"
"I am?" He grabbed my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. "You want a mate?"
"I've always wanted a mate," I admitted. "That's not the problem. I'm a fucking mess. That's the problem."
He frowned. "I don't exactly have my shit together, either."
"Are you good at your job?"
"The best."
"Have any roommates?"
"No."
"Neither do I, but that's because he's moving out at the end of the month. I bet you own your own home."
"Yes," he said with a snort. "Not because I have loads of money. I inherited a vacant timber lot from my grandparents and built my cabin myself."
"You're still doing way better than I am. I'll be unhoused if I can't find a roommate."
"I have a mother-in-law cabin on my property. You could live there."
I blinked. "You just met me."
"True, but I'm a brown bear shifter, and you're human. Even if you came at me with a shotgun, I could crush you before you did too much damage."
The image of me coming at anything with a shotgun was so absurd, it made me laugh. "Okay, so you're invincible, at least, to little ol' me, but aren't you worried I'll embarrass you with my shitty personality?"
"I already told you." He leaned forward and kissed the tip of my nose. "I've seen you on a bad day, and that only makes me like you more. Together, we can have fewer bad days."
I liked the sound of that, I did, but, "I came here to work on me."
"I know." He tugged me back into the hallway, switching our positions so he blocked the bedroom door. "That's why I'm going to shift and leave you alone for a few hours."
"Hours?" I glanced out the back window. A spiderweb of frost glazed the outer surface, making it impossible to see. "Won't you get cold?"
"I'm a bear." He cupped my face with both hands and kissed me with a tender press of his lips against mine. "I'll be fine. You work on you, and I'll be back for a quick shower before lunch."
I started to ask if he wanted breakfast, but then I saw the dirty dishes still on the counter. He'd already had cookies and milk.
Once he disappeared out the back door in all his naked glory, I decided to do the same. It was the true breakfast of champions, if those champions had won the challenge of keeping their bear mate away while they figured their shit out.
I was a winning team of one. If the prize for giving in was Ollie, it felt more like the losing team.