She reached with her free hand to wipe her eyes. “I doubted you.”
“And I didn’t let you continue to believe that for long, did I?”
She forced a smile. How did she get so lucky? And then she sat up straighter. “Let’s go for a run. I need to shift. My skin is crawling from the inside out. My bear needs release.”
He smiled back. “Best idea I’ve heard all day.” He put the SUV back in drive and took off.
She didn’t even ask where he was going, but he surprised her when he pulled up to Austin’s house a few minutes later. “This is my favorite spot to park and run from. My parents’ home is pretty awesome too, but ever since Austin built this place, I’ve loved coming here. The view is spectacular from every angle.”
She jumped down from the front seat before he could round to her side of the SUV.
“Hey, that’s my job.” He grabbed her hand and led her toward the house. “Nuria’s home. Let’s let her know we’re leaving the Explorer here.”
Nuria stepped out onto the porch before they made it to the steps. “Hey. You guys okay?” The concern in her voice was expected. She would be in constant contact with Austin, who would have told her how crazy things were at the brewery.
“As good as can be expected. Just wanted to let you know we’re leaving the SUV here to go for a run.”
She nodded. “Of course. Take your time. Anything you need, let me know. I’ll fix you guys lunch. Stop in and grab it when you get back. You can stay and eat or take it with you.”
Joselyn pursed her lips against the kindness of this woman she barely knew. Before she could thank her, Nuria dipped back into the house.
“Come on.” Alton tugged her hand, and they rounded the cabin that was a smaller version of the one his parents owned. The view was equally amazing too. The crisp air beckoned her. It was cold, but in her grizzly form in the middle of the day with the sun shining, it would be perfect weather for a run.
When they stepped into the trees at the back of the property, she closed her eyes, took a breath, and let the shift wash over her. Leaning forward, she allowed her bones to lengthen and shorten and transform while fur replaced skin and clothes. In fifteen seconds she stood before her mate in her grizzly form, watching him finish his own transformation.
He was gorgeous. She’d seen him shift a handful of times over the years, but he never failed to take her breath away. He was nearly twice her size, his dark brown hair almost black. His dark eyes bore into her as he pawed at her. “Come on. I want to show you something.” He tipped his head toward the mountain and bounded up between the trees.
She stayed right on his heels, following him at a rapid pace as they both ran hard to blow off steam. For fifteen minutes they climbed. And then Alton turned to the east and headed along the side of the mountain before coming back down in another spot.
She figured they weren’t too far from where they’d started, but also realized he’d intentionally taken a circuitous route in order to exercise and control the buildup of stress they had lingering from visiting their respective breweries.
When he finally slowed and then came to a stop, she lifted her head and stared in the same direction he was looking. “Wow. Amazing.” Mountains stretched in every direction. The view was stunning. She held her breath to listen to the sounds of nature. Birds. The rustle of branches. The wind itself. She had fantastic hearing in her bear form. It was better than regular people, even in her human form, but in her grizzly form, she could hear at even greater distances.
“Yeah. I love this spot.”
“I guess so. Do you come here often?”
“As often as I can. What do you think?”
She cocked her head toward him. “I said it’s gorgeous. What do you mean?”
He turned around, facing the land behind them. And then he surprised her by shifting. She watched him for a moment before following his lead.
Their feet crunched through the snow as she stuffed her hands in her pockets and leaned against his side, following his line of sight. What was he thinking? She didn’t want to interrupt his thoughts.
Finally, he lifted his free arm and pointed at a spot not far away in the clearing. “I always imagined the house would go there with a wide back porch that faced this direction, allowing us to snuggle in a porch swing and stare at the mountains.”
She furrowed her brow for a moment until it dawned on her. “This is your land?”
He smiled down at her. “Yes. It’s the section my parents set aside for me. We each have our own. Austin obviously built on his. I wanted to wait until you and I were bound together before I did anything.”
She glanced back at the clearing. “Wow, Alton. It’s so beautiful.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I hope we find a way to stay living in Silvertip, or this land will never see a house.”
“Me too,” she whispered, knowing she had as many doubts as him.
If the reaction coming from both of their families was any indication, she didn’t have high hopes they would even be able to live in Alberta, let alone develop this piece of land.
Chapter Nineteen
It was midafternoon before Alton stepped onto his brother’s porch and lifted his hand to knock. Nuria opened the door to him and Joselyn before he had a chance.
She gave them a cheery smile and held the door wide. “How was the run?”
Joselyn shut the door behind her. “Perfect. We needed it.”
“I’m sure. I made a beef vegetable soup. Why don’t you guys stay and eat? It’s ready.”
Alton set a hand on Joselyn’s back to lead her to the kitchen area. “You made soup in the time we went for a run?”
Nuria waved a hand through the air as if his question were preposterous. “No. I already had it going earlier this morning. You just had good timing.”
“This is so kind of you, Nuria,” Joselyn said as she sat in the chair Alton pulled out. “I’m in no mood to cook today, and there’s no way we would have gone into a restaurant in town.”
Nuria frowned as she returned to the table to set a giant steaming pot in the center. “I can’t blame you. This entire thing is crazy. How can people be so stupid?”
Alton sat next to his mate. The table was already set, and a loaf of bread resting on a cutting board had recently come from the oven. It, combined with the soup, smelled up the entire house, making his mouth water.
Alton didn’t know Nuria well. They’d only met a few weeks ago. He remembered her vaguely from childhood before her family moved away when she was fifteen, but he was five years younger, so nothing stood out in his mind. She was perfect for Austin, with a kind heart and spirit. He was so happy for his brother.
After the last few months of dealing with the fact that their older brother had wreaked havoc on countless members of society, Alton was glad it seemed both he and Austin had been given a gift. They deserved it.
“Austin’s on his way here,” Nuria said as she filled their bowls and then carved the bread into thick slices.
“He left the office already?”
She grinned. “Said he couldn’t stand another moment of the shouting and finger pointing. He also wanted to speak to you.”
Alton nodded.
When Joselyn leaned forward to take her first bite, he watched her face soften. “Delicious. Thank you, Nuria.”
Sure enough, three minutes later, Austin’s truck pulled up outside, and he joined them in the kitchen. His face was grim.
He nodded toward Joselyn to politely acknowledge her, and then he took Nuria in his arms, threaded his fingers in her hair, and kissed her soundly. When he finally took a seat at the table, he sighed. “Shit went from bad to worse after you left,” he stated.
Alton lifted a brow. “How the hell is that even possible?”
Austin filled his bowl and reached for a slice of bread while Nuria headed for the fridge. She returned moments later with four beers tucked in her arms. She passed them out without a word.
; Alton popped the top on one and handed it to Joselyn. He then opened his own, shooting her a smirk. “You okay with this nasty swivel from Mountain Peak?”
She rolled her eyes and took a long drink. “Considering the day we’re having, I’d drink anything.”
Alton turned back to his brother but set his hand on his mate’s thigh. “Give me ten minutes to enjoy my meal and drink this beer before you add to the shitstorm, would ya?”
Austin chuckled. “Gladly.”
They all tore into the food.
Alton lifted his face only long enough to glance at Nuria. “This is delicious. Thank you again.”
“You’re so welcome. I’m glad I could help.”
“Mmm,” Joselyn added. “Heavenly.”
When the bowls were empty and everyone was on their second bottle of beer, Alton finally leaned back, tucked his arm around Joselyn, and faced his brother again. “Give it to me.”
Austin sighed. “In an interesting twist of events that I’m not inclined to think is a coincidence, guess who was not at work today?”
Alton furrowed his brow, trying to think if anyone was missing from the boardroom. “No idea.”
“Vinson.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“Who’s Vinson?” Joselyn asked.
“My Uncle Quint’s son.”
She nodded.
Austin continued. “Considering Uncle Quint is an asshole and his son doesn’t fall far from the tree, I don’t trust him. Never have. He’s conniving. I’m thinking he has something to do with the papers that were mysteriously planted in your office.”
“We don’t even know that part’s true. It’s possible Tavion never entered my office. He’s so scared of Quint, he might have simply brought them straight from Quint’s office to the boardroom without ever looking anywhere.”
“But where did Quint get them?” Joselyn asked. “That’s the real question. I’m so much more curious about who gave them to someone in your family in the first place than anything else. Those were early mockups of my marketing plan. From months ago.
“It’s possible they were the first thing stolen. Or, they could have been the only thing stolen. There was enough information on the mockups for your brewery to run with it. It’s not like you needed a formula for lemon or orange malt beverages. No one cares how the taste compares. What matters is that you knew what we were working on and when we planned to launch. All of that was in the mockups.”
Alton nodded. “She has a point. Someone’s goal was to beat Glacial to the starting line and make them appear to be a day late and a dollar short.”
“Exactly,” Austin agreed. “And I’m inclined to believe neither Uncle Quint nor his son Vinson are innocent in all this. I seriously doubt Tavion is involved at all. He’s too young and too stupid. He probably never even looked at those mockups. Quint handed them to him and instructed him to interrupt the meeting as if he’d just found them lying around.”
Alton agreed. “Not to mention the fact that Tavion wouldn’t have had the first clue what he was looking for. He’s eighteen, for Christ’s sake. He knows nothing about the business. He’s only been working in the brewery for a few months.”
Joselyn sat forward, breaking the contact Alton had with her shoulder to set her elbows on the table. “Assuming your uncle and his son had something to do with all this, who gave them my mockups?”
This was the million-dollar question. Alton knew they weren’t going to solve it today. He took the last long swig of his beer and pushed off from the table. “We’re leaving,” he announced, anxious to be alone with Joselyn again, putting this mess in the backs of their minds. “Please let me know if you find out anything else. Is someone looking for Vinson? Anyone know where he was?”
It’s not like the man stayed home sick. Shifters didn’t suffer from any of the normal maladies humans could catch. They were created with better immune systems, and their bodies could fight off most things that got in the way, often without them ever being aware.
If someone took a day off work, it was for personal reasons. It didn’t happen that often, and even rarer was for someone to call in with no notice. Unless the man met his mate the night before and intended to spend the day binding to her, he was probably up to no good.
“Dad has some people snooping around Vinson’s place. No one has seen him. He wasn’t at home. I’ll get ahold of you if I hear anything,” Austin stated as everyone stood.
Alton hurried his mate toward the front door, grabbing their coats on the way and nearly rushing her arms into the sleeves. He was done with family squabbles for the day. He was done with arguing and thinking and being accused and having his mate grilled.
What he wanted was to be alone with her. Naked. His hands on every inch of her body. After four months of sneaking around meeting her in caves, cabins, and hotels, he didn’t have to do that anymore. For the rest of his life, he would have her anytime he wanted anywhere he wanted. No one would stand in his way. And he no longer gave a single fuck if anyone approved or not.
He couldn’t figure out why he ever cared what anyone else thought.
Yep. They had an uphill battle that might not end with a house overlooking his favorite spot on earth, but none of that mattered as much as having Joselyn with him every single day.
When he really thought about it, he wasn’t sure he wanted things to work out smoothly, resulting in both of them continuing to work for their respective families. It had seemed simple two years ago, but now? Not at all. Now, he didn’t see a future that included secrets and an inability to discuss their respective workdays.
Their initial goal had been based on the hope that both families would get over their incessant need to feud. They had wild pipe dreams of being welcomed with open arms into a united unit where both packs dropped the squabble and came together.
That no longer seemed reasonable. After the morning he’d been through, he’d say the divide was wider than he expected. He’d known some members of both packs would grumble. He hadn’t expected half or perhaps more than half of both families to actually voice outwardly their sick disdain for the other.
It made his stomach churn remembering the looks on the faces of half her family and then half his. Both of them could take their stupid feud and go to hell for all he cared. He’d be sleeping soundly with his mate tucked in his arms.
∙•∙
Joselyn was fidgety by the time they got back to Alton’s apartment. Her skin was crawling with the need to be with him again. It was unthinkable for two grizzlies to bind together and then spend the next day in public at all, let alone getting a verbal undressing from both families.
When bears bound themselves together, they didn’t usually come up for air or step out into public for a few days if they could help it. It was their nature. Even if they found themselves in a situation where they entered into a binding unexpectedly, they still didn’t leave the house.
The overwhelming need to mate over and over again was insatiable. Once or twice wouldn’t put them at ease. Maybe for a few minutes, but not for an entire day.
It didn’t matter that she’d had sex with Alton before the binding, their status had changed. Their chemistry had altered. They were one now. And something in their pheromones drew them closer, a mating call of sorts that demanded attention.
Once again, she jumped down from the SUV before Alton could round the hood and help her out. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand to tug him toward the front door as if she had the strength to move the man anywhere if he chose not to follow.
She didn’t expect him to resist, and naturally, he didn’t. After all, they were going to strip down and have sex the second the door shut behind them. No way was Alton feeling less urgency than she was.
He followed her to the building and didn’t say a word as she continued to lead him inside and toward the stairs. She had no intention of waiting for the elevator. He lived on the third floor. It wasn’t like they needed to climb a mountain.
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One minute later, they were inside his apartment, dropping their coats, kicking off shoes, and peeling off clothes without a word. She watched every move he made, his lean body unveiling to her view while he did the same to her, heat in his eyes.
Her skin was on fire as if she had a fever. Maybe she did.
When the last of her clothes hit the floor before him, she reached for his cock and held it in her palm. “Need you.”
He covered her hand in his larger one and stroked up and down, moaning. He wrapped his free hand around her neck and tugged her forward. His forehead hit hers. His eyes were closed, his face flushed. “Need your mouth on me.”
She swallowed and then licked her lips. She craved the same thing. Now.
As he leaned against the door, she dropped to her knees, grabbed his thighs with both hands, and sucked him as deep into her mouth as she could.
He groaned, his hands flattening on the door. “Jos…”
She drew her mouth almost off and then sucked him back in deeper.
“Jesus, baby… It’s never felt like this before.”
She knew what he meant. She was as aroused as him. Her nipples tingled, begging for contact. Her pussy was wet and swollen. He hadn’t touched her.
As she flicked her tongue over the tip of his cock on the next pass, her clit throbbed. She needed more.
Releasing his thigh with one hand, she reached between her legs to stroke her clit. A soft moan escaped around his cock.
Alton grabbed her biceps with one hand and pulled. “Give me your hand.” His voice was gravelly from arousal, but firm.
She moaned, unwilling to stop touching herself. Given thirty seconds, she would come. Why was he stopping her?
He tugged harder. “Jos, your hand.”
She pulled her wet fingers from between her legs and set them in his. Her mouth was still wrapped around his cock as he drew her hand over her head, reached for the other from his thigh, and then combined the two, wrapping one strong hand around both wrists and pressing them against his chest.
Grizzly Secret (Arcadian Bears Book 3) Page 20
