Mountain Man's Secret Baby

by Lauren Wood

She laughed. “You started it.”

  “I felt it too. I thought for certain that I was wrong. I always thought I’d be paired with some docile little thing. You’re enough to scare the lion inside me. You always tame him, though. No one has ever done that.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” she said quietly.

  “You don’t have to do anything. Just let me love you. Let me know when you are ready. Then marry me and spend the rest of your life with me.”

  She laughed, and he smiled. He’d spend the rest of his life making her laugh. “Oh sure. I just have to marry you. Nothing big.”

  He settled back down in the bed and cradled her as she rested her head on his chest. This felt so right. Being inside her felt right. Having her in his arms felt right. “What do you want to do? I want to do this right so you don’t pack up your stuff and leave me.”

  “I don’t think I could leave you even if I tried,” she whispered. She pressed her lips to his chest, and he felt himself stirring. After all that, he was still ready for her. “I’m nervous, but it has nothing to do with you. I’m not second-guessing you. I feel safe in your arms, but what if I mess this up? What if I’m just some shifter groupie, and your misreading all the signs?”

  He stroked her hair. “There is no misreading you. And if you give me the chance, I’ll prove it to you.”

  After a few moment of silence, she spoke again. “I’m still scared, but I want to hear you say it.”

  He smiled. “I love you, Sage West. You’re meant to be with me. You’re my mate. You’re my happily ever after.”

  She smiled and slung a leg around his. “I thought I would freak out, but I liked hearing it.” She propped herself up and stared at him.

  “And how do you feel about me?”

  “I love you, Davis Weathers. You’re meant to be mine. You’re my soul mate. You’re my happily ever after.”

  Hearing those words made him growl and lift his head to claim her kiss. After a moment, she broke apart. Breathless. “So this is it?”

  “This is it,” he murmured. His sex twitched against her leg, and her eyes widened.

  “Already?”

  “ It’s your own fault. You’re just so damn sexy.”

  She licked her lips hungrily, and he laughed. “Clearly you have no issues with that.”

  “Mine,” she said possessively as she straddled him. “Forever.”

  “Forever,” he agreed, and soon she was riding him back to heaven.

  They were married within a month, and her store opened with great success. She knew without a doubt that every part of her life had led up to this. Had she never spent so much time with Connor, she never would have run so far away. She would have never run into the arms of her true mate.

  Sage Weathers. She was loved and protected. She loved and protected. And she was happy.

  THE END

  DARK TEMPTATIONS

  Chapter 1

  “I want you to know that I wasn’t sure about bringing you on board, Natalie. This business isn’t for everyone and I have to admit that you have shown me something over the years. There are a lot that have washed out after seeing things that would curl your grandmother’s hair. I’ve seen how your mind works and I have to say that I’m impressed. I do fear that one day you’re going to crack under the pressure, but that’s your cross to bear. This next assignment is something that you have trained for through psychological conditioning and working with those that were experts in their field.” Catherine Cromwell was the leader of an elite group that really didn’t have any designation.

  “The only thing that concerns me is proving my worth to you, mother. You’ve been a role model from the moment that I was born. You were that helicopter parent that just wouldn’t take no for an answer. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to join your cause, but something about what you do here makes sense. Bringing these things in, so that the public doesn’t know about our genetic anomalies is best for everybody.” Natalie had been trying to get her mother’s approval from the moment that she was old enough to talk. “I feel validated that my mother sees me as a valuable asset. It gives me that meaning that I’ve been looking for. I know that I had to sacrifice a lot to get here, but it’s worth it to see how proud she is of me. She hasn’t come out and said so, but I understand that that would only make her feel some kind of weakness. I can hope for some kind of pat on the back.”

  “In the last few years, I have given you a lot to think about. I haven’t done you the service of cutting the apron strings. You’ve always had somebody with you during any and all assignments. This one is going to be your trial by fire. We suspect that there is something out there that has been hiding in plain sight for years. There has been a video that has gone viral and we have now turned our attention to scrutinizing his every move. He’s a private person and he does his best to stay out of the limelight. I suspect that there’s a good reason for that.” Catherine looked at her daughter and saw the spitting image of her when she was that age. They both had chestnut hair that was cut uniformly like that of something that you would find in the military. They were not ones to wear their emotions on their sleeve. Hugging was not a form of affection that was shared amongst them.

  Natalie had always considered herself to be a wallflower and pretty much was able to blend into her surroundings. That all changed when she went to work for her mother right out of college. She pleaded her case and her mother reluctantly allowed her to come into an environment that was not for the faint of heart. She was unassuming at 5’3 and her weight fluctuated between 140 and 165 pounds on any given month. She used to be ashamed of her size, but she learned to work with what she had. Those that had taught her how to seduce showed her that she had the curves to make the boys come to her. She just needed to know how to use them with the confidence that she exuded. Behind closed doors, she was more of a team player, but when let loose she could become a force to be reckoned with.

  “I know that you usually let more seasoned veterans take the reins. I’m glad to see that I’ve finally given you a reason to throw me into the deep end. I’m ready and I think that you’ve known that for quite some time. You weren’t ready to let me fly solo.” “I was a test tube baby and I had no father to speak of. My father was a specimen that she had used to have a child. She had made it quite known from the moment that I was old enough to know better that I was a miracle baby. She wasn’t supposed to have children, but she’d come up with this procedure that allowed her to stymie the doctors. I feel this bond towards her and I know that nobody will ever be able to break it. It’s like we are connected by an invisible thread. I am a little apprehensive about going it alone, but this is the only way that I’m going to finally make her see what kind of woman I’ve become.”

  “I’m still not sold on this, but I think that you might be the right candidate for this mission. You have to remember that there are people out there that can use their charm to turn the tables. This guy oozes a sexual charisma and it’s hard for others to fight that feeling. I expect you to be better than them. I’m not going to sugarcoat this. I’ve already sent one asset in and she has never been heard from again. There has been no body washing up on shore. We have no idea what happened to her and her family deserves more than that. I want you to look at that video. It might seem a little stranger than usual. Most have considered it to be a hoax. We’ve done everything we can to fuel that belief with social media and fake blogs claiming that it’s all a trick of the camera. We have discredited the person that uploaded the footage.”

  “The best offense is a good defense and I believe that was one of the main lessons that you taught me growing up. I will not be influenced by a pretty smile or words that were meant to get me into bed.” “I’ve wanted my mother’s approval for as long as I can remember. I never did feel good enough and she did everything in her power to make sure that I knew that I could be better. The grades that I got were good, but she made me strive for the best. There were times that I cursed her name, but today she
was what I was trying to emulate.” Natalie looked at the frontage with her hand up to her mouth. There wasn’t much that shocked her nowadays, but this one really did make her take a second glance.

  “That was exactly the same reaction I had the first time I saw it. We’ve done everything we can to find out if it’s true. We’ve seen him out of his penthouse suite, but for the most part he sequesters himself and surrounds himself with security. We need you to infiltrate and obtain proof of his true existence. Once that has been confirmed, we will amount a clandestine attack to bring him in by any means necessary. You’ll have to gain his trust and get close to the subject.” Normally, Catherine would tell her asset that they needed to sleep their way to the top. She wasn’t going to do that with her daughter, but the intention was there. Catherine was bulletproof and she had the ears of those movers and shakers that wanted to make the world safe. Her green eyes looked soft and innocent, but there was something deadly that only a select few had been able to see. That was when she became more of a threat than ever before.

  “I think you already know that my teachers in seduction have said that I have exceeded their expectations. I know how to take care of myself with several forms of hand to hand combat. I am a marksman with several weapons and I do not let my emotions get involved. This man is a symbol of everything that is wrong in this world. He has to be made responsible for his actions.” “I’ve seen subjects come in, but alas I’ve never seen them go back out. I don’t know what my mother does with them and I haven’t had the courage to ask her. I suspect that there is a military application and a lot of money on the table to get things done in the most expedient way possible.”

  “This man is considered a humanitarian and someone that we have to walk on eggshells around. He has a lot of clout and people in his corner. We need to make sure that he is this thing before we act. I know that’s a little different from how I usually do things. It stands to reason that we need to treat this one with kid gloves. Marcel Foster is considered off limits, but I will not stand idly by and let him make a fool of us.” Catherine had watched the video several times and still couldn’t believe that she was throwing her daughter at the man that was capable of that. She looked at Natalie and saw a confidence that she had been lacking growing up. There was a real change in her demeanor and that shy naïve girl had been extinguished.

  “I will start with doing my own research. There are plenty of articles that are dedicated to Mr. Foster.” The one thing that had been stressed during training was to never personalize a subject before going into the field. “That being cannot be allowed to run rampant in my streets and think that he’s above suspicion. That poor animal was defenseless and that thing charbroiled him like he was Sunday dinner. I will not be turned by flattery or by the muscles that I can see through anything that he’s wearing. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone. I get a little tired of turning in the morning to see that empty side of the bed. I want warmth and friendship, but in this business the one thing that needs to be sacrificed is relationships. I learned that the hard way. There are things about what I do that has to remain private and secrets have a funny way of wrecking a good thing.

  “I’m not one to tell you how to do your job, but remember there have been others that have failed miserably. I expect better from the one that came from my loins. I want you to put everybody else on notice. I want you to show them how it’s done and take a bow after succeeding. I’m expecting big things and I don’t want you to disappoint me.” Catherine showed no emotion and went back to shuffling papers. Her one true love was her job. It didn’t hurt to have that necessary paycheck in her pocket. She was powerful in her own mind. She knew that she was better than all of them and what she did was necessary for the continued survival of the human race. She had a facility that was 1000 feet below her that housed some of those things. They were born that way and some would say that they were the evolution of mankind, but she only considered them to be abominations.

  The one thing that Catherine was known for was to have no mercy. Experimentation and cutting these things open for better inspection was where her funding was coming from. She had been in charge of this division for the past 10 years and before that she was kissing ass and taking names. She knew how to play the game and politics had become something of a hobby for her. She could manipulate anyone.

  Seeing that the meeting was over, Natalie walked out of the office into a sterile hallway that was completely white and devoid of any kind of decoration. Those in lab coats were walking by with clipboards in their hands. She had always been interested in science, but she felt more drawn to her mother’s work. She didn’t have to go to a normal boot camp. The one she went to was more specialized and took six months of her life to complete. Even after that, she was constantly learning something. Linguistics or how to fly a plane or even a helicopter had come easy for her. She was well rounded and had no problem throwing herself into new and exciting things.

  She didn’t make a sound and walked amongst them, till she came to her quarters. Nobody was allowed to live off the base and that meant most of these people had no lives of their own. They were dedicated to what they were doing, but there were times that Natalie thought that maybe they were not the right ones to be playing god. “I see the way that this man has the world in the palm of his hand. Mr. Foster is hiding from the world and nobody has a damned clue of the monster underneath the mask. I’m afraid that I need to orchestrate a meeting and make sure that it looks nonchalant and quite spontaneous. It’s not like I haven’t done it before, but I usually have backup in case things go awry. This time, I’m flying without a net. I’m exhilarated by the chance to prove myself and I’ve always considered myself one of the lone wolves. That’s what my mother called those that were able to do this, as a one man army or one woman army as it were.”

  "The commander asked me to give you these. This is everything that you will need and believe me I’ve been exactly where you are. It’s fun to play dress up, but remember that all these fancy things are only window dressing. I’ve taught you everything that you need to know and I think that you are more than qualified to step into the shoes.” Sheila Masters was a resident expert in seduction and she had the raw sexuality that she used on many occasion to lure the suspected victim into her trap. She had worked with Natalie on a few occasions and found her to be competent. In fact, she would say than Natalie could immerse herself into any role with relative ease. It was interesting, but there were a lot of similarities to the commander. They were two peas in a pod.

  Chapter 2

  Marcel couldn’t stay cloistered in his penthouse all the time. There were functions meant to give him the praise that he deserved for many of the causes that he chaired daily. He didn’t like wearing this monkey suit and he was more comfortable in a pair of blue jeans while lazily watching reality television. Unfortunately, this was something that was unavoidable and hearing them talk about him made him cringe to think of how easy he had blended in. He was not a man that took chances. His main guard was an island on to himself.

  “Mr. Foster, I implore you not to feed into their false platitudes. You’re here for one reason and then I’m going to get you out of here as fast as possible. I know that you want me to stay incognito, but I don’t think that I can do that this time. There are too many variables and I can’t account for every one of them. This place can be easily attacked from many fronts. I have my best people keeping an eye on anything that might seem out of place.” Benjamin was a seasoned African American with many tours of duty under his belt. He wore the black suit as a form of armor. He didn’t like having the control taken away from his hands.

  “I know that you’re not comfortable with this situation, but I can’t afford not to make some kind of appearance. They’re going to need a sound bite and I have to let them see that I’m not just some phantom with a lot of money.” He had shaved his dark beard down to a very manageable goatee. His dark blue eyes took in his surroundings like th
at of a soldier that had been trained to look for anything out of the ordinary. He stood at over 6 feet with dark hair that went down to his shoulders. He was no stranger to working his body into a specimen and had Benjamin to help him continue his regiment every morning. “All of these people are starving for the truth and they wouldn’t know it if it came up and bit them in the ass. They only want to believe what they can see with their own eyes. They are blind and they cannot see. They want to believe in heroes and I have to project that to them.”

  “I still don’t like this and there’s too much that can go wrong. You know how you get when you’re pushed into a corner. Refrain from making any grand gestures and don’t even think about getting in front of the camera.” Benjamin had known from the moment that he went to work for Marcel that he was different from all of his other charges in the past. Seeing him change the first time was a little alarming, but the money was good and the man had proven that he was more than what was underneath. “I don’t want to see another video like the one that showed up on the Internet a couple of months ago. There have been those that have been suspicious and they’re taking action. I’ve been right there on the front lines to make sure that they didn’t get close.”

  Marcel really didn’t know what Benjamin had done and really wasn’t in any position to ask questions. There was something deadly about Benjamin. It was the way that he carried himself with authority.

  Natalie in her best white flowing dress that accentuated her curves to the best of their advantage was now making her approach. She pretended to be talking on the phone and not watching where she was going. She bumped into the man and spun around like she had lost her equilibrium. The champagne glass in her hand dumped onto the white tuxedo shirt of Marcel Foster.

  She was accosted by this giant old black man that looked like he could blot out the sun. His huge hands were pressed up against her chest and that ignited a certain something down below that had gone unfulfilled in quite some time. “My apologies, but I guess I can’t juggle and chew gum at the same time.” “The best way to break the ice is to show some humor. This is a tried and true method that I have mastered with my own flair for the dramatic. He’s looking at my huge breasts and the way that the nipples are poking through the fabric of this very sheer gown. I have him by the balls and I plan to pull at his short and curlies to get his attention.”