Tess observed the pained look on his face. This had been hard on him. Just as she’d expected, wishing her intuition wasn’t so uncannily accurate.
“I wish that I wasn’t right… very sorry to hear it, Clay.”
“No, I was blind to what had been right beneath my nose all this time. I feel like a fool.”
Tess read between the lines. “She has feelings for you…”
“Yes,” Clay said softly and then reached for Tess’s hand. “And she sensed that I had feelings for you, which brought out her anger about what she felt about me – not being returned.”
Tess felt the warm strength of his grasp and held his gaze. She wasn’t sure what to say or do, and sat quietly acknowledging what he was sharing with her.
“So, now what?” Tess asked.
“She opted to resign. She’s packing her things and leaving tomorrow morning.”
“Do you think it has to end that way? Was there no way to resolve it?”
Clay seemed surprised by Tess’s question. “What other way could there be?”
Tess nodded. “True, I guess I like to look for the win-win in situations. Exhaust all the options before they have to end on a bad note…”
“It’s kind of you to think this way, especially considering that her anger was in regards to your presence.”
“Was it though? I mean, she’s probably loved you for a long time… Maybe after having some time with you, while you weren’t married, once widowed – maybe that is what triggered it for her. She’d gotten used to being the one to take care of you…”
She could tell that Clay was contemplating what she said, chewing on it.
“Either way, I can’t allow someone to harbor these types of feelings in my home. My household. I’ve got something to protect. A reason to be careful now…” Clay’s voice drifted to a soft near-whisper.
Which gave Tess chills.
“When do I get to see you? Meet you in dragon-form?” Tess asked, surprised at the sudden audacity of her own question. It had come from seemingly nowhere. Along with it, came the realization that she really did want to know everything about this man. This being.
Clay let out a little laugh. “Wow… Where’d that come from?”
Tess blushed again. “I don’t know really… Maybe it’s from reading all these volumes. Of your former wives. I feel like I know you better than I actually do. I’ve learned a great deal about you and your lives with them. At least, from the ones that I’ve read so far.”
Hearing this made Clay smile and Tess liked it. She liked that he approved. He wore it well.
“Well, there’s a time for everything. I’m not sure when it will happen, since I shift at will only when I absolutely have to. There are factors at play I have to consider. For my safety and others.”
Tess nodded, intrigued. She mused on when she’d get to meet Clay in his dragon form.
“More importantly,” he continued, “is that I prepare you for being able to shift, yourself.”
“Me? Shift? Serious?” Tess asked, incredulous.
“Yes.”
“You mean, the other day, in the garden… that was a premonition, not an illusion?” Tess asked.
“Exactly.”
“How is it that I can shift? Is that from being around you? Your influence?”
Clay nodded, “Yes, and some other growth you’ll go through as your fae nature becomes more prominent.”
“That’s fascinating…” Tess murmured, absorbing what Clay shared.
Clay reached out and gently stroked the side of her face, his thumb trailing down to her lower lip. Mesmerized, she blinked. When he leaned in to kiss her, she was eager to respond. Her defenses were down and she no longer doubted the attraction between them.
The kiss between them lingered sensually, make her core heat up. Which made her giggle.
Was it because of their chemistry or was it because he was a dragon shifter?
Either way, it didn’t matter. She needed to quiet her busy mind to just enjoy his touch, his desire and allow the moment to just happen. She sucked in a deep breath and felt bolder. She reached out and pulled him to her, appreciating the smoldering warmth of his strong and muscular body.
Rubbing her hands up and down his back, she could sense his desire roaring to life and it was an awesome power to witness. To feel.
And she wanted it all. All of him. All of his erotic power.
“God, you’re delicious…” he whispered into her ear, causing a cascade of chills and goosebumps to scatter over and through her body.
She moaned in response, no longer willing to hold back what she felt for him. “Clay, were we destined to meet?”
“No more talking…” he murmured. “We’ve plenty of time for talking later…”
Tess had to admit, she agreed. They’d done plenty of talking. Now was the time for something far more satisfying and intimate. So when he stood, grabbed her hand and led her to the bed, she didn’t resist. She let him lead the way.
***
A Year Later…
Christmas day arrived. The Emmerick home was bedecked in holiday festivity. All the holiday decorations were ablaze with twinkling lights entwined with wreaths. Music played and there was a warmth of spirit that imbued everything.
Tess was dressed in a velvet evening gown, the first she had ever worn. With Jay’s insistence, she’d gone out and purchased something a bit more extravagant than what she was used to wearing. With his help, she managed to clean up nicely. Feeling elegant and lovely, she realized that in a way, she now looked and appeared like one of the koiaa brides in the portraits.
It was hard to believe that a little over a year had passed since she’d first stepped foot into Clay’s home to do his holiday decorating. This time, he hadn’t needed to hire someone to do the decorating as she’d been the one to do it.
It warmed her heart to know that she’d been the one to break the spell, so to speak. Considering that nearly a century had passed since the mansion had been decorated. She’d always be grateful that his business assistant had convinced him it was time to move on. To let go of the past and move forward.
She paused at the dining room entry and smiled.
So many good memories were there. Had grown over the last year while she had come to know Clay better and better. Each day blowing her mind with the world hidden behind veils. A world she was now more comfortable and familiar with. Interesting and lively discussions between them.
It still provided wonderment for her. She never quite knew what to expect. But, at least her extrasensory gifts had come more alive as she’d become more familiar and acquainted with his world.
Today was a special day.
They’d decided to undo some of the gloom that surrounded this holiday for Clay. Each hoped that with loving respect, they could honor the passing of his last wife by becoming husband and wife. It was going to be a small and intimate gathering. Nothing overly fancy. A simple ceremony. Private.
Like their lives.
Tess felt a warm, strong and comforting arm reach around her waist. Clay pulled her to him and kissed her gently.
“Ready?” he teased.
She answered with a smile. It was her turn, her time to be a koiaa bride.
The End
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Table of Contents
A Beary Merry Christmas…By Christin Lovell
Andre…By V. Vaughn
Ghost of Shifters Past…By Tasha Black
Shifter Beneath the Mistletoe…By Charlene Hartnady
Beary Merry Winter…By Kate Kent
There’s Snow Place Like Home…By Lola Kidd
Her Holiday Bear…By Marie Mason
Yuletide’s Eve…By Erika Masten
Bear Humbug…By Harmony Raines
Little Drummer B
ear…By Ruby Shae
Motivation…By Elle Thorne
A Dragon’s Gift…By Emerald Wright
Shifter Wonderland: Twelve BBW Paranormal Holiday Shape Shifter Romances Page 70