He took her by the hand and led her to the stairs. Beverly gave one last look at the eggs, and followed, determined to get to the truth. She wanted to trust Liam, but couldn’t let her feelings cloud her judgment.
“So, explain.” Beverly pulled her hand out of Liam’s as soon as they reached the top of the stairs.
“Coffee?” Liam asked, opening a door that led into a cozy apartment, furnished with a plump sofa and chairs, and a small dining table tucked in one corner. “The kitchen is through here.”
Beverly gave him a curt nod and folded her arms across her chest as if to ward him off. She might have lost her heart to him, but there was no way she was going to let that rule her head. Perhaps she was more like her father than she thought. Hadn’t her dad spent her childhood letting his head rule his heart? He’d sacrificed what he loved for the sake of his business.
She relaxed her arms and let them drop to her sides. There was no need to put up a physical defensive barrier. “Thanks.” Beverly took the coffee cup Liam offered her. “I’d like to hear that plan now.”
Liam’s eyes lit up. “It’s good.” He walked past her and went to sit on the sofa. “Sit, you must be tired after such a long day.”
He was right, her feet were aching, and her legs. Climbing up the mountain twice in such a short space of time had left her muscles sore. She chose to sit on one of the chairs and sank down into its soft upholstery, grateful for the chance to relax. “The eggs.”
“The eggs.” Liam leaned forward, his hands clasped in front of him. “Brad came over earlier and I told him about what we saw this morning.”
“I know, I took the photos to him, but he had already identified the men.” She sipped her coffee. It was good, but she didn’t compliment him. There needed to be a distance between them until she knew for sure he was being honest. “Derek Turner and Olsen Creta.”
“I suggested to Brad that we set up a decoy nest. Plant the eggs, and then wait for the thieves to steal them.” OK, so it was a good plan, and there was no reason not to believe him. A simple phone call to Brad would confirm his story.
“We plant the eggs where?” Beverly asked. “They know the nest is empty.”
“They know it was empty.” Liam tipped his body further forward and his voice took on a conspiratorial tone. “What if we tell them the birds have laid?”
“Give them false information?” Beverly liked where this was going. “I could do that.”
“Hey, I don’t want to put you in any danger,” Liam said protectively.
“These guys steal eggs, they aren’t exactly big-time crooks, are they?” She took another slug of coffee. “And I can handle myself. Plus, I’m less threatening.”
“Let’s move on.” Liam picked up a small gadget the size of a button and held it up. “This is a small transponder. When they take the eggs, we can locate them. But I’m hoping we’ll catch them red-handed.”
“Sounds good. Does this mean we get to go on a stakeout?” A night spent on the mountain with Liam would fulfill one or two of her fantasies.
He sighed and leaned back. “I intended to go alone. But that’s not happening, is it?”
“I thought we were partners? And anyway, if something goes wrong, you need backup.” Beverly drank the rest of her coffee and got up from her chair. “What do you need me to do?”
Liam stood up and stepped toward her, but didn’t reach out for her. He’d picked up on her suspicions and wasn’t about to push her too far. However, Beverly was over it, and wanted them to be close, so she did the reaching.
Taking hold of his hand, she entwined her fingers with his, and pulled him closer. Then she leaned forward and kissed him. Liam softened, his arms encircling her waist and pulling her close. “I want you to trust me, Beverly, which is why I need to be completely honest with you.”
“Honest with me?” The moment broke into a million pieces. “That means you’ve lied to me.”
“Not lied. Just not been as open with you as I need to be.” He looked down at their joined hands. “I need you to have an open mind.”
“Crap. You were too good to be true.” She sighed, her heart heavy in her chest. Would she ever be lucky in love?
Chapter Twelve – Liam
“My feelings for you are true, Beverly. Nothing will ever change that.” The enormity of what he needed to explain to Beverly rested on his shoulders, threatening to pummel him into the ground. His happiness would live or die in the next few minutes when he explained the whole shifter thing to her.
Maybe if he were a bear, like most of the other residents in Bear Creek, it might be easier. But an eagle? It wasn’t as impressive to a woman as a big strapping bear shifter, with teeth and claws. Hey, birds had a reputation for flying off. He had to convince her that eagles mated for life.
“You’d better get it over with.” Beverly’s resigned expression was almost too much. Liam had to do more than show her his other side. He had to make her believe in him, and the love that bloomed in his heart for this amazing woman.
“Right. Sit there. And please don’t scream.” He took hold of both her hands and guided her to the sofa, and then pushed the chairs back to give him some space.
“Don’t scream?” Beverly asked nervously. “Why would I scream?”
"Well…” He rubbed his chin. This was a first; Liam had never had to give anyone the talk. “I’m a little different than most men.”
Her brow furrowed. “In what way?” Suspicion infected her voice and he could only imagine what she thought he was going to show her.
“It’s not what you think,” he reassured her.
“I have a very vivid imagination.” Her eyes widened. “Do you have any idea the things I hear and see every day in the store?”
“No.” He finished moving the furniture and then turned to face her. “But I’m sure you don’t know about shifters.”
“Shifters?” Beverly’s face clouded with confusion. “What’s a shifter?”
“This is going to sound weird.” He gave a short laugh. “And you might think I’m making it up. But I’m not. I promise.”
If Beverley thought the whole eggs thing was suspicious, she was going to find what he showed her next incredulous. Damn, he wished she already knew. But she didn’t, and he had to be the one to tell her.
“You’re making me nervous.” Beverly glanced at the door, as if working out if she could get out before he stopped her.
“I’m sorry.” He put out his hands as if he were trying to stop her from running. “I’m going to make this as easy as possible.”
“Go for it.” Beverly perched on the edge of her seat, ready to sprint.
“I can turn into an eagle.” Her reaction was not what he expected.
“Crap. I knew something weird was going on in town.”
“I thought you didn’t know.” The nervous bubble of excitement in the pit of his stomach burst open, leaving him deflated.
“I didn’t. At least, technically I didn’t. But people in the store don’t just gossip with me, they gossip with each other. And sometimes I can’t help but overhear.” She looked thoughtfully at the floor, and he hoped she didn’t notice how threadbare and in need of replacing it was. “So, are we mates?”
His eyes met hers, and he wanted to jump for joy. “Yes.” He went to her and sat down, grabbing her hand. “We are.”
“OK. First, I want to see this eagle of yours. Because seeing is believing, right?” Beverly pushed him gently away.
“Seeing is believing,” he agreed and pushed himself off the sofa, hating to let go of her hand. He’d been so convinced she was going to run, that part of him worried she was going along with all this, humoring him, simply so she could make a clean run for it. “Ready?”
She nodded, her eyes wide as she stared at him as if he was an exhibit in the zoo. Liam took a moment to shake off the tension in his body; he wanted to impress her. Once he was relaxed, he cleared his mind, and let his eagle take over. The air around him shimm
ered and the last glimpse he had of his bonded mate was her shocked expression, before he disappeared from this world, and his bird appeared in his place.
Beverly was still seated on the sofa, her hands on her knees, and her mouth open as she tried to comprehend what had happened before her eyes. “Holy crap,” she gasped.
Liam’s golden eagle stood in the middle of the small apartment above the shop, his small eyes staring at Beverly. He could hear her heart racing, and decided not to approach her. When she was ready, she’d come to him. So he hoped.
They stared at each other, Beverly cocking her head from side to side to examine him from different angles. When she was satisfied, she slipped down onto her knees and approached him slowly, her hand outstretched.
“Aren’t you magnificent?” she crooned as she touched the top of his head. His eagle shivered and ruffled his feathers as the connection between them sent shockwaves through his hollow bones.
His eagle rubbed his head on her hand, and opened his beak, tasting her scent on his tongue. She was rather magnificent herself. Stretching out his wings, he flapped, wishing he was outdoors so he could really impress her with his flying. He might even catch her a small rodent or some other gift of food.
That’s disgusting, Liam told his eagle.
To you, his eagle replied.
And to Beverly, he cautioned his eagle. We don’t want to frighten her away.
His eagle snapped his beak a couple of times in protest, but let the matter go. Meanwhile, Beverly circled around, looking at him, stroking him, before she sat back down on the sofa in stunned silence.
Liam watched her for a few minutes, while she rested her chin on her hands and simply stared. Time for human Liam to take over, they decided. His eagle relinquished his control, and Liam reappeared in his place. Beverly continued to stare.
“Are you OK?” Liam asked, worried she’d gone into shock.
Beverly nodded, her eyes unfocused. “That was incredible.” As if she’d woken from a dream, she jerked back and then looked at Liam properly. “Bears. There are bears in Bear Creek and Bear Bluff. Of course, and cougars in Cougar Ridge. Wolves in Wolf Valley. Why didn’t I realize it before?”
“Because it’s not an everyday occurrence. Perhaps if you were brought up here, but you only moved here recently.” He placed a hand on hers, and tentatively checked her pulse, which was a little high, but nothing out of the ordinary. “You might need a second to let it sink in.”
“No, I’m OK. A little shocked, but OK.” She half turned her body to face him. “Can you explain it? Were you born like that?”
He nodded. “I was. I learned how to control it when puberty struck.”
“Mike…the drug-smuggling eagle.” Her eyes widened as it all began to make sense.
“Yeah, that was the hardest thing, knowing he’d used what my mom sees as a gift to smuggle drugs on the mountain.” Liam’s anger simmered briefly inside him before he allowed it to dissipate.
“Wow. And the bear who chased the egg hunters?” He could almost hear all the cogs turning in her head as little bits of information slotted into place.
“Yes, that was old Wyatt.”
“Brad?” She nodded, knowing the answer already. “So that’s why the men in town turned me down and then immediately settle down with another woman. There was me thinking there was something abhorrent about me.”
“It had nothing to do with you, I can assure you. I can also assure you abhorrent is the last word I’d use to describe a woman as beautiful as you.” He slid his arm around her shoulders. Liam wanted to get to the true mates part right around now. He wanted to kiss her, and then take her to his bed and make love to her.
“You would say that. My guess is I could look hideous and you would still want me.”
“True.” He grinned as she pulled a face. “But you don’t.”
“So, the mates thing?” she asked.
“The mates thing.” He sighed. “You are my true love. There is no other woman for me. And that is the truth.”
Beverly’s conflicting emotions played out across her face. “I wanted a man who would fall in love with me.” She placed her hand over her heart. “The real me, warts and all.”
“Can you settle for a man who loves you warts and all because fate decided we are perfect for each other?” Liam asked.
“Wow, if you put it like that, how can a girl say no?” A shy smiled crept onto her lips, and slowly her face lit up with a radiance he wanted to bathe in for eternity.
“I’m sorry this is the way things happened.” He dropped a kiss on her lips, but she pulled away.
“I’m not. Not really. Yes, I suppose I would like you to fall head over heels in love with me. But I’ve also dreamed of a man who would look at me the way Neil looks at Leona. Or Knox looks at Hannah. And now I also can understand how Harlan puts up with Fiona. He must be a shifter, for sure.”
“You have that. Right here. I will never leave you,” Liam told her, willing her to believe him.
“I guess settling isn’t so bad.” Beverly kissed him, her lips warm on his, and he held her tight, never wanting to let her go. There was more he had to share with her, but now wasn’t the time.
“I should take you to dinner.” Liam wanted to keep her all to himself, but if Beverly needed him to take her out on a date, then he would. If she wanted to pretend they were a normal couple and slowly get to know each other, then he could do that too. He’d waited his whole life for the right woman. Now that she was here, he could slow down and take his time.
Who was he kidding, he wanted to rip her clothes off her body and claim her, right here, right now.
Chapter Thirteen – Beverly
“Dinner sounds good, I’m starving,” Beverly admitted. She’d hardly eaten all day, partly because she worked through her lunch hour, but also because the thought of Liam took more than her breath away. He robbed her of her senses, and her appetite. Now that everything was settled, she was ravenous.
“Where’s good to eat?” Liam asked, grabbing his jacket and his wallet.
“There is this cute restaurant in Bear Bluff. I’ve wanted to try it for ages, but never had a date.” She joined him at the top of the stairs, feeling like the cat who’d gotten the cream.
“Let’s go. Your car, or my motorcycle?” Liam asked.
“I love your motorcycle, but since we're going to dinner, maybe my car would be best.” They went downstairs, Liam going first and Beverly trailing behind. She liked watching the way his jeans clung to his toned thighs.
“Your car it is.” He went around the counter, and she was about to follow when she caught sight of the eggs. Beverly stopped and placed her hand on one of the eggs. It was beautiful.
“What was your plan?” She looked up at Liam. “With the eggs?”
“I need to make molds of them, if I can. Then paint them a similar color, making sure they are weighted right. One of them will contain a transponder that will send out a signal.” He walked back toward Beverly. “Then I plan to fly to the nest site and place the eggs in the nest.”
“How are you going to alert Derek and Olsen?” Beverly asked.
“I was going to stalk their hotel and casually bump into them.” Liam placed his hand on the counter and looked down at the eggs. “Do you see why they are so important to me now?”
Beverly nodded. “You know what? That restaurant will still be there in a couple of days. Let’s do this first.” She picked up the eggs, which were in a Tupperware container that was lined with a soft material to protect them.
“Are you sure?” Liam asked.
“Absolutely. Do you have everything you need?” Beverly looked at her watch. “Most of the stores will be closing soon. If you want anything, now’s the time to tell me.”
“I hope so. I went out earlier while Leona looked after the store. Although I’m not sure how successful the molds will be.” He kissed her cheek spontaneously. “Thank you.”
“I’m not doing it for
you, I’m doing it for the eagles.” But a happy smile spread across her face all the same.
“The eagles thank you too.” He followed her upstairs and she sashayed just a little, wanting him to admire her figure as much as she admired him. A groan from behind her told her she’d succeeded. “You are such a distraction, Beverly.”
“You don’t have to look,” she told him coolly.
“Oh, yes, I do.” As they reached the top of the stairs, he placed his hand on her bottom. “I also need to touch too.”
“We won’t get much work done if you can’t concentrate,” Beverly chastised him.
“Oh, I am having no trouble concentrating. No trouble at all.” He sighed as she moved away from him.
“On the eggs?” she questioned.
“Sure.” He chuckled when she rolled her eyes at him. “OK, maybe my attention did wander a little. But who can blame a man when his mate is right there in front of him looking so incredibly sexy.”
“I’m in my work clothes.” Beverly placed the bowl of eggs down on the coffee table he’d pushed to one side, and turned to face Liam. “Would you rather I was not in my work clothes?”
“That is a loaded question.” He skimmed her body from head to foot. “Since I have to be honest with my mate at all times, I’m going to answer yes.”
Beverly lifted the hem of her sweater and dragged it over her head. Then she undid the buttons of her shirt, and let it drop to the floor. There stood his mate, in the middle of his living room, dressed only in a bra and jeans. Oh, make that a bra and panties. Beverly kicked her jeans off and half turned to allow him to admire her ample assets.
“Your turn.” She folded her arms across her voluptuous breasts, and tapped her foot impatiently.
“You want me to strip?” Liam asked hoarsely.
“I do.” She pointed at his clothes. “All of them.”
He used his enhanced speed to strip all his clothes off in a blur of movement. Was he trying to impress her? Yes, he most certainly was. But that was way down the list of what he’d like to do with Beverly.
Undercover Eagle Page 8
