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  “Are you saying you’ll have a hard time getting home today ?”

  “Maybe. I can’t even imagine what the mountain’s going to be like today. The roads will pretty much be wiped out by the snowfall, I’m sure .”

  “In that case, why don’t you guys stay here for Christmas ?”

  “As in here, here ?”

  “Here, here. In my house. We can have a big Christmas dinner. I think Karen will want to be in charge of cooking it, but I know she’ll just love to have you over .”

  “But wouldn’t we be getting in the way? Don’t you just want to have a family Christmas ?”

  “Not at all. I’ve had too many lonely Christmases. To me, the more the merrier .”

  “Are you absolutely sure? I mean, we can easily stay at the motel, I’m sure.” She clicked her tongue .

  “There’s no way any of us would let that happen. Trust me, we’d love to have you stay. Let me just tell Karen the good news.” She picked her phone up and started typing. Brock watched her, barely able to contain his excitement. He’d be spending another 36 hours in this gorgeous woman’s presence. And, as much as he always said Christmas wasn’t a big deal, he’d always secretly longed for the full American Christmas experience. “Here’s proof that Karen wants you to stay,” Madison said triumphantly, showing him the screen of her phone. She’d written: ‘How would you feel about the three bears staying for Christmas?’ and Karen had replied, ‘Over the moon! The more the merrier ! ’

  “See, my sister and I have some things in common,” she said with a grin .

  “In that case, I’d hate to disappoint you all, so I guess we’re staying !”

  “Fantastic!” For a moment, he thought she was going to hug him, but she seemed to check herself and hold back. “Right, I guess I’d better get up .”

  “Sure,” he said, standing up, and heading for the door. “I’ll see you downstairs.” He closed the bedroom door behind him regretfully, hating to be away from her. Her energy was magnetic, drawing him to her, like a cool lake on a scorching-hot day .

  “Grayson was just saying that the drive back up the mountain was going to be a little tricky today, so I suggested that you boys stay and celebrate Christmas here with us,” Elsbeth said as Brock came back down to the kitchen. Grayson was busy cooking up eggs and bacon on the stove. Brock broke into a grin .

  “That’s a funny coincidence, as I’ve just had a very similar invitation extended to me,” he replied .

  “You have? And what did you say?” she said. He shrugged .

  “I said we’d be delighted .”

  “Me too,” Grayson said .

  “Well, isn’t that fantastic?” Elsbeth said, looking from one to the other. “We’re going to have a wonderful Christmas together. Sophia and Abbey are going to be so excited !”

  “Thank you so much for the invite, Elsbeth,” Brock said, bending down and kissing her on the cheek. “And you’re happy not to open the store today, Uncle Grayson?” Grayson snorted .

  “If anyone’s fool enough not to have bought their tree yet, they can come get the key to the yard from me, and pick one up themselves,” he said .

  Just then, Madison came downstairs in a black knitted dress and dark green woolen pantyhose. Brock’s bear scratched at his insides and snuffled. He was having an increasingly hard time keeping it under control. Her hair was damp from the shower, and his stomach flipped at seeing her like that, before she was prepared for the outside world .

  “Good morning!” Grayson called. He was in his element cooking for everyone, an apron tied around his waist. Brock suspected Karen might have some competition when she prepared the Christmas dinner tomorrow .

  “Good morning,” Madison replied, lips curving in amusement .

  “Please sit,” he said to everyone, and served up bacon, eggs and toast .

  They chatted constantly as they ate, Brock studiously avoiding looking at Madison. She was right next to him, and from time to time, as she talked animatedly, her foot swung out and brushed against his leg. She seemed to be unconscious that she was doing it, but it was setting him on fire, his desire for her thrumming in his veins .

  “What do you all usually do on Christmas eve?” Grayson said, when they’d finished eating .

  “We often take the kids to play in the snow. Apart from that, there’s usually some last minute gift wrapping to do, and preparation for the dinner the next day,” Elsbeth said. “And we used to go out on the street at midnight and wish Merry Christmas to our neighbors. We haven’t done that for a few years though, as the snow’s been too much. And it looks like it won’t happen this year either .”

  “I don’t know. I feel like there’s not going to be any more today,” Grayson said, craning his head to see out of the window. “The sky’s clear.” And it was – it was a perfect, wintry pale blue. He got to his feet and started clearing the plates off the table .

  “If it’s okay with you, we guys need to go run a couple of chores this morning. But after that, we’ll be back to help you out .”

  “Absolutely,” Madison said. “But I’ll clear up here.” She wrestled the plates from him and stacked them in the dishwasher .

  A few minutes later Brock and Grayson buttoned up their coats and left the house, heading to Karen’s place to collect Riley. He came out grinning .

  “So, we going hunting?” he said .

  “I want to, but I don’t know how that’s going to work, since we don’t have anywhere to prepare the meat,” Brock replied .

  “Karen says we can use the garage, as long as we don’t bring back anything big .”

  “She did, huh?” Brock bumped his cousin with his shoulder. “And what else did she say?” Riley didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. Bears didn’t talk about their feelings much, but it was obvious that Riley was smitten with her .

  At Grayson’s suggestion, the bears headed to the shack where they’d found Sophia and the other teens the night before. There were no signs that anyone had been living there for a while, but the kitchen was still stocked with utensils. There were a couple of sharp knives, and outside there was a big stone slab that would be perfect for preparing meat .

  “I think we can actually do all the prep up here,” Riley said .

  “Excellent news. In that case, we can probably catch a deer as well,” Grayson said .

  They went inside and shifted, leaving their clothes piled up in a corner .

  After a couple of hours, they came back with four rabbits and a small deer. They prepared the meat with an expert hand, bagged it and carried it down the mountain to Karen’s place .

  7

  M adison and Karen decided to have the Christmas celebrations at Madison’s place to make things easier for Elsbeth, so Elsbeth sat by the fire while the other four brought everything over and stuffed it all into Madison’s kitchen. Sophia was no worse for the previous day’s adventure and worked far harder at her chores than usual, as if to make up for the trouble she’d caused. Madison worked quickly and cheerfully, making pies, full of nerves and excitement at the thought of seeing Brock again .

  They stopped for a sandwich at lunchtime, and as they were starting up again, Brock knocked on the door, asking for the keys to the garage. His cheeks were glowing from the cold, and he looked rugged and tousled .

  “We’ve got some extra meat, and it’s all ready to cook, but we figured that we’d leave it in the garage as it’ll take up too much space in the fridge,” he explained .

  “Perfect. Are you guys going to come hang out with us now?” Madison asked .

  “Soon. We’ve got a couple more errands to run in the town first though.” Madison’s eyes were drawn to his lips as he spoke, the memory of their snatched kiss still fresh in her mind. He gave her a smoldering look that made her nipples harden beneath her bra .

  “We’ll be back soon,” he said, and he was gone again .

  * * *

  W hen the three guys came back a couple of hours later, laughin
g and joking, Karen decided it was time for more mulled wine .

  “It’s to fortify us against the cold,” she explained. They all sat by the fire and sipped them, while Abbey waited impatiently .

  “Are we going to play now?” Abbey demanded, the second Karen had finished hers .

  “Yes, let’s go!” Karen yelled, running for her coat. Sophia rolled her eyes, but put her coat on too .

  “Are you guys coming?” Madison asked .

  “You betcha!” Brock said .

  “I think I’ll stay and keep Elsbeth company,” Grayson said, and Elsbeth looked at him, eyes bright with delight .

  “W here we going?” Brock said as they left the house at a run .

  “Just to the edge of the park,” Madison yelled over her shoulder .

  “And why are we running ?”

  “Family tradition !”

  As soon as they reached the snow-covered grass, Abbey aimed a snowball at Brock, which hit him on the side of his head .

  “Hey!”

  “That means she likes you!” Madison called. He laughed and shook the snow off his hair, in an instinctive, animal movement .

  “Hey, Abbey!” Brock threw one back at her very gently, which glanced off her shoulder. She shrieked in excitement, and bent down, scooping up more snow to attack him again. Snowballs started coming in all directions as Karen and Riley joined in, everyone laughing hysterically, throwing them so fast that some of them weren’t even properly formed and fell apart on the way .

  At one point, Brock hurled one at Madison from long distance, and it hit her right in the chest, narrowly missing her boobs. She tumbled backwards into the snow dramatically. Brock clapped his hand over his mouth and ran over to her .

  “Oh God, I’m so sorry,” he exclaimed, falling onto his knees. “I don’t know my strength sometimes. Have I hurt you?” Her eyes had been closed, but now she opened them to see that his face was only inches from hers, his own eyes full of concern and guilt. She couldn’t tease him any longer .

  “Nope!” she said. She brought her hand up and pressed a ball of snow against the back of his neck .

  “Ow!” he yelled. “First you trick me and now you’re trying to kill me !”

  “That’s just so dramatic!” she said .

  “Yeah? How about this then?” He grabbed some snow and tried to put it under her scarf, but it was done up too tight. Eventually he gave up, dropping it back down on the ground, and instead, his freezing cold hand brushed her cheek. She shivered. Time seemed to stand still. Keeping his eyes on hers, Brock lowered his head, bringing his mouth closer and closer to hers, until their lips met in a soft crush. She sighed as her entire body tingled with euphoria. God, how are his lips so soft? She felt like they were melting against her own, his breath so warm in the freezing air. His lips parted and the tip of his tongue flickered against her lips, tasting her. She relaxed for a full, blissful five seconds, savoring the sweetness of his mouth against hers. And then she remembered the kids. She broke off and turned her head. Where are they? She couldn’t see any of them. They must have gone on to the ornamental garden to play hide and seek as they usually did .

  “No-one’s watching,” she said, turning back to him .

  “Good,” he replied, his hazel eyes burning into hers. He put his arms around her and melded his mouth with hers again. But this kiss was different. He moved on top of her, drawing her into his arms, and his mouth was fierce, hungry. His lips met hers with a biting intensity, and his tongue slid into her mouth, seeking out hers, invading her mouth deliciously. Her body cried out for him. Of their own accord, her thighs parted, encouraging him to slide between them, to put more of his weight on her. She had to stop herself from wrapping them around his waist and pulling him closer. He felt so good pressing against her, so hard and masculine. His hands were in her hair, tangling his fingers into it, tugging at it as if he couldn’t get enough of her .

  “Madison,” he breathed, in between kisses. “You’re the most beautiful, unbelievable woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’ve wanted you for so long, and I can’t believe you’ve come back into my life .”

  “You have?” she said, stunned .

  “Ever since high school. I had such a crush on you then, but you always seemed so unobtainable. And then I heard that you’d gone to law school and got married, and it cut me. I knew that I had to put you out of my mind and get on with my life, but I never forgot about you. I was so shocked to see you when you came into our store that I think I stopped breathing .”

  “Wow,” she said, temporarily incapable of saying anything more, and stroked the light stubble covering his jaw. His brow furrowed .

  “Was that too full on ?”

  “No, not at all. I really liked you in high school too, but you also seemed unobtainable. I didn’t know that bears would be interested in dating humans .”

  “You liked me? I had no idea.” His eyes were full of wonder as he lowered his head and drew her into a tender kiss. She sighed, holding him tight, waves of bliss rolling through her body .

  After what felt like hours, they drew apart. It was already getting dark, and the park was bathed in the purplish light of twilight .

  “We should probably get up off the snow. You must be freezing,” he said, a flicker of guilt showing in his eyes .

  “No, not at all. You’ve been keeping me warm,” she said, taking the collar of his coat in her hands. He climbed off her carefully, and extended a hand to help her up .

  “Wait!” she exclaimed, trying to push him onto his back, without much success. “Snow angels!” He laughed .

  “Are you serious ?”

  “Of course!” She started moving her arms up and down in the snow. He watched her, transfixed, then he shrugged, lay down next to her, and did the same .

  At last, she leapt to her feet, reaching out her hand to him. They surveyed their work .

  “Pretty good,” he said, and tenderly dusted the snow off her back .

  “Yeah. Although my angel looks ridiculously small next to yours,” she said, looking up at him. He grinned and put his arm around her shoulder, then kissed her, just by the corner of her eye .

  They walked out of the park together and Brock kept his arm around her. She felt like she was walking on air as they passed onto the high street and several people gave them curious glances. He was treating her like she was his, and she loved it .

  A s they neared her house, Madison wished for a fleeting moment that there was no-one else home. She wanted it to be just Brock and her, snuggling up in front of the fire, kissing for hours. She opened the door, expecting to be greeted by voices and bustle. But it was all quiet .

  “Where is everybody? They can’t still be out, surely ?”

  They went through to the kitchen. There was a note on the table :

  “We’ve all gone over to Karen’s for a couple of hours. We’ll let you know when dinner’s ready. Love, mom xxx ”

  “Oh bless them,” Madison said with a chuckle. “They must’ve seen us and decided that we’d appreciate some privacy .”

  “I don’t know whether to be pleased or embarrassed,” Brock said, his voice deep and rumbling .

  “Same. But since we have the fire to ourselves, we should probably make the most of it. How about I make us a hot chocolate each to warm us up ?”

  “That sounds wonderful .”

  She expected him to go and sit by the fire while she put a pan on the stove, but instead, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist .

  “You’re so beautiful, Madison,” he said, planting butterfly kisses on top of her head. She restrained a sigh, euphoria filling her veins again. She leaned back a little, allowing him to support her weight, savoring the feeling of being protected .

  The chocolate was ready and she poured it into two mugs and sprinkled it with cinnamon. It was thick, aromatic and delicious smelling. They went through to the living room, Brock draping his arm around her waist, as if he didn’t want to be
out of contact with her. She added some wood to the fire and he sat down on the sofa and folded her into his arms, like something precious that he needed to wrap up and keep safe. As the heat from the fire warmed their bodies, they kissed and kissed again, slowly at first, exploring each other’s mouths, their hands hesitant, resting on hips and waists. But soon they couldn’t restrain their hunger, and their tongues lashed at each other, their fingers snatching at each other’s clothes. Brock slid a hand beneath her sweater, and touched the bare skin of the small of her back and she shuddered. He kept going, as far as her bra strap, and she arched her back, feeling her nipples harden and push against her bra. She’d been touching him politely so far, constraining herself to feeling the incredible bulging muscles of his biceps beneath his shirt, but now her hand shot beneath his shirt and she felt his abs. His muscles rippled beneath her fingertips, like the undulations of a mountain range. Little by little, her hand moved higher, until it came into contact with his pecs. Oh my God . She’d never felt actual pecs before. Digby was slim, but he didn’t pump iron. And she knew that Brock’s muscle was all natural, honed from hunting in his bear form and physical labor in his human form, which was far, far sexier than being a gym bunny. As her fingertip brushed his nipple, he sucked air in through his teeth, and his hands bit into her hips, drawing her closer. She was now pretty much on his lap and she could tell that he was hard. The discovery increased her own arousal, and a tingle blossomed between her thighs, quickly becoming a deep ache. Brock’s mouth moved off hers and onto her throat, peppering her with light, butterfly kisses and licks, slowly driving her crazy. She yearned for him to take her clothes off and kiss her like that all over .

  “Madison, I want you so badly,” he murmured, his voice a purr. She drew back and held his gaze. There was such passion in his eyes .

  “Mmm, me too,” she said. She bit her lip. They’d only just met – again – but she felt like they’d shared so much in the past day. And it felt so right. “Shall we take this upstairs?” she whispered .