“He said he was the illegitimate son of Wayne McCormac.”
Malcolm nodded. “Did he? And he showed Wayne proof. Just as he showed you proof?”
“I believe so.” Will caught his meaning. Of course, Carson had lied once; he would lie again. A forged birth certificate, anything. All he had to know was that at some point Wayne had slept with Carson's mother.
“Then I suggest you find something you can use to compare the DNA of Carson to that of Eirik, Wayne’s true son and heir.”
“You don’t believe he is the son of my uncle?” Freyja asked.
“No. I do not.” Malcolm looked at Will. “Although there was often talk that some of the bears from both our clans used to go into the mountains to mate with a female bear. It is not something we ever encourage, but some men find it a fetish.”
“And Carson's mom liked to be a bear more than she liked to be human.”
“Exactly.”
“You don’t know more than this?”
“No. Your father treated you both equally. Never spoke of it. That is why I never questioned your motives when you handed the running of the company over to him.”
Chapter Twelve – Freyja
“Where are you going to get Carson’s DNA from? It’s not as though you can go and ask him for it.”
“I know where.”
They were outside now, Malcolm and Gracie standing and watching as they put their helmets on. When Malcolm called out. “One more thing.”
“Yes?” asked Will.
“Your father would have been very proud of you, Will.”
Will looked down at his leathers and his bike and remembered his dad in his smart suit and tie leaving in his expensive car for work every morning.
“I’m not so sure,” Will said.
“You are a self-made man, Will. I have kept my eye on your business dealings; you are more than a match for Frasier Corporation.”
“I have no wish to take it over.”
“By the time this plays out, you might well have to. It was your father who built it from nothing. Now it is your turn to take control.” Malcolm gave them one last wave and then went back inside.
“He is so different from my father,” Freyja said.
“Does it ever seem strange to you that our clans live so close together and yet might be on different continents?”
“Yes. I believe it’s because my father and Malcolm are so old. Although Malcolm seems a lot more open to change than my father.”
“He was willing to help; I thought I would have to use more persuasion.”
“What kind of persuasion? Malcolm is your chief; there can’t be much you can use as leverage without making things difficult for you and your business.”
“That wasn’t the leverage I was going to use.”
“Then what was?”
“That if Carson has control over you, he will have control over Bear Bluff one day.”
Her skin paled. She placed her hand on him to steady herself, his presence giving her comfort. “Of course. I thought he just wanted to hurt you.”
“So did I, and I’m not sure if that was what he wanted us to think. However, I believe that he has a lust for power. First, he took Frasier Corporation from me, making him a billionaire overnight; now he wants more. He wants to be the chief of your clan, or at least acting chief through you. He could wreak havoc on this mountain.”
“That won’t happen.”
“He must believe that those lands are worth more to you than they actually are.”
“Well, he is wrong. They are invaluable, but they are not worth the control of the clan.”
“Get on, let’s go and find the DNA we need to prove he is not the heir to the land anyway. Then your clan will have a legal right to the lands back.”
“You really think he persuaded Wayne that he was his son with a fake birth certificate?”
“Yes. Although Wayne must have had a guilty conscience to be so easily deceived.”
“So where are we going?”
“Home.”
She slid on behind him and held on tight as he raced off down the drive. Back onto the road, she felt as if the devil was on their taillights as they made their way to the house Will had grown up in. She had never been inside, only sat in the grounds on warm summer evenings dreaming about him. She had taken a risk coming here, but she had needed to find some way to be close to him when he had rejected her.
This empty house was the best she could come up with. It stood alone and unloved, mirroring her life without Will. No one had lived here since Will’s father had died.
“Why did you never live here?” she asked.
“It didn’t seem right. I signed the running of Frasier Corporation over to Carson, believing the house rightfully belonged to him as well. He never lived here. I never asked him why.”
“Do you think you’ll find his DNA here?”
“I hope so, or I will have to pay him another visit and pull his hair out or gouge his skin with my claws.”
“Maybe I should give you a hand.”
He grinned. “I thought females were supposed to be gentle homemakers.”
She stopped in her tracks, hands on hips. “You are joking?”
“No. I thought that now we were mated you would become the stay-at-home type. While I go out and earn our keep.”
His face was perfectly serious and he wondered if that was what he truly believed. When they were younger, before the mating bond took over, they would run and hunt together in the mountains. Now they were mated, and she might very well be already pregnant, did he expect her to give up the person she was, the person she was born to be? “Damn it, Will. That is not funny. I’m the next leader of Bear Bluff.”
“The more I think about it the more I think it would be better if Eirik took that over too.” He walked on, going up to the front door and trying it. “Locked.”
He disappeared around the side of the house and she followed, her temper flaring. “Wait. This conversation is not over.”
“There should be a key here somewhere.” He was searching around some rocks and stones, his hand closing around one, which he lifted up triumphantly. “I really didn’t want to break in.” Sliding the underneath of the stone back, he found a key. “Back door.”
“Will,” she said firmly. “I am not setting foot in there until we have this resolved.”
He came back to her and kissed her cheek. She remained impassive, even when his kisses trailed down her neck, his breath warm, making her skin come alive. Then he whispered in her ear. “I always found you irresistible when you were angry.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
He held her close, his hardness against his thigh. “You should know me by now. I expect you to be the woman you want to be. But in my fantasy you come into my bedroom all fired up and then we ... well, come inside and I’ll show you.”
Her temper didn’t recede. “This is your fantasy? To wind me up?”
“I used to lie awake, imagining you coming to me, climbing through the window while my parents slept, to berate me about something. You always did have a fiery streak. Then you would be unable to resist your other emotions.” The back door to his big house stood open, his hand outstretched, inviting her in.
“You are twisted.” She hid her smile.
“Let me show you how much.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I’m your mate. You can’t refuse me.”
She crossed her arms and tilted her head to one side. “Want to bet?”
He grinned widely. “Damn it, Freyja, if you don’t come inside now I’ll have to fuck you out there on the lawn.”
“I can outrun you.”
“Freyja,” he growled, taking a step towards her.
“I thought you wanted to play games.”
“Not ones where you run from me.”
She could see the raw emotion on his face, the way his body tensed and the bulge in his tight leather pants. Was
it worth provoking him to prove a point, or should she play along? “So, this fantasy of yours? Do I get to strip those leather pants off you?”
“Damn, I hope so.” He relaxed a little and she walked towards him.
“You are a naughty bear, Will.”
“I hope to be very naughty.”
She closed her hand around his cock, feeling him harden, the tight leather of his pants constricting him. “I bet you long to be free of your clothes. Take them off.”
“Upstairs,” he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her into the house.
In a blur, she caught glimpses of furniture covered in white sheets, places on the walls where pictures once hung and an overall sense of abandonment. This was his home, the place he grew up and formed memories over countless years and yet he had left it shut up and alone. This poor, beautiful house had suffered the same fate as Will and Freyja. Never before had she been filled with such a sense of how far-reaching Carson’s treachery had been.
When they reached the top of the stairs he paused, and then he led her more reservedly along the landing, passed closed doors, behind which stood his parents’ room, Carson’s room and numerous spare bedrooms. The house was huge, almost as big as the one Malcolm lived in.
“I never realised it was so grand in here.”
He turned to her, his eyes haunted by the past. “It’s just a house.”
“It’s your home, Will. Where you belong.”
“I used to. Now I feel like an intruder. I think we should leave, this was a mistake.” Will stopped and then began to walk back past her. She placed a hand on his arm, pulling him towards her.
“No, it wasn’t.” She slipped into his arms, her fingers stroking his chest as she stood on tiptoe and kissed his hard-set mouth. He softened for her, tilting his head down and kissing her. “Let’s slay this monster now. You promised me a fantasy, and I always get what I want.”
“Freyja, let’s go. There are too many ghosts here.”
“You have every right to be here, Will. It is time you stopped feeling bad for what has happened. The only way to lay those ghosts to rest is if we live here and raise our kids here. Their love and laughter will fill these rooms; the house will be happy again. But only if you stop running.”
“But I betrayed my father’s memory by believing Carson.”
“You can put it right.” She looked at the closed doors. “Which one?”
He turned to the right and pointed. She tenderly took his hand and led him to his bedroom, the scene of all his fantasies about Freyja.
Chapter Thirteen – Will
His room reminded him of a more innocent William Frasier. The man who lived here was confident in who he was, who his family was and where he fit into this world. It was still hard for him to believe how easily he ditched that version of himself. But in his mind, he knew. It was there in his peripheral vision as he glanced at the books on his shelf.
As his father ended his long days, Will would look at him and know he could never live up to such a man as Pater Frasier. He would never be his father, the man who had taken the family through so many long centuries, building a company, a fortune and a reputation. He knew there was every chance he would squander it all. Carson’s words had given him a way out. And in turn made it a self-fulfilling prophecy. He had let his father down in the worst way.
“Hey. Let the past be at rest.”
She was so perfect. Her face full of hope, full of comfort, wanting to be supportive when he had hurt her so very badly. He didn’t deserve her. That thought hit him. If he thought that way again, he would make the same mistakes. He had thought he didn’t deserve to be his father’s heir and so he had thrown it all away. Letting Carson’s ambitions get out of hand, putting them all in danger.
Will went to her and said, “Let’s make a future together, Freyja. Once this is all behind us, will you marry me? I don't care if it’s your dad or Malcolm who officiates, but I want the world to know you’re mine. If I had claimed you ten years ago, then Carson would never dared have asked for you in the way he has. You are not something that anyone can bargain with.”
“So what was your fantasy?” she asked, smiling shyly at him but still not giving him an answer. “I would love to know what you dreamed about in your bed here.” She went over to the bed, which had remained unslept-in for so long. “Do I sit?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m sitting down.”
“So where am I?”
He went to the bed and sat on the edge. “You come in through the window.”
She went to the widow and stood there, the daylight framing her luscious curves. “Now what?”
“You come to me. You are mad because I was supposed to meet you and I didn’t.”
“Why didn’t you?” she asked taking two steps towards him.
“Because I couldn’t get away. Family business.”
“But I’m your family now,” she said and came to kneel before him, her eyes meeting his. “I want to show you how much you mean to me, Will.” Her hand went to his crotch and she squeezed his cock in her hand. “Is this your fantasy?” She slid her hand along the length of him.
“Yes,” he said, shifting his hips as his arousal grew. “But there’s more.”
“I bet there is.” She unzipped his leather pants and opened them up to reveal the tip of his cock. Her hand covered it, her palm caressing him until he squirmed. Then she bent forward and placed her mouth over it, sucking him gently. He nearly exploded. The blood rushed to his cock. It became the focus of his world while she ran his tongue over it.
Pulling back, she raised her head and she said, “Why don't we get you out of these?”
He stood, unsteadily, on his feet, while her hands worked at pulling his pants down over his hips. They were so snug she had to wiggle them, his cock moving in front of her face while she worked. He watched her, the anticipation of her next move almost too much. But the thought of it was nothing compared to when her mouth closed over his cock. Her head going down so she could take him fully in her mouth.
For a moment, the head of his cock bumped the back of her throat, and he thought she was going to gag. But she pulled back a little and then sucked hard. His hand fisted her hair and he cursed under his breath. He hadn’t been prepared for this to be quite as wonderful as it was. She had taken on his fantasy, seeming to read his mind and know what he wanted.
Closing his eyes, it could have been one night all those years ago when they were nothing more than friends who met up in the wild. His parents could be sleeping in the room down the hall and Carson might be downstairs watching TV. Everything was normal, his life complete, no bumps in the road.
His breath hissed through his teeth as she brought her head up and then slid back down, sucking hard. Her hand cupped his balls, and fondled them, until he was on the verge of coming. Did she know he was about to erupt into her mouth? Did he want to? Or did he want to play out the fantasy in its entirety?
Chapter Fourteen – Freya
His body tensed and she began to panic. If he came in her mouth, what would she do? There was probably no running water in the house, so where would she spit it out? Oh, damn. What if it made her vomit? She would never live it down.
“Freyja, I need to come inside you. I want you to lie on my bed.”
Obediently she got up. This was his fantasy, after all. His eyes held hers as she moved past him to lie on his bed, the sheet covering it, thankfully, still clean. He took the rest of his clothes off before joining her. Then he stroked the swell of her breasts through her clothes before unbuttoning her shirt.
She sighed when his mouth claimed her breasts, one at a time he nursed on her nipples, his hands caressing her skin. Alighting the fire within her, until she was wet and ready for him. Fingers plucked at her jeans and she lifted her hips off the bed to help her push them off. Then she settled back down to enjoy him in the most primal way. Her bear clawed at her mind, wanting to recall those days when they hunted and romped together t
hrough the mountain meadows.
But, for now, her bear had to be denied. Pushed out of her mind and left to roar her disappointment. Instead, Freyja concentrated on the man next to her. The man sliding between her thighs, eager to please her in every way imaginable. And Freyja found she was developing quite the imagination where Will was concerned.
His finger probed inside her and she hooked her leg around his to encourage him to enter her; she was ready for him. All she wanted was to be filled with by his cock and to feel his hands on her body. She nibbled at his earlobe, her fingers raking his back as she drove him to the point where he had to restrain his own bear. She knew now what it was like. How it added to the excitement and she wanted to push him to the very edge. To make him feel as close to his other self as he could, without letting go.
As he plunged into her, she felt the first frisson of electricity in the air; it covered her skin, a vibrating pulse covering her body. Slowly, slowly she matched her own transformation to his. Making it within reach, but out of her grasp. Their bodies almost hummed in time with each other. A resonance passing through them, making their lovemaking more connected than she ever thought possible. He touched her, his body covering hers, consuming her with its passion until they were as one. One being, moving through space and time, until he came, breaking the spell.
Now they were individuals again, two beings in search of the ultimate release in each other’s arms. He cried out, his voice that of Will, the man she had always known, always loved. He had always been the one; there would never be another.
He lay staring at her; they were sated, at ease in each other’s presence now. “I am very self-conscious, you know?” she said.
“Not around me. Not any more.”
“I keep thinking there must be something on my face. You know, like a big spot or something.”
“There’s nothing, only you.”
She raked her hands through her messed-up hair. “I need the bathroom. I guess there’s no water here, though.”
“Probably not. Why don't we get dressed and grab what we need and then head back to my place.”
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