"If you don't believe me, you can look it up."
Huge, handsome Howard. He probably had women throwing themselves at him.
"Okay?" He gave her a questioning look.
She nodded.
"Then there's my second point. I work for MacKay Security and Investigations, and for the past few years, I've been a bodyguard for the Draganesti family. Currently, I'm stationed at the Dragon Nest Academy as head of security. They would never trust me to guard their children if I wasn't absolutely in control."
She sighed. He was making good points. And her resolve was slipping fast.
"I would be happy to give you a tour of the school and let you talk to other people. It might alleviate any concerns you have."
She sipped some more juice. "I'll think about it."
"Good." He heaved a sigh of relief. "I don't want to lose you, Elsa."
She didn't want to lose him, either. But wasn't it crazy to date a were-bear? A huge beast of a man? Her gaze drifted over his big, muscular body. Maybe not. She gulped down more juice.
"And then there's my third point." He picked up a chocolate square and ripped open the foil. "You can trust me because I genuinely care about you. I admire you, and I want you to be happy."
She swallowed hard. "I - I appreciate that." She finished her juice and set the glass down. Maybe she should leave before she lost all her resolve. Instead of rejecting Howard, she was tempted to throw herself at him.
"Here, try this." He broke the chocolate square in half, then held one piece up to her lips. "Open."
With her heart racing, she opened her mouth. Just a little, so she could feel his fingers against her lips.
He set the piece on her tongue. "Let it sit there and melt in your mouth." He placed the other piece in his mouth.
She watched his lips brush against his fingers, the same fingers that had been in her mouth. Her gaze lifted to his eyes. They were an intense blue, almost like the blue in burning flames.
"It shouldn't take long," he murmured. "Your mouth was hot."
She was hot all over but still shivered.
He leaned closer, watching her closely. "All melted and gooey?"
She nodded. Heat began to gather between her legs.
He held a huge red strawberry to her lips. "Open."
She did. He pushed the fruit in and she bit down. Juice dribbled down her chin. He caught it with his finger, then brought it to his mouth and licked it off.
She moaned. The strawberry mixed with the melted chocolate in her mouth. So good. And yet so bad. All she could think about was how much she wanted him.
"You like it?" He stuffed the rest of the strawberry into his mouth and chewed slowly, never taking his eyes off her.
Moisture pooled between her legs, and she pulled her knees up, squeezing her thighs together.
"I bet your mouth tastes sweet inside," he whispered.
"Yours, too." He was seducing her, and God help her, she loved it.
He crossed the blanket on all fours, like a beast, till he reached her feet. He grasped her ankles and tugged, straightening her legs. He knelt in front of her, his legs straddling hers. "Goldilocks."
Her heart pounded. "Beast."
"I'm going to kiss you."
She reached for him. "Yes."
Chapter Eighteen
Howard was tempted to drag Elsa deep into the woods and pounce on her, but he restrained himself. Even though this latest strategy was working well, she could still be easily frightened.
So he gently cradled her face and pressed his lips against hers. She wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned into him. An encouraging sign.
"Elsa," he breathed against her luscious mouth. He nibbled on her chocolate-flavored lips, then sucked the bottom one into his mouth.
She moaned, tightening her grip around his neck. Her mouth opened in invitation.
To hell with being gentle. He grasped her head tighter and plundered her mouth. It was hot and sweet. His groin swelled, and he fought the urge to push her down and strip her naked.
He ravished her neck instead, nuzzling and nibbling, reveling in the moans and shivers he incited. She was so responsive, so delicious. Her scent drove him wild. Fresh as a dew-covered meadow at dawn, it was laced with the added scent of her arousal.
No doubt it would shock her that he could smell the moisture whenever it seeped from her core. It made him hard. It made him want to taste her and lick her till she screamed.
With a low growl, he returned to her mouth and gave her a ravishingly thorough kiss. Her body trembled, but she didn't retreat. His brave Elsa kissed him back and suckled on his invading tongue.
He cupped one of her breasts and squeezed. As she moaned, the nipple pebbled beneath his palm. He circled it with his thumb till it tightened into a bead. He pinched it lightly and groaned when he caught the scent of more moisture pooling between her legs.
Take her, the bear urged him.
He broke the kiss and sat back, still straddling her legs. Damn, he wanted her, but he couldn't take her here, so close to the house.
Carry her to the stream and mate with her.
And that's why you're the beast, he scolded the bear. He couldn't afford to frighten her now.
He eased back into a sitting position on the blanket, wincing at the tightness of his pants. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, breathing heavily. "I . . . I underestimated my attraction to you."
He squeezed her hand. "Don't regret it. Please. I want to bring you joy, not regret."
She gave him a sad smile. "That was your wish in the park."
"And you wished you could trust me. In your heart, you want to."
She sighed. "I - I've never felt quite like this before. I mean, I've been attracted to men before, but not . . . like this."
He nodded. "It's intense. Like we're driven." He touched a strand of her hair that had escaped her ponytail. "We're going to be wild together."
Her eyes widened. "I should be going." She scrambled to her feet.
Damn, did he say something to upset her? He rose to his feet. "Can we meet again? Another picnic like this?"
She glanced toward the house. "Maybe. I suppose a few minutes would be all right."
"Good."
She motioned toward the blanket and food. "Thank you. I enjoyed it."
"I thought you did." He recalled all her shivers and moans.
"I meant the food." Her gaze flitted to the swelling in his pants, and her cheeks turned pink. "I - I'll see you tomorrow." She darted toward the house and let herself in.
Howard smiled. His overall strategy was working. Her desire was becoming stronger than her fear.
The following afternoon, she halted her work once again to glance out the kitchen window. Four o'clock and he wasn't there yet. She clicked the electric sander back on and stepped over the long extension cord that connected to an electric generator in the foyer. Between the noise of the generator and the sander, she was afraid she would miss his call or text.
Her phone was on vibrate and nestled in a chest pocket of her denim work shirt. It was another hot day, and she'd rolled up her sleeves and opted for cut-off shorts instead of pants. Unfortunately, now her legs were coated with sanding dust.
The bad dream hadn't haunted her sleep last night. That had to be a good sign. Maybe her subconscious was accepting the idea that Howard wasn't a threat. Or maybe it was a sign that she was being totally fooled.
She winced. Why couldn't she be a normal person and fall for a normal guy? But after meeting Howard, who would want a normal guy?
At least her aunts seemed to be relaxing a bit. Today they had announced they would take turns guarding her at the house. They ate lunch with her every day at the diner in town, and that's where they planned to switch shifts, one taking the morning, and the other, the afternoon.
The phone vibrated against her chest, and she turned off the sander. It was him! A text: Setting up the picnic. Come when you can.
She stood and glanced out the window. Sure enough, there he was, in jeans and a navy T-shirt, stretching the checkered blanket on the ground.
She smiled, her heart racing. Calm yourself. She shouldn't act so excited to see him. Even though she was. And she shouldn't act like this was the highlight of her day. Even though it was.
She used bottled water to wash her hands and face, then brushed out her hair and refastened the ponytail. She dashed to the back door. Voices filtered from the dining room. Alastair and Oskar were arguing over whether to keep the old-fashioned, candle-lit chandelier as it was or wire it for electricity. The B Boys were carrying in stacks of wood for framing the new lower ceiling.
She slipped out the back door, skipped down the stairs, then forced herself to walk calmly toward Howard.
He turned and smiled.
Her stride froze for a few seconds as her heart flipped over before settling back into place. She smiled back. If she acted nonchalant, he might not notice the effect he had on her.
His cheek dimpled. "Are you all right?"
Damn. The man noticed everything. "So what's on today's menu?"
"Bear food." He knelt to remove some plastic containers from the basket.
"You mean nuts and berries?" She sat on the blanket, kicked off her work boots, and peeled off her socks. With her feet bare, she instantly felt much cooler.
"This is a favorite among were-bears - smoked salmon from Alaska." He sliced off a small piece, placed it on a cracker, and handed it to her.
The smoky taste filled her mouth. "Ooh, that's so good."
He smiled. "I'm glad you like it." He filled a wineglass for her. "Lemonade."
She took a sip. Tart, and not too sweet. "You like eating, don't you?"
He nodded as he poured himself a glass. "I have heightened senses, not just sight and hearing, but also smell and taste. So I really enjoy food." His gaze drifted over her long, bare legs. "Or whatever I happen to be nibbling on."
She scoffed. "Beast."
"Goldilocks." He tugged on one of her toes. "You're torturing me." His hand slid up to her ankle. "I think this is called bear-baiting. It's against the law, you know."
"Stop that." She swatted his hand away. "I'm all dusty from work."
He gave her a wide-eyed innocent look. "We could wash up in the pool at the stream."
"I'm not skinny-dipping with you."
"Would you do it alone then?" His mouth twitched. "I could watch over you to protect you. I'm a professional security guard, you know."
She snorted. "I have a feeling your protection would be up close and personal."
"That's the best kind."
She shook her head, smiling. "We should use this opportunity to learn more about each other. Important things."
"Okay." He fixed himself a cracker. "So tell me, for future reference, does your bra fasten in the front or the back?"
She threw a cracker at him, and it bounced off his chest to land on the blanket. "Can you ever be serious?"
With a grin, he picked up the cracker and ate it. "Come to the stream with me, and I'll show you how serious I can get."
She didn't doubt it. Howard would be fiercely passionate. And he was terribly tempting. She drank some lemonade to cool herself down. "Oh." She gestured toward the clearing between them and the house. "My entourage has arrived."
He scanned the collection of small animals. "Holy crap, there's a skunk in the mix. Now I don't dare scare them away."
"Maybe they're hungry." She tossed a few crackers in their direction, and the raccoons were quick to grab them.
Howard winced. "You shouldn't feed wild animals."
"Does that include you?"
He gave her a wry look. "I can be entirely domesticated. You should see me in the kitchen."
She shuddered. "I'm having this strange vision of a grizzly bear wearing an apron."
His mouth curled up as he skimmed a hand up her leg. "I'm having a great vision of you not wearing an apron."
Or anything else, she imagined. She shoved his hand off her thigh. "You seem to have a one-track mind."
"I know. I'm an animal."
She snorted. "Why don't you tell me about yourself? How did you grow up?"
He shrugged. "It's not all that interesting. After my father died, my mom took me back to the Bear Claw Islands, just off the Alaskan Peninsula. We lived at my grandfather's house on the biggest island, called The Paw. There was a small elementary school on the island, but when it was time for middle school, we had to take the ferry to Port Mishenka."
She helped herself to more salmon. "And there were a lot of were-bears there?"
"Not on the mainland. But on the islands, we're all were-bears."
Her eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes. But not everyone is a Kodiak bear like me. Some are black bears. My best friend, Harry Yutu, shifts into a polar bear."
Her mouth dropped open. "Really?"
"Yeah. He turns solid white. I used to tease him that he disappeared for the entire winter. He'd be right in front of me, and I'd act like I couldn't see him." Howard chuckled. "It drove him crazy."
She shook her head in disbelief. "Your best friend is a polar bear?"
"Yep. Technically, he's bigger than me. But I figure I have him beat on looks." Howard's mouth curled up. "I have a really nice fur coat. Don't you think so?"
She gave him an incredulous look. "I was too terrified to notice."