KINGSTON
I grabbed Merrick’s hand, not wanting to let go.
But I also didn’t want him to lose his job. I held on with four fingers, then three and two, and finally the last one lost touch with him. My bear howled, the sound echoing in my ears and heart.
Please don’t let him go. We might never see him again.
I know where he is.He can’t get out of the building without me seeing him.
I repeated what I’d said in my head. It sounded creepy, not that my bear noticed or cared. If it’d been up to him, I would have tackled Merrick and marked him.
I stood in the ballroom, encircled by a swirling mass of people chattering, dancing, and drinking. But after catching sight of Bex, I tore over to her, scooped her up, and kissed her. Surrounded by gaping mouths and a shocked silence, I thanked her and left.
It was freezing outside, but the knowledge that I’d found my mate kept me warm and comforted me. I shouted, “I found him.”
Someone yelled back, “That was the point of the ball.”
I promised to stay and at the time I meant it. But now that I had fresh air clearing my head, I knew what I needed to do and it required a quick trip home. I’d be there when he got back and crossed my fingers he would be too busy at work to notice me gone. I drove home on autopilot.
Merrick said he’d won an all-expenses-paid trip to the mountains. He was going to cancel, maybe because of me. Perhaps I was assuming too much, but as his mate, I figured I could invite myself along.
Not bothering to lock the car, I charged into my home and yanked clothes, toiletries, winter gear, and chargers out of closets and drawers.
I hesitated as I trailed my fingers over the drawer that contained Merrick’s shirt. It had two homes: one in my desk at the office and the other in my walk-in closet here at home. Five years I’d kept that shirt, and I hadn’t washed it. No one but me knew it existed. Heck, Merrick had probably long forgotten about it, especially as his life had revolved around his brother’s medical condition.
Pulling it out, I placed it against my cheek and told it that it had kept me from falling into despair, though I’d been close.
“I’ll never throw you away. In fact, I might have you framed.”
But for now, I tucked it into my duffle bag just as the phone buzzed. It was my father asking why I’d left the ball early.
I couldn’t say I was taking a holiday, as he’d explode and he’d be suspicious. I never took a holiday, and neither did he. But I could give him enough of the truth to make him think I’d met my mate tonight.
You did!
Yeah, it wasn’t a lie.
Thank you, Father, for insisting I go to the ball. That sounded very Cinderella-ish.It was everything I imagined, and now I’m taking a break from work. I’ll be back soon with wonderful news.
He replied with !!! And I turned off the device so he couldn’t call me.
Twenty minutes later, I parked at the back of the atrium where the ball took place and waited outside the service entrance in the snow. The minutes ticked by, and I paced in frustration, wanting to speed up time.
Staff began to trickle out of the building in ones and twos. They stamped their feet and blew on their hands and spoke of being exhausted but pleased with how much they’d earned.
Each time the door opened, my heart rate picked up before slowing in disappointment when it wasn’t Merrick. But finally he was here, shrugging on a coat as he searched the waiting crowd.
“You’re still here.” He fingered my jacket. “Did you change in the car?”
I enveloped him in a hug and wondered if I could have a couple’s jacket made so we could be skin to skin while keeping warm.
“I have a plan.”
He smirked. “Does it involve me coming back to your place and getting naked?”
“Not exactly.” His face fell, and I added, “but I’m hoping we can do that tomorrow in the mountains.”
“Huh?”
