by Dena Christy
“So you are going to allow the take over by Batesburg to proceed? I have to admit that I’m surprised. The last time we spoke you seemed emphatic that it was not going to happen.”
“Oh, it’s still not going to happen even if I have to fight every member of the council and Batesburg to make sure it doesn’t. I want to know if there is another way, a peaceful way, to avoid the take over and combine Cold Bay and East Brook together that doesn’t require Grace and I to mate with each other.”
The silence on the other end of the phone stretched out and Logan gripped the receiver. Lucien had to have the answer. He was serious when he said he’d fight whoever he had to make sure that his pack didn’t succumb to a hostile take over but he knew that would be suicide and he had a lot to live for now. It wouldn’t help his son, his woman or his pack if he was dead.
“You have to understand why I told you to have a blood bond between the two packs. When the bloodlines between two alphas are combined it is the most unbreakable union. Not even the power of the council can break that bond. It is the only way to guarantee that your packs will be left alone.”
“So what you’re saying is there is no other way?” Logan felt sick as he watched Grace’s face pale. This was not going the way he had expected.
“What I’m saying is that nothing can break that bond. You can combine the packs but all adult members of both packs must agree to it. You are Cold Bay’s alpha, but East Brook must accept you as their alpha too. Even if that happens, if there is any dissent in the ranks you will be taken over. I can do what I can to fight your corner but you have to give me enough ammunition to do so. Is there no one else in your pack that has the blood of an alpha that could mate with Ms. Mayer?”
There was one person in his pack that was part of the same blood line and there was no way a mating between him and Grace would happen. Maybe fifteen years ago but not now.
“Is a mingling of the two bloodlines absolutely necessary?” Logan didn’t want to put his responsibilities as alpha on anyone else. “If we can get full agreement of both packs to merge and accept me as alpha, will that stop the take over?”
“Like I said, there are no guarantees. You’ll be taking a gamble. If you can’t get full agreement, you’ll have to find a way to merge the bloodlines. It doesn’t have to be the alpha, as long as there is a direct bloodline connection. Without the blood connection you have to get all of East Brook to accept you as alpha.”
“I’ll take my chances with getting a unanimous agreement.”
“Okay if that’s what you want. I’ll back your play but just realize that it’s not a done deal. If you can’t get full agreement the council won’t even listen to a proposal to merge the packs. And if you don’t combine the blood lines as an alternative to full agreement, Cold Bay and East Brook will cease to exist. You better prepare yourself for that. I’ll fight for you as hard as I can but Batesburg has powerful friends on the council.”
The line went dead in Logan’s hand and he put the receiver down.
“What did he say?”
Logan debated for a moment how much he was going to tell her. She deserved to know everything without him sugar coating it.
“We have to get both packs to agree to merge and East Brook has to accept me as alpha. It has to be one hundred percent agreement and only then can Lucien go to bat for us with the council.”
“So what you’re saying is that even if we get full agreement there is still a chance that this isn’t going to work.”
Logan nodded. He hesitated for a second. There was one way to guarantee the take over wouldn’t happen. He could say the hell with this and he could give up Faith and his son for the sake of the pack. The thought was abhorrent to him, and if he wasn’t prepared to make a sacrifice like that for the sake of their packs, why should he ask her to make one?
“He did say that the only way to guarantee that the take over won’t happen would be to merge the bloodlines. Is there anyone else in your pack that has the blood of an alpha?”
“Not anyone that is of age. If there has to be a merger of blood it has to be me, but he said it didn’t have to be you, didn't he?”
“Yes. I’d still have to get the majority of your pack to submit to me as alpha but it wouldn’t have to be me who mates with you. Just someone from the same bloodline.”
Her face paled a little and he could see she was connecting the dots in her head. “Who else carries your blood?”
“You know who.” He and Mason shared the same grandfather, which meant that he carried the alpha’s bloodline in his veins. Grace shook her head and he knew that he could not ask her to do what he could not.
“He’d never agree to it. Not even for you. I hurt him too much.”
“That wasn’t your fault. If you told him what really happened—” Grace held her hand up and stopped him from saying any more.
“It was a long time ago and nothing good will come from stirring up the past. It’s over between Mason and I, and nothing I can do or say will ever repair it. If we aren’t going to bind ourselves together, then we’ll have to do it the other way.”
There was nothing that he could say that would change her mind, and it would be selfish for him to push her. They’d try it the way Lucien suggested and he hoped like hell that they got full agreement from both packs. The alternative was unthinkable.
Faith nervously sipped her diet cola as Bill read the business plan she'd prepared. She didn’t know why she had a funny feeling in her stomach. It could be that this was such a big step for her, to walk away from the life she’d built for herself and Connor and start all over again. As she took another drink, the thought came that this was what was best for Connor. Her boy had blossomed in this town, and she didn’t want to drag him back to the city and have him revert to the sullen and angry kid he’d been growing into.
Bill looked up at her and a smile spread across his face.
“So when are you going to hang out your shingle? You'll have one client already when you do.”
Faith set her glass down and blew out a slow breath. “It’s good?”
“Faith, it’s awesome. So when are you going to get started?” Bill put the package he’d read down and slid it across the table. She slipped it into her purse. Having everything written down on paper made it seem more real to her, and she was both nervous and excited about taking the necessary steps toward solidifying her family.
“I need to get my old life settled first. I’m going to call my mom and tell her what is going on. She knew I was coming here to find Connor’s dad, and I’ve been updating her on his progress. I haven’t told her that I plan to stay. I haven’t told anyone, except you.”
Bill’s eyebrows climbed his forehead. “You haven’t told Logan?”
How could she explain that she wanted to tell him but something was holding her back? When they first slept together they’d agreed this was going to be a summer fling. He hadn’t said a word about it being more than that.
“I want to make sure all my ducks are in a row before I tell him.”
Bill finished the last of his coffee and set the cup back in the saucer.
“Are you sure that’s all it is?”
She looked down at her hands, which were laced together on the table. She should have known that Bill was much more perceptive than she gave him credit for. He’d been like that on the one and only date they'd had. He’d known, perhaps even before she acknowledged it herself, that Logan was the man for her.
“What if this blows up in my face? What if being with me isn’t what he wants? What if it is but things go off the rails down the line?”
She didn’t expect Bill to be able to answer these questions for her, hell she didn’t have the answers herself.
“Where is this coming from? Has Logan said anything to you to indicate that he doesn’t want to build a family with you and Connor.”
“No. Part of the problem is that he hasn’t said anything either way. When I’m with him, when we are
all together it feels right. We feel like a family. But I’ve felt that before and it didn’t last.”
She wanted to add that in her experience it never lasted. When she was little, when her father and mother were together, they were a happy family. At least that was how it appeared on the outside, but an affair changed all that. Her father left and her mother spent years trying to find someone to replace him.
“There are no guarantees, Faith. If you’re holding out for one, you’ll be waiting a long time.” Bill signaled to Alex, who was working the bar, for more coffee by lifting his coffee cup. “I can tell you one thing. I’ve lived in this town a long time, and while I don’t have a lot of friends among the furrier residents, I can tell you that Logan is the real deal. He’s the kind of man you can depend on and he takes his responsibilities seriously.”
She knew that of course. He’d proven it when he’d stepped up immediately when she’d shown up out of the blue with Connor in tow. And there was no doubt in her mind that he loved his boy. What was a little foggier to her was whether or not he loved her.
Alex came over with the coffee pot, and poured Bill a fresh cup. The smell of it hit her and her stomach lurched.
“Can I get you anything Faith?” Alex turned to her with a smile and she gritted her teeth. She shook her head no because she was afraid if she opened her mouth she was going to throw up all over the table.
She blew out a few short breaths and finally the wave of nausea passed.
“Are you okay? You look a little green.” Bill looked at her with concern over the edge of his coffee cup.
“I’m fine.” The smell of the coffee hit her again and she had to put her hand up to her mouth and swallow hard. “I’m okay.”
Bill looked at the coffee and at her. “I didn’t know the smell of coffee upset your stomach. I can get rid of it if you want.”
“No. It’ll pass.” Faith swallowed again, but this time it was to push down the thought that popped in her head. There was only one other time in her life when the smell of coffee bothered her. It was when she was pregnant with Connor.
She asked Bill how things were going with the motel to keep him talking and as he told her about the large group of hikers who’d just left, she did some quick calculations in her head. She’d finished her period a few days before she left to come here, and what she’d failed to notice was that she hadn’t gotten it since.
Could she be pregnant? The idea thrilled her and made her nervous all at the same time. This was a chance for Logan to share with her all the experiences he’d missed with Connor. And if she was honest with herself, what she wanted to experience with him.
She wouldn’t tell him until she knew for sure. If this was just a fluke, if there was some other reason that her period was late and the coffee smell was bothering her, she didn't want them both to be disappointed.
She and Bill were almost finished, and she managed to get her mind back on the conversation. She had so much to do. She needed to get a pregnancy test. How she was going to do that in a town this small, where everyone knew Logan and would remark on the fact that she’d bought one?
She glanced toward Logan’s office door, and to her surprise it opened and a blond woman walked out. She didn’t know who she was, but that wasn’t unusual. The only person she really knew in town was Bill.
Logan stepped out of the office too, but he didn’t glance her way. He reached out and hugged the woman for a long moment, and Faith felt her stomach lurch. Who was she and why was he hugging her?
She tore her eyes away and looked at Bill.
“What is it?”
Something of what she was feeling must have been written on her face. She held up one finger as her eyes tracked the woman as she walked across the barroom floor and out the door.
“Do you know her? The blond woman?” She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the strange woman as she walked across the parking lot toward her car. Who was she and why was Logan hugging her? Was she a relative and that hug completely innocent?
“I’ve never seen her before. Whoever she is, she doesn’t live here.”
She could still be a relative, but somehow Faith doubted it. If Bill didn’t know who she was, she definitely didn’t live in this town. But who was she and why had Logan been meeting with her in his office and hugging her when she left?
Faith finished the rest of her diet soda and tried to put the blond woman from her mind. She had other things to worry about, like whether or not she was carrying Logan’s baby. Once she knew for sure, she was going to sit down with him and have a long talk. Logan had not given her any indication that he was running around, and honestly he didn’t seem the type. There could be all sorts of innocent explanations for why he was hugging a woman that she’d never seen before.
13
Logan took one last look at Connor before he slowly closed his son’s bedroom door and walked down the hall toward the bedroom he now shared with Faith. It was hard for him to remember when they hadn’t been in his life. Faith and Connor were his family, and he wanted more than anything else to be able to keep them.
He opened the bedroom door and Faith’s back was to him. She was standing in a bra and a pencil skirt she was in the process of taking off and hanging up. It was such an ordinary action, and she didn’t know he was there watching her. She moved with an elegance that made him feel rough in comparison. The love he felt for her slammed him in the chest like a sledge hammer. It was on the tip of his tongue to declare himself, but he held back.
The pack would be meeting in two days time and once he knew if he would still have a pack, then he’d tell her. If he was going to ask her to commit to a future with him, he wanted to be able to tell her if it would be here in Cold Bay or if it would be somewhere else. If he lost the fight to avoid the take over by Batesburg, he would have no choice but to take her and Connor out of here. The alpha of Batesburg wouldn’t tolerate another alpha in his midst. The only way he could protect his family would be if he took them far away.
He must have made a sound, because she turned her head toward him and all thoughts of fleeing, of his pack or anything that wasn’t her, left his mind. God when she looked at him like that, with what he hoped was love warming her eyes, he felt like he could conquer the world. With her beside him, he felt like he could do anything he put his mind to.
“Is he all settled in?” She shut the closet door and leaned against it. Her voluptuous breasts pressed against the lace of her bra and he stalked toward her. She was his woman, and although he’d had her in his arms last night, a whole day had passed and he needed her again.
“Yes. Now it’s time for me to put you to bed.” He stepped up close to her and the sweet, fruity scent of her shampoo invaded his senses. His hands came up to rest on her sides where her waist nipped in above her flaring hips and he pulled her to him.
She put her arms around his neck and tilted her head back. The corner of her mouth pulled up as she pressed her lush curves against him. “What are you waiting for? Put me to bed.”
He didn’t need to be told again. His head swooped down and every ounce of desire and love for her was in his kiss. She was in his head, her body under his hands and he couldn’t get enough. If he kissed her for a thousand years it still wouldn’t be enough time.
Her hands tunneled under his shirt and his stomach muscles tightened as she stroked over his skin. She pulled back from him and her tongue swiped across her full bottom lip. God he didn’t think it was possible, but he was harder for her than he’d ever been in his life. He didn’t know if he was going to be able to hold it together, to make this last for her. His hunger for her was all consuming. The animal part of his brain knew that she was his woman and it wanted to claim her so there was no doubt in either of them who she belonged to.
“You’re wearing way too much, my love.” She tugged at the hem of his shirt, and he pushed her hands away so he could whip the shirt off over his head. His jeans followed, and he stood so close to her that the tip
of his erection brushed against her skin.
She didn’t seem to be in any hurry to take off her remaining clothes, and when she reached down between them to stroke him, his control snapped. He needed to have her, now. Promising himself that he would replace them, he put his hands on her bra and she gasped as the tearing of fabric sounded in the room. If he thought she would be angry that he’d torn her clothes off, he was mistaken.
“Yes. Take me, Logan.”
A primitive growl escaped him and her torn panties soon followed her bra down onto the floor. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She clutched at his hair and brought her mouth to his. They devoured each other, their passion burning bright as he managed to get them over to the bed.
He climbed onto his king size bed with her still clinging to him. He tore his mouth away from her, and looked down at her face. Her eyes were heavy with desire as he eased back and tested her between her thighs. A moan escaped her as his stroking fingers found her wet and ready for him.
“I want you right now. Please, I need you inside me right now, Logan.”
The sound of his name on her lips was like the most powerful aphrodisiac and he couldn’t keep himself from her any longer. He slid his body inside her and it felt like he was coming home. It was like this every time with her. He closed his eyes so he could savor the feeling of truly being one with her. They were meant to be together, and he knew that if he could see his soul her name would be emblazoned on it.
Her hands slid around his neck, and he could see the future in her eyes. It was one where they were together, where they loved each other and were a family. He leaned his head forward and kissed her tenderly as he moved inside her. All he felt for her was in every thrust of his body. This had to work. Fate would not have brought her back into his life if they weren’t meant to be together.
He had to clamp down on the declaration of love that wanted to rip itself out of his chest. Now was not the time for declarations, and soon enough all thought escaped his head as his thrusts quickened. She clung to him and met him thrust for thrust. The sounds of her pleasure as she reached her peak was the sweetest music he’d ever heard and the squeezing of her flesh surrounding him sent him hurtling over the edge.
