Chapter 11
Aspen
“But now I have my own confession to make,” I said, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks. “I’m not sure you’ll like it.”
“About the snowbank?” Dale asked.
“No.”
“Okay. What? No judging here. I promise.”
He sipped his coffee, his dark eyes holding nothing but kindness.
I cleared my throat. “Um, this is hard, so be patient.”
“Take your time.”
“One of the main reasons I came to Winter Wonderland to vacation and have alone time is, well, because I’m, um, expecting my heat at any time.”
Dale sat up straighter. “Well, then, I’m more of an intruder than I thought.”
“No. That’s just it. You’re not.” He was not an intruder, he was perfect. “And when it does come, I’ll be intruding on your peace.”
“I’m sorry things got so messed up here,” Dale said. “I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t know.” I let out a bitter laugh. “I kept that part secret from you.”
“Aspen.” Dale stretched out a hand, then let it fall in his lap. “I won’t interfere. I promise. Let me know when it comes and I’ll just leave.”
“No. I’ll leave. That’s my plan.”
“You won’t be in any state to drive.”
He was right about that. I glanced down.
“Aspen. It’s okay. I’ll go. You just tell me when. Agreed?”
Dale’s tone quickened my insides. Calm. Caring. And more?
Plus, he would know before I ever said a word. He very well knew I would emit pheromones like crazy, and they would probably be sweet to him—if they didn’t turn him off completely. But I doubted that. We were compatible. It had been obvious for three and a half days.
“I don’t think that’s fair to you,” I said softly.
“It’s called life. It’s not spelled f.a.i.r.,” he said.
“I’m sorry for all of it. I feel like I misled you.”
“You didn’t. It’s not like you hid that you’re an omega.”
“Thanks for being so understanding.” I wanted to change the subject. “Are the pills working? Are you still in pain?”
“I’m fine.”
He was lying. I could tell the fall had shaken him up.
“You need to get some rest. Do you want me to help you get under the covers?”
Dale shook his head, setting his coffee aside and settling himself down further under the blanket, closing his eyes.
I was reluctant to leave him, but I needed to hide a bit after all my confessions. I felt responsible for everything that had happened, and I didn’t like that. What was wrong with me?
I got up. “I’ll be on the couch. Call if you need anything.”
Here I was, a big lawyer now in a prominent firm, proving myself as capable as any aggressive and blustering alpha.
I loved the job and the prestige. I loved the money.
I loved the ample vacation time. Everything had worked out beautifully.
Except one thing. My private life remained almost nonexistent.
To my family, that was a disaster. And to Dale?
He must see me as one bumbling, ridiculous omega.
I went to the couch, put the TV on low, trying to focus on anything but reality. A few minutes later, when I dared to check over my shoulder, I saw Dale had turned under the blanket, more curled up. He faced me but his eyes were still closed. Good. He was sleeping.
My reindeer wanted to go over to him and snuffle him, his way of showing comfort.
“You’ll wake him,” I whispered.
But deep inside me, every ounce of feeling inside me wanted to care for Dale, hold him, be with him.
I did the heat checklist. Nothing yet. It wasn’t any sort of heat that was generating this reaction. It was just me. Genuine caring and affection. I liked Dale a lot. I wanted to be around him. I wanted to hold him as he napped away his aches. I wanted him.
That last thought threw me. It couldn’t be denied. I was falling for my roommate on a vacation where I’d planned to be alone.
My breath hissed through my teeth.
I fell back on the couch sideways, clutching a throw pillow. Even with the heat, the air was cool because no fire had been started.
I closed my eyes. This was Christmas Eve.
The time when magic happened. When the things you wished for came true.
But all my wishes had now become too big too quickly.
I could navigate the business world just fine.
Give me books to read and tests to take and I’d ace them.
But this personal and emotional stuff I knew much less about.
It was an alien world. Experimenting when I was younger had been disastrous and distracting from my fiscal path and affected my omega feelings of self-worth.
Now Dale was complicating things in my mind. Changing my world. It was terrifying.
I also liked it.
But I really had no clue how to handle it.
I let my mind drift and woke to the sound of the bathroom door opening. Dale stood before it. He wore dry clothes now, looking refreshed.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better. I slept for about an hour.”
“You’re walking,” I pointed out.
“Yep. Moving about just fine. I still feel the pull in my back, but it’ll be okay.”
“I’m so glad.”
Dale came over to the couch and sat. “We need to talk a little more about—about the subject that came up earlier.”
I started to shake my head.
Dale held his hand up. “We didn’t finish. You changed the subject, then walked away. And I rudely fell asleep. Was that decaf you made?”
“Yes.”
He moved on quickly to resume our earlier conversation. “Aspen, I don’t want you to have to leave, especially if you go into heat. You won’t be in any shape to drive.”
“I can shift and take off into the woods for a couple of days,” I said.
Dale shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. You’ll need a peaceful space and warmth.”
“I don’t want you to have to leave because of my problem.”
“Maybe another room will open up and I won’t have to go home.”
I made a face. “My heat might not happen until after New Year’s. I’ve been as much as two weeks late before.”
“You said it yourself. You can also be early.”
I huffed. “Then I’ll be the one to leave.”
“Not acceptable to me. I want you to finish your vacation here. Consider it my Christmas gift to you. I’ve made up my mind.”
I frowned until the muscles in my face began to pinch. “Just because you’re an alpha, your word is final?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. But if I stayed with you—” The unspoken words echoed between us.
If he stayed, he would respond to my scent. He wouldn’t rut. Not exactly. He was human. But he might be very uncomfortable. And sharing a bed?
“Out of the question.”
He sighed. “Again, I didn’t mean it that way. I—”
“I know you didn’t.” I hadn’t meant to insult him. “But you’ll be around me. My scent. It won’t be peaceful for you. Your vacation will be ruined.”
His hands curled into fists. “You make it sound like I have no control over myself.”
I kept saying things that didn’t sound right out loud.
“Sorry. I’m sorry for everything. That’s why I’m the one who should leave.
It’s me fucking it all up. I should have been straight with you from the beginning.
Upfront. You would never have picked me out of the crowd in the lobby then. It was wrong of me. Very wrong—”
Dale put out his hand and touched my shoulder. “Hey. You’re talking really fast right now. Let’s just sit here for a minute.”
Silence fell between us.
After about thirty seconds, Dale said softly, “You’re not wrong. Nothing about you is wrong.”
The tone of those words communicated something more than their literal meaning.
Dale squeezed my shoulder. “Everything is right about you. At least, for me.”
I met his gentle eyes. If he had been born a shifter, he would have been a beautiful deer.
“I just feel bad—” I began.
He interrupted me again, but not in an aggressive alpha manner. This was pure Dale letting down his guard. “Don’t you feel it, too?”
“What?”
“We’re very compatible. I’m not trying to be forward. If you don’t agree, that’s okay.”
He wasn’t a stranger. Not anymore. We weren’t in a bar. And this wasn’t some stupid pickup line.
My breaths came a little faster. “It’s true.”
I did like him a lot. I nearly lost my mind when I saw him fall outside.
“Okay. Then let’s work from that agreement. I certainly don’t want to pressure you, but can we see where it leads?”
It had already led somewhere. I simply hadn’t had the guts to admit it to him.
“I wasn’t sure what you felt,” I said.
Dale’s palm had never left my shoulder. “What I feel? I like you, Aspen. A lot.”
My entire body heated. “I thought I’d lost you for good when you left. Then when you fell, I—I—”
“It’s okay.” Dale paused. “Does that mean you like me, too?”
“Yes.” The word came spilling out. “A lot.”
Dale smiled. “Good. We’re on the same page.”
“Very much.” My reindeer was ready to jump out of my skin. That was how he communicated approval. And happiness.
“Then I’ll stick around until you tell me not to.”
It seemed wrong. But it wasn’t. Not if I was being honest with myself. “I want that.”
“And then if you need privacy, I will be the one who leaves.” Dale was adamant.
I bowed my head.
“Agreed?” He was pushing now.
I looked up. “Maybe.”
His smile was indulgent. It lit up his eyes. I liked that look.
“You’re too cute.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Definitely.”
I took a deep breath. “Does this mean we’re dating now?” I meant my words to be half sarcastic. But they came out soft, almost pleading.
Dale let out a laugh that sounded like relief. “If you want to.”
“The tree lighting ceremony can be our first date,” I said.
“Perfect.”