by Elena Aitken
He was an expert fire starter, but he fumbled through the process. Finally, when the fire was roaring, he backed away and turned to see her lounging with her legs curled up underneath her on the large leather sofa. She wore an oversized sweater that hid too much of her beautiful body from his eyes, but he let his eyes linger on the swell of her ass and the length of her legs that were covered in form-fitting denim. He swallowed a growl at the idea of running his hands along those curves and tearing the clothing from her body until he could see every inch of her.
“That’s hot.”
Axel started. Had she read his thoughts?
“The fire,” she clarified with a laugh. “It’s hot. Thank you. I’m not chilly anymore.” She sat up and pulled her sweater over her head to reveal the very same skintight t-shirt that had formed an integral part of his daydream. His bear roared within him. He wanted—no, he needed—to claim this woman.
Judging from the way she looked at him, and the seductive way she ran her tongue along her lower lip, she knew exactly what effect she had on him. Well, maybe not exactly the effect, he thought as he forced his bear to stay calm, but if she wasn’t careful, she was going to find out.
“I’m glad I could help.” He crossed the room, and despite the fact that he knew exactly how dangerous it was to be in close proximity, he took his glass of wine and sat next to her on the couch. “Are you enjoying your time at the Ridge so far?”
She nodded but then shook her head.
“You’re not?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I am. But I couldn’t help but wonder where you were today?” She bit her lip and Axel had to look away to keep himself from biting it, too.
“I was working.” He took a healthy swallow of wine. “But I’m here now.” And he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. He’d been a fool to stay away from her all day. Yes, keeping his hands off her was going to prove to be challenging, but just being in her presence tamed his bear in a way that it’d never been before. It would be worth the effort of behaving. “Is there anything I can do for you to make your stay even more enjoyable?”
You could throw me down on this couch, slide those big hands up my body and kiss me like I was the last woman on earth. That might make my stay a little more enjoyable.
Harper swallowed hard and forced herself not to look away. She was playing way outside her comfort zone. Maybe it was the wine giving her just enough courage, or the wildness of the mountains, or the fact that she really had nothing to lose, but she’d never been very good at flirting with men—or doing anything with men, really. Staying married to Trent had done a number on her self-esteem and in the not so distant past, she would never have considered such open flirting with a man. But she’d never had a man like Axel in front of her before. He brought out something totally different in her. Something she wanted to explore further.
“You look like you want to say something,” he said after a moment. His dark eyes sparkled with humor. He knew damn well what she wanted to say.
She took another gulp of wine, set the glass down and turned to face him. Here goes nothing. “I think it would make my stay a lot more comfortable if you kissed me.”
The second the words were out of her mouth, Harper could hardly believe she’d said them. But it was almost as if speaking her desire gave her more power because, to her surprise, she wasn’t even remotely worried about his response. Especially because the moment she spoke, his eyes darkened with desire. Before she could spare another thought for how he might react, he reached out, wrapped his hand around her arm and pulled her toward him until their faces were only inches apart. “I think I might be able to help you out with that.” His voice was low and deep and caused a rush of heat through her body. And then his lips were on hers, hungry and hot. A sound, something between a sigh and a moan, escaped her lips. It only seemed to encourage him, and the kiss deepened.
This could get out of hand very quickly.
Perfect.
She reached up with the desperate need to run her hands through his hair and tug him closer, but before she could, he jerked away. Seconds later, Nina’s voice rang out in the hallway above them.
“Harper! Where are you? You’ve got to see this.”
She stared at Axel. Had he heard Nina coming? How was it even possible? She wanted to ask him, but before she could get the words out, he hopped up off the couch.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Sorry?”
He bent down, so only she could hear him. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Shouldn’t have—”
“There you are.”
Harper turned away from Axel to see Nina running down the stairs. She turned back, but Axel was at the fire, his strong, broad back to her as he fed more logs in. Shouldn’t have done what? She wanted to scream. He should have done exactly that. And more. Her body burned with the heat he’d ignited in her. She wanted more. Needed more.
“Harper?”
Right. Nina. She turned back to her friend, who looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “What?”
“You have to see this.” Nina thrust an iPad into her hands.
She scanned the website in front of her. “What am I looking at?”
“This.” Nina jabbed a finger at the screen. “Bentley Images and Public Relations is under investigation for fraud and embezzlement. Look.”
The hair on the back of her neck pricked up and the room suddenly got very cold.
“What?” She scanned the article. And then again. With every word she read, it got harder to breathe. “I don’t…what…where is this from?”
“It’s the Times.”
“This is true?” Harper looked up to her best friend. She knew Nina would have already done her due diligence and checked the sources before she’d bring anything like this to her.
Nina nodded, confirming it. “And you’ve been named in the suit. In fact…” Harper knew she wasn’t going to like what her friend was about to say. She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded, giving her permission to continue. “Trent has already issued a release saying it was all you and he didn’t know anything about it.”
Her eyes snapped open and she jumped to her feet. “He what?”
“I’m sorry, Harper. But the best defense is a strong offense. You need to call your lawyer right away and get on top of this.”
“He planned it.” She shook her head and wandered to the window, where she gazed out at the darkening sky. The sun set earlier in the mountains. It was a random thought, especially given everything else she had to worry about, but it was the one that stuck with her. “How could he do this…after everything…”
“Harper.” Nina grabbed her arm and spun her around. “You need to focus.”
Harper stared at her friend before she let her gaze drift over to Axel, who watch silently. “I can’t call my lawyer,” she said slowly. “He’s Trent’s lover.”
As she spoke the words, the reality of her situation sunk in. Her gay husband, whom she’d shared a decade with as friends and business partners, had plotted and planned not only to leave her in a spectacular media frenzy, but also, and more painfully, was going to completely ruin her.
She wanted to crumple into a ball and cry. But more than that, she wanted to get back in that helicopter, fly down the mountain and hunt him and his weaselly boyfriend down until they both screamed for mercy.
“You can use mine.”
Harper’s head snapped up. “What did you say?”
“You’ll use my lawyer.” Axel repeated himself. “He’s a good guy and one hell of a lawyer. I’ll call him right now.”
He walked away before she could protest. And even if she could, she wouldn’t. She needed a lawyer, and he had one. It was turning out that Axel Jackson had a lot of things she wanted and more than a few that she needed.
Chapter Five
It was after nine by the time Harper got off the phone with his lawyer, John Kendrick. Axel had paced the main floor ever since she�
�d gone upstairs to talk to him. He was a good lawyer, and Axel had no doubt he’d help Harper and do a damn good job at it, but it didn’t matter. His mate was in trouble and that made his bear crazy. The fact that she had no idea that she was his mate was beside the point. That would come in due time.
“I wrapped up your meals.” Kade came out of the kitchen, a beer in his hand. “I figured you both would be hungry later.”
Axel grunted a thank-you but didn’t turn to look at his brother.
“You know, you could eat,” Kade said. “You’re not doing her any good out here driving us all crazy.”
Axel spun around. “I fail to see how my concern for my—” He stopped himself and glanced at Nina, who was curled up in the corner of the couch, typing away on her laptop. “My guest,” he amended but the slip had already been noticed by his brothers.
Luke swallowed the rest of his whisky in a gulp and crossed the room. “Let’s get a drink, brother.” It wasn’t a suggestion and by the way Luke looked at him, he was not going to take no for an answer. Axel glanced up to the second story, where Harper’s door was still closed.
“She’ll be fine,” Luke said.
He raised his eyebrows, but nodded slightly.
“We’re just going to grab more drinks,” Kade told Nina. “What can we bring you?”
Axel didn’t stick around to listen to the answer. Instead, he bashed through the kitchen door, followed moments later by Luke and then Kade.
“Are you going to tell us what’s going on with that woman?” It was Kade who asked as he grabbed a bottle of wine off the rack. “You almost ripped my head off earlier when I was talking to her and now you look like you’re about to go all animal in the living room because she’s upstairs on the phone.”
“I should have ripped your head off,” Axel growled. His blood ran hot and angry just thinking of the way his little brother had looked at Harper. That would never happen again. He’d make damn sure of it.
“What the hell, Axel?” Kade squared up and glared at him. “It’s not like I was making out with her or anything and if I was—”
“He would have killed you,” Luke finished. Kade stared at him, confused. “Because Axel seems to think our pretty blonde guest is his mate. Don’t you, Axel?”
He couldn’t deny it, so instead he went to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a shot of whisky and attempted to douse the fire inside him. It didn’t work.
“Oh fuck.” Kade groaned. “A mate? And a human mate at that? Perfect.”
“If she is human,” Luke muttered and they both turned to stare at him. Axel wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but he didn’t have a chance before Kade was ranting again.
“You can’t be serious.”
Axel turned, refocused on his youngest brother. “Do you think I planned this?”
“Still.” Kade shook his head. “Can you imagine what the old man will say?”
“I don’t care.” He poured himself another shot. “All I care about is having her.”
“And what about what she wants?” Luke asked. “I can’t imagine she wants anything to do with a bear.”
“It won’t matter.” But Axel knew it did. At least a little. It would matter less once he claimed her. She’d still have a choice, of course, but once he had her… He tossed the second shot back.
“This is so messed up.” Kade shook his head. It took all the restraint Axel had to keep from throwing his brother to the ground and asserting his dominance. The kid was getting way too lippy for his own good. And he might have done just that if the kitchen door hadn’t swung open at that moment.
“Hey,” Nina said. “I hope I’m not interrupting, but I thought maybe we could get another glass for that wine. Harper’s on her way down and something tells me she’s going to need a drink.”
“Absolutely,” Luke said. “We’ll be right out.”
Nina flashed a sexy smile and disappeared back into the living room.
Axel made a move to follow, but his brother’s arm stopped him. “Are you going to be able to control yourself?”
He knew what Luke was really asking. He’d been there earlier when Axel’s bear had tried to get out. He’d never before had trouble controlling his animal. Never. Of course, he’d never had the scent of his female filling his senses before. This was new. Very new. His instincts were definitely clouded. Axel nodded. He’d be fine.
“That’s a damn good thing.” Kade walked past them. “Because we can’t screw this up, Axel.” He turned and looked at both his brothers in turn. “Not for a female. We’ve got a good thing going on here and I’m not going to let it blow up just because you think you found your mate. I’m not going to lose everything. Not again and definitely not because of a mate.”
He turned and left the kitchen so fast Axel didn’t have a chance to stop him. And even if he had…
“Let him go,” Luke said. “You know he’s still sensitive about Kira. You know how he feels about the idea of mates.”
Axel nodded. He knew all too well. Kade thought Kira had thrown everything away and ruined everyone’s lives, all for a mate. Just like his mother had. He blamed the whole idea of mating on the destruction of their family. But Kade didn’t know how it felt to have that special female’s scent run hot through his blood. The taste of her on his tongue. How his whole body craved more. How it craved everything. Hell, Axel hadn’t known either. Not until Harper.
“Thank you.” Harper took the offered glass of wine from Kade’s hands and swallowed half the contents in a single gulp. After that marathon call with Axel’s lawyer, she needed it. Hell, she needed something a whole lot stronger than wine, but it would do for now.
“That good, huh?” Nina settled into the couch with her own glass but Harper couldn’t sit. There was no way she could relax, not with her entire life on the line. Trent had gone too far this time.
She shook her head and swallowed the rest of the wine. “I can’t believe he’d do this to me,” she said. “I mean, after everything I did…it doesn’t even matter. He’s obviously been planning it for a while. And they seem to have things locked up pretty tight, but I think I’m in good hands with John Kendrick. He seems to know his stuff and he’s going to do a bit of digging tomorrow. There’s nothing else I can do tonight.”
“So Axel’s lawyer is going to be okay?” Nina asked. “Because if you want to go back to the city and get—”
“No.” Harper shook her head. “That’s the last thing I want. And John agrees. He thinks I should stay put and stay away from the media frenzy. No one knows I’m here right now, so it’s probably for the best if I hang out for a bit.”
“John knows what he’s talking about.”
Harper turned to see Axel in the doorway. Her entire body reacted to his presence and the memory of his lips on hers. It seemed like a million years ago now. What would have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted? She knew exactly what would have happened and her body trembled at the thought.
“He does,” she said softly. He didn’t look as if he was going to move any closer to her, so Harper walked across the room toward him. “Thank you so much for setting that up for me.”
Axel’s eyes were intense and they held her, almost daring her to come closer. So she did.
“Anytime.” He breathed the word and if she hadn’t been standing so close, she wouldn’t have heard it at all. There was so much implied in that one simple word that in an instant Harper’s troubles melted away. She could have stared into his eyes all night. There was no doubt there was danger lurking in his gaze, but there was something else, too. Something that drew her in. “You’ll stay here.”
“Just for a bit,” she said quickly.
“You’ll stay for—”
“I’m not sure that’s the best idea.” It was Luke who spoke as he pushed his way between them. “I mean, of course, we want to help, Harper.” He looked at her quickly before he returned his hard glare to his brother. “But we do have other guests scheduled later
this week and—”
“She’ll stay with me.” Axel pushed him aside. His eyes never left hers. “I mean, she can stay in my cabin.”
“And you’ll stay where exactly?” Luke asked.
He focused on Harper for a moment before he turned to his brother. “With you.” His words said one thing, but the look he’d given her said something entirely different.
A chill went through her but the damp heat that bloomed between her legs told her she was completely on board with that idea. No matter how ridiculous.
“Axel, I—”
“It’s settled.” He dismissed his brother and then seemed to remember himself and possibly his manners. “As long as you’re okay with that.”
She nodded. “Yes,” was all she could manage.
It was crazy. But everything about the situation was crazy. From Trent, to the charges, to finding herself at a remote mountain lodge, to being completely under the spell of the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on. Crazy didn’t come close to describing what was going on. Yet, Harper had never felt so sure about anything in her life.
“Harper, can I talk to you for a minute?” Nina didn’t give her a chance to say no before she dragged her upstairs to her room. As soon as the door was shut, her friend turned on her. “What are you thinking? You can’t stay with him.”
She shrugged. “Why not? Besides, I’m not really staying with him. He’s going to stay with his brother.”
Nina gave her a look but Harper only shrugged, so Nina tried again. “You know, you could stay with me.”
“I could, but that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun, would it?”
“He’s a…well…he’s…”
“Weren’t you the one who told me I deserved to have a little fun?”
Nina nodded.
“And weren’t you the one who told me I needed to get laid?”
“Well…yes…”
“I’m pretty sure that will happen if I stay in his cabin.” A rush of heat flowed through her as she spoke. Absolutely that would happen if she stayed with Axel and judging by the way her body reacted, she couldn’t wait.
