by Vivian Arend
Cooper opened it to find a list of security protocols Alex had organized for upcoming holiday events. An identical list already sat on his main office desk where the very efficient Amber had placed it earlier that afternoon. “What’s this?”
“You called and asked for an update.” Alex frowned as he sat back down. “You headed into hibernation mode, bro? You’re not the brightest bulb right now.”
James’s eyes opened wide, and he leaned in, a thrill in his tone. “Is it the fever?”
“No, it’s not the damn fever, and we don’t hibernate. Jerks.” Cooper wadded the papers into a ball and tossed it at the garbage, shaking his head when the paper ricocheted off the rim to land in a crumpled heap on the floor.
“You need to work on your game, Coop,” James teased.
“My game is just fine.” Or it would be. Cooper would be sure of that. In all its variations.
Now was the time for patience and logic and, above all else, to avoid being caught alone with the delectable Amber Myawayan.
Games? You want to play games? his inner bear drawled.
Don’t get involved, Cooper warned. This is human stuff.
I wouldn’t dream of interfering. Human games are for humans. I’ll stick to what bears do best.
No way was he touching that one, because frankly? He didn’t want to know what mischief his beast planned to cause. There was only one response for here and now.
Cooper tipped back his full glass of whiskey and drained it in one go.
2
Darkness lay over the land, tucked into the valleys and trees like a warm blanket. The winter night air was crisp and clear, and snow covered the ground in thick layers. Overhead, the brilliant northern lights danced, and their shining brightness offered a softness and a sort of magic to the evening.
Amber would accept all the magic she could get if it helped her reach her dreams.
“Sorry I was late.” The woman at her side, Kim, apologized for the umpteenth time.
Amber waved the comment off yet again, allowing her amusement to come through clearly in her tone as she steered the company’s massive four-wheel drive toward their destination. “It’s no trouble,” she insisted. “I love watching the aurora borealis, and giving you a ride makes it easier for me to justify being out of the office tomorrow morning since I worked late tonight.”
Kim laughed softly. “I’m just glad not to miss…”
Ahead of them, the entire night sky lit up.
The woman’s words faded into a soft sigh of wonder, palms braced on her knees as she leaned forward. Her gaze was fixed on the ever-changing rolling lights, and her jaw hung open in amazement.
Amber knew the sensation well. It took discipline to keep her gaze on the road, because the northern lights were one of the biggest miracles she’d ever witnessed.
She pulled into the parking lot and the space reserved for Borealis Gems owners and staff. “Let’s get you reunited with your husband. He’s going to be happy you made it after all.”
Winter chill surrounded them on the short walk to the cozy warming hut. Small lights set at ground level lit the snow without making the darkness overly bright. The back door to the beautiful building was welcoming, lit by two softly glowing lamps, but the specialized construction kept the inside of the building dark from floor to ceiling. The blackness created a wonderful viewing gallery for those who found being out in the elements too much.
“We go this way,” Amber instructed, because while the hut was an option, that wasn’t where the real tour began, and she didn’t expect Kim’s husband to be waiting under the roof for her.
A group of shifters who had come to view the northern lights? Outside all the way.
Amber turned the corner and spotted him. Cooper, the source of so many fantasies and longings. Tall and solid with killer arms that had inspired her to reposition her desk to gain a better line of site. Now she spent her days covertly watching for the moment he’d get lost in his task and unthinkingly roll up his sleeves, baring said killer forearms.
A sigh escaped before she could stop it.
The entire man was amazing—from his silver-tipped black hair down to the muscular legs not at all hidden in his business suit. His expensive clothes were tailored to fit his long body, and he was a beautiful man.
But those arms—the oh-so-sexy forearms with a dusting of hair that reflected silver in the light. A trick of nature sneaking in from his animal side? Amber wasn’t certain.
She hadn’t had a lot of chances to spend one-on-one time with the wild side of many shifters, although she was good friends with Kaylee, who was a bobcat shifter.
She wanted time to get to know Cooper better. Both halves, man and bear.
If she could only get him to acknowledge her before she was forced to jot down All Amber’s Positive Qualities in one of his damn notebooks herself.
Not that she’d ever peeked in his private journals. She’d been tempted, hugely, but some things were off-limits. Maybe once they’d been together for a few years, or years and years, and after he’d given her carte blanche, then she’d be willing to delve into his private thoughts.
Because, yes, she intended to reach that point. The only reason she knew about his “Important Thoughts Deserve Capitals” habit was because he did it all the time for work. He was not the type to change methods in midstream, especially not when they were successful.
She deliberately gathered her courage and stepped forward, Kim pacing at her side. The other woman was still mesmerized by the natural light show overhead, but her gaze flickered from the sky to the area in front of them.
“Mrs. Wayne. So glad you could make it.” Cooper spoke politely with that dash of intensity that made the recipient feel as if they were the only person on the face of the earth.
Or, Amber thought, maybe that was her damn obsession with the man shining through.
“Amber was kind enough to pick me up after I missed the first van.” Kim tilted her head toward Amber and offered a grateful smile. Then she turned back to Cooper. “Would you know where Bruce is? I have a surprise for him.”
“He and the rest of the company just stepped around the corner to get more comfortable.”
Kim fluttered her fingers at Amber then took off eagerly to rejoin her group.
And then it was the two of them. Amber and Cooper, standing beside the warming hut with a stunning display of nature shimmering overhead and their own private viewing station.
She twisted until she could stare into his face and offer her best smile. “Looks like a spectacular night.”
Cooper clasped his hands behind his back, gaze tilted upward. The dancing lights reflected in his eyes, turning them into living kaleidoscopes. “There’s never a bad evening while watching the northern lights.”
“True.” She stepped a little nearer, tucking her coat around herself more firmly, as if blaming the move toward him on the icy November wind curling around them. “Everything’s better with the right people, though.”
For a second she thought this was it. The moment she’d been longing for. His breathing quickened, and he leaned closer—maybe because he was going to admit that he and she, together, were right people?
Because she could’ve sworn that over the past two years she wasn’t the only one who had become interested in exploring a deeper relationship. Yes, she’d worked for him, laughing at his droll humour and admiring his work ethic. But it was the way he cared for his family with stubborn good intentions that had been the kicker. Two years meant she’d learned enough about the man that she admired him through and through. He was someone she could grow to feel very affectionate toward…
Screw being diplomatic. Cooper was exactly the kind of man she wanted to fall in love with. Even blunter—she was halfway there, or more, already.
She was certain he’d grown equally interested in her, but getting the big growly bear to admit anything was like teaching someone how to fasten snowshoes in the dark.
Beyo
nd awkward and not very successful.
“The right people? Definitely.” He lifted his arm and examined his watch for a moment before tapping a short message then resuming his statue-like position. “We have good friends and good family here in the north. And I know our guests certainly enjoy getting to share the experience with each other.”
She was tempted to growl at him. That wasn’t what she meant at all.
A spectacular roll of light went off overhead, and they both grew silent. No matter how important her agenda, there were some moments no one should interrupt.
Five minutes passed as they stood in comfortable silence. Amber had just decided it was time to try a different tack, when around the side of the building came the strangest apparition. It took a second to figure out what, or more specifically who, was there. It was Kim. The long-legged blonde dashed across the snowy expanse in her bare feet, her long hair trailing her like a banner.
She wasn’t naked—that would’ve been less startling. Instead, the woman wore a bikini that somehow reflected the lights as they appeared overhead in the northern sky. Blues and greens floated across her boobs, and a flash of neon purple slid across her hip and between her legs, as if the aurora borealis overhead had wrapped itself around Kim’s torso in an embrace.
“What on earth…?” Cooper began, before his words faded into nothing.
The woman ran, laughter lilting in the air even as she glanced over her shoulder. A large bear was hot on her heels. Not as if it were intent on fighting for territory. No, this was most definitely a shifter thing. The big bear’s gait was more prance-y than menacing, and he bounced a few times like a kangaroo before changing direction and herding Kim toward the trees.
Amber shivered. Not reacting was impossible. She knew very well what was going to happen when Bruce caught her. Shifters were lusty creatures, and between mates there was no need for holding back.
Not to mention that humans often took off to semiprivate places to enjoy sex under the shimmering aurora borealis—rumours of the magic offered by the lights were a part of many northern cultures. The stories had been shared around the world until they were somewhere between legend and truth, and impossible to ignore.
The magical good fortune supposedly waiting for couples who partook in intimate activities was enough to make even the most reserved consider a little outdoor entertainment.
Amber’s heart rate jumped a notch. Sex. Outdoors. With Cooper.
Yes. Yes, yes.
Her pulse kicked up even faster when Cooper’s hand landed on her shoulder, and he pulled her against his side. Oh my goodness, was he finally going to—
He patted her gently as if soothing a frightened child.
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “They’re shifters. She’s not cold. And Bruce isn’t going to hurt her.”
“I know that.” She leaned against his side and looked up. Please, let him read in her expression what she found so difficult to put into words. I would very much like to be rolling around under the northern lights with you.
He examined her face, his gaze pausing for a second on her mouth, and in that instant, her dreams trembled on the verge of coming true…
He tapped her on the nose as if she were a puppy then glanced over her shoulder. “Hey, look who’s here.”
She blinked at the abrupt change. Mind still clouded with desire and mightily confused, she followed his lead and twisted to discover familiar company marching across the snow toward them. Her best friend Kaylee and her mate, James. And Cooper’s other brother, Alex, with his wolf partner, Lara.
Kaylee stared upward in amazement as James guided her forward. “Wow, Cooper, you were right. It is a spectacular evening. Thanks for messaging us to let us know.”
So that was what he’d been tapping on his watch for. Calling in his family. It was something she loved about him—how clearly important his family was to him.
Frustrating when they blocked her plans, though.
“Hey, guys.” Amber put as much enthusiasm into the words as she could fake. Another opportunity lost.
Kaylee wrapped an arm around Amber and cuddled her tight before slipping aside to plant a kiss on James that sent up howling from the rest of their group.
Amber’s friend smiled sweetly. “Sorry for the PDA, but there’s something about spectacular nights like this that makes me feel all tingly and alive.”
A snort of amusement escaped Alex. He and Lara had just finished a brief whispered conversation. They exchanged a grin before deliberately turning their backs toward the open field. With her hyper-sensitive wolf hearing, Lara probably knew exactly what was happening in the trees right now.
“Feeling tingly seems to be a common theme amongst the visitors tonight. What’s going on, bro?” Alex asked Cooper. “Did you bring in a group of naturalists?”
Amber peeked toward the field, but Cooper stepped in her way, blocking whatever cavorting might be visible. “Just some high spirits. Come on, guys. It’s too cold out here for Amber. I’ve got a bottle of the good stuff waiting for us inside the hut.”
The cheers that prompted meant there was no use in Amber explaining she wasn’t really cold. Just like there was no use in explaining that if she were, the way she wanted to be warmed up was in the big bear’s arms.
But she smiled and followed along, joining her friends to enjoy the show even as she plotted her new plan of attack.
Before this year was out, she and Cooper were going to have A Very Important And Blunt Discussion. Maybe it was time to call in the reinforcements she’d been promised to make that happen.
One way or another, she needed to gather her courage and pin down her bear. She didn’t want to waste another moment.
3
Items To Be Accomplished Prior To Succumbing To The Mating Fever
•review next year’s second quarter projections
•purchase chain and appropriate Alex’s handcuffs
•year-end message for shareholders
•meet with R&D
•avoid being alone with Amber at all costs
“We’re going to find it really hard to win this thing if you’ve got your nose stuck in that notebook,” James grumbled.
“You’re going to find it hard to win since you’re competing against the best of the best,” came Alex’s instant response from a few feet away.
A chorus of cheers and jeers rose from the crowd behind him—a motley crew of wolves from the Orion pack house.
Lara rolled her eyes then tossed a glare over her shoulder. “Children, behave.”
“But we are going to win,” one of them quipped. The lanky young man, Dixon, adjusted his red and white Where’s Waldo? toque so the red ball of fluff on the tip stuck up jauntily, his white teeth flashing against tan skin.
“Of course we are, Dix,” Lara agreed. “But you don’t have to gloat about it.”
“Yet.” Alex ducked the snowball James tossed at him, only to step directly into the path of Kaylee’s missile. His expression of dismay vanished behind a smear of white. When he reopened his eyes, it was to grin evilly at his sister-in-law. “Game on, lady.”
Chaos. Absolute and completely wonderful family-flavoured chaos swirled around Cooper. He tucked his notebook inside his coat pocket and zipped it closed so he could give his full attention to the afternoon’s festivities.
At noon, the sun was up and as high as it was going to get on this early December day, which meant not very. It offered a cold light that shone on the playground of the local high school where they’d gathered for today’s special event.
Every year, a highly competitive ice sculpture contest was held in Yellowknife. Contestants from around the world entered, and the sculptures were miracles of ice and snow.
A couple years earlier a special community-based version had been started specifically for the high school students. Run a few months before the official event, it was a combination of a pre-holiday adrenaline burner for the youth and a plain good time.
&
nbsp; It had been Amber’s idea—because of course it had.
The sponsoring teams for the event were Borealis Gems and Midnight Inc., with a collection of representatives from each company joining the students to help create works of art out of glistening ice. It was all in fun. The prizes were mostly funding given to the various sports and arts groups in the school that needed an infusion of money.
Everyone joined in, learned new skills, and when the sun went down and the contest was over, they ate pizza. Lots and lots of pizza and chips and other junk food, because that was just the kind of party it was.
Grandfather Giles clapped his hands as he stepped forward, motioning in the stragglers from the far corners of the field.
He glanced around at the eager faces. After dodging a snowball, then offering Alex a warning glare, he raised his voice far above what the average eighty-four-year-old should be able to achieve. There was nothing frail about the man, his back unbowed and eyes bright. Only the silvery white in his hair and beard hinted at his age.
“We’re glad you’re all here today. I’m not going to waste a lot of time blabbing at you. The rules are simple—you’ve all been assigned a block of ice and teams of two or more. Everyone needs to participate as you produce your creative masterpiece. Anyone who needs help or wants a power tool assist, give a shout, and one of the sponsors for your team will come by to see what they can do.” He offered Grandmother Laureen a grin paired with a mischievous wink. “My lovely wife and I will be the final judges. You’ve got three hours. Have fun.”
A burst of energy lit up the snow-packed field as teenagers exploded outward in a rush. Groups of two and three scattered across the field to gather around the massive ice blocks that had been set up. Some on tables, some free-standing that were as tall as Cooper.
“You’d better go get started,” Alex taunted. “The sooner you begin, the sooner I can beat you.”
“He’s awfully cocky,” James noted, arms wrapped around his mate as she pulled on a thick pair of fuzzy mittens.