by Vivian Arend
Silence fell. He leaned back on the soft leather and stared up at the ceiling.
Mating fever.
The grin that took him was huge and satisfying. Finally.
Finally, he could go after the woman he so desperately wanted to be his. Now she wouldn’t be able to tell him he was simply playing around, not when he made it clear she was every answer to every question that had ever been asked.
If she wanted him a fraction of the amount he wanted her, this would be the beginning of a fan-fucking-tastic forever.
3
Damn bear.
Hours had passed, yet she was still daydreaming about James.
Kaylee had taken a roundabout trip to get outside, grabbing his clothing and tucking the pile away in her truck. Then she did as he’d suggested, snapping pictures around the outside of Borealis Gems before the weather turned.
It was over an hour later before she slipped back into the building and up to the office to track down her other best friend.
Amber Myawayan smiled at her from behind the executive assistant’s desk in the main office. Her eyes shone, and she was all but quivering in her seat.
“What’s got you so excited?” Kaylee asked.
“I found another lead on my brother,” the ebony-haired woman told her, shaking a thin slip of paper in the air. Then her lips twisted, and she made a face, a sad sigh escaping before she added the confession. “It’s not a very good lead, but it’s better than nothing, and I’ve been waiting such a long time for a break. Maybe I’ll actually find him this time.”
Kaylee stepped toward her friend. Amber’s deep brown eyes were so filled with hope, there was no way she could steal any of her joy. No matter that there had been nothing but dead ends at the end of each of Amber’s searches ever since she had come north two years ago looking for her only remaining family.
“If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,” Kaylee said with as much enthusiasm as possible.
“I know you don’t want me to be disappointed again, but I have to keep hoping.” Amber leaned toward Kaylee, her long hair falling forward as mischief danced in her eyes. “You have a secret too. Spit it out,” she demanded.
For one panicked moment Kaylee wondered if she’d been talking about James out loud, then realized Amber was referring to the note she’d sent earlier in the day.
There were secrets, and there were secrets.
Her forever-crush on James was a private matter, but there’d been whispers on the air lately. Rumours trickling into Kaylee’s ears that involved the Borealis family and a potential hostile takeover attempt of Borealis Gems.
Anything that might affect her family of choice wasn’t going to remain hidden in the shadows. Not if she could help it.
Kaylee stepped toward the desk and lowered her voice. “I’ve been in contact with that certain person you thought would be good to talk to.”
Her friend’s eyes widened. “That certain person of the female persuasion who works for you know who?”
“At the you know what?” Kaylee dipped her chin. “She said she wants to meet with us.”
Amber tilted her head to one side, looking every inch like innocence personified. “Of course she does. Who wouldn’t want to meet with two unintimidating, perfectly wonderful women such as ourselves?”
Kaylee’s lips twitched into a smile no matter how hard she tried to stop them. “To say nothing about the fact you’re hip-deep in contact with one of the most important people at Borealis Gems.”
“You’re hip deep,” Amber corrected. A furl formed between her brows. “You and James have been friends forever. You know as well as I do that if you told him you had important news, he’d be willing to listen. I’m fairly new on the scene, and I just work for the company. They might not believe me.”
Kaylee didn’t know about that. Amber was the type most people trusted from the very first moment. Her, on the other hand, people were more likely to take one look and forget she even existed. Most of the time that was just fine.
Except…damn if she didn’t wish it wasn’t true because then, maybe then, she’d have been worthy of being more than a friend to James. More hands-on, specifically.
Or body on body. Oh yeah…
The door off the hallway opened, and they both snapped upright—in Kaylee’s case, because of her guilty conscience from daydreaming dirty thoughts about her best friend while in the main office of the family company.
Relief hit as she recognized the man marching through the door. His bright eyes snapped with intelligence, the silver grey in his hair only enhancing his good looks. Giles Borealis, Sr. strutted forward as if he owned the place—he literally did—one hand resting on a cane Kaylee was convinced was more for show than anything else.
A debonair man of his age looked good with a cane by his side, but she wasn’t about to proclaim that the patriarch of Borealis Gems was playacting.
Although he totally was, and she knew it.
“Well, now, if it isn’t two of the most beautiful women in the world. Breaks my heart, just the sight of you. Speeds up my pulse and makes a man wish he were twenty-five years younger.”
Amber slid behind her desk as if putting a barrier between her and the older gentleman. She fussed with her notepad and phone, her eyes not meeting his, only Kaylee caught her friend’s smile. The one she was trying to keep hidden from the family patriarch. “Wouldn’t your wife have something to say about that?”
Giles Borealis made a pooh-poohing sound. “Oh, you can be sure that I would still fall in love with my Laureen, but I’d be most happy to have introduced you to some of my younger self’s friends. Wonderful gentlemen who would treat you ladies to a good time instead of leaving you stuck in this office all the time.” He shook a finger at Amber, who had settled in her chair and was now smiling at him sweetly. “I know you’ve got an important job, with a lot on your plate, but that’s no excuse for you to stay home every night.”
One of Amber’s brows arched skyward. “How would you know where I spend my nights?”
A snort of laughter escaped Kaylee before she could stop it.
Bad move. Mr. Borealis turned his formidable attention on her. “And you,” he said, ignoring Amber’s question. “Why don’t I see you settling down with some fine young man? It’s time you made a move, young lady. You’re beautiful and you’re talented.” He pointed to the family portrait that hung on the wall behind him, the one Kaylee had taken during a family picnic two years ago. He tapped his nail on the glass. “You give me the go-ahead, and I’ll bankroll the loan to set you up with your own photo studio.”
“Mr. Borealis, you can’t just—”
He shook that finger in front of her face, gaze locked on hers, although he didn’t say a word.
This one is entertaining, her cat muttered softly. More feline than any bear should be.
Kaylee couldn’t argue. There was something very cat-like about the man’s curiosity—and he was stubborn.
He’d corrected her on this far too many times in the past. “Grandpa Giles. You can’t just up and offer that kind of business arrangement.”
“As if I can’t,” he harrumphed. “I know a good investment when I see one. Your work is going to take you places, and anyone who blames a man for getting in on the ground floor doesn’t have any business sense at all.” He folded his arms over his chest and dipped his head as if that were the end of the conversation. His gaze slid back to Amber. “I came in to pick up the signed paperwork from the boys.”
Amber’s lashes fluttered for a moment. “Oh, dear. It’s not ready. I mean, Cooper and Alex both signed, but James isn’t home yet from—”
Drat.
“James is back,” Kaylee interrupted. “But he headed straight home. I’m sorry, I was supposed to tell you.”
Grandpa Giles clicked his tongue, worry erasing his happy expression. “I need those papers. I’m meeting virtually with the investors in a little over an hour, and I definitely need all the s
ignatures in place.”
Amber bit her bottom lip, obviously flustered as she rearranged and straightened papers on her desk. “I have an appointment later today. I’ve been invited to go to the dog sledding place. You know, the one where they run with teams over the grass? I don’t want to cancel, but if I have to…”
“No. Don’t worry about it. I can help,” Kaylee offered.
The change in Grandpa Giles was astonishing. The sadness in his eyes vanished between one second and the next. He straightened up and looked her over with approval. “Would you really? Oh, you have no idea how big of a help that would be. I can keep the investors entertained during our conference call if you get James’s signature quick enough.”
While some things were beyond her skill set, this she was more than capable of. “It’s not a problem. I wanted to make sure he was taking care of himself, anyway.”
Curiosity and concern darkened Grandpa Giles’s eyes. “Not feeling well?”
“He thinks he caught a cold from the group of investors he flew home. Either that, or it’s the bug that’s going around town.”
Grandpa Giles nodded slowly. “Dangerous things, summer colds. And I know my grandsons—always neglecting their health. Good thing you’re going to drop in on him. Someone needs to double check he’s taking care of himself and getting lots of rest.”
Amber had been working diligently in the background. She slid papers into a file folder and handed it to Kaylee. “Page four. Once he signs it, take a picture and send it to me. I’ll have time to take care of the rest before I head out for the sleds.”
“Amazing women,” Grandpa Giles offered up as if he were reciting a prayer, “the world would be a sadder place without you.”
Kaylee exchanged a secret smile with Amber before grabbing the file and slipping from the room.
Outside, the blue skies had vanished behind a mass of clouds that were roiling in like high-speed time-lapse photography. The threat of the storm was no longer just a suggestion.
Her inner cat took one look overhead, shuddered, then vanished. Hiding from the coming rain with incredibly self-centered preservation skills.
Thanks for nothing, Kaylee muttered.
A faint echo answered her, mostly prim, but with a faint hint of apology. You chose to go outside. You chose to get wet, not me.
True. But some things had to be faced and not hidden away from.
Kaylee clutched the file and raced for her truck.
In spite of her terrible history with inclement weather, as the first huge droplets smashed against her windshield on the short trip over to James’s apartment, it wasn’t fear that made her heart pound erratically.
Somehow it felt as if her world was on the edge of tumbling into something new. Something massive and earthshaking.
She parked in the nearest parking space to the door. No one else lived in the apartment building yet, which meant she was only a few feet from the entrance. Kaylee pushed open her door, barely catching it in time as the howling wind ripped in to tear it from her grasp. Her hair was instantly drenched, rain slashing against her skin. The fabric of her coat and her hair flailed like out-of-control whips.
Storms had terrified her ever since she’d been caught in one at age ten, when her parents had carelessly locked her out of the house when they went exploring without any warning.
Her cat had hated every minute of the situation. They’d been wet and cold and scared, and only her inner animal had given her the strength to deal with just how petrified she’d been.
Come to think of it, that was probably the last time the beast had being willing to deal with that kind of stress, and Kaylee didn’t blame her.
Yet the tingling in her entire body had nothing to do with the memories of spending that long-ago storm hiding all alone in a shaking and unsteady treehouse, and everything to do with putting her thumb to the security lock James had given her access to only a couple of weeks ago. Had everything to do with her dripping her way to the elevator and hitting the button to the penthouse suite.
Because as foolish as it was, her heart kept hoping for what could never be.
4
Heat. Pulsing heat. It wrapped around his body and tangled tentacles into his brain, sending his thoughts in a million directions.
James sat on his couch and died a million deaths. He’d reached for the phone a half dozen times before letting his hand fall with a plop to the leather seat beside him. It had to have something to do with the fever, his lack of ability to concentrate enough to make the next move. Who was he going to call, and what would he tell them?
His brothers? Hell, they’d laugh right before they reminded him that more was on the line than just his freedom—and reminded him of their pact.
No avoiding the mating fever. Well, he didn’t plan to avoid it, but damn if he knew what he was supposed to do next.
He needed Kaylee to show up so he could get started on his grand master plan of thumbing his nose at fate and picking his own mate, but seriously, what was he supposed to say to her?
Kaylee? Hey, hi. Seems as if the mating fever might have hit, and I was just wondering if you’d be interested in coming over here so I can have my wicked way with you. Possibly forever.
Yeah. Considering her previous response to his flirting, an outright demand would go over really well.
At this stage of the game, he still knew what was going on. His brain was still working, although his more primal side was beginning to take over, and at the height of the fever, at least according to rumours he’d heard, the animal urges would have the upper hand.
In a good, positive way in terms of sex drive. Again, rumours, because his own memories of last year were hazy.
He’d had the good luck of being off in the wilderness on a fishing trip by himself when the fever hit. He basically survived by shifting into his bear form and sitting in the river for most of the week.
Wasn’t fun, his bear reminded him.
This isn’t going to be, either, he informed the beast. Not if he couldn’t get Kaylee on board quickly.
His inner animal pouted before offering a brilliant suggestion. Call Kaylee. You can have sex. Lots and lots of sex. Would be fun.
It would be. This time he agreed completely with the beast.
A rapid knocking at the door broke into his brooding.
He blinked, surprised to find the room had gone dark even though it was barely five. Rain slammed into the windows lining the side of the penthouse, a strong wind rattling even the solid construction of his multimillion-dollar home on the tenth-floor penthouse suite.
He leaned forward, peeling off the couch with a rasp as if he’d begun to melt his way into the leather surface.
The banging grew loud, irritating his nerves. He had the urge to bang on his side of the door. See how they liked it when someone else made such an annoying racket.
“What?” he shouted bad-naturedly.
“It’s me, Kaylee. Open the door. I’m freezing to death.”
He’d already had his hands on the locks, twisting and opening, but at the sound of her voice, he went still. Except for his cock—the damned thing jerked upright behind the tight confines of his jeans, signaling its willingness to leap into action.
This was it. This was what he’d been hoping for all along, and yet he hesitated. Not with him already partially naked and his cock primed like a heat-seeking missile.
The image of his cock sliding into Kaylee’s warm depths dragged a groan of frustration out of him loud enough to rattle the walls.
The knocking stopped, and the worry in Kaylee’s voice became clear. “James. What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
The fact she sounded scared to death was the only reason he could do it. He undid the final dead bolt and pulled the door toward himself. No more than an inch, though, with his foot jammed against the bottom as if that was going to be enough to barricade her on the outside until he got in control of himself.
“I’m sick, remember?” he gro
wled.
Maybe if he was a grumpy bastard she’d get mad and shout loud enough to kill his boner.
He was greeted by a sight that had him pulling the door all the way open instantly. Kaylee was soaked from head to toe, her T-shirt plastered against her skin. Her hair lay in soggy ringlets over her face and her warm copper-coloured skin had paled to an unhealthy grey.
She shivered hard enough his teeth rattled, but still she held forward a rain-drenched file folder. “You n-n-need to s-s-sign these p-p-papers.”
Her entire body wavered, barely keeping vertical.
Fuck. Fuckity, fuck, fuck.
James put his teeth together carefully so he didn’t bite off his tongue, then he scooped her up his arms and carried her into the apartment.
Oh my God. Soft skin, icy cool, lay under his fingers, the weight of her body pressed close to him. Her breath was warm against his neck as she turned her face toward him and cuddled in.
James began to swear silently. Alphabetically. Creatively.
He grabbed the file from her fingers, dropping it on the table they passed as he marched straight into the bathroom. He got her feet to the ground by shaking her free and turning on the water. He was gentleman enough to block the spray of cold water with his back, but the instant it warmed up, he stepped aside.
“Stay there,” he ordered.
He turned to move away—and froze. The most curious sensation had just slid over his skin. The closest thing he could compare it to was as if they were two pieces of Velcro and he’d actually had to undo the connection between them one section at a time to be able to step away.
Weird.
Ignoring the strange tugging, he marched determinedly to his dresser.
He had every intention of following through and making Kaylee his, but damn if he was going to be an animal about it.
Am animal, his bear reminded him. Partly.
Shut up.
Just saying…
Dry jeans. Dry socks. James grabbed a T-shirt and pulled it on. Then a sweatshirt, then a hoodie—just in case extra layers between them would act as a deterrent. If his winter clothes hadn’t been in storage, he would’ve hauled on a parka.