Page 9 of An Omega Fox for Walker (Beartastic Summer of Love #4)

Walker

As we arrived in the lobby, I laid a hand on his arm. “Just one thing.”

“Yes?”

“I’m not just another guest. My cousin owns the resort and I am here for the summer sort of working for him as a kind of activities director/cheerleader.”

“And this is a secret?”

“Yes. If the guests all knew that, my enthusiasm would be suspect.”

He considered. “Because it would be fake?”

“Hey!” I began to protest, and then realized I had no leg to stand on.

“It’s not really fake. I will admit I’ve done a few too many rounds of Canasta, but these are fun activities, just most people don’t do them as often as me.

And I’m kind of tired of being a fake guest, so I’ve been trying to slip into real activities director.

Which is why I’m going to be in calling bingo instead of playing it today. Want to help?”

“Can I draw the balls?”

I squeezed his arm before letting it go. “Absolutely, and if you get B4…”

“I’ll lead everyone in yelling, ‘And after.’”

After weeks of playing bingo, it was not only a nice change to be the caller, but it was so much more fun to have Fennec at my side.

He pulled the balls with such flair, and he knew all the silly responses that went with certain of the numbers.

It was hilarious, and everyone was much more into the whole game with him there.

I wasn’t bored at all. We played multiple rounds, giving out door prizes and small cash envelopes to the winners.

Some bingo, I knew, was for very high stakes.

I’d been to a casino that had a bingo parlor once, but these guests were no less enthusiastic for the lesser wins.

And as we reached the last couple of games, the room fell into a focused silence.

Intense.

Even if one of the prizes was a curling iron and the other was fifteen dollars, those who had not won a prize yet tonight were determined to do so.

And then it was over, and everyone was laughing again, helping themselves to cookies and lemonade, laughing about the wins and grumbling about their losses.

Fennec stayed behind to help me clean up while everyone else headed into the dining room for lunch.

Fennec took a couple of steps after them then paused. “Coming to eat?”

“Or maybe you’d like to come with me and have lunch at my cabin? It won’t be as nice as the dining room, but I have some sandwich makings, and I’d like to get to know you better.”

I wasn’t sure at first, his eyes holding indecision, but then he nodded.

“I’d like that too.” It wasn’t recognition, but it was acceptance of me as a person.

Maybe my cousin was right and patience would pay off.

Just because “everyone” said matings were instant didn’t mean that was true.

My parents’ choice not to share their meeting and mating came to mind.

They were not among the “everyone” who implied matings were so easy.

None of the best things were that easy. Maybe some mates did recognize one another instantly.

Likely they did, but they still had their whole life to live and experience, and maybe their challenges came later.

If we didn’t have things to learn, why would we even be here?

I’d always believed that. Yes, I’d thought mates were simple.

I’d been spoiled by having such loving parents.

They made it look easy. Walking to my cabin with Fennec, I savored his closeness.

No, we had not done the mating and marking thing.

Yet. But if I believed anything, I did believe he was my mate, and now that I’d gotten past the boulder of thinking his not instant recognition of me was a fail, I was ready to wait and see how long it took.

With patience and maybe even a smidge of grace.

“My cabin is not as nice as a lot of them,” I warned him. “It’s scheduled for remodel, but I’m family and the better ones are used by the guests.”

“Mine is pretty nice,” Fennec admitted. “But I’m sure yours is fine and if it’s not, it’s not your fault.”

“That is so nice of you to say.” A vision of my blinds in their boxes and the can of paint in my guest bath flashed through my mind. “But it may run in the family because my home is mid remodel and not getting there fast.”

We arrived at my cabin, warm from being closed up most of the day, and I got out the cold cuts and bread I’d brought over from the main dining room for midnight snacks and such. I also had chips and we made sandwiches together and ate them sitting on the front porch steps where it was cooler.

Again, I recognized how good it felt just to be sitting together and talking. It didn’t even matter what we spoke about—mostly the resort and our work back home. Nothing deep. But I experienced more joy sitting with him and not even touching than any other person I’d ever spent time with.

He reached past me for the bag of chips, his lips so close to mine, I thought for a moment he was going to kiss me, but then he moved back. “I’m sorry. This is probably not appropriate.”

I took the chips from his hand and set them beside us.

“Don’t be silly. This is the most appropriate thing to do at this moment,” and then we were kissing.

I’d never have said a smoky smell would be the one that would draw me in, but with my omega, it was magical, and his lips parted under mine, allowing our tongues to dance together in the sweetest tangle.

He was everything, and I hoped the kiss was bringing us one step closer together.

If not…it was still the best kiss I ever had or ever would have. Our first.