Page 15 of Alpha Bear Accountant (Shifters For Hire #2)

15

TODD

My heart hurt.

Hearing Niam put words to his insecurities crushed me. I’d been so busy trying not to push him that it didn’t occur to me that he might perceive my inaction as not wanting him. It was my fault. If I had taken the time to communicate with him instead of making assumptions, he wouldn’t be in so much pain.

I pulled him into my lap and held him close. “Oh, my sweet, sweet omega. The reason I didn’t mark you isn’t because I didn’t want to. That first night we were together, it was all I could do to hold back and not claim you—mark you as mine.” It had been one of the hardest battles I’d ever fought with my beast. “But you’re human…”

He sobbed between breaths. “It’s fine. I get it. I’m not like you and?—”

It was very much not fine.

I shook my head and held him tighter. “No, my love. That’s not where I was heading at all.” I kissed the top of his head. “I didn’t mean that you’re human and therefore not worthy of being my mate or whatever it is that’s filling your head right now. I meant that because you’re human, this is all new to you. I wanted you to decide and make the decision without pressure. I wasn’t going to take that from you. I wasn’t going to rush you, push you to be mine. You deserve better than that.”

Niam sucked in a breath and looked up at me, his eyes still wet with tears and his cheeks red and blotchy. “Really?” His chuckle was forced but also filled with relief. “I thought—I thought you wanted?—”

I hated that he even entertained the notion that he was somehow less-than. “Never. The only thing I ever wanted was you…all of you.”

He wrapped his arms around me. “I love you, Todd. And looking back, that was true long before I realized it. Probably that first day when you came in and promised to help, if I’m being honest.”

My beast purred in contentment. My big badass bear purred.

“That’s why I agreed to trade for your services initially. Sure, money was tight, but it wasn’t like I didn’t have a decent job back in the city that was still paying me. I saw it as a way to get to know you while I figured out if this attraction was more than physical.”

Niam might not have been a shifter, but he sensed me as his mate from the beginning, before I even allowed myself to listen to my bear.

“I knew you were mine. And it didn’t make sense, but it was always there.”

While my beast was thrilled at all he was saying, and I was too, he brought up something we needed to discuss sooner rather than later.

“Wait, your job in the city… You still have that?” We hadn’t talked about his life there, not really. Probably because I was scared of the answers. But if he needed to go back there, I could find a job anywhere. Sure, I’d have to take some state-specific classes, but that was easy enough, and my bear would adjust. He’d do anything to stay with Niam.

My mate shrugged. “Yeah, technically, I haven’t quit. I just… I’ve been taking leave.” He turned so that he was facing me and our faces were only inches from each other. “When I came here, I was hoping—more than hoping—that I could come in, press a few buttons, show my dad how to do the paperwork, and go back home.” He closed his eyes. “My entire life, I’d wanted to live in the city, have a gorgeous view from my apartment, surround myself with friends, with a great job that afforded me a lifestyle of not worrying about things like whether I could go out to dinner or not.”

A rock was forming in my throat as I nodded. “It sounds like you had a good life there.”

“See, that’s the thing—I thought I did. If you looked at my list of accomplishments, every single item on it was ticked off. But now that I’m here, I realize that this is home. And before you go getting a big head—” He placed his hand on my cheek. “It’s not just because of you.”

I frowned, pretending to be wounded by that. “But it’s a little bit because of me, right?”

“Well, of course, it’s a little bit because of you.” He stuck out his tongue playfully. “Fine. It’s a lot because of you.”

“A whole lot, I hope.” I winked and went to nip his bottom lip.

Niam shook his head, clearly amused. “Fine, a whole lot. And yes, objectively, my job paid well, and I enjoyed it. And the view from my city window was beautiful—but not in the same way looking out your back window is.”

There was something magical about the woods that surrounded my property. I one thousand percent agreed with him on that.

“And as far as friends went… I’m not quite sure if they were friends as much as acquaintances. If they were really friends, we’d probably be talking more instead of just sending each other basic texts like, ‘Hope things are going well with your family.’ ‘Yep, they’re fine.’ Does that make sense?”

“It does.” I had work buddies like that too. “But also, I’d drop everything and go back there with you, if you want. I would. No questions asked.”

“Like you could sell your house in this condition.” I chuckled. It was such a relief to be able to joke around with him again. Seeing him this playful was a relief. The tears I saw in his eyes only minutes earlier nearly broke me.

“Hey, it’s got potential.” And a ton of half-finished projects.

“It does. And I say we work together to help it meet that potential.”

I loved the sound of that. “Does that mean you’re staying?”

His eyes were full of hope and vulnerability as he looked at me. “If you want me to.”

“I’d love nothing more.” I pulled him so his chest was flush with mine and held him close. “There’s nothing in this world that I’d like more than for you to build a home with me here.”

He sucked in a deep breath. “Does that mean you’re gonna mark me now?”

“Nope.” I nipped his bottom lip. “We’ve waited this long. I want to do it right.”

“There’s a wrong way to make me scream your name as I come undone while you sink your teeth into my flesh?”

Damn. He knew how to get me going and fast. My bear was pushing at me to do exactly as he said. “No, I mean do it right. As in, we get married first. All human-like.”

“I don’t need you to do all the human things just because I’m—well, you know, human.”

“Maybe not, but I want to.” I reached into my pocket, even though my mate nearly fell off my lap as I did. When I pulled out the ring I’d picked up the other day, his jaw dropped.

I hadn’t been planning to propose so soon. Marriage hadn’t even been something I’d thought would be part of my life. Bears mated and that was that. But when I walked by the jewelry store and saw it sitting there in the front window, I couldn’t leave it.

“Will you be my husband?”

He looked down at the ring and saw it was etched with bears on the side. It wasn’t overly romantic, but you wouldn’t know that by his reaction.

He threw his arms around me, and I ended up on my back with him on top of me as he peppered me with kisses. “It’s the most romantic, wonderful, amazing, perfect ring I’ve ever seen.” His lips found mine, and he kissed me with a passion that left both of us hard and needy.

I chuckled at his enthusiasm, unable to resist teasing him. “Are you sure? We can exchange it if you want.”

“No way.” He nipped at my earlobe. My omega knew my weak spots, that was for sure. “You sure you don’t want to mark me right now?”

“Not now, no.” But fuck if my bear and I weren’t both tempted.

“But we could practice.”

I slid the ring onto his finger, then rolled us over so I was the one on top. “Now? Is it too cold here?”

“If I agree it’s too cold, does that mean we have to stop?” Playful Niam was out in full force. I loved it.

“No. Just means we leave our jackets on.”

“Jackets it is.”