Wild About You

Chapter Twenty-three

Tall, long-legged, broad-shouldered, thick brown hair, and twinkling blue eyes. No doubt about it, Elsa thought, those two boys were Howard’s cousins. A pang shot through her chest. She couldn’t lose Howard.

It was the next morning, and all the workers had gathered in the parlor at the gatehouse. Aunt Ula was parked outside in the driveway. Aunt Greta would be taking her turn in the afternoon.

Alastair introduced Howard’s cousins to everyone. “Thank you for bringing the donuts.”

“No problem,” one twin said. Elsa thought it might be Jesse, but she wasn’t sure which one was which.

“Are you lads up to knocking down a few walls?” Alastair asked.

The boys smiled. “Sure.”

Elsa figured they could knock down an entire house if they shifted into were-bears.

“Good. You’ll assist The B Boys today,” Alastair told them. “They’ll be busting down some walls upstairs to enlarge a few rooms. Elsa, I’ll give you the floor plans so you can supervise.”

“Okay.” She noticed the twins were grinning at her. Had Howard mentioned her to them? If so, that was a good sign.

“Oskar, make sure the wiring is completed for the basement and ground floor,” Alastair continued. “Did you finish sectioning off the basement?”

“Ja,” Oskar replied. “We have the walls up for the bedroom suite and storage room.”

“Excellent.” Alastair strode toward Elsa and handed her the upstairs floor plans. “Let’s make some progress before Madge shows up at noon with the camera crew. Jimmy and Jesse, would you mind putting the leftover donuts in the kitchen?”

With that, everyone split up to get to work. The wiring and plumbing crews were concentrating on the basement and ground floor. Elsa headed up the stairs behind The B Boys. The twins hurried off to the kitchen with the last two boxes of donuts.

With one more stair step to go, she felt a tap on her shoulder from behind. An instant burst of red-hot pain shot from the birthmark on her shoulder. She stumbled onto the second floor landing and turned to see Howard’s cousins right behind her.

“I’m sorry,” one of the twins said, his eyes wide with worry. “I didn’t think I tapped you that hard.”

“Yeah,” the other twin said. “Sometimes we don’t know our own strength.”

“Howard would probably kill us if we hurt you,” the first one added.

“I’m fine,” Elsa assured them. “I just lost my balance.” So these two boys had the same effect on her birthmark that Howard had. Not surprising, really, since they came from the same berserker family. But she didn’t feel immediately drawn to them like she had with Howard.

Another good sign, she thought. It meant she was attracted to Howard not because he was a berserker but because he was Howard. Huge, handsome, hunky Howard.

“We wanted to introduce ourselves,” said the one who had tapped her shoulder. “I’m Jimmy.”

“And I’m Jesse.”

She smiled, hoping Jesse wouldn’t realize she was avoiding shaking hands with him. His touch would probably burn as badly as Jimmy’s had. “I’m delighted to meet you.”

The B Boys gathered around to introduce themselves, then unfolded Elsa’s floor plans to study them.

Jimmy slanted a grin at her. “We heard you were Howard’s dream girl.”

Her heart lifted with a surge of hope. “Did Howard say that?”

“No, it was the little dude,” Jesse said. “Howard just growled at us.”

“He’s not his usual self,” Jimmy whispered.

Elsa nodded, her heart settling back into its current condition of pain and despair. “Buff, can you and the others go ahead and get started? We’ll join you in just a second.” When The B Boys sauntered off with the plans, she turned back to the twins. “I wanted to talk to you in private.”

“Awesome.” Jesse exchanged an excited look with his brother. “This sounds like a conspiracy.”

“Cool,” Jimmy whispered, then turned to Elsa. “It’s about Howard, right?”

“Yes. He’s supposed to come here today at two to videotape an interview.”

“Yeah, he mentioned that,” Jesse said. “Dudette, he’s on to you. He called it a trap.”

“The interview is real,” Elsa assured them. “Madge will be here filming today.”

“And you’ll be here to see Howard?” Jimmy asked.

“He probably assumes I’ll be here,” Elsa continued. “But I won’t be. I’m hoping he’ll be disappointed enough to realize how much he does want to see me.”

“Oh, tricky,” Jesse said. “I like it.”

Elsa sighed. There was a very big danger that her whole plan could backfire and Howard would be relieved she wasn’t here. But if the plan worked, she would be successfully luring Howard back into the role of the pursuer. “Would you mind helping me?”

“What can we do?” Jimmy asked.

“If Howard asks where I am, tell him I’m cooling down at the stream. He knows where that is.”

“You’re going to reel him in like a fish?” Jimmy grinned. “Cool.”

Jesse nodded. “Awesome.”

Where the hell was she? Howard had showered and shaved and put on some of his best clothes before walking into Elsa’s trap. Dammit, here he was, a willing victim, and she didn’t bother to show up?

He hid his frustration behind a forced smile as he exchanged pleasantries with Madge in front of the camera. In the course of the interview, she’d walked him through the basement, where the plumbing and wiring crews were hard at work. But no Elsa.

Madge had escorted him around the ground floor, even going into the kitchen to inspect Elsa’s progress on the cabinets. She wasn’t there.

She wasn’t upstairs, either. It didn’t make sense. She had to be around here somewhere. Her aunt Greta was parked outside in the driveway. He’d spotted her when he’d parked his SUV behind the sporty convertible his cousins had borrowed from Ian.

So where the hell was Elsa?

It didn’t matter, he told himself. It was best not to see her again.

There will never be another Elsa, you fool.

The interview ended, and he gave Madge a strained smile as she thanked him.

He hesitated, watching Madge and her crew go down the stairs and out the front door. Should he leave, too? The interview was over.

“Hey, dude.” Jesse sauntered toward him with his brother. “You were good.”

“Yeah,” Jimmy agreed. “Real smooth.”

Howard shrugged. “I used to do a lot of interviews when I played football.”

“Cool.” Jimmy eyed him curiously.

“Awesome.” Jesse crossed his arms, watching him.

What did they want? “Are you working hard?” Howard asked.

They nodded.

“You brought everyone donuts like I asked?”

They nodded.

Howard raked a hand through his hair. “It seems a little . . . odd.”

“What?” Jimmy asked.

“Elsa’s aunt is out front to guard her, but she’s not here.”

“Hmm.” Jesse looked at his brother. “Didn’t she tell us she was going somewhere?”

“Yeah.” Jimmy scratched his head. “Where was that?”

The twins exchanged an amused look.

Howard gritted his teeth. “Where is she?”

“Well, if you insist.” Jesse’s mouth twitched. “She said something about cooling off in a stream.”

Howard had an instant vision of Elsa splashing around in the pothole where the water was deep.

Jimmy heaved a sigh. “It’s a shame you missed her.”

“Yeah. I guess you have to get back to work.” Jesse patted Howard on the back. “Tough luck, old dude.”

Howard clenched his fists. So this was the trap. Elsa alone at the stream. “I’ll see you guys later.” He marched down the stairs, ignoring the snickers from his cousins.

So they were in on it. Shanna, too. Did everyone think he was that easily manipulated?

He’d show them. He’d go back to work at Dragon Nest. And Elsa could splash around in the damned stream all afternoon, waiting for him.

He reached the bottom of the stairs. It was a tempting trap, he had to admit, but he wouldn’t fall for it. Cooling down in the stream, my ass.

Skinny-dipping? He paused by the front door. Was she waiting for him naked? Did she think he was that easy to entice? Damn.

He spun on his heel and strode toward the back door. His cousins on the second-floor landing cheered, then laughed when he shot them the finger.

He’d show Elsa not to toy with him.

Elsa paced in front of the stream. Could she do this? She’d never played the seductress before. She knocked down walls. She built cabinets. She wielded hammers. Even sledgehammers. She didn’t seduce big, hunky men.

The problem was probably moot. If Howard was serious about rejecting her, he wouldn’t come.

On the way to the stream, she’d acquired an entourage of deer, raccoons, foxes, and squirrels. What if Howard did come? She didn’t want to put on a show for the woodland creatures.

She lifted her hands. “Go in peace.”

They slowly ambled away, except for a squirrel who had found a yummy acorn to munch on.

“Hey there,” she called out to the squirrel. “If the were-bear comes this way, could you let me know?”

The squirrel tilted its head, regarding her curiously. She wasn’t sure if her request had registered.

With a sigh, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She twisted her hair up and clipped it on the back of her head with a plastic claw. Then she removed her work boots and set them beside the big boulder that would serve as her dresser. She removed her socks and tucked them into her boots.

The small rocks along the creek bed were smooth and cool against her bare feet. She pulled off her T-shirt and folded it on top of the boulder. In preparation for today’s attempted seduction, she’d worn her best underwear—a lacy red bra and matching red panties.

She unzipped her jeans. A movement nearby caught her attention. It was the squirrel. It bounced across the tops of several rocks, then leaped onto the boulder.

He comes. She heard it clearly in her mind.

Goose bumps skittered down her arms. She didn’t know which freaked her out more—that she’d understood a squirrel or that Howard had willingly walked into her trap.

The squirrel bounded away, leaping from one rock to another before disappearing into the woods.

Howard was coming.

Was this a mistake? Using the lure of sex to draw him back? All’s fair in love and war, she told herself. She wanted to show him that she loved him and trusted him. How better to show her trust than by making herself totally vulnerable?

She pushed her jeans down. Was he close by and watching? She folded them and set them on the boulder. She unhooked her bra. Was that a quick breath she heard? Her nipples pebbled in response, and she dropped her bra on the stack of clothes. Before she could chicken out, she eased her panties off and placed them on top of the bra.

Some gravel crunched behind her. Howard. She rushed into the pool, wincing at how cold the water was. When the water covered her breasts, she turned.

Howard was standing in front of the tree line, glaring at her, his eyes an intense blue.

She swallowed hard. He looked more angry than attracted. “Hi. Would you care to join me for a . . . swim?” Her face flushed with heat. That had sounded so lame. Some seductress she made.

He scowled at her, then pivoted and strode into the woods.

Her mouth dropped open. Her plan had backfired?

A flurry of noises emanated from behind some bushes. Was that Howard? Or something else? She winced, sinking down in the water to her chin. It would just be her luck for a group of hunters to be walking by.

The bushes shook, then a large grizzly bear reared up on its hind legs and roared.

She gasped. Howard? Oh God, she hoped that was Howard.

The bear bounded straight toward her.

“Howard!” She retreated deeper into the water, but it kept coming.

It splashed into the stream.

If this was Howard, why was he scaring her like this? She lunged back till her back pressed against the granite wall where the stream made its curve. The water was over her head now, and she kicked her legs about until she found an underwater rock she could stand on.

The bear rose onto its hind legs and started to shimmer, turning gray before finally snapping back into human form.

Howard frowned at her, his eyes glittering a neon blue. “Don’t think you can toy with me, Elsa.”

She splashed water at him. “You big bully! First you reject me, breaking my heart, and now you try to frighten me into a heart attack!”

“Are you frightened?” He stepped toward her, the water just above his waist. “I could shift back in a second and maul you. Isn’t that what you’re afraid of?”

“Screw you!” She splashed water into his face. “I’m not afraid. I’m pissed!”

“So am I!”

“Why? You’re the one who rejected me.” Hot tears stung her eyes. “I finally get up the nerve to trust you and love you, and you dump me!”

“You what?”

“You dumped me!”

He stepped closer. “You trust me? And love me?”

“I hate you.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Liar.” He lunged toward her, grabbing her around the waist.

She pushed at his shoulders. “How could you reject me?”

“I was crazy.” He dragged her back to more shallow water. “I should have known I could never let you go.”

“You broke my heart.”

“I’ll fix it.” He pulled her close so her breasts pressed against his bare chest.

She gasped.

“Is that better?” He kissed her cheek, then her temple and brow. “I never stopped loving you. I’ve been aching for you.”

“Oh, Howard.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, too. I don’t want to ever lose you.”

“You won’t.” He planted his mouth on hers, kissing her hungrily.

She couldn’t get close enough. She tightened her grip around his neck and wrapped her legs around his torso. He trailed kisses down her neck as his hands skimmed down to her rump.

“Elsa.” He lifted her, dragging her up his chest.

She gasped as her core skidded across his skin. Her heels dug into his back so she could press harder against him. He lifted her till he could draw one of her nipples into his mouth. With each tug on her breast, she grew hotter and more desperate.

She squirmed against him. “Howard. Please.”

He lowered her and whispered in her ear. “Are you mine, Elsa?”

“Yes.”

His hand slipped between her thighs. With her legs wrapped around him, she was fully exposed to his touch. She groaned as his fingers explored her folds.

“Will you shudder and scream for me?” he whispered, his lips against her ear.

She felt moisture building inside. “Yes.”

He rubbed against her clitoris, then tugged gently on it. She cried out.

“Will you open for me? Will you let me inside you?”

“Oh yes!” She gasped when his finger slid inside her. Then two fingers. She clenched around him.

“So hot and wet.” He kissed her hard as he stroked her.

She broke the kiss, struggling to breathe as tension grew. He stroked harder and faster.

“Howard.” She dug her fingers into his shoulders. He was so good. Merciless. She teetered on the edge for a glorious moment, then shattered. Her cry echoed in the woods around them.

She gasped for air as delicious aftershocks racked her body. “Oh, Howard.” She hugged him tight.

He nuzzled her neck. “You naughty wench. You seduced me.”

With a snort, she swatted his shoulder. “You seduced me, and you know it.”

“Me? I’ve barely gotten started.” He lowered her until her core rested on the tip of his erection.

She gasped at the size. And that was just the tip. “Howard. You’re such an animal.”

He smiled.

She kissed his brow. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

With a grin, she tilted her head back to gaze at the blue sky. The day couldn’t be more perfect.

She stiffened.

“What?” He looked around. “Are we being watched by some perverted raccoons?”

She pointed to the top of the granite wall where the stream curved. Along the edge was a row of large birds. Brown hawks and black crows. More than twenty of them.

She unhooked her legs so she could stand in the stream. Danger. She heard it echo through the forest. The woodland creatures were warning her. Danger! Run!

She stepped back. “We need to get out of here.”

“It’s okay.” Howard reached for her. “They’re just birds.”

Half of the birds took wing and flew in the direction of the house.

She shook her head. “Those are more than birds. They’re spying for the Guardian of the Sky.”

“Your aunt?”

Elsa rushed toward her clothes to get dressed. “Hurry. Before she gets here with a shotgun!”