by Elena Aitken
It took him a moment to realize Axel was speaking and had somehow worked his way between Luke and the female he very badly needed to claim.
“Chloe is here to investigate some claims about the environmental impact of Grizzly Ridge.” Axel angled himself so he was firmly between Luke and Chloe. Reluctantly, Luke released her hand and immediately felt its absence. He tried to look around his big brother but he couldn’t see her face before she sat down. He did notice that she clasped her hands tightly in her lap and the action sent a thrill through him.
What the hell was wrong with him? He never reacted to females. Never. Not beyond a quick and dirty hookup with a local in town. But that was just enough to scratch an itch and keep his bear satisfied. It had nothing to do with the way he felt at the moment. Nothing.
“Luke?”
He shook his head and looked to his brother, who stared at him, obviously waiting for an answer to an unheard question.
“What?” He realized a second too late he’d snapped at Axel.
If his brother noticed, he didn’t say anything. “I just asked if you’d be okay showing Chloe around the ridge for the purposes of her research.”
“No.”
The answer was out of his mouth before he even realized what he’d said. It shocked no one quite as much as it did him, but it was the right answer. The only answer. Nothing good could come from a female who affected him as much as this one had in such a short time. There was no way in hell he was going to be alone with her.
“Busy,” he grunted, and without even acknowledging their paying guests, he turned and stormed into the kitchen. He would have left straight away, but his bear was growling with hunger. If he had any chance of controlling himself, which was becoming less and less likely, he’d need to eat something.
Luke grabbed a dish and piled roast on it. Behind him, he heard the door swing open. “I’m not in the mood,” he growled.
“Is that a generalization? Or is it specifically directed to me?”
Chloe could see the way his back tensed at the sound of her voice, and something akin to a thrill ran through her. She knew the moment he’d walked into the Den that he was the bear she’d seen in the woods. Her body had reacted instantly to his presence.
Damn.
And it was clear to anyone with eyes in their head that he’d reacted to her, too. Hard.
It was dangerous.
Which was why the last thing she should do was leave the relative safety of the dining room table in order to seek him out. Despite knowing that she should stay put and do her best to ignore the way he’d looked at her, the way his touch felt on her bare skin, the way her entire body had come alive just by standing near him, she couldn’t.
Chloe braced herself against the wall, needing the solid reassurance to keep herself together. She waited for him to answer her and she didn’t have to wait long. Luke turned. His movement was slow and deliberate. When his eyes locked on hers, Chloe was glad to be leaning against the wall because she was pretty sure her legs wouldn’t have supported her under the scrutiny of his gaze.
“It’s a generalization.” His voice was rough, strained.
Chloe swallowed hard, forcing herself to remain unaffected by the deliciously gorgeous man in front of her despite the fact that she could see the need flaring in his eyes. She’d practiced her cool, uncaring demeanor for just such a scenario. Well, not really, but it certainly would come in handy. At least it would if she could keep it together. It didn’t look promising.
“But I think it could be applied…” Luke left the counter and slowly made his way across the large kitchen toward her. With every step he took, Chloe’s heart beat a little faster. When he was close enough that she could feel his heat, her breath was coming in short puffs. Her skin was flushed and it suddenly was way too hot in the kitchen. She glanced behind her. The door was within reach. All she had to do was turn and leave.
But that’s not why she’d followed him.
“Specifically to you.” Luke came to a stop only inches from Chloe. She worked to control her breathing. No way would she let this man see how he affected her. More specifically—no way would she let her body be affected.
She straightened her shoulders and pushed down any and all desire she felt. “Me?” She tried to keep her voice light. She failed. “Why would I have anything to do with your mood?” Chloe tipped her head and raised her eyebrows in a way she hoped was more bitchy than flirty. But judging by the way desire flared in Luke’s eyes and consequently through her body at his reaction, she failed.
“You know damn well why.”
Before Chloe could react, Luke’s hands were on her: one on her cheek, cupping her face with its massive width; the other twined in her hair as he pulled her roughly toward him. It was a possessive move. A move that screamed of ownership. Her emotions jangled into a big, mixed-up mess. She should be offended, outraged at his nerve. But the moment his lips pressed to hers, all Chloe could feel was a deep, instinctual need for this man who kissed her with an urgency she’d never before experienced.
Her own arms wrapped around his strong back; her fingers dug into his muscle in an effort to bring him closer to her. A moan escaped her lips; Luke growled in response and pressed himself against her so she could feel his hard need for her.
The feel of him against her soft belly sparked something in Chloe and a surge of panic washed through her. She pulled her hands away and pressed them against his hard chest before shoving him hard.
“No.” She shook her head and touched her fingers to her lips, more in an effort to remember the taste and feel of him than to wipe it away. “I…we can’t do this.”
“Yes we can.” Luke took a step toward her again, but she backed away and looked down. She couldn’t look at the heat in his eyes. If she did, there was no doubt she’d be lost in him again and there was no way that could happen.
“No,” she said as firmly as she could manage. “We can’t.” She took three quick steps until there was enough distance between them before she added, “In fact, I think it would be a good idea if you left me alone to do my job.” She knew she sounded cold, but it was what she needed. Chloe looked away before he could see the lie in her eyes when she said, “After all, that’s the only reason I’m here. Nothing more.”
CHAPTER THREE
Chloe managed to avoid Luke for the next two days, mostly. They’d bumped into each other a few times in the Den on the occasions where she couldn’t manage a viable excuse as to why she didn’t want to eat in the dining room with everyone else. Besides that, it was a lie. She enjoyed the company of Axel and Harper. Even Kade, the youngest of the Jackson brothers, was friendly, if not a bit growly. And not only was he an amazing chef, he was also incredibly passionate about it. Something else was going on with Kade; it was clear to anyone who paid attention, particularly another bear with heightened senses.
Not that Chloe’s senses were heightened. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. It was easier to lie to herself than to admit that she’d been a mess of feelings, hormones, and something else she wasn’t quite sure how to pin down, ever since she’d met Luke. Never mind the kiss they’d shared.
Oh, the kiss. Despite her bravado and trying to pretend it didn’t matter, it did. A lot.
Which was exactly why she needed to stay away from him. She’d lived her entire life avoiding a mate or even the pretense of a mate. The last thing Chloe needed was to be tied down to a male. She was an independent woman with a life of her own. She had goals and dreams; she didn’t need anything screwing that up.
Or enhancing it.
That annoying little voice in her head kept trying to chime in with reasons she should stop avoiding Luke and give in to their connection. But that little voice didn’t know anything. Not really.
If the others noticed anything awkward between her and Luke, they didn’t mention it to Chloe. To her surprise, they let her conduct her investigation in relative peace, without looking over her shoulder
or tracking her every move the way other subjects of her investigations usually did. Of course, those people usually had something to hide. The more Chloe dug into operations at Grizzly Ridge, the more she was convinced the Jacksons didn’t have anything to hide. Of course, her investigation had focused primarily around documentation and building plans, as well as the independent environmental consults the Jacksons had done before beginning construction. From what she could tell, they’d not only followed protocol, but went above and beyond to protect the environment of the ridge. Not that she would expect anything less from bears, but she couldn’t exactly put that in her report.
No, she’d have to be thorough. And that would include touring the grounds thoroughly before she signed off on any recommendation. She’d more or less exhausted what she could do indoors. More than exhausted, really. She was dragging her feet because going out to check out the property would mean being with Luke. Alone. She’d used the last few days to pull herself together and get control of her raging feelings. Not that it was working. It most definitely wasn’t.
There was a knock at the door of the office she was working in. Chloe quickly sat up straight in an effort to look as if she wasn’t in fact daydreaming about the taste of Luke’s lips on her own. “Come in.”
The door cracked open and Harper stuck her head around the corner. “I thought you could use a break,” she said. “Can I steal you away for a bit?”
Chloe closed her notebook and stretched her arms overhead. “Absolutely. I was just thinking that I could use a little break. What did you have in mind?”
“Shopping.”
“Shopping?” There was definitely nowhere to shop at Grizzly Ridge. As far as Chloe could tell, they didn’t even have a gift shop, and the little town she’d passed on her way through didn’t look as though it had much in the way of shops to choose from.
“Well, calling it shopping is a bit of a stretch, but there are a few shops and I’m dying to have some girl time.” Chloe could only laugh at Harper’s enthusiasm. As a general rule, she liked being alone, but she supposed she could understand how Harper might get lonely.
“Of course,” she said, finding herself actually happy for the distraction. She wasn’t a big shopper, or really a big fan of girl time at all, but she liked Harper and an afternoon off could be fun.
That was it. Luke couldn’t take one more day of having Chloe so close and all at the same time, so damn far away. He’d spent the morning walking the stream, casting his line and only halfheartedly attempting to catch any of the trout that were there in abundance. If he’d wanted to, there was no doubt he would have been able to rack up a nice lot of fresh fish for Kade to cook up for dinner. But he couldn’t focus on which fly to tie on, or even pay attention to where he was casting his line. For an accomplished fisherman, it was embarrassing.
Which was why he needed to get her out of his system. And it couldn’t wait.
As soon as he’d stashed his rod, fishing vest, and tackle box in the shed, Luke had stormed down to the Den, ready to confront Chloe and the growing tension between them. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t really spoken since their kiss. They hadn’t needed to. The heat from that kiss had sustained him for the last few days simply because once his lips touched hers, he’d known. She was his. It was only a matter of time.
The moment he walked into the Den, he knew she wasn’t there. Her scent lingered on the air, just the way her presence did in his mind, but it didn’t fill his senses the way it did when she was near. He tried not to be disappointed, but his entire body felt the absence of her like a physical ache. He headed in the direction of the kitchen; he might as well eat while he was there. Besides, it had been awhile since he’d checked in with his brothers. And no doubt they’d have something to say about that.
“I need something to eat,” he greeted his youngest brother Kade, who stood over the stove, stirring something that smelled fantastic.
“Hi to you, too.” Kade didn’t bother turning around. “It’s not ready yet. You’ll have to wait.”
A growl rose up, but Luke swallowed it back. If he didn’t get at least one of the things he wanted, and soon, he was going to have a hard time controlling his bear. And considering Chloe was neither nearby nor overly pleased by his attentions, food seemed like his best bet for the moment.
“Settle down,” Kade said. “Here.” He tossed him a fresh roll that Luke caught easily. “The stew will be done in a few minutes, but it’s for lunch tomorrow.”
“You won’t miss a bowl.” Luke bit into the bun and sat on one of the high stools at the counter. The kitchen was set up to be state-of-the-art while keeping the comfortable, inviting atmosphere the rest of the Den had. The idea was, if guests wanted to pop into the kitchen for a cup of coffee or a snack, they should feel welcome at all times. And despite how growly Kade had become over the last few months, it seemed to be an idea that worked. At least Kade was reserving his bad attitude mostly to his brothers and putting on a pretty good face for the guests. Mostly.
What Kade really needed was to go spend some time with his bear, but Luke didn’t even bother to bring it up. It wasn’t a secret that Kade had denied his bear ever since their little sister, Kira, Kade’s twin, had run off with her mate. Kade didn’t believe in mates. Let alone fated mates. As far as he was concerned, the very idea of such a thing had ruined their family. Luke couldn’t figure out why his little brother thought it would change anything by denying the animal inside him, but he clearly wanted to punish himself for something that was definitely not his fault.
“Give it fifteen minutes,” Kade said grudgingly. “Then you can have a bowl. But that’s it. The last thing I need is to make another batch because you couldn’t control yourself.”
Luke bristled. “I can control myself just fine.” He straightened on his stool.
Kade came around the counter and pushed his shirt sleeves up past his elbows.
Luke raised an eyebrow. “Another new one?” He gestured to the tattoos that covered his brother’s arms.
“Awhile ago,” Kade grunted. “Not that any of you would have noticed.”
“Really?” Luke had to try hard not to laugh at his brother’s petulance. “Are you not getting the attention you need, little brother?”
Kade growled and tightened his hand into a fist. Good. He welcomed the fight. He needed a release from the torture that was Chloe. Beating the shit out of his brother wasn’t ideal, but it was something. And he’d take what he could get.
“Don’t think that because you’re sniffing around some female that you’re better than me, brother.” Kade drew out the last word just to taunt Luke. It worked. He jumped up from the stool so fast that it clattered to the tile floor behind him.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me.” Kade sneered. “And clearly this is what you’re looking for. Hit me. If you can’t close the deal with her, you might as well—”
Luke didn’t hear the rest of what Kade said. A roaring, like a white static noise, filled his ears and his vision completely clouded with fury. Brother or not, there was no way he was going to sit by while Kade spoke like that. Not about his mate. He pulled his arm back, ready to connect his fist with Kade’s smug face, but when he threw the punch, something stopped him.
Luke’s vision cleared instantly and locked on Axel’s unimpressed face. His hand was locked around Luke’s forearm like a vise. “Does someone want to tell me what happened?” he asked. “Because I have to think there’s a really damn good reason you’d both be fighting like boys in the schoolyard in the middle of the kitchen. When we have guests.” Axel glared at them both in turn, his hard eyes finally landing on Luke. A second later, his mouth curled up in a smirk. “I don’t think I even need to ask what this is all about.”
The drive down the mountain was windy and tricky in places, but Harper handled the truck like a pro and they made it into town in little under an hour. “This is it,” Harper said as they drove down the main street. “Bou
lder Creek isn’t much, but it’s usually all we need here. And if we really need something more, Jacksonville is only another thirty minutes east.”
“Jacksonville? As in…”
Harper nodded. “As in the Jackson brothers? You got it. It’s a long story, though, so don’t ask. All that matters is that we do most of our shopping right here in Boulder Creek.”
There was clearly a story there, but Chloe knew enough not to ask. After all, it didn’t matter. Not really. Harper and she weren’t friends, not really, and she was only there on assignment. As soon as she was done with her research, she was leaving. Even if the idea of that felt a little less appealing all the time. Especially considering it meant no Luke.
That was a ludicrous idea. She couldn’t even think about it. Besides, it wasn’t as if they’d even spent any time together. Quite the opposite, really. She’d done everything in her power to avoid Luke because her entire body lit up whenever he was in the room. All she wanted to do was to be in his arms again and have those lips on hers just one more time. But once more wouldn’t be enough. Not nearly enough. Her bear wanted more.
“Chloe?” She blinked hard and focused on Harper, who stared at her, obviously waiting for an answer.
“Sorry.” She smiled apologetically. “I was daydreaming about something.”
“I noticed.” Harper grinned knowingly. “I thought we could pop in here really quick,” she said. “If you’re not too busy daydreaming, that is.”
Chloe blushed. By the look on the other woman’s face, Harper knew exactly what—or in this case, who—she was daydreaming about.
