The Billionaire's Secret Boxed Set (7 page)

Rebecca shook her head in disbelief.  “So, does that mean that your family is all… werewolves?”

“We prefer to be called shifters or two-natured.  And yes, both my parents were wolves.  My mother died a few years ago.  My father is still alive, though. He’s quite old and has dementia, so he lives in a special community in northern Michigan, run by our kind.  As you can probably imagine, it’s not really possible for him to be in a traditional nursing home, in case he shifts.”

She was silent for a moment, and then asked: “Does that mean that your children would be shifters, too?”

“That depends,” he admitted.  “If I had children with a human woman, it’s fifty-fifty.  With another shifter, almost definitely.  But there are exceptions.  Since so many of us are integrated into the human world, many of us aren’t 100% shifter anyway.  So, it can happen that two shifters have a non-shifter baby.”

So, if we had a child…
  The enormous implications of what he had just told her were so great that she had to put the matter aside, for now.  Rebecca had so many other questions, but they would have to wait for another time.  Instead, she asked the question that had been bothering her most of all – and amazingly, that question had nothing to do with what Nathan had to hide from the world.

“Nathan,” she began, looking him seriously.  “Why did you tell me you were a carpenter?”

He returned her gaze with true remorse.  “I’m so sorry, Rebecca.  I never meant to hurt you.  I hope you know that.”   Looking out on the water, he continued, as if half to himself.  “Up here, I’m not ‘Nathan Steele of Steele Enterprises’.  I’m just me -- in all my fucked up wolfish double nature.  I don’t have to hide, but I also don’t have to pretend.   It’s what I love about this place: I can be who I really am, not the things that are important to other people.  And as soon as I met you, I wanted to be myself with you.  Not my money, not my position.  Me.  I’m so sorry it seemed to you like exactly the opposite of what it was.”

Rebecca was silent for a moment.  Wasn’t that, after all, what she had always wanted as well? To be appreciated for the person she was, without having to hide or make excuses for what she wasn’t?  Realizing she had misjudged him, she took his hands in hers and looked him in the eye: “I’m sorry, Nathan.  I was wrong to react the way I did.  I know that now.”

“No, you weren’t wrong,” he said, looking relieved.  “You didn’t know me well enough to give me the benefit of the doubt.  But I’m glad you feel like you do now.”

“Yes, I do. 
Strange as it seems.  It’s funny, logically I should be running from someone who just told me he is a werewolf – sorry, shifter – even faster than I should have run from any one of the men I dated in my past.  And yet, I know I’m safer with you than any of them.” She laughed softly.  “Somehow, I know, without even questioning, that I can trust you.”

“I promise you, you can, Rebecca.” Nathan cupped her chin, lifting her face up to his.  “I promise you that I will never, ever hurt you.”  He bent his lips to hers, and then they were kissing, a deep, burning kiss that had them both clutching at one another with need.  She felt herself grow wet with desire, and knew that this time, she would not say no to him.  Their kisses became more ardent, more passionate, and suddenly Nathan pulled away from Rebecca and said in a voice thick and heavy with desire: “Darling, you need to say no to me now, or I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop.”

“I don’t want you to stop,” she whispered.  “Please, take me, Nathan.”

With a barely contained growl, he caught her up in his arms and carried her from the cockpit to a spacious cabin deep in the catamaran.  He carried her easily, like a child, and dimly she realized that his double nature must give him strength beyond that of a normal human man.  Nathan set her down gently, and she stood before him, noting his need as was evident through the large bulge straining his jeans.  “Strip for me,” he whispered, sitting on the bed.  She did as she was told.  Unbuttoning her shirt, she let it fall to the floor, revealing the black lace bra that made him gasp at the sight of it.  Next, she unbuttoned her shorts and stepped out of them.  She stood before him in only her bra and panties, which she knew to be soaked through, her core aching with need for him. 

Nathan removed his T-shirt quickly and came to her, the unnatural heat of his skin radiating out toward her.  He raised her face to his and kissed her once, deeply, and then ran one finger slowly down her body toward her throbbing core.  Pushing aside her soaking panties, he stroked between her glistening folds, igniting a fire in her that broke through her in a strangled cry of need .  He dropped to his knees, pulling the fabric aside.  She cried out again as his tongue traced a path from her thigh, up in a single, lapping motion, to her dripping wet center.  He licked and sucked at her as she wound her hands in his hair for balance.  Every single stroke of his tongue threatened to send her over the edge, but he was careful, stopping just short each time, until she began to beg him incoherently for release.  She whimpered and strained toward his tongue, and then suddenly he stopped.

She moaned loudly in frustration, gasping for breath, and felt him chuckle in satisfaction.  Standing, he gently pushed her back to a sitting position on the bed.  He removed his belt, then his pants, letting his large, erect shaft spring free.  He was magnificent; just the sight of him made her core ache with longing for him to plunge into her, filling her and ravaging her.  He came to her again, and undid the clasp of her bra, pulling it away from her.  “Beautiful,” he breathed. “Now, lie down.” 

She did as she was ordered, and closed her eyes, wanting to feel every touch as completely as possible. He kissed her again, and she could taste herself on him.  He nipped at her breasts, first at one pink bud, then the other, making her gasp with pleasure.  She felt his hot fingers between her legs again, and her hips rose up to meet them. “Don’t move,” he growled.  His mouth moved lower again, his hands spreading her legs wide to welcome his hot, searching mouth.  She forced herself to try to hold still, even as his tongue found her center again and began lapping long, slow laps over her swollen nub.  She gasped and tried not to writhe as her hips  tightened with the effort not to thrust up to meet the source of her pleasure.  The heat between her legs was blazing, an agony of delicious need.  His hot tongue continued to slide and swirl along her folds, exploring every inch of her, teasing her, making her pant and plead.  Then, suddenly, the first wave of a massive orgasm ripped through her, lashing at her over and over as she seemed to fall through space.  She jerked and shuddered as her climax coursed through her in waves.  She was aware of crying out his name, of feeling as though she was losing the boundaries of herself as she exploded outward like a sun, engulfing everything around it in the inferno of her pleasure.

When finally the pieces of her began to recompose themselves, she felt him rise up and kneel between her legs.  “Rebecca, your taste, your scent… You’re intoxicating.  I have to have you!” His voice was a growl, almost animal, as though his second nature were perilously close to coming out and consuming them both.  His animal desire reawakened the fire between her legs, and she moaned as she felt his hot thickness pressing against her slick folds.  “Yes,” she urged, opening for him.   His cock was enormous, pressing into her and filling her completely as she panted and worked to accept him inside her.  He went agonizingly slowly, she opened her eyes to see an expression of intense concentration on his face.  She knew that it was taking everything he had in an effort to try not to hurt her.  His member was sliding through her folds and against the most sensitive part of her, and all she wanted was more, harder
now
. 

“Please,” she begged, her voice ragged, “Take me, now! Don’t hold back.”

Nathan groaned loudly, and relinquishing control  of himself,  he entered her suddenly, rocking hard against her and then pulling back completely before thrusting inside again.  His strokes were powerful, animal; she opened and rocked against him, needing only to be filled over and over again.  He clutched at her hips as he thrust over and over, mad with need now.  Rebecca arched her hips, her head thrown back, and without warning she was ripped apart by a second orgasm, even more powerful than the last.  With a roar, he thrust once more, his cock growing immense inside her, and then he exploded, bucking against her as his seed shot hot and flowing deep into her core.  She convulsed against him, her center clutching around him, as though wanting to milk him of every last drop. 

The two of them rocked together, slower and slower, riding their pleasure to the end. At length, the only sound was their breath as they both struggled to recover.  Nathan lay down, still inside her, and gathered her in his arms.  “Rebecca,” he breathed into her hair. 
“Beautiful, perfect Rebecca.”

Several hours later, they lay there still, smiling and looking out the porthole as the sun began to dip onto the horizon.  Nathan leaned over and kissed Rebecca’s forehead, his hand coming up to brush a lock of hair from her face.

“Rebecca…” he whispered into her ear.

“Mmmm?” she replied sleepily.

“When we get back to the city, I’d like you to
come work for me.  If you’re willing.”

“What?”  Suddenly awake, she looked at him in confusion.  “What do you mean?”

“Well,” he continued, smiling at her, “I’ve been looking for a new assistant, and it would be wonderful to have someone like you, with experience…  and who knows my, ah, real nature.  Plus, your aspirations to be an interior designer would be a good fit.  You could learn on the job.  And I am more than willing to accommodate you if and when you decide to go back to school.”

Rebecca, suddenly wide awake, propped herself up on an elbow and looked deeply into his eyes.  “Are you serious?”

“Yes, of course, I’m serious.  I’d be thrilled to have you working by my side. Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to ever be far from you.”  He kissed her deeply, and she leaned against him, luxuriating in his warmth and his love.  “And I’m sure I can offer you a salary that is well above whatever you’re making now,” he grinned, winking at her.

She cocked her head, considering.  “I’ll tell you what: I’ll think about it.  But for now, let me just tell you that I’m sorely tempted to accept your offer, Mr. Steele.” She kissed him lightly on the lips. 

Nathan sighed deeply: “Good!”  He enfolded her in his strong arms, and she snuggled next to him.  “Now, let’s sleep a little more and then think about going back in.  We have one more day of freedom here tomorrow before we have to go back, and I want to take advantage of every second of it!”  

As Rebecca drifted off to sleep that night in Nathan’s arms, she realized that after all the explanations, all the revelations, Nathan Steele was not exactly what he had seemed, after all.

He was better.  So much better.

#     #     #

The realtor watched as her well-to-do client stood in the middle of the front foyer.  “I know the house needs quite a bit of work in order to bring it up to modern standards,” she said.  Walking closer on her clicking heels, she murmured in a voice that was both flirtatious and coaxing: “But it’s got great bones.  For a discerning client with a visionary eye, such as yourself, it could be brought back to its former greatness.” She smiled coyly, hoping to interest him in more than just the home.

The man said nothing as his brow furrowed in concentration.  He seemed not to have heard her at all.  Disappointed, the realtor watched him stride from room to room, finally coming to a stop in the solarium.  He moved to the grimy windows and gazed intently out onto the grounds and the wooded area beyond.  The realtor followed the man with her eyes, admiring his sexy, athletic build and self-assured air. As he stared out through the glass with his back turned to her, she thought she heard him whisper to himself: “
She’s here
.”

“Excuse me?” the realtor smiled quizzically, taking a few steps forward and smoothing her carefully coiffed hair.

“Nothing,” he replied brusquely.  He turned swiftly back toward her, his eyes hooded and dark with an unidentifiable expression.  “I’m interested. Please contact my lawyer to finalize the details.” Striding past her, he handed her a card, not breaking his pace as he walked out the front door, got into a shining black BMW, and drove away.

In the car, the man took a deep breath and clutched the steering wheel.  He exhaled powerfully as though to release himself from the tantalizing scent of her.  She, whoever she was, was in the air.  Her scent was faint, but unmistakable.  Irresistible. 

Who could have imagined that this trip to buy his ancestral home would bring him to his feral home, as well?  His grandmother had always told him this might be the case, but he had not thought to encounter any of his kind
here  He had thought they all had left or died long ago.  But
she
remained.  Whether she knew what she was or not, he would track her.  Find her. 
Possess
her.  Of that, he was sure.

*   *   *

Belle O’Hara would never forget the first time she heard the name Gregory Thorne. 

She
had been working an afternoon shift at The Church Key, the local watering hole where she had worked for the past three years.  Everyone in the small community where she lived seemed to congregate at The Church Key after work and on weekends.  Belle was serving a first round of drinks to a group of men her age, all of whom she’d gone to school with and most of whom had dated one or another of her friends at some point.  As she set down the beers, Billy Thornton was boasting to his buddies about his new construction job.

“Somebody bought the o
ld Semple mansion,” Billy was saying.  He was clearly enjoying being the center of attention. “Some rich fella’s gon’ have it fixed up and move in.”  He spoke with the pride of being the voice of authority.

“Why’s some rich guy
gonna move to Dyersville?” Billy’s friend Truck asked skeptically. 

“
Dunno.  But he’s gonna do it. It’s a big project, too,” Billy continued sagely.  “All the ‘lectrical and water has to be redone, he’s renovatin’ the whole floor plan.  It’s gonna be damn near unrecognizable on the inside when it’s done.”

“So who is this fa
t cat, anyway?” Joey Rogan asked. 

“Name’s Gregory Thorne.
  ’Parently, he’s got roots here.  His family used to live in the area but they’re all dead now.  Guess he wanted to get back in touch with where he came from.”

“Thorne,” repeated Joey, puzzled. “That name don’t ring
no bell.”

“Maybe his mother was the one from around here,” Belle replied as she set down Truck’s drink.  They gawked up at her, seeming to notice her for the first time.  Belle slipped away with a wordless smile.

The men continued to talk as Belle went quietly about her work.  She tried to tell herself she wasn’t interested in their conversation, but she found her mind wandering back to the old Semple mansion and its new owner.  Would the man really come to live full-time in quiet Dyersville?   Belle idly wondered what this man, Mr. Gregory Thorne, would be like.  She imagined him old, distinguished, and imposing, with a shock of silver hair and a fierce, haughty look
. Why would a man like that move here?
 

“Hey, Belly!” a loud voice called.  Belle looked up to see Frank
Lautner walk in the door and approach the bar.  He pulled out a bar stool and appraised her with a gleaming eye and a grin.  “How ya doin’ today, Belly?”

Belle tried not to flinch at the nickname she had detested as a child.  Now in almost her mid-twenties, hardly anyone called her that anymore, but Frank had persisted, seeming to think it was hilarious.  She looked him in the eye and said coolly, “Fine, Frank.  What can I do for you?”

“I’ll take a Bud as soon as possible, and a menu when you get a chance.” Frank plopped down on the stool and sighed loudly.  “Ahhhhh… Don’t that feel good!” he breathed, grinning at her.

Wordlessly, she pulled a draft of beer and set it before him with a menu.  Making an effort to keep her tone civil, she said, “I’ll let you look at that for a minute and I’ll be back to take your order in a jiff.”

Like the men at the table, Belle had known Frank since she was a young girl. Frank had been a year older than Belle in school.  All through junior high and high school, he had tormented her as her body slowly developed from that of a chubby girl into an unexpectedly curvaceous young woman.  Back then, Belle would have given anything to trade her curves for a lean, long physique.  She longed to have a body like the tiny blond cheerleader types who had won Homecoming queen and been the girlfriends of the star football players.  But by now, she had resigned herself to the reality: she was curvy, and that was how it was.

In high school, she was awkward and embarrassed about her newly voluptuous figure, and had tried to hide it from view with formless sweatshirts.  Frank
Lautner, whose sister was in Belle’s grade, had taken particular notice of the changes in her body, much to Belle’s dismay.  He taunted her mercilessly, and Belle had often wished she could just disappear into the ground so she could escape Frank’s penetrating gaze.  Then one day, he had stopped her at her locker, and instead of taunting her, he had asked her to his junior prom.  Belle, so shocked at his unexpected request, had immediately assumed he was joking and turned him down: “Yeah, right.  What a joke,” she had laughed sarcastically.

Except apparently, Frank hadn’t been joking.
  The look on his face was one of unaccustomed rejection and barely concealed hurt.  For a few months after that, Belle seemed to finally get what she wanted, as Frank completely avoided her.  Then one day, he went back to calling her Belly and calling to her in the halls, as if nothing had ever happened. 

These days, Frank acted like they were old friends, which had hardly been the case, of course. But Belle was more than ready to put the childishness of high school behind her, and so she did her best to keep a friendly rapport with him in the bar. The fact was, despite his crude ways, he was simply a good
ol’ boy with a touch of mischief in him. Despite the fact that he still called her Belly, and paid a little more attention to her than she would like, he was basically a decent guy. 

Squaring her shoulders, she walked back to him and said in a pleasant tone, “Have you decided what you want, Frank?”

“Yeah, but it ain’t on the menu,” he chuckled, and when she didn’t react, he cleared his throat and said nonchalantly, “I’ll take the bacon burger and fries.  Make the burger rare. And you can bring me another beer, too.”

“Coming right up,” she said.  She smiled just enough to be friendly and took the menu from him.  As she turned and put the order in, she could feel his eyes following her to the window. 

When Belle went back to Billy Thornton’s table to take orders for another round, talk had shifted to football.  But in the days following, talk around the town continued to revolve around the Semple mansion as the news spread of its sale.  Soon, the construction crews began their work on the renovations.   Months passed, and little by little, the people of Dyersville forgot about the doings in the strange old mansion on the hill at the edge of town, and simply waited for its owner to make his appearance.

*   *   *

The wolf ran, sniffing the air, relishing each scent in the forest as he sped by.  Fauna of all types tickled his flaring nostrils; the wolf waited, patient, for the one he would choose.  Soon, he slowed, muscles tensing: a young doe, small and tender, stood in a clearing just upwind of him.  The wolf stopped, waiting soundlessly.  The deer moved closer, reaching for leaves as she went.  Suddenly, her head turned, her ears flicking as though to capture something she couldn’t quite understand.  Then the wolf was upon her, his teeth at her neck.  He ripped at her throat, slaking his thirst with her blood as she died quickly, still in shock.  The forest was silent but for the whisper of the leaves in the trees and the sounds of the wolf taking his kill.

Several months later, Belle was working in the early afternoon, just after the lunch rush.  Tracey, one of the other waitresses, was in the back doing stock, and it was just Belle tending to the few customers who would come through until happy hour began. 

Busy wiping down the tables from the last lunch customers, Belle turned around and almost ran face-first into the most gorgeous stranger she had ever seen.

“Oh!  My goodness! I’m so sorry!” she cried as she stumbled backward.  The man swiftly caught her and helped her to her feet. 

“I’m so sorry to have startled you,” he murmured as his warm hands held her upper arms.  Releasing her slowly, his ice-blue eyes looked into hers.  “Have you regained your balance?”

Belle felt her face grow hot as this stranger’s gaze bored into her.  The unexpected nearness of his body was distracting.  She could feel his body heat radiating outward toward her despite the space between them.  It was almost as though he had a raging fever, but he was obviously not sick.

“I…” she began, and realized she risked babbling incoherently.  Taking a deep breath, she righted herself and made sure she was standing solidly before she spoke again.  “Yes,” she breathed. “I’m fine.  Thank you.” 

The man removed his hands. She immediately felt less solidly anchored to the ground, as though her body missed the contact.  She stood facing him and smiled uncertainly.  He looked at her with an expectant expression.  Suddenly realizing where she was, Belle rolled her eyes at herself and laughed self-consciously: “Oh, my gosh, I’m sorry.  Welcome to the Church Key.  Are you expecting any friends?”

The corners of the man’s mouth turned up slightly; his eyes flashed with amusement.  “No. I’m alone.  I’d just like a drink, please.”

“Would you like a booth? A table?”

“Sitting at the bar will be fine, thank you.”  He moved to one of the stools and sat down.  Belle noticed that he was dressed unlike most of the men of the town.  He was wearing jeans and a simple button-down shirt rolled up to the elbows, but the jeans were dark, of a slim and flattering cut.  His shirt looked expensive, and had been tailored to fit his athletic build.  His dark hair curled slightly over his collar; his complexion was tan and even. Despite his sophisticated air, there was a raw masculinity about him that Belle found intoxicating.  The air between them seemed to electrify, as though there was a current running between them.  Belle felt strangely as though she had met him before, even though she knew that wasn’t possible.  She would certainly have remembered a man like this.  She knew that even if she never again saw him after today, he would remain in her mind for years to come.

Belle fought to keep her mind focused, and quickly moved behind the bar.  “My name is Belle.  What can I get for you?”

The man briefly looked at the beers on tap and ordered one.  “My name’s Greg.  I’m very pleased to meet you, Belle.”  He watched her intently as she poured the draft and set it in front of him. “Thank you,” he said, and raised it to his lips, taking a sip.  A thin line of foam lingered on his top lip, which he licked off. Belle found herself turning away to stop from staring at his mouth and imagining that she could be the one to lick the foam off for him. Heat radiated through her body at the thought. 
Good God, he’s dangerously hot.  Pull yourself together, Belle.
Clearing her throat to distract herself, she tore her eyes from him and began to wipe at the bar with a towel. 

“So, Belle, what can you
tell me about Dyersville?” Greg asked, his eyes on her.   “Have you lived here a long time?”

“I grew up here,” she admitted, suddenly feeling small and provincial next to this man, who exhibited a worldliness that was rarely seen in the town.  “It’s… I don’t know.  It has good and bad.  It’s my hometown.  I think I’m too close to it to be objective.  It’s like asking someone to describe their mother.  You can do it, but what you see probably won’t be what they see at all, you know?”

“Hm, yes, I see what you mean,” he said with a smile.  “I suppose I’ll just have to find out for myself, won’t I? I’m moving into town.  I recently bought a home here that’s just finished being renovated.”