by Marie Fraser
***
Celine sighed as she let Byron help her stand. She still couldn’t figure out where everything had gone wrong, but she knew he’d pulled back from her. She could almost feel the frost of tension between them and it wasn’t the sexual frustration either.
The next four days were the most mundane and miserable vacation days she could remember. What had started out as a fun adventure had turned into a lousy get away. Byron had been avoiding her and she couldn’t say she was exactly seeking him out.
“You’re moping,” Rebecca said, pointing out the obvious.
“Who cares,” she said, turning onto her side and remaining silent until Rebecca left. When Camille came and sat down at her feet, she barely acknowledged her presence.
“You need to do something today, it’s our last day here.”
“There’s nothing I feel like doing except packing my bags so we can leave first thing in the morning. And since I’m the one who’s gotten the most rest during our stay, I’ll take the first shift driving, but I swear if you three make us late, I’ll punch every one of you.”
“I think you need to talk to Byron. You two, whatever you had going on between you, isn’t settled. You don’t want to leave it like this.”
Celine knew that her friend had a valid point, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to spend the last hours of her miserable vacation being even more miserable. So, she sulked in her room and waited for night to fall so she could sleep. Leaving early would help her get back to her life and put this place behind her.
***
Morning came with a beautiful red sky and within the hour it began to rain. Celine figured it fit her mood rather nicely as she tossed her bag into the back of the SUV she’d be driving home. “You’re making a mistake,” Rebecca said.
“So you say,” Celine answered. “How about we leave my love life off the conversation table so I don’t have to bite your head off and you don’t have to bitch and moan, okay?”
“Just saying,” her friend replied, holding up her hands in peace. “I know I’d want someone to say the truth to my face if it was me.”
“Remind me to thank you later,” Celine said, taking Rebecca’s bag.
“Are we staying for breakfast?”
“But will you grab me two Danishes, the cream cheese kind?”
“Fine,” Rebecca said, clearly still not agreeing with her.
***
Byron saw Rebecca step into the food court area and sighed, disappointed that Celine had yet to make an appearance. “Why don’t you just go talk to her?”
“She’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“No,” Kevin said. “She’s made it clear that whatever happened between you two, affected her deeply.”
“If she wants to talk to me, she’ll come find me.”
“You’re an idiot, just saying.”
“Thanks for the memo.”
Byron watched Rebecca leave with two cream cheese Danishes in her hand and wondered if they were for Celine. “Rebecca.”
She turned his way and stopped. Byron grabbed a napkin and scribbled a note on it. “Put this with her food?”
“Sure,” Rebecca said, her pale blue eyes full of sympathy. When she left, Byron went back to clearing tables and setting everything up for lunch. He had a group to take on a hike in an hour and at this rate, he could certainly use the distraction.
He left an hour later without checking to see if Celine’s group had departed yet. Honestly, he didn’t want to know, just trying to get her out of his head for an hour was hard enough, without seeking out ways to get more information on her.
“This is really beautiful,” a young woman said, batting her dark eyelashes at him. He gave a paltry smile and nodded his head in agreement before moving further up the trail to find the leader of the group he’d taken out.
“I don’t know how you do it, man,” the guy said. His clothes screamed tourist, but he seemed to have the physique of someone who could well handle the climb. “Names Rick.”
“Hey Rick,” Byron said, much more comfortable with the male of the species for now. “Where do you hail from?”
“Chicago,” he grinned. “I’m an urbanite who has a love for all things natural. When I heard about this place, I knew I had to come try it out and I have not been disappointed.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Byron said. For three hours his mind stayed relatively focused on his group of hikers, making sure everyone was drinking plenty of water and having a good time. But when the hike was over and Byron was left alone with his thoughts, they inevitably strayed to Celine. The painful constriction in his chest, only one reminder that he’d let the woman of his dreams waltz out of his life without a backward glance.
Chapter 5
Later that night, Byron stirred to the sound of a car pulling up, its tires skidding on the gravel driveway. Tossing on his pajama bottoms, he opened the door to the main cabin and was stunned to see Celine running toward him. He caught her at a run, lifting her off her feet as her momentum pushed him back.
“What are you doing here?”
“I had to see you,” she said breathlessly. “I was angry and frustrated and left things unsaid.”
“What things?” Byron asked patiently, all the while his body became more and more aware of her.
“Things like…like the fact that my heart hasn’t felt right since we stopped talking. I didn’t want to be a cliché and I felt that if I gave in to what I was feeling that’s what I’d become. I…I love you and as crazy and maybe even stupid as that sounds, I’ve never known anything more real in my entire life.”
“I’ve loved you since the moment I set my eyes on you and no, I can’t explain why or how. I just know I do.”
“Really?”
“Really,” Byron smiled. “And I’ve heard that sometimes my kind can know in an instant when someone is meant for them. I just assumed that for me, it didn’t ring true. Then you stepped out of that SUV the other day and I knew in that moment that you were mine.”
“What did you mean when you said, your kind?”
“I meant that I’m not just human,” Byron said. “I…I have a unique ability to shift into something other than my human self.”
“And that something is?”
“Big and hairy,” Byron said cryptically. “I’ll only show you if you promise not to freak out. I won’t hurt you, ever.”
“Okay,” Celine said slowly.
Byron showed her where to sit and stepped down off the porch. “Once I shift, it takes a few minutes before I can shift back, hence the warning about not freaking out.”
“Now I’m worried.”
“Don’t be,” Byron smiled. “I won’t hurt you Celine.”
With that, Byron began the breath stealing process of shifting his body into that of a massive black bear. The change, which always started in his eyes first, rippled over his body in quick succession. His nose and jaw elongated into the overly sensitive muzzle of a bear, his tear grew into man eater canines and his body gained bulk almost instantly.
All the while, he kept his eyes on Celine, who seemed to be taking it in stride, for the most part.
By the time his hands turned into massive paw with razor sharp, killer claws, the change had nearly overwhelmed him. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but even as big as he was, the change wiped him out. Changing back wouldn’t be easy. Slowly, Byron stood on the porch steps, his head reach out for Celine. She yanked her hand back and Byron stopped, pulling his large head away from her a little, giving her time to reach out on her own.
“I don’t suppose saying nice bear would make you sit and beg?” she asked, her hand finally touching the soft flesh of his nose. He snorted and she jumped back, a laugh bubbling in her throat. Byron licked her cheek before stepping back down and changing into the six-foot, four-inch man she’d fallen in love with. And he was naked to boot.
This time there was no hesitation. She was in his arms in an
instant, her mouth fused hotly to his. Celine felt his strong arms beneath her as he carried her inside. They made love fiercely, neither of them caring if they won’t anyone else in the house.
By the time the sun was up, Kevin was stumbling from his bedroom to grab something to eat so he could open the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. Turning the corner, he nearly ran over Celine, who was still padding around barefoot in one of Byron’s t-shirts.
“Good god, girl,” Kevin bellowed. “I could have squashed you.”
“Nah,” she smiled. Feeling rather cheery, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re too much of a softie for that.”
“Softie or not, doll, you can kiss my cheek any time. It’ll drive Byron mad.”
“Oh?” she teased, giving Kevin a saucy wink. “By the way, I meant to ask, do you offer cooking lessons? My friend Rebecca made a comment about your crème brule that was served on our last night here. She’s dying to learn how to make it.”
“I was actually thinking about starting a class for those who’d like to learn to upgrade their cooking skills. I haven’t mapped everything out yet, but if you give me Rebecca’s information I can email her about it when I square everything away.”
“Great,” Celine said, snagging a chocolate milk from the fridge before heading back upstairs. “I’ll get that to you.”
“Tell Byron he’s got Food Court duty this morning.”
“Will do,” Celine called back, a joyful note in her voice.
***
At breakfast, Byron and Celine spent two hours just talking and enjoying one another’s company. “Will you take me fishing?”
“Today?” Byron asked, a little surprised.
“If it suits,” Celine smiled. “I can understand if it doesn’t fit your schedule, I just thought- “
“No,” Byron said quickly. “Let me see if Jess wants to swap fishing for hiking today and if so, I can certainly take you out on the lake.”
“That would be marvelous.”
Jess was more than happy to trade duties with Byron and a little after two in the afternoon, he set out in a canoe with Celine happily chattering away. As everyone found their preferred spot, Byron officially opened their fishing tour and lines were cast into the water with the hopes of catching something worthy of a picture on the main cabin wall.
Celine, it turned out, was a complete novice at fishing. Byron did her cast the first two times, but when she wouldn’t leave it in the water long enough for anything to take an interest in her bait, he gave up and let her figure it out. “So, you do it like this, right?”
“Sort of,” Byron smiled, turning her hands around so she wouldn’t throw her pole in the water.
She tried several times to get the cast right sitting, until she decided that standing would give her a better chance of making the perfect cast. She reached down and pushed off her bench seat, making the canoe rock a little. “Easy,” Byron said, holding the sides of the canoe. “Remember to spread your feet apart.”
“I got it,” Celine said, confidence oozing from her voice.
Byron sat back and watched, amused at the concentration on his woman’s face. She was a fierce one for sure. She bent her elbow and leaned back just a little with her pole to have enough momentum. Then she swept her arm forward, but as she did, she forgot to press the line release button on her pole and the pole jerked violently in her hand. Her balance skittered as she shifted her feet to catch her wayward body.
Byron watched in slow motion as Celine’s hips tilted with the slide of her feet and the next sound he heard was her scream as she pitched over the side of the canoe, splashing loudly into the water. She came up easily enough, but Byron could tell she was a little disoriented. Reaching out with his long arms, he centered his body on the canoe and simply fished her out of the water. Her pole was lost to the briny blue, but Celine was alright, except maybe for a dent in her pride.
“You’re the best thing I’ve ever caught in this lake,” he said, taking her chin in his hand and kissing her soundly.
“I suck at fishing,” she sighed.
“No,” Byron admonished. “You just need some land practice before we try it on a boat again.”
“If you say so, captain,” she said, giving him a mock salute.
After they headed in and Celine was able to shower and find new clothes, Byron asked her to join him on a picnic. She readily agreed, happy that he’d chosen the alcove clearing where everything had almost turned upside down on them.
As they munched on fruit and fresh Danishes, a personal indulgence for Celine, Byron mentioned, “I have something for you,” Byron said. Bringing his hand out of his pocket, Byron held in his palm a beautiful marquis cut diamond ring surrounded by small, intricately set garnet stones.
“Byron,” Celine whispered. “My birthday is in January. This is my birthstone.”
“Of course, it is,” he grinned. “You were always meant to be mine. And I’m not letting you go so you’ll have to get used to it.”
“Only if you promise to catch me every time I fall into the lake.”
“I’ll be there to catch you no matter where you fall,” Byron said, pressing a warm kiss to Celine’s lips. “Always. But that only works if you actually agree to marry me.”
“I wouldn’t have taken the ring if I was planning on turning you down.”
“Then I guess we better figure out how to turn this place into a wedding venue, huh?”
“I’ve got some ideas on that,” Celine smiled.
“Oh, I bet you do,” Byron laughed. As the afternoon waned on, Celine settled into the idea of life at Bear Lake. It wasn’t what she had expected when she’d booked her vacation there with three close friends. But it had turned out to be everything she’d ever dreamed of. Her journal entry for that night went something like this: Be careful what you fish for, because you just might get it.
Check out my other books:
Rayne Deare Dating Agency
Dash: A Paranormal Reindeer Shifter Romance (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 1)
As one of the two reindeer closest to Mr. Claus when Christmas Eve comes, Dasher is charged with keeping the other eight reindeer calm until takeoff. Serene by nature, he’s just as cool and collected in his everyday life as he is during the holiday season, except for a few, very obvious changes.
During the holidays he tends to prance around in his four-legged, hairy self. During the other eleven months of the year, however, he struts his stuff as a 5’11” brown eyed babe. Tall, dark and handsome; Dasher Holland-who goes by Dash to his friends and family-isn’t looking for love when it comes to find him.
Ashley Bogart is a sales clerk at a local retail outlet. Her love life is non-existent and she doesn’t want to say she’s desperate, but she’s so darn close it’s not even funny. Doing a random search of dating sites late one night, she comes across an unusual one that advertises itself as Mrs. C’s Rayne Deer Dating Agency. Curious, even if just for a laugh, she clicks on the site and is more than taken aback at the incredibly hot guys that grace the front page. One in particular is right up her alley and before she can talk herself out of it, she’s clicking on a picture that says “Dasher” under it.
Can Dasher convince Ashley that dating a shifter is worth the risk? Will Ashley be able to see past Dasher’s job description and peculiar December issues to see the man he is inside? Only time will tell when Dasher takes the reins.
Check out this Paranormal Reindeer shifter romance and see!
Dan (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 2)
Pran (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 3)
Vix (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 4)
Com (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 5)
C. P. (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 6)
Don (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 7)
Blitz (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 8)
Rudy: A Paranormal Reindeer Shifter Romance (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 9)
All I Want For Christmas is You
Kris Kringle is just your average college co-ed, until one wintery night in December when his whole life changes. Called into the gift giving industry, Kris is suddenly transformed into a jolly old soul and soon he’s on the lookout for who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.
When Kris meets Sarah, he’s immediately smitten and more than ready to make her a permanent fixture in his life, but will Sarah be quite as eager to walk down the aisle?
Come inside and enjoy all the warmth of the Christmas season with this prequel to the Rayne Deer Dating Agency book series with All I want for Christmas, Is You!
Bear Lake Series:
Careful What You Fish For: A Bear Lake Paranormal Romance
Now We're Cooking: Kevin (Bear Lake Book 2)
Kevin Durant is a former armed services member who has a flare for cooking and loves anything that sparks his creative juices. Along with his two friends, also former soldiers, he purchased a rustic and nature-filled getaway that’s turned into a nice and prospering business. His biggest issue is that he’s so busy in the kitchen that he rarely sees anyone other than his friends.
When Kevin begins to offer cooking classes as part of the whole vacation getaway package, he’s hesitant to think anyone’s going to want to be indoors when the outdoors has so much more to offer; at least until he meets Rebecca Cross.
Rebecca Cross is pretty straight-laced. Making her living as a librarian and resource officer at an elementary school near her home, she has very little time for frivolity. During a class field trip to Bear Lake, Rebecca attempts a cooking class that some of the fifth graders are taking and immediately feels the heat when Kevin Durant steps into the kitchen.