Read Online A Christmas to Bear by Carina Wilder - Free Book Online

jackhammer had had a field day with it, or perhaps an angry polar bear. So Lucian had left. But where had he gone?
    Aria looked around for traces of him; anything. But there were no footprints; fresh snow covered any trail that he might have taken.
    “So he wanted to be free of me so badly that he did this,” she thought, wretchedness overtaking her.
    The hike downhill constituted a thousand wipes of her face with damp wool mittens. Now, at least, she knew. She could have closure. He didn’t want her and never had.
    She collected herself before arriving at the inn. In an hour or so the shuttle would come pick her up and she would head home. In her mind this place had been a dream, and she would attempt to satisfy herself with that. It was the only way to leave it behind.
    The shuttle ride and even the flight were blurs; Aria spent the entire time avoiding eye contact with strangers and wishing that she could speed up time.
    When at last she touched down in California she grabbed the first taxi she saw. The sky was clear, the weather warm. At least that was something. But now she was looking at Christmas with her family, having lost two men in the space of weeks.
    I wonder what a flight to Bali costs, she thought. There are no shifters there, I’ll bet.
    The cab ride lasted far too long because of the requisite rush hour traffic that always managed to hit weary travelers. But after an eternity of suffering in the back seat, at last the driver turned onto her street.
    “It’s up on the right,” she said. “The one with the fire hydrant in front.”
    “And the snow?” the man asked.
    “No, there’s no…wait, what?”
    The driver pointed ahead. “Snow,” he said.
    Aria looked. Her entire lawn and roof were coated in what looked like a blanket of fresh snow. The cab driver pulled up and she got out, baffled as he handed over her luggage. As she stepped forwards she stuck a toe under the white fluff, which turned out to be something like cotton batting draped over her property.
    “I’ve seen them do this on movie sets,” said the driver. “Someone filming here?”
    “Not that I know of,” said Aria.
    “Well, it was probably your family members, then.”
    “Yeah, must’ve been.”
    She handed over the payment and tip before wheeling her luggage up the walkway to her front door. After extracting the key from her purse and fighting briefly with her lock, she flung the door open.
    Inside, things appeared undisturbed and a pile of mail sat on the floor. She walked through the house, looking for signs that anyone had been there. Her sister had a key, but clearly hadn’t been by.
    “Aria.”
    The voice came from behind her. She leapt, but not out of fear so much as a heart which instantly filled itself with intense excitement. Lucian. She stood still and closed her eyes, afraid that she was dreaming this, too.
    “You said you never got snow,” he said, moving closer. “So I brought you some.”
    Hands moved slowly around her front and she felt his body press into her back.
    “Are you still going to insist on your ridiculous ‘no sex’ rule?” he whispered into her ear.
    “No.” She turned to face him. “Wait a minute,” she said. “What happened to your house? I’m mad at you.” She barely meant it, though.
    “For breaking my house? That thing needed renovation work anyhow. It was leaky.”
    “I don’t think melting ice counts as ‘leaky,’” she laughed.
    “Oh, is that what it was? Oh, well, too late.”
    “Don’t make me slap you, Lucian. Tell me.”
    “I decided that you were right. Tristan was right. It’s time to forget my past and move forward. It’s time to stop pushing people away.” He put his hands on her waist again and pulled her to him. “And pull them in. At least, one person.” With that he kissed her tenderly.
    Aria’s hands went to his neck and she kissed him back, a cascade of emotion flowing through her. Everything that she’d ever wanted was happening in this