Free ChoosingHisChristmasMiracle by Charlie Richards Page A

conscious man to his feet.
    Sean might be irritated, but even he wouldn’t leave his mate out in the cold just to make a point—which he really didn’t care about anyway. Stepping around them, he carefully wrapped both arms around him and leaned his mate against his back.
    Raul roused. His head lolled and he peered up at Sean and grinned. “Hey, baby. Don’t be mad,” he slurred. “Wanted to be here with you.”
    Groaning, Sean breathed in his mate’s scent. Even if he had been mad, he couldn’t be now after that confession, even though, from the look of Raul’s pupils, he wasn’t totally coherent. “Not mad,” he promised, nuzzling his neck. “Let’s get you inside where it’s warm,” he urged.
    “Yeah,” Raul agreed.
    As carefully as he could, Sean lifted his mate into his arms. Sean had no clue how the two men managed to convince Ailean that Raul was well enough to leave, but now that he had the sweet-smelling human in his arms, Sean wasn’t about to let him go.
    Jared opened the door and Sean followed inside. When Sean started heading toward the bedroom, Raul lifted a hand and pointed toward the front room. “Want to sit with you,” Raul muttered.
    Sean paused, hesitant. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
    “Watch you play with Lily,” Raul slurred, smiling at the little girl who was now propped up on her elbows and gracing the three men with a huge smile.
    “Best just do what he says,” Jared advised. “Otherwise, the idiot will just try to walk out here on his own.”
    Well, Sean sure as shit didn’t want that. His mate could barely stay standing leaning against the car. He’d probably end up falling and hurting himself. Doing as Raul bid, Sean laid him on the couch, tucking a pillow under his head, then covered him with the afghan from the back of the couch.
    Kneeling, he kissed Raul gently. “Are you happy to be home?” he murmured.
    Raul’s fingers threaded through Sean’s thick hair and pulled him into another kiss. This one had heat and tongue, and Sean’s cock started pressing insistently against his fly. He really, really needed more from his mate, but there were others in the room, not to mention Sean feared reinjuring his hurting human.
    Sean gently ended the tongue-tangling and pressed a couple more butterfly kisses to Raul’s lips to stop him from trying to lift his head. Smiling, Sean whispered, “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
    “I’m glad I’m feeling better, too,” Raul responded, smiling back. “And I’m happy to be home because you’re here.”
    Sean knew it was just the pain meds talking, but his heart still skipped a beat at Raul’s words. His chest warmed, and he knew it’d be so easy to fall in love with his mate. In fact, Sean figured he was halfway there already. Their talks in the hospital over the last few days went a long way in learning about each other. Raul was a good man, confident, always there for his friends. Sean just knew he’d make an excellent second father to Lily and prayed his human really wanted the job.
    “I’m going to put these bottles on the kitchen counter,” Jared said, cutting into his thoughts. He held up a couple containers, shaking the one in his right hand. “These are antibiotics. He still needs to take them every six hours with food. There should be enough in here for a week.” He smirked. “I’d advise to get either Lark or Ailean to look at him at that point to evaluate his wounds. And don’t take no for an answer.” He shook the second bottle. “This is his pain killers. As you can see, he’s a lightweight,” Jared said, snorting. “He can take them as needed.”
    “Thank you,” Sean said.
    Jared waved his hand, cutting off anything else Sean could have said. The man shrugged. “I did it for him, not you. Hurry up and claim him, so his healing will speed up.”
    With those parting words, Jared left the room. Sean turned to Raul, wondering what he thought of Jared’s comment, but his mate had