Page 11 of Accidentally All Inclusive (Beartastic Summer of Love #5)

Westley

Arriving home with a mate on my arm was not something that I had ever envisioned when I first booked my vacation. I’d hoped for one eventually, but when life just kept going on without the prospect of a mate, I’d resigned myself to being alone. Turned out my bear was just waiting for Jules.

My sister was never going to stop gloating about the hand she played in making me take this vacation that changed course of my life. Without her interference I would not have met Jules. I’d forever be grateful, but I really didn’t want to hear about how she was right.

I knew that Jules would be welcome into my family and the den with open arms, but selfishly, I wanted to keep him to myself for just a little longer.

If we could have spent another week or ten days or even a whole month holed up in our room together, we would have.

There was more of him I wanted to explore, more touches I wanted to try, more sounds I wanted to draw out of him when I used my tongue in his special places.

After our initial night together, we spent the rest of the week how most people would have envisioned spending time at an all-inclusive resort that included a companion in the room.

We had food being delivered each night and sat on the balcony in the evening, watching the sunset, enjoying the fireworks that were set off over the ocean.

One morning, we even awoke early enough to see the sunrise over the water.

Another day, we went to the woods and let our bears run and play.

But there were no more excursions, no more adventures, just the two of us enjoying each other in the room in every way that we possibly could.

The two of us may have saved ourselves for each other, but we weren’t shy.

Jules especially came alive under my touch.

I loved knowing that I would be the only person who would ever see him come apart and hear the sounds he made when he came undone.

Unfortunately, now we had to return to real life. Jules collected his paycheck and made the first payment on his father’s debt, sending the money to the location that he had been told to. I hated it, but if we wanted to move on, we needed to wipe that debt clean.

Once we got settled, I would find a way to get the rest of the money to pay the additional payments.

Whether I used my own savings or requested a loan from the den Alpha ultimately didn’t matter.

We would make sure Jules was taken care of.

I knew the Alpha, he would provide the funds.

He believed in taking care of his own. Once we explained the situation, he would understand.

“Do you think your family will like me?” Jules asked.

I snorted. “My mother is going to be over-the-moon happy. My sister is going to be shocked and also smug about the fact that I found my mate on the vacation she forced me to take. My brother’s a bit young, so he won’t care as much, but he’ll be excited for us nonetheless.

Everyone will love you. Probably more than they love me. ”

“You said you have a lot of cousins?” Jules asked. Our fingers were laced together, resting over the center console of my truck.

“Yep. My dad is one of the enforcers for the den, as is my uncle. My other aunts and uncles are also involved in den businesses. A few of them have moved to neighboring dens as they got mated over the years. One of my aunts actually mated to a lady wolf, so they live with a wolf pack a few states away. I think in total, I have twenty-eight cousins and thirty or so second cousins.”

Jules’s eyes widened, and he gripped my forearm. “Do you know all of them? I don’t think I even know that many people.”

I laughed. “As best as I can. The den has gatherings quite often, and we do see each other a lot. I’m probably closest with my sister and brother, though.”

“Wow.”

“Have you never been a part of a den or a pack?” Jules and I had learned a lot about each in between our bouts of lovemaking. When his heat had subsided, we talked a lot. I knew he grew up rather sheltered with his dad moving around place to place.

Jules shook his head. “Dad liked to travel a lot, which I thought was normal. I realize now that it was because of the gambling, but I didn’t know it then.

I just thought he got different jobs a lot.

For a while, we lived with a nursery of raccoon shifters.

That was interesting—although now that I think about it, I think maybe they were a part of the mob. ”

I nodded. “That tracks. The people that your dad owes money to? Are they…”

Jules shook his head. “They’re human. Not shifters.”

“Okay, that… well, I guess I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.”

“Right? I felt the same way when I met them. Although I guess I’m glad it was humans. It’s embarrassing enough being a lone bear when you come across other shifters. Especially wolves. Humans don’t think it’s weird at all.” Jules rolled his eyes. “Pack is everything to wolves.”

I chuckled at that. “Indeed. Den is pretty important here, too. I’m really happy for you to be a part of it.”

He smiled and squeezed my hand. “Me, too.” A sense of contentment settled between our bond, and I knew he was happy.

Since his heat subsided, Jules had come out of his shell more and more, and the worry lines that had clouded his features the first day I met him were mostly gone.

He had put on some weight since then as well, making him look less scrawny and more lean.

The closer we got to my home, the more nervous I became.

I knew my family would welcome him. But what if Jules didn’t like the little town?

He was used to the big city life. Our small town might be boring compared to that.

Later I would take him on a tour of the town, and I’d introduce him to the Alpha.

I couldn’t do that now because if anyone saw my car driving around town with a random omega in it, then the rumor mill would go crazy.

When we pulled into the drive, both of us got out of the car quickly. Jules didn’t give me a chance to come around the other side to open his door.

“Well, this is it,” I said.

Looking at the house with fresh eyes was something I was used to. Each time I improved something or fixed it up, I tried to assess what I could work on next.

The house was a large two-story Victorian-style home with red brick, white trim, and blue shutters.

The large porch had four brick pillars and a brand-new white porch swing hanging in the corner.

My mom and I spent a whole weekend planting rose bushes and hostas around the perimeter of the house to give it some curb appeal.

The zinnias and daisies were in full bloom, giving the home an even more welcoming appearance.

“It’s amazing and huge. I didn’t realize how huge it was.”

“Yeah. I’ll have to show you some of the before pictures.”

“And you did all the updates yourself?”

“So far. With the help of my brother on a few things.”

“Wow. You are very talented.”

I laced my fingers into Jules’s, and we walked up the brand-new steps of the porch. The French-style doors were white with large windows that let sunlight into the foyer. I opened it using the fingerprint reader.

“I’ll get you set up so that way you can open the door with your fingerprint, as well.”

“Fancy,” he said.

“Safe. The crime rate is low, obviously, since this is a shifter town and we all know each other by scent. But I am not taking any chances. My whole family has access to the house, though; if that makes you uncomfortable, just let me know and we can change it.”

“Why would it make me uncomfortable?”

I shrugged. “This is your home now. I want you to make it your space.”

Jules smiled, and his cheeks pinkened. “I always imagined what it would be like having a house filled with people and family. Having a big support system. I think it sounds amazing.”

I kissed his cheek and pulled him into my arms. “You’re in luck. My family will be so in our business, you might regret those words.”

“Never.”

I tugged his hand. “Come on, let me show you inside.”