A thrill shot through her.
She turned her head to watch him lumber back to his bedroom. The man was as fine as they came. He wore boxer briefs and, well, she could write poetry about his ass. Sturdy as a Redwood, that man. He didn’t have the muscles of the body builders on Venice Beach. His body was one who had worked hard his whole life. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him even though he ate like a bear. She giggled quietly at her own joke.
Why did she want him? Since she laid eyes on him, she’d done nothing but fantasize about him. Turning into a bear had only made him more exciting, which spoke to how the insanity had taken over. But the last thing she needed in her life was another complication and Luc was definitely that.
He didn’t bother to put a shirt on and now she knew why he kept his house so cold.
He was a bear.
Motioning for her to sit on the end of the couch he tossed the blankets around her. In only the t-shirt and panties, she was just short of an ice cube without his touch. “We need to talk,” he said seriously.
The hard stare he gave her meant she had no other options.
“Luc, you’re going to tell me that the police can help and that they’ll catch whoever is after me, but that’s the problem. I have no idea how high up this goes in my family. My uncle knows a great many influential people, the kind who can make things—people—disappear easily.”
He held up a hand. “From the beginning, tell me what happened.” It was an order not a request.
“My parents had a foundation. It’s one of the few things tied to the family business that I pay attention to. My brother and uncle were in Los Angeles visiting me. I had walked in on a conversation where—I thought my brother had accused my uncle of embezzling family funds. But I realized that couldn’t be true. My uncle is like another father to us. I kept my mouth shut, because I wasn’t really sure. But I’m me, and I couldn’t let it go so I did some snooping. I saw two sets of financial records on my brother’s computer. When I tried to ask him about it, he became angry.”
Her head dipped and she twisted a curl around her finger. “I don’t think he’s ever been that mad at me. I kept asking if he was involved or if he was just trying to work on some kind of cover up to save the family name, but he stormed out of the house. Later that day, someone tried to take a shot at me. I was in my car, and they came the opposite way. I saw the glint of the gun and ducked. My foot accidentally hit the gas pedal and I took off. I zoomed around back streets until I realized I was at LAX. I knew they couldn’t get guns past security. My brain wasn’t thinking that clear, but I had to get away.” Hands shaking she clasped them in her lap.
Sitting in the chair across from her, he leaned forward and took her hands in his.
“You’re safe now. I keep saying that, but I mean it. This is the perfect place for you to hide until we find out what’s going on. So you don’t know if your brother is involved?”
“No. But it doesn’t make sense. He’s the good kid. I’m the black sheep. I always have been. And he was furious with my uncle, but I didn’t hear enough of the conversation—I don’t know. The idea that my brother might be trying to kill me.” She coughed to hide the sob. She pulled her hands away from his. “Why am I telling you all of this? It sounds like one of those horrible woman-in-jeopardy movies.”
Luc sat back. “You’ve been so brave, Ainsley. You’re no victim. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.” It was a statement, not a compliment. For some reason, that made it even more special to her.
She crossed her legs and wrapped the blankets a little tighter around her.
“We can be discreet, there’s no reason for anyone to know anything until we are ready to tell them. I’m still a consultant and I can probably find whatever we need through my computer without flagging anything. But Ainsley, you have to tell me the truth. I promise on my honor, which is a big thing for my kind, that I will never do anything to hurt you. So you’re telling the truth about someone trying to harm you.” He frowned.
“Of course I am. Why did you think I was the one who’d done something wrong?”
He shrugged. “I was a Fed for a long time. Usually those who run are the guilty ones.”
She pursed her lips. “Well, I didn’t do anything but stumble onto something. Luc, I told you the truth because I felt like you deserved to know why I’m here. But it’s better if you stay out of it. I don’t want you involved.”
“Ainsley, I gave you my word. That’s something my kind doesn’t do easily. It is a forever bond when we do. It means we will keep our word until death. So I’m going to help you whether you want me to or not. What did you see on your brother’s computer?”
She paused, thinking of how she could word the next part so that she didn’t give too much away. “The money is being funneled into some accounts that have nothing to do with the foundation and everything to do with my uncle’s real estate holdings. They think because I’m in L.A., I don’t pay attention to the financials, but I do.” She stopped. “I’m rambling. Honestly, even before I overheard the conversation or saw the accounts on the computer weird stuff happened over the last few months.”
“Like…”
“Someone was following me. He was good but I saw the reflection of the same man twice near my home in Beverly Hills and the other time outside the art gallery I own. It sounds like I’m a paranoid freak but I come from a—”
“Wealthy family,” he added. “Evident from the talk about the foundation and financials and your expensive taste in clothing.”
She smirked. “I was in such a rush. I headed straight to the airport and took the next flight where I knew no one would think I would go. I hate the outside and the cold, and Montana has a lot of both.”
He chuckled. “White collar crime is a lot easier to track these days than it ever has been before. I don’t suppose you have those account numbers.”
For a moment she watched him. Nothing but sincerity on his face. He truly believed he could help her. And she was tired of shouldering the crap on her own.
“Yes, but they won’t have been stupid enough to leave them in the same place. As soon as they caught me looking they would have moved it.”
“Yes, and that’s how we’ll find them. Trust me.” He gave her a rare grin.
Ainsley sighed. “Thank you. I’m still not sure you can help ,but I’m glad someone knows beside me. I had this fear that they’d kill me and no one would ever find out what happened.”
Luc reached across the arm of his chair and covered her hand with his. “No one is going to hurt you—that I can promise you. But I need a promise from you in return.”
Here it came. He’d want her to tell him the family name.
“Promise you won’t leave until we get this settled. You really are safer here than anywhere else in the world.”
A place filled with people who shifted into animals, she reminded herself. Still, she’d only been around a couple of days but they treated her like family. Unlike, what she’d heard about small towns, these people were accepting. She had friends that she’d known for years in L.A., but not a single one of them would she trust as much as she did Luc. Well, except for her friend Marco who helped manage the gallery. Poor Marco was probably wondering what the hell had happened to her. She’d thought about calling him, but thought he’d be safer if he didn’t know anything.
Luc’s eyebrow shot up. Oh, he’d asked her something. He’d grumped at her the last twenty-four hours, but he’d also looked out for her. Made no sense whatsoever, but that’s the way it was.
She held her hand up like she was about to testify. “I swear,” she said.
Squeezing her hand, he stood. “No more running away. I’m going to send a text to a friend of mine. Just to see what’s up.”
“Don’t you need to know my real name?”
He gave her a strange look. “How many runaway heiresses named Ainsley do you think there are in the world?”
“I see your point.”<
br />
Her eyes drooped. Yawning she pulled the pillow under her head again. “Luc,” she said softly.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for everything—especially the tennis shoes.”
She heard him laugh loud this time. The full throaty sound forced her lips into a grin. Luc laughing was a wondrous and wonderful thing.
She was determined to make that happen more often.
…
Before he picked up his cell, she was asleep.
Those damn pink tennis shoes…
It was far from the type of clothing she was used to, but she acted as though he’d given her spun gold. She wouldn’t stop thanking him.
Talking to her in the dark had turned him on more than if she’d stripped naked and given him a lap dance. When she threatened to run, he’d—hell—he’d panicked. There was no other word for it.
I don’t panic.
Yep, but you’ve never felt this way about a woman.
Not even his wife, who he had loved more than anything.
Ainsley was nothing but a fantasy. A woman so far out of his reach, that even with a ladder to the moon he wouldn’t be able to touch her. And if he did, he’d probably kill her. Humans and bears just didn’t mix. Of course, that didn’t keep him from obsessing about her…or how it’d feel to have those legs wrapped around him while he drove into her and she moaned his name.
Dammit. He had to get a grip. She was a woman, just like every other woman.
Keep telling yourself that, asshole.
His body was one tight nerve about to blow.
But he had to protect her. No matter how much he wanted to make love to her, he couldn’t do it. Many a cold shower would be in his future. Every time he smelled her, he went hard.
He plugged his phone into the keyboard he used to text. His fingers were much too thick to type on the tiny keys and he had a habit of breaking stylus.
Almost as soon as he hit send, there was a message from his friend and FBI Special Agent, Cody.
“If she’s with you, don’t let her out of your sight. She’s in serious trouble, this isn’t just family. Her uncle’s into some nasty crap and the people he pissed off are coming after him and anyone close to him. We have him in custody and he’s singing like an opera of canaries. We’re still trying to locate her brother. He dropped off the grid around the same time she did.”
At least he could tell Ainsley that her relatives weren’t the ones trying to kill her.
“How long until this is settled?”
“Couple of weeks at least, maybe a month. She’s safer with you. As soon as we have it, I’ll give you the all clear.”
“Got it.”
“She’s smart. Been paying cash for everything. We lost her at the Montana airport.”
Smart she was. Beautiful, intelligent and she could hold her own in his world. That didn’t happen often with humans.
After unplugging the phone, Luc leaned against the fireplace that separated the bedroom from the living room.
When he heard her teeth chattering, he scooped her up and held her tight to his chest. The scent of her was something he’d never tire of. She smelled of spring, his favorite time of year.
After putting her in the bed, he wrapped the covers around her, settled next to her and pulled her tight. A few minutes later her teeth stopped clanging together and the shivering subsided. She sighed as she snuggled closer to him.
Protecting her was a priority. And when he made a promise, it was forever.
His only worry was who would protect him from her.
The woman had wiggled her way into his heart in a matter of hours, what would happen in a month?
When his child had been born and he’d confessed that he worried constantly about the baby, his mother had said, “Live in the moment, Lucas. Every second is precious. Gather them tight and appreciate the time you have.” He had no idea how prophetic those words would be. The familiar pain speared his heart and shoved the darkness that came with it into the forefront of his mind.
Ainsley shoved her butt against his pelvis, which distracted him from his thoughts. He held back a moan as his cock throbbed. The woman had no idea what she did to him. Thoughts of making love to her had invaded his day. Her laugh, or her voice, the smell of her, it didn’t take much. He had it bad for this woman.
It figured that the first woman in four years who had caught his interest wanted to get out of his Podunk town as soon as she was able.
Enjoy the moments.
He might be better off sending her to live with one of the single women in town. But then he wouldn’t see her, and he decided that was the worst idea ever. Besides, he couldn’t protect her if she wasn’t under his roof.
It might kill him when she left, but he had her now and would make the most of it.
He’d gather those moments his mother had talked about and prayed they’d be enough to keep him sane the rest of his lonely life.
Chapter Seven
Quietly Ainsley searched for the coffee pot in Luc’s kitchen but she couldn’t find one. Throwing on her t-shirt from the day before, jeans and her beloved pink sneakers, she tiptoed down the stairs to the bar kitchen. Coffee, she needed it more than air at the moment.
Luc had awoken her briefly to give her the news about her uncle being in custody. It was still unclear if her brother was involved with the embezzlement scheme. She prayed he wasn’t.
She had fallen back asleep on the couch…only to find herself next to Luc this morning.
Wondering how she had ended up in bed again with him, she poured water into the container. Dumped the ground coffee beans into filter and waited.
She didn’t remember getting up and climbing into bed with him. God knows she dreamed about doing it. In her dreams, she’d been in the wilderness when she saw tiger eyes staring at her through the trees. Then Luc popped into the scene and wrapped her in warmth. As soon as he touched her, the fear had dissipated and the fantasy of making love to him began.
When she’d awoken and found herself in his arms, it had been so right. She’d used every ounce of restraint not to reach out and brush his long hair off his cheek.
As gruff and cranky as he was at times, the man had taken her troubles as his own. Hell, she’d never trusted a man other than her father and brother. From the time she was a young teen, many boys had only asked her out because of who she was. At first, she loved the attention. But it was all so fake, and it grew old.
She wasn’t interested in a man who wasn’t truly interested in her. Nope, those days were over.
With Luc, however, it was different. She could see how hard he tried to stay unaffected by her, but he was. The bulge in her behind when she tripped the night before was proof enough.
The smell of coffee lifted her spirits. A noise outside the window caught her attention. It was still dark, the sun hiding behind the snow. Leaning closer to the window she listened carefully.
“What are you doing?” Luc’s voice bellowed.
“Crap!” She yelled as she realized she’d poured hot coffee on her hand. The cup slipped from her hand but Luc caught it and set on the counter. Then he yanked her toward the sink and poured cold water on the scalding burn.
“It’s an industrial coffee pot and the steam can give you third degree burns,” he chastised as he rinsed, and then examined her fingers. “Ice,” he said as he put a pack together in a plastic baggie and wrapped a clean dishtowel around it. “I don’t think it’s going to scar, but we’ll have to watch it. Keep the ice on it for twenty minutes, and then we’ll see if it needs an antibiotic. Probably should bandage it lightly to keep it clean.”
She smiled. “You’re sweet,” she said as she reached up with her other hand and touched his cheek.
Luc stilled as he sucked in a breath.
“Thank you Mr. Florence Nightingale.”
Would she ever be able to read this man? She’d thought for sure he’d wanted her, but he’d very nearly pulled way when she touched him
.
She blew on her fingers for lack of something better to do.
“It’s been a long time,” he said so low she wasn’t sure she heard him correctly.
“For what?” she asked genuinely curious.
“Since a woman has touched me,” he said his eyes never leaving hers.
“Oh.” Her mind was in hyper drive trying to put all the pieces together. Did that mean he wanted her to touch him?
“I want to kiss you,” he said. His face a stone mask, but his dark eyes held a passion that she’d only dreamed about. He was looking at her as if he wanted to—
“I think that’s a really good idea.” She reached up to touch his cheek again. This time he leaned into her hand as she grazed his sun worn skin with her fingertips.
“Your hand,” he said.
Her eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t feel a thing.”
He pulled her against his thighs.
As his mouth captured hers, a strong zap of electricity fissured through her body as if she’d stuck her finger in a light socket. Not so much painful as addictive. The warm sensation sailed through her body quickly as his tongue opened her mouth and explored hers. He tasted of toothpaste and Luc. Damn the man, she lost herself in his touch as his hands tightened around her ass and he brought her closer.
“Grreooowww.”
Luc’s head popped up and he shoved her behind him.
“Get upstairs and lock the door,” he ordered.
Cocking his head as if he were listening, he barreled to the door wearing no shoes or shirt, just a pair of jeans.
“Run as fast as you can upstairs. Get my cell and hit the number two. When he answers tell him I’ve gone after him.”
Before she could ask who him might be, he was gone. The growl vibrated through the back alley rattling the windows. Her instinct to protect Luc had her at the door, but she remembered he needed her to call someone. After locking the door as he asked, she ran upstairs and locked that door. Sliding across the wood floors she found his phone on the mantle of the fireplace.
Her hand shaking she fumbled with it before she was able to push the button and hold it up to her ear.
Lions, Tigers, and Sexy Bears, Oh My! Page 6