“Because I am.” I kissed his forehead. “And you’re part of me. Forever, Kip.”
“Forever,” he echoed, snuggling closer. “I like the sound of that.”
We lay there in comfortable silence, the bond humming contentedly between us. Outside, snow continued to fall, blanketing the world in white. But inside our cabin, wrapped in each other’s arms, everything was warm and perfect.
Chapter 9
Kip
I woke up out of a dead sleep with Braxton’s arms wrapped around my middle. We were sticky from our evening activities, though we had at least showered after the last round, so we didn’t have cum stuck to us. It was just sweat, from having been wrapped around each other so close, with the fire burning bright. We were both naked, but we were cocooned in the comforter like our own personal den.
Now that was an idea. Sometime in the future we should consider a camping trip, just him and me and one sleeping bag.It would have to be summertime, of course. If I was going to be having sex outside, then it better be warm.
Shortly after we claimed one another, a heat like I’d never felt before had swept over me, and after that, things had gotten fuzzy. I knew we’d made love. A lot. Several hours passed.
I got out of bed reluctantly and put on the terrycloth robe. I couldn’t believe the last thirty-six or maybe it was forty-eight hours had occurred. I didn’t know how long it had been since we tumbled into bed. Every so often we had peeked out the window to see that the snow continued to fall and the wind blow. My phone had pinged, letting me know some of the activities had been canceled. I touched the mating mark at my neck.
Mine.
Braxton was mine.
I had a mate, and I’d found him, just like I’d hoped for this vacation.
Of course, I had thought my mate would be someone I’d never met before, but I couldn’t be happier that it was Braxton. Though I still wondered about the entire timeline of when he knew and how the heck he had managed not to tell anyone for two years.
Eventually, we would have to call home and let my parents know, or perhaps we would just surprise them when we got home in a week and a half. Then again, did I really need thevacation? It had served the purpose of me coming here. I’d found my mate. But also, it was all paid for, and the likelihood of us having another vacation like this was slim to none. There were plenty of activities we could do as a couple. Or we could hide away in this room and come up with our own activities list.
Fuck, that idea sounded hot.
After stoking the fire and stretching, I went out to the kitchenette and got the coffee going. The snow was piled high outside. It continued to blow, and I couldn’t see the trees or the main lodge. We could probably get through the snow easily enough if we wanted to get food, especially if we shifted to our bear forms and trudged through. It would be too cold on the human skin.
I pulled up the local weather app to see that the snow should be stopping by midday and that the plows would be out soon. There was a notification from the lodge itself letting us know that they would be working hard to clear paths for everyone and they would be resuming their regular activities.
Well, that would be good. Today was another hot chocolate tasting and cookie decorating event happening at the lodge. They had those sessions every other day, and I wanted to attend at least one of them before I left. That might be worth a visit if we could pull ourselves away from one another for a few hours.
Braxton padded into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me. He pressed his lips to my neck, his tongue flicking over my mark.
I shivered in his arms.
“Good morning, mate.” His chest rumbled as he spoke, vibrating against my back.
“Good morning,” I said. “I made coffee. They never provide enough for people to actually enjoy, so you only get a cup.”
“Mhmm. Thank you, mate. Do you think we can make it up to the lodge for breakfast? I’m starved.”
I winced. “As long as you’re okay with it being lunch, because that’s what they’ll be serving by the time we get around to it. There’s quite a bit of snow, but we can make it in our bear form.”
“That sounds amazing,” he said as he nuzzled against me. “My bear is anxious to touch you.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Your scent has gotten a lot deeper now that we’re mated.”
“Could you never scent me before?”
I shrugged. “You smelled like any other bear. I could discern who was who, but not from very far away. Now it’s incredibly distinct and very arousing. Not like anyone else I know.”
Braxton smiled. “Good. You’re incredibly arousing as well.” He captured my lips with his, and I had to set my coffee on the counter so I could wrap my arms around him. We kissed slowly, letting our tongues explore and taste lazily while our handsroved over each other’s skin. Brax tugged open my robe and pushed closer to me.
His hard length pressed against my hip.
