“And you never saw her again?” Frankie asked, trying to understand what this had to do with their mating bond.
“I did. Not in real life, but in a newspaper article. The car she was traveling in crashed. The woman and the driver both died instantly.” Her hand tightened around his as the words unraveled. “I thought my mate had died. I was so sure that was her. Even when I saw the photograph.”
“But here we are.” Frankie’s voice was a whisper, her sadness tangible.
He took a deep breath and let it out in a gasp. “Here were are. I was wrong.”
“Were you?” Frankie asked gently.
“Yes. I was lost to a dream, a woman I passed in a store, who never so much as looked at me. Compared to what we have, what I feel for you…” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “This is real, and so much stronger.”
“But what if the woman was your mate? What if a part of her is a part of me?” Frankie’s bottom lip trembled as she snatched her hand away from his. With her eyes fixed firmly on Adam’s, she unbuttoned her shirt, pulling it open to reveal a scar running between her breasts. “What if she lives on in me?”
Adams’s hand trembled as he reached out and ran his fingertips along the length of the scar. “What happened?”
“When I was younger, I caught a virus that weakened my heart. I would have died, but the doctors found a heart for me.” Under his fingertips her heart beat strong, powerful, giving her life. “What if this is your mate’s heart?”
Adam shook his head. “What difference does it make?” He cupped her face with his hand and leaned forward, his breath caressing her skin. “Fate brought us together. Me and you, as we are now. What if this is our second chance at love?”
“And what if there’s another man out there who is my mate? What if in some crazy way I’m your mate and his mate?” Frankie broke away from him and got up from the table to look out of the window. “It’s crazy, I know.”
Adam pushed his chair back and stood up. “Do you want me to leave?”
He could not imagine the kind of torture she was going through. Caught between what was and what might be. Could she be right? Was there a chance there might be another man out there, waiting for his mate?
“No.” Frankie turned around abruptly, taking two steps toward him. “I want you to stay. I want to know you, I can’t deny how I feel.”
“Are you certain?” Why keep asking when this was what he wanted? Because he didn’t want to cause her pain. Not now, not ever.
“Yes.” Frankie closed the space between them and cupped his face in her hands. “I want you. I just don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Me either.” His eyes searched her face, looking for the truth in her eyes. When he saw it, he let out a sigh of relief, and bent his head and kissed her lips.
Frankie wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. He nipped her bottom lip, their kiss deepening as his arousal increased. His hard length pressed against her hip, and she moved, rubbing against him. Adam slid his arm around her waist and then moved his hand lower to cup her bottom, pulling her closer.
“I don’t ever want to let you go.”
“Then don’t,” she replied. “I can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. But I know how I feel about you.”
“I’m real.” He kissed her again, vowing he would never let her go. Nothing could part them now that they were together.
Not even death, his bear added.
Chapter Five – Frankie
Adam was warm, his lips soft and gentle, yet fierce, his need for her obvious. She wanted to believe this was real. But his story, combined with hers, convinced Frankie he belonged to the woman whose heart beat in her chest.
She broke the kiss, confused by the emotions that ripped her in two.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Adam said gently. “And I wish I could give you an answer. But I can’t.” He brushed her auburn hair back from her face, curling a strand of hair around his fingers. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. But I don’t want us to live with secrets.”
“No, I agree. We have to be open and honest with each other.” Frankie nodded and broke away from him, going back to the table and sitting down. “Your tea will get cold.”
He smiled and slid back into his chair. “My bear thinks I’m quaint.”
Frankie appreciated the change of subject. “Why?”
Adam shook his head. “Since you are my mate and I trust you, I’ll tell you.”
“I’m both honored and intrigued.” She sipped her tea and ate a cookie. It was time to let go of her fears and embrace this relationship. Adam was a good man, and she found him incredibly attractive.
“First, I have a confession.”
“Okay?”
“I used to be way more obnoxious. When I was younger, I’d hang out with a gang.”
“I’m shocked!” Frankie told him with a smile, Adam was about as far as anyone could get from being your average gang member.
“You should be. We used to call ourselves the Bouncer Bears.” He pointed a finger at her. “No laughing.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” She tilted her head to one side and covered her mouth. “Go on.”
“We got into trouble. Small-time stuff. I’m not proud. But that was the kind of neighborhood I lived in.” Adam paused as he drank his tea and placed the cup down on the saucer with care. “My prospects weren’t good, it wasn’t cool to work hard at school. But then my dad left, and there wasn’t enough money to go around. I have three sisters, and my mom couldn’t support us all. So I grew up fast, and got a part-time job while still studying.”
“That was a very adult thing to do.”
“It was. I surprised myself. The experience also knocked the obnoxiousness out of me.” He remembered those days so clearly. “I thought I knew it all. The real world soon showed me I knew nothing.”
“What did your friends think of this new you?” Frankie leaned back in her chair. She looked tired, with dark shadows under her eyes that made him feel guilty for coming here so late.
“They thought I was a sellout. They tried to persuade me that if I wanted money, I should steal. Cars, credit cards, TVs. But I’d moved on.” He ran his finger around the rim of his cup. “I guess it was only a matter of time until it all fell apart.”
“What happened?” Frankie asked gently, coaxing the words out of him, words he didn’t want to speak.
“I was working late one night. I had a job at the local store. The owner trusted me to lock up after my shift. This one night, my friends paid me a visit. They thought I would be loyal to them. So when they tried to rob the store…”
“You must have been torn. Between your friends and your boss.”
“No.” Adam shook his head. “I knew what was right. Working at the store had shown me how hard people work to provide for their families. How hard I was willing to work. And here were these punks who didn’t understand that. They thought they could just take what they wanted and there would be no one to stop them.”
“So you tried to stop them.” Frankie sensed his unease, as if she was plugged into his emotions. A sense of dread covered her. “You don’t have to go on if you don’t want to.”
“I do. You told me about your heart. I need to tell you about…” He drained his tea. “I think I might need something stronger.”
“Coffee?” she asked with a lopsided smile.
“I think I can allow myself one beer.” He watched as she rose from the table and opened the fridge. She took out a beer, and placed it on the table, before rummaging through a drawer for a bottle opener. “There you go.”
Frankie sat back down and waited until Adam was ready to carry on. First, he took a long drink of cold beer, then he set the bottle down on the table and spun it around in his hands. “They stabbed me.” He lifted his shirt and showed her a scar on his abdomen. “Missed my main organs, but I lost a lot of blood. A lot of blood.”
“I’m so
sorry.” A chill trickled down Frankie’s spine.
“I was lucky, the store owner came down when he heard the commotion. He called the cops and the ambulance. Then he sat with me, holding a towel on the wound to stem the bleeding. I was rushed to the hospital, but I’d lost so much blood, I needed a transfusion.”
“So we both have a part of someone else inside us.” Frankie understood why he decided to tell her this story now. He wanted to show her they were more alike than she realized.
“There’s more.” He gave a short laugh. “I changed. I was different. I can’t put my finger on it, but my bear noticed it.”
“Which is why he calls you quaint?” Frankie couldn’t see it. “That’s not the first word that comes to me when I look at you.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He laughed nervously. “Dare I ask what you do see?”
“Are you expecting flattery, Mr. Painter?”
“No, I expect honesty.” He looked down at his clothes. “I made an extra effort tonight to try to look casual.”
“I was expecting you to wear one of your suits,” she teased. “I have been fantasizing all afternoon about what’s hidden underneath your jacket and tie.” Frankie sighed and leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands.
“Now I know you’re teasing me.” Adam’s heart rate increased and his pupils dilated.
“I think if you had a shirt and tie on right now, you would be loosening it off.” Frankie inched closer.
“You are an incredible woman, Frankie.” He leaned into her and stroked her skin with the back of his hand. “Do you know how much I want you right now?”
“I have a good idea.” Her eyes flicked down to his lips. “But I’m not the kind of girl to sleep with a man on their first date.”
“Not even her mate?” he asked.
“Not even her mate. Or anyone else’s mate.” A flicker of uncertainty cast a shadow over them.
“What if we’re right for each other? What if the blood that I received when I was stabbed was from the mate of the woman I saw?” He shrugged. “What if that was the only reason I had a connection with her?”
“That’s…” Frankie was about to deny the possibility, and yet she was willing to believe Adam belonged to the woman whose heart beat in her chest. “Okay. Let’s go with that.”
“You’ll stop worrying about it?” he asked.
“I can’t promise you that.” Was she ready to admit her frailty to him? “Ever since I had the transplant, I’ve lived with this feeling deep inside that my heart doesn’t belong to me. Which it doesn’t.”
“It does, Frankie. It’s your body that keeps it beating. Your brain that tells the valves to open and close, your blood that feeds it. It’s a part of you.”
“It’s restless, like a ghost haunting me, forever searching for something that I can never find.” She looked him straight in the eye. “What if you fall in love with me, and I die? My body could reject this heart. What would happen to you?”
“Frankie, I’ve already fallen in love with you. From the first moment we met. Instant love. Bam!” He punched his fist into the air. “And I’ve already lived through losing my mate. Sort of. And all through the years, I only ever wished I had said one word to her. Just one word. What I want to say is that there is nothing that will stop me from being part of your life.”
“I think your bear has it wrong. You aren’t quaint, you’re a romantic.”
“Is that a good thing?” Adam asked.
“Yes. It is.” She kissed his cheek, the whiskers of his neatly trimmed beard tickling her fingertips.
“Most people see me as stiff. I was worried you might find me old-fashioned since you are a modern woman.”
“A modern woman? What does that mean?” Frankie asked, unsure if she should be offended.
“Your blog,” he explained. “Julius was telling Catherine about it. I think he’d like to do something similar for the hotel.” He shook his head. “Sorry, I am not going to talk about work.”
“I don’t mind. And as for the blog, I needed something to do when I was recovering from my operation. It started out as an online diary. But then it became a record of my fight to live. Not just physically, but mentally and spiritually. So I set out to conquer the world. I had to prove to myself I could do whatever I want.”
“And now fate has brought you to Bear Creek. What now?” Adam asked.
“A new chapter. I want to put down roots, at least for a while.” She kissed his cheek, collected the cups and took them to the sink. Running the hot water, she added detergent, then turned to him to say, “It’s okay, I don’t intend to drag you away from your hotel. And you might have given me an idea.”
“I have?” Adam’s voice wary.
“Yes, about the blog. I’m sure there are lots of businesses who would want me to advise them about blogging and social media. Maybe if I help Julius, he can recommend me to his clients.” A sense of purpose filled her. “I also plan to volunteer at the animal sanctuary.”
“It sounds as if you have your new life all set out.”
“I might. I just might.” As she washed the cups, Frankie began to mentally formulate a plan. And afterward, when she’d kissed Adam goodnight and climbed the stairs to bed, she realized the sense of restlessness in her heart had eased.
Was it possible Frankie and her heart were accepting each other? Did that mean her heart did belong to Adam? And if so, who did the rest of her belong to?
Chapter Six – Adam
“Adam. Can I have a word in private?” Julius asked discreetly. Adam had worked his shift, ensuring the hotel’s guests were happy and well catered for, even though his mind was fixed on Frankie. Her lips, her smile, her eyes. Everything about her consumed his thoughts. Last night, spending those precious hours with her had been electrifying.
“Certainly.” Adam followed Julius to his office, reminding him of when he first came to work here. He’d needed something to fill his waking hours and to tire him out so he could sleep at night in an exhausted, dreamless sleep.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Julius said as soon as Adam shut the door of the large office the hotel owner hardly used anymore. Since meeting Catherine, and moving into a house nestled on the lower slopes of the mountain, Julius spent less time at the hotel that once consumed him.
In so many ways, Adam and Julius were kindred spirits, both living without their mates. Both offered a second chance.
“Thank you. I assume you mean Frankie?” Adam sat down in the chair opposite Julius, who pulled open his desk drawer and took out a bottle of the finest whiskey and poured a shot into two glasses.
“I do. Here’s to your happiness.” Julius raised his glass, and Adam did the same.
Despite the early hour, Adam drank his whiskey in one gulp, the alcohol sliding down his throat, leaving a warmth in its wake that reminded him of Frankie. Not only because she made his head spin, but because she left him with a warmth inside, ignited by her fingers trailing across his skin.
“I never expected this.” Adam placed his empty glass down on the desk, while Julius sipped his whiskey, savoring the taste.
“None of us do. That’s what makes the mating bond so incredibly exciting and yet soul destroying.” Julius picked up the bottle and offered Adam another drink.
“Not for me, thank you, I have some errands to run.” Adam sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. The two men had often sat like this, talking over business, their plans for making the hotel a success. Adam may only be the manager, but he loved the place nearly as much as Julius. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“The future.” Julius cut straight to the point as always.
“Are you firing me?” Adam asked openly.
Julius snorted. “I hope not.” He sat forward and assessed Adam. “Things will change, though. They have to. I don’t want you to sacrifice your happiness for the hotel.”
“I won’t.” Adam ran his finger around the rim of the empty glas
s. “I’ll work my shifts as usual and fit in my time with Frankie around the schedule.”
“But eventually, you will need to ease up on your workload. Since I met Catherine, you have shouldered much of the work. Now it’s time to look for someone else to take on more responsibility and free up your time. You’re young, you and Frankie are going to have children running around in the not too distant future.”
“Let’s not jump too far ahead.” Adam shuffled in his seat. “We’ve just met, and Frankie has a career, and she might not want to start a family too soon.” He didn’t expand on the other reason she might not want to start a family. Her heart transplant might mean complications.
“I want you to know we can work it out. Whatever you need, we can figure out a way to make it work for us all.” Julius drained his glass. “All I ask is if you want to leave, you give me plenty of notice. Finding your replacement is never going to be easy.”
“I’m not leaving, Julius. I promise you. My heart… I love this place, and I could never find a boss as good as you. Who else would offer his manager such good whiskey?”
“True.” Julius put the bottle back in his drawer. “You should go and get your errands done, and I’ll get back to work. I hear we have a rock star staying for a couple of nights.” Julius raised his eyebrow. “I hope he isn’t a room wrecker.” Julius stood up. “Anyone who hurts my hotel will feel the wrath of my bear.”
“I’ll listen out for the roar of wrath.” Adam pushed himself out of his chair. “She’s changed me.”
“The Catherine, or Frankie?” Julius asked with a twinkle in his eye. Adam smiled at his words. Only a few short months ago Julius had been in the same position. Mired down with too much work and a broken heart as he thought his true mate was out of reach. Now he was happily married to the woman of his dreams and changed forever.
“Both. The Catherine gave me hope. Frankie’s given me dreams.” Adam gave Julius a lopsided smile. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good dream to cling to.”
“Hold on to it, Adam. But don’t suffocate it. Let it breathe and grow.” They left the office together, Julius pulling the door closed behind them. “I always thought I’d turn this place over to you one day. Adam, I want you to know…I see you as a son.”
Silverbacks and Second Chances Page 27
