The Bear King's Captive: Curvy Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance

by Milly Taiden

Winston laughed, almost spitting out a bite of food. Hannes’ cheeks took on a pinkish hue. “At least they are mannered enough to respect me.”

  Leah grinned. “We may not respect you, my Prince. But we love you anyway, don’t we Winston?”

  Winston’s face glowed red from holding back his laughter and food. Hannes picked up his fork. “When I lived here as a child, my parents made me work hard every day to earn my stay.”

  Winston’s fork fell from his hand onto the plate. “You are so full of paska! You were so spoiled…”

  Leah laughed at Winston’s response.

  Hannes’ eyes widened. “I don’t know whose house you were in, old man, but here…”

  Leah forked her reindeer and enjoyed their bantering.

  Several cups of coffee and hot chocolates later, Leah yawned. “Anybody know what time it is? There isn’t one clock or phone in this house. I’d kill for an iPod or anything that plays music.”

  Hannes looked down at his watch. “Almost 2130.”

  Leah sat back in her chair. “Wow, we’ve been here that long. No wonder I’m tired.” She looked across the table at Hannes. The distant kitchen lights partially lit the breakfast area. His shadowed face reflected the same expression as the one in the galley her first night eating with the men. He wasn’t smiling or frowning; his eyes weren’t overly widened or narrowed, but intense. What thoughts roamed his head? She would figure him out. She just needed time.

  Winston rose from his chair, breaking the awkward silence. “I believe it is time for me to retire, also.” He carried his plate and coffee cup into the kitchen.

  Leah gathered her dishes. “Winston, your accent is English, right?” She stopped next to Hannes and collected his table items then followed Winston. “How did you wind up in Finland?”

  He took her dishes and set them on the countertop. “That, young lady, is a long story I will share with you when the sun is up and we are both very much awake.”

  Leah yawned again. “I’m holding you to that. Thank you for a fabulous dinner. I really enjoyed dining on Rudolph.”

  Winston bowed slightly. “Thank you for your help, Leah. I will finish here. Please feel free to retire for the evening.”

  She returned Winston’s smile. She was glad to hear her name and not “child” or “princess.” She bade the two men a good evening and left the room.

  On her way through the formal dining, footsteps squeaked on the wood floor behind her. “I’ll walk you to your room.”

  She glanced back, stuck her hands into her pockets and kept walking. “Great. I’m to have an escort at all times in the house?”

  Hannes grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “I’m trying to be polite.”

  Realizing her assessment was unfair, she dropped her chin. “Yes, you are. I apologize.”

  He held her upper arm close to his chest, bringing her close. She looked up at him. Even in the shadows, his eyes shined with an inner fire. His masculine scent set her mind and body reeling. Catching her breath, she dropped her gaze and turned back to the hall.

  Hannes pursued. “Do you need anything? Is everything comfortable?”

  Starting up the stairs, she stopped and looked back at him. She hadn’t seen Hannes play the attentive host. His hands slid into his slacks’ pockets, letting the thumbs hang out. He looked down and around the dark room at everything but her.

  Leah hid her smile while she watched the pompous, overconfident womanizer succumb to the pressure of being a gentleman. She found it rather charming. She turned and continued up the stairs.

  “Actually, my room is very nice. I’ve never slept in a grand four-poster bed with so many fluffy pillow and soft sheets. I almost feel--I can’t believe I’m saying this to you--but I feel like a princess.”

  Following close behind her, Hannes laughed.

  “The only thing missing is a shower.” Leah reached the top landing and flipped the hidden light switch, flooding the area with light.

  Hannes scrunched his face. “A shower?”

  Leah sauntered toward her bedroom door. Hannes flipped the switch off, throwing shadows where the light from downstairs didn’t reach. Leah arched her brow. “Yes. According to my recent education, when the house was built, showers had not been introduced here.” She leaned against the bedroom doorframe. Hannes reached for the knob, coming within inches of her.

  The sudden intimate closeness startled and excited her. His voice rang soft and hypnotic. “I guess my mother never remodeled the rooms up here.”

  Leah’s body tingled. She grabbed the wooden frame to support her weakening knees. Words swirled in her head, none making their way to her mouth. He leaned next to her ear and whispered, “I’d be willing to share my shower with you.”

  Heat radiated from his taut body. Her pulse hammered. She tipped her flushed face down. “When you’re not here, of course.”

  Hannes bowed his head and brushed his smooth cheek against hers. “Of course.”

  The smell of sweet wine from dinner whetted her appetite for the taste from his lips. With the tip of his finger, he gently lifted her chin. His lips lowered to hers. They were mere centimeters away from each other. Her belly fluttered and the warmth of his body curled around her in a protective cocoon. Kiss me! Kiss me now!

  “Hannes!” Winston’s voice shattered the silence from downstairs. “Hannes, your phone is ringing.”

  Hannes dropped his hand and stepped back. Leah slipped into her room and closed the door. She leaned back against the wood. Her heart raced; she could barely breathe.

  What just happened? Dammit! It was all so quick. Her body still prickled. Slowly, her brain kicked in. She frowned and lightly banged her head against the door. Leah, Leah, Leah. How naive can you be? He only wanted a booty call! Until now, he’d made no attempt at getting personal. What did this mean? Her face blushed full red.

  She flipped the light on. Balling her hands in fists, she paced the width of the room. Typical barbarian. How stupid could she be, falling for the “goodnight kiss” act? That was all he wanted from a woman--a one-night screw fest.

  He acted like he could barely stand her and now all of a sudden he wanted to kiss her? Screw that! If he wanted to play games with other women that was fine by her, but not this woman! She had lived for years without it and wasn’t about to degrade herself with someone who was incapable of love.

  She yanked opened a chest drawer and threw pink PJs decorated with cats onto the bed. She stomped into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She pounded her fist on the black and white vanity. What was he waiting for? If he was keeping her around for sex, then he could…he could…she stomped out of the bathroom so consumed with anger, she couldn’t think of anything bad enough he could do.

  She slipped on the PJs, climbed under the sheets, and flopped her head into the feather pillow. She grabbed one of the square decorative pillows and smashed it to her face. She screamed until she was exhausted. Stupid man. Why did he have to get inside her head?

  She tossed the beaten and broken pillow to the side. Why she was so furious over normal male behavior? This wasn’t the first time she’d been hit on.

  But it was the first time she ever completely desired a touch--his touch. God. She almost wanted him to keep her around for sex. Even worse, she wanted him to come back and finish what he started. Her body burned for that kiss. She needed therapy.

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  The next morning, when Winston came down from his room, Hannes was gone. He hoped to talk with his employer before Leah awoke. That would have to wait. He scrounged the pantry for breakfast items. The supplies he ordered for their first few days were already running low. He would have to go to the market tomorrow.

  As he finished pouring bacon grease into the container, Leah dragged into the kitchen in a pair of pink PJs. She plopped onto her regular barstool at the end of the island. Winston looked over from the stove. “Just in time.”

  Leah propped her elbow on the bar and slumped her head into h
er hand. “I need a shower before I change clothes.”

  “After breakfast.”

  She sighed. “What are we having?”

  Winston moved a pan from one burner to another. “You don’t want to know.” He smiled to himself.

  Leah’s eyes popped open and she sat straight up. “For breakfast? You’re feeding me something weird for breakfast?”

  She made him laugh. He hadn’t done that for far too long. “Not weird, and I think you will very much enjoy this.” He set a bowl of oatmeal on the bar in front of her.

  Leah looked into the bowl and drew her brows in. “I thought you said I didn’t want to know. This looks like oatmeal, which is normal.”

  “Good, then you will enjoy it.” He cleaned the kitchen while Leah ate. Hundreds of questions floated through his head. Should he ask her who she was or why she’s here? California was a long way from Cleveland where the cargo boat left from.

  After a few bites, Leah looked around. “It’s peaceful here. Where’s Hannes?”

  Winston chuckled and opened the dishwasher. “I do not know, but the car is not in the garage.”

  Leah nodded. After another bite, she said, “Tell me about him.”

  He stiffened. Many different identities and personas Hanes used raced through his mind. “What would you like to know?”

  Leah shrugged. “Tell me about his mom and dad. I cannot believe he is the offspring of someone who lived in this house.”

  Again, he chuckled. Sometimes he wondered the same thing. “Well, they were quite the couple. His father, Ivan--”

  “What?” Leah’s sudden interjection surprised him. “His father’s name was E-E-V-O-N.”

  “It is pronounced that way, a family name of his great-grandmother from Persia, I believe. But it is spelled I-V-A-N, as in the Russian Ivan the Terrible. Why?”

  “Nothing. Just seems to be a popular name lately. Go on. Sorry.”

  Winston continued stacking dishes into the dishwasher. “Ivan and Ms. Lyyli married when he was in his forties. She was still quite young, early twenties, as I recall. They settled into this house as his father before him.

  “The family company, O Industries, was an extremely prosperous lumber company Hannes’ great-grandfather, Kaarlo, started in the 1800s. Late in life, Kaarlo married a young lady and fathered nine children, including two sets of twins.

  “The children grew to be self-indulgent, irresponsible adults. They spent money on lavish houses and cars they never used. They drank and partied into the morning. I have been told Kaarlo spent thousands of markkas bailing his children out of jail.

  “As Kaarlo aged in years, he feared his company would die with him. But everything was saved when his grandson Ivan H. Otila II, Hannes’ father, expressed interest in the company. In twenty years, Ivan tripled O Industries’ size and profit.”

  Leah cut in, “Was his father sorta geeky, always mispronouncing words?”

  He stared at her for a second. “No.” What did that mean? He reached for a glass in the sink. “As I was saying, in the late 1970s, several lumber tycoons offered Ivan a large sum of money for O Industries. Ivan loved his business, but he was not a fool. His son had no interest in the company and his daughter was very young. He had no desire to push something onto her that she would be unhappy with later. So, doing what every good father would do, he sold the company for tens of millions of markkas.”

  Winston closed the dishwasher and leaned on the counter in front of Leah. In a low voice, he added, “Which is a boatload of money, if I say so myself.”

  Leah covered her mouth and giggled.

  “Unfortunately, money does not buy everything. Ivan died in 1989, leaving Ms. Lyyli and their daughter Kiela alone. By that time, Hannes had been in the military for several years and never visited home.

  “The ladies remained here in the island house. Almost three years to the day of Hannes’ father passing, the military informed Ms. Lyyli that Hannes was killed in combat--"

  Leah’s head snapped up. “What?”

  Winston held up his index finger, signaling her to hush. “…with honor and returned to her the few personal items remaining: a wallet size family photo taken when Hannes was eight, a brass cross for his bravery in combat and the other half of his metal ID tag.

  “What a terrible year. Kiela left the house vowing never to return to such ‘a sad and desolate place.’ With both of her children gone, occupying this house became a very lonely existence for Ms. Lyyli.

  “To bring back people and life, she developed an infatuation with remodeling. Architects, contractors and designers from around the world came and went for years. From sunrise to sunset, hammers, drills, and saws could be heard far and wide. All the downstairs rooms have been redesigned and rebuilt from the original.”

  He paused. His smile faded and eyes saddened. Memories cut deeper than he thought. His chest lowered with a slow sigh. “Six years ago, everything came to a halt. Ms. Lyyli fell ill with advanced stage breast cancer. She passed a year later. Since no living Otila laid claim to the house, I put it into ‘perpetual sleep.’

  “The furniture and antiques were covered with plastic and sheets just as see. The windows were boarded up to keep vagrants out and a local family was hired through a trust fund to maintain the yard, docks, and land.”

  Leah’s face scrunched. “Why didn’t she sell the house if she knew she was dying?”

  “No one knows. Perhaps she hoped someday one of her children would return and bring the ghosts back to life.”

  Leah slowly shook her head. “Never in a million years would I’ve guessed Hannes, my unending source of irritation, could ever have a past as grand and fabulous as he does.” A pensive Leah stared into her empty breakfast bowl. “So, you’re telling me Hannes is heir to the family estate?”

  Winston nodded.

  “That explains the jet we flew in.” Her head popped up. “You said the military claimed he was dead. What’s that all about? Obviously, they were wrong. You said ‘living’ Otila claimed the house. Are there ghosts here? And what about his sister? Is she still alive? Where is she living? Are other relatives still alive? How much money are we talking about?” Leah stopped to take a breath.

  Winston leaned back from the counter and laughed. “Slow down.” He took her empty bowl to the sink. “All your questions will be answered in time, my child.”

  “But I may not have a lot of time. I want to know now.”

  He didn’t like the sound of that. An uneasy feeling set in his stomach. “What do you mean, not a lot of time?” He placed the bowl in the dishwasher and turned it on.

  Leah leaned back in her barstool. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him for a few seconds. “What has Hannes told you about me?”

  He smirked. “Absolutely nothing. It exasperates me to no end how he refuses to let others help him.”

  Leah smiled. “Yup, that’s the Hannes we know and love.” She smacked her hands together and rubbed them back and forth. “Okay. What’s the plan for today?”

  “Well, I thought I would check the condition of the furniture and antiques, but--”

  Leah hopped off her stool. “Great. I’ll change clothes and then you can answer all my questions while we unwrap the rooms. How does that sound?”

  Winston wiped his hands on a dishtowel. “That sounds like a marvelous idea.” He leaned against the cabinet and watched her leave. What the bloody hell happened on Hannes’ last mission? Why did Hannes bring her here instead of Spain? And why didn’t she have luggage like a traveler should?

  A thought formed in his head. Hannes was hiding her. From whom was now the question--and how to get her back where she belonged.

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  Leah spent the next several hours with Winston, examining old artifacts for damage and uncovering the finer pieces of furniture. They rediscovered masterpiece paintings, life-sized marble statues of Grecian gods, and bronze busts. With great care, they cleaned away spider webs and dust.


  Under the sheet covering an end table, a tall object jutted into the air. Leah lifted the fabric and saw a silver replica beer stein mounted on a white marble base. She picked it up and looked at the front plate. “Winston, what does this say?”

  Looking over to her, he smiled. “That, my dear, is a second place trophy for a Wife Carrying Championship. The Missus and Ivan won that many years ago.”

  “What’s a Wife Carrying Championship? Sounds uncivilized to me.”

  He laughed. “Ask Hannes about it. He knows better than I.”

  Leah blew off the dust and set the trophy on the table. “By the way, where do you come in with the family? You didn’t mention your place in my history lesson.”

  He pulled the sheet off a Louis XVI chair. “Actually, my wife, Suvi, arrived before I did.

  “When Hannes was three years old, Lyyli gave birth to his sister Kiela. With both children, the house, and business, Ms. Lyyli needed help keeping up with everyday things.

  “She interviewed a young lady just out of school, and immediately made her an offer. Suvi accepted and started at once. After several wonderful years, Ivan and the Missus offered Suvi a month holiday to anywhere in the world. She admired the royalty of England and their beautiful castles. So with little hesitation, she flew off to London in style.

  “During a tour of the Porchester Castle, she met a dashing young gentleman named Winston Brigham.”

  Leah grinned and rolled her eyes.

  “He invited her to dinner. She agreed and that evening, she fell in love with him and he, with her.” Winston paused and stared at the sheet in his hands. “The remaining two weeks in England were some of the happiest times in our lives.

  “As her holiday came to an end, she told me of her devotion to the Otila children, and that she must leave. Well, I was not about to let such a little thing as a family a thousand miles away take the love of my life. Straight away, I asked her to marry me…in Finland.”

  Leah sighed. “How romantic. I’ve always dreamed about finding someone who would love me like that.”