His to Seduce (10 page)

“They must have known you were here,” Kade said.

“Why
are
you here?” The moment he said the words, he wanted to take them back. “I mean…you know what I mean, Chloe. But who hired you? Why did they want you to investigate the Ridge? We never really got to the bottom of that.”

“It’s not uncommon when a new business starts up,” she said. “Especially one that’s in such a remote and natural area. It’s fairly standard, really. Especially when we get a call.”

“A call?” Both brothers asked her at the same time.

Chloe nodded slowly. “From what my supervisor told me, they got a call from someone about the Ridge. I don’t know much more than that. But it wasn’t the Blackwoods or I would have said something when you mentioned them.”

“Who was it?” The hair on the back of Luke’s neck stood up while Chloe flipped through her journal to locate the name.

“I was right,” she said. “It wasn’t a Blackwood. It was a D. Ackerman.”

“
D
?” Luke’s hands clenched into fists. “As in Darryl?”

“I suppose.” Chloe shrugged. “Do you know a Darryl?”

Luke nodded. “Darryl Ackerman.” The name tasted bitter on his tongue. “Cousin to Brian Blackwood,” he said to Kade. “I met him this morning at the ranch. Apparently he’s a bit of a troublemaker and Brian’s trying to straighten him out.”

Kade crossed his arms and nodded in Luke’s direction.

“I think maybe it’s time we helped out in that department, don’t you?”

“
F
orget it
, Luke. It’s a bad idea.”

He squeezed his hands together to keep from lashing out at Axel. After discovering the note, Luke had all the evidence he needed to confront Brian again and put an end to things before they got out of control. But Kade insisted they talk to Axel first to let him in on what they’d found. It didn’t seem like a bad idea at the time—especially considering it had come from Kade, who was usually the hothead of the three—but now that he stood in front of his older brother, who didn’t seem nearly as ready to deal with the problem as he was, Luke started to think he should have followed his instincts from the start and dealt with things himself.

“It’s your instincts,” his brother said.

“What?”
Had he been speaking out loud? How could Axel know what he was thinking?

“Your instincts,” Axel said again. “They’re clouded.”

Kade nodded in agreement.

“What do you know about it?” he roared at his younger brother. This was insane. They were wasting time. He could have taken care of things by now if his brothers hadn’t insisted on
talking
about everything so damn much. He paced in front of the fireplace. Just being inside was aggravating him. His bear was ready to be unleashed and dammit, those wolves were going to pay for trying to set him up.

“I know you’re a mess.” Kade laughed. It was a good thing Axel stood beside him, with reflexes quicker than Luke could react, or Kade would have been flat on his back with a very angry bear on top of him.

“Say that again.” Luke bared his teeth and struggled against his brother’s grip. “I dare you.”

“Put your bear away, big brother.” Kade patted him on the chest before he had the good sense to take a step back to put a bit more distance between them. “I’m on your side, remember?”

“We’re all on the same damn side.” Axel pulled tighter on Luke’s arms. “Pull it together,” he growled. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. Your bear needs to be reined in. And fast.”

Luke forced himself to take a breath and try to relax a little bit. Kade might be an ass, but he had a point. He
was
a mess. But as soon as he sorted out the Blackwood situation, he’d be fine.

“You need to take Chloe as your mate.”

“What?” He was so shocked, the rest of the tension drained out of Luke, and Axel released him. “What are you talking about?”

“Your instincts are clouded. You can barely control your bear. You’re not thinking clearly. You’re a complete disaster.” Axel held up a hand when Luke took exception to the last part. “You are,” he said again. “You’re worse than I was before I mated with Harper. It’s that in-between stage. You have her, your bears are connected, but until you seal the deal, you won’t be operating properly. It’s like a fog.”

He shook his head, but there was no point protesting it too hard. He knew Axel was right. And it was only getting worse the more time that went by. The need he had for her went far beyond the physical. “I can’t.” He shook his head again. “We had a deal. It was supposed to stay casual. She doesn’t want anything else. Neither did I.”

“
Did
you?”

“You know me,” Luke tried to explain. “I didn’t want a mate. It was never even on my radar. Not really.” He shrugged. The truth was, although he wasn’t as open to the idea of mating as Axel, he also wasn’t as adamantly opposed to it as Kade had been. Luke had always been somewhere on the fence when it came to the idea of a mate, which was why it hadn’t been a hard promise to make to Chloe. Not at first.

“And now?” Kade asked.

“Now…I want her so badly it physically hurts inside.” It was the truth. The more time that went by with her there—being near her, being inside her, having her in his arms—it just made everything more intense. He wanted her and not just for a night or two, but forever.

Axel nodded knowingly but it was Kade who said, “Do it.”

Both Axel and Luke turned to their little brother in shock. Kade had always been adamantly against mating and especially the idea of fated mates because as far as he was concerned, they ruined lives. Or at least, it had ruined their lives when their grandfather had cast out their mother because she’d chosen a mate—their father—from a clan he deemed unacceptable. It was the exact same reason Kade’s twin sister, Kira, had been cast out of the Jackson clan. And of course the consequence of her brothers not bringing her back had been for them to be cast out as well. Which was the entire reason the Jackson brothers found themselves on the ridge, trying to make a new life. Everything bad that had ever happened to them had been because of fated mates.

But as Luke was coming to see, there could also be a lot of good.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Luke stared at Kade.
Could he be changing his attitude?
“Did you really tell me to take a mate?”

“Not any mate,” Kade grumbled. “Chloe.”

“And that’s different, how?”

“Because you need to. Axel’s right—it’s screwing with you. Fix it.”

Luke needed a moment to process. He turned and walked toward the big picture window that overlooked the clearing where Harper and Chloe were currently gathered around the fire pit with the guests. Harper was passing out roasting sticks and Chloe followed with a bag of marshmallows. She was laughing and from a distance, anyone would believe she was relaxed and carefree, but Luke could see the tension in her shoulders, and the way she looked as if she held the stress of the world. His heart ached to see her so weighed down with worry because of everything that had been happening. Her job was important to her, but he knew he was important to her, too. Even if she didn’t want to admit it to anyone. Especially herself.

“I can’t.” He spoke the words as he watched the woman he loved hold her own roasting stick over the flames. “I can’t do it.”

“What?” Axel came up beside him. “Why not?”

“Exactly.” Kade joined him on the other side, and together they watched the scene outside. “She’s obviously in love with you.”

Kade’s words couldn’t have been more unexpected if he’d just told Luke
he
was getting married. He stared at his brother, but Kade wouldn’t make eye contact. “What did you say?”

“Anyone can see it.” Kade shrugged casually, as if he hadn’t just shocked his brothers into silence. “Even me. She loves you, man. I saw the way she looked at you when she was telling her story. And the way you held her. That’s love on both sides. Flat out. So I don’t see the problem.”

“As crazy as it is to say this,” Axel ran his hands through his hair and shook his head in bewilderment, “I agree with Kade. Harper and I were talking about it, too. She’s in love with you. And we already know you’re so stupidly in love with her that you can barely remember your name. So seal the deal, brother.”

Luke focused on Chloe again and watched while she bit into the marshmallow and then laughed as the sticky mess trailed from her mouth to her fingers. “She made it very clear that she didn’t want anything to do with a mate,” he said. “I have to respect that. Her career is too important to her. It’s her life. I can’t mess with that just because of something I’m feeling.”

“She’s feeling it too.”

“But I promised her. I—”

“That’s bullshit and the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard.” Kade grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him so Luke faced him. “And that’s saying something considering I spend my days with the two of you. But I’ve had enough. You love her and she loves you. Mate already. More so we can get on with this whole bloody Blackwood problem and shut it down before it becomes serious. Because if you think for a second that we can handle this with you all screwed up and your instincts all muddled, you’re wrong. So, if for no other reason, mate Chloe so we can save her career and the goddamn ridge!” Kade shook his head and slapped his palm against the window so hard it rattled the pane and drew some glances from the women. “This whole discussion is pissing me off. I’ve gotta get out of here.”

Luke and Axel watched as their little brother stormed out the front door, slamming it behind him to take off to places unknown. He wouldn’t shift; they knew that much. Kade never shifted anymore. Not since Kira left. Whatever he was going to do, hopefully it put him in a better mood when he got back.

“So,” Axel said after a moment. “Looks like you have some work to do. We’ll figure out everything else in the morning.”

He wanted nothing more than to make Chloe his mate, but Luke also knew he had to do it the right way. “I guess there’s only one problem.” His gaze traveled back to her. “Chloe.”

“I guess you’re just going to have to seduce her.” Axel slapped him on the shoulder and chuckled. “You’ve got your work cut out for you, little brother.”

W
hen Luke had asked
her to dinner, Chloe’s first response was to turn it down. After all, things were complicated enough and she had way more feelings toward him than she should. Especially considering the situation they were in now. And even though it was clear that Grizzly Ridge had been set up with the trash, it was still complicated. And it didn’t negate the fact that Chloe still didn’t want to get involved with anyone.

Yes, she definitely should have turned down his invite.

But she didn’t.

“It doesn’t mean anything, Chloe. It’s just dinner with a friend. In his cabin.” She glanced around the path to see whether anyone had heard her talking to herself, but no one was around. The last of the guests had left after the campfire earlier in the afternoon, and Harper said they weren’t expecting anyone for two days. Still, she kept her thoughts to herself as she finished the short walk to Luke’s private cabin. She hadn’t been there yet, but she knew very well which was his. The closer she got, the more she could feel her body hum with expectation.

She could deny it all she wanted, and she did want to. Mostly. But there was definitely some sort of instinctual attraction between them. It was impossible to deny.

It still doesn’t mean anything.

She’d put a little extra care into her appearance, brushing out her hair from its usual braid and changing from her field jeans and t-shirt to simple black leggings and a long blue blouse that she knew complemented her eyes. She straightened her blouse now and checked for stray hairs escaping the clip she’d twisted her hair up into on the back of her head.

There was no point in drawing it out any longer. With a deep breath, Chloe reached out and knocked on the door, but it opened, leaving her arm hanging in front of her.

“I’m glad you made it.”

She couldn’t answer right away because her voice had been completely stolen by the appearance of Luke in front of her. She was so used to seeing him a little on the scruffier side, in worn-out jeans and a flannel shirt or basic t-shirt, that she was totally unprepared for the clean-shaven, neatly dressed, ridiculously handsome man only inches from her. His hair, still damp from the shower, was combed back and Chloe had to clench her hands together to keep from reaching out and mussing it up. Not because she didn’t like the way he looked, but because she found it increasingly harder not to touch him.

Even with the crisp scent of the soap on his skin, when Chloe inhaled all she could smell was Luke’s unique scent that made her bear go crazy with need. She swallowed hard and took a step back.

Luke’s hand shot out and grabbed her arm. “Don’t go.”

“I…I wasn’t…”

She didn’t know what she was going to do. But the feelings and sensations flooding her were getting way too intense to keep standing in one spot.

“Come in.”

She nodded dumbly and stepped forward, letting him lead her into his cabin. Her skin burned from his touch, even through her blouse, but the last thing she wanted was for him to let go.

Chloe used the opportunity to look around and distract herself from the situation. His cabin was a lot more put together than she would have expected from him. It was simple, but decorated in an outdoorsy way that she would have expected. A big brown leather couch with a matching chair sat in front of a stone fireplace; a pine table was tucked in one corner and shelves lined one wall. The back corner opened into a small kitchen and on the wall next to it was the door she assumed led to the bedroom. It was closed, and Chloe was more than fine with that. She drifted naturally toward the shelves; there were a few books in a stack, mostly about fishing or guidebooks for hikes in the area. But it was the framed photographs that caught her attention. Chloe moved away from him, her arm instantly feeling the absence of his touch, as she picked up the first frame.

“My family.”

Chloe nodded and let her finger trail over the glass. The picture was faded and old; the kids were little. Luke couldn’t have been more than two or three. Axel, slightly older, stood behind him holding a baby about six or seven months old with a bow on her head, but behind both boys were what Chloe assumed were their parents. Their mother was gorgeous. Tall and slim, with long brown hair that fell over one shoulder. She held the other baby in her arms, Kade. But it was their father who drew her attention. It was easy to see where Axel’s looks came from. The tallest and darkest of all the brothers, he was a carbon copy of his dad.

“This is a beautiful picture.” She turned to look at Luke, whose face gave away nothing. He never talked about his family, but from the little she had learned, their parents had given them up to the patriarch of the Jackson clan, their mother’s father. There was no real reason for it, except a vague explanation of their grandfather not approving of their mother’s mate.

Luke shrugged. “It was taken right before we went to live with the clan. It’s the only picture of all of us. I like to look at it sometimes.”

“Of course. That makes sense.”

“I think it’s important to remember that while it can be destructive and ruin lives, there’s also a lot of good that can come from love and fated mates.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What?”

Luke shrugged again and reached for her. “Surprised?”

She nodded and let him pull her close.

“I never said I was against mating. That’s Kade.”

“But you—”

“I only said I didn’t think I’d ever need a mate. Or find one. And I guess, I didn’t really know what it was all about. I mean, I’d seen it happen to Kira. And then more recently, to Axel and Harper, but it’s different, when…you know.”

She did know, but instead of answering him, she swallowed hard and turned her attention back to the photo. “Well, it’s a nice photo. And you’re right: a lot of good came from their love.” Chloe turned in his arms, forcing him to release her as she put the picture back on the shelf. “Something smells really good.” It was safer to change the subject completely. “What did Kade make?”

“Kade?” Luke scoffed, pretending to be offended. “My little brother isn’t the only chef around here, you know.” She followed him into the tiny kitchen and leaned against the counter while Luke finished prepping the dinner that was smelling better and better. “In fact, I’m the only one of us who has a kitchen in their cabin.”

“Really?”

“Don’t sound so surprised.” He took out a ladle and spooned some sauce over the fish in the pan. “I love to cook, but to be fair, I don’t do it very often these days.”

“Why is that?”

“I only like to cook fish or meat I caught myself, and there hasn’t been as much time lately to go hunting or fishing.” He dipped his finger into the sauce before he stuck it in his mouth. He added a bit more salt and tasted again, this time smiling. “Perfect.”

It was perfect.

She glanced away before she could let the thought stick.

“I hope you’re hungry.” With expertise, Luke plated the fish over rice and laid some carrots alongside. It looked delicious and Chloe’s mouth watered a little.

“Starving.” She sat at the table and he presented the plate with a flourish that made her laugh. “So you caught this yourself?” She pointed at the fish and waited while he poured them each a glass of wine before he sat across from her.

“I did. I went up this afternoon.” He grinned. “After you agreed to dinner.”

“That didn’t take long. You got lucky.”

“Not yet.” He winked and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Kidding. And yes, some of it’s luck, but it’s also knowing your stream. At any rate, I got them pretty quick and had lots of time to get ready for you. Are you going to taste it or what?”

“Right.” She slid her knife through the soft flesh of the fish and scooped up a bite on her fork. Chloe had been hoping it would taste as good as it smelled, and she wasn’t disappointed. It was better. “Luke, this is…oh my goodness. What is that?”

He took a bite before he answered. “It’s just a garlic lemon butter sauce. Damn, that is good.” He smiled, obviously pleased with himself, and took another bite. “It’s best to keep it simple and really let the flavors of the fish shine through.”

“Well, it really is delicious. Thank you.”

Luke put his fork down. “No.” His tone turned serious. “Thank
you.
I didn’t think you’d agree to come here tonight. I’m glad you did.”

Chloe reached across the table and took his hand before she answered as honestly as possible. “I’m glad too.”

H
e couldn’t have asked
for a better night. Well, maybe he could. But the night wasn’t over yet.

After finishing their dinner, Chloe agreed to share another glass of wine, and they’d moved to the couch, where she curled up her legs and got comfortable. Luke would have liked to help her get a whole lot more comfortable, but he was a patient man. Sometimes.

Their conversation had moved easily and by the time they were done with their second glass of wine, they’d talked about their childhoods, places they’d traveled, and places they’d like to go. He was more confident than ever that Chloe was the only one for him and he’d meant what he’d said to her earlier. He’d never been against the idea of mating. Not really. Sure, he’d given Axel a hard time when he’d first found Harper, but that was different. Mostly, he just had no idea how it would feel when it happened to him.

And it most definitely had happened to him.

There was no way he was going to let this woman walk out of his cabin and out of his life after her work was done on the Ridge.

No way.

“Luke?”

He blinked and focused on Chloe, who looked at him with a question on her face. It was clear he’d totally missed whatever she’d asked him.

“I was saying that it was a good thing you didn’t have guests for a few days since Harper seems so tired lately.”

“Does she?”

“You hadn’t noticed?” She laughed a little and a strand of hair escaped the clip she had it caught up in. He’d been restraining himself from reaching up and taking the clip out completely to let her hair free. What he wouldn’t give to weave his fingers through that silky softness and pull her toward him to kiss her so thoroughly she made that sexy little groan of hers. “Maybe she’s been working too hard.” Chloe was still talking. “I’d like to do something nice for her. After all, this is…” She waved her hand and changed direction before she could elaborate. “I mean, I haven’t been the nicest to her and she’s been so good to me. Almost like a friend and Lord knows it would be nice to have—”

“I don’t want to talk about Harper.”

Chloe closed her mouth slowly. “Oh.”

Luke scooted across the couch so their knees almost touched. “Not that I don’t love Harper. But what I should have said is, I want to talk about you.” He reached out and let his fingers trail along her knee ever so slowly. “You and me.”

“Luke, there’s no—”

He silenced her with a finger to her mouth. “I don’t want to hear it.”

She shook her head. “Whether you want to or not, it still needs to be said. I told you when this started what I could and couldn’t do, Luke.” She started to shift away from him, but he could sense the hesitation in her. He’d been sensing it all night. She was battling with herself. “I told you, no—”

“I’m telling you that it’s okay to change your mind.”

Chloe started to shake her head and Luke hit his breaking point. He’d been restraining himself all night, but he couldn’t keep his hands off her any longer. He moved quickly so he was over her on the couch, trapping her within his arms. “If you can tell me that you don’t really feel it, that you don’t know with every fiber of your body that to walk out of here and never look back would break you, then I’ll go. I’ll get up and let you walk out. But I don’t think you can do it.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

“Don’t lie, Chloe. Don’t lie to me. But especially don’t lie to yourself. You want this and you can have it. You
can
be happy.”

She shook her head so he slid one hand to her cheek and held it.

“You can, Chloe.” He kissed her then and almost at once felt her melt against him. “And I’m going to convince you,” he murmured against her mouth and kissed her again. Hard.

She groaned, that sexy sound that made his bear come alive, and that was all he needed to hear. Luke scooped her up in his arms and stood.

“Luke, put me down. You—”

“One night, Chloe. Put away all your rules and everything you
think
you want and
should
have and just let yourself feel. If at the end of the night you still feel the same, I’ll walk away.” He wasn’t sure he could, but he knew if she didn’t want him as a mate, he’d have to. “But if you’re honest with yourself and you think
maybe
this could happen, then…”

Her body trembled in his arms. “Then what?”

“Then you’re mine.”

Her eyes flared with desire. She bit down on her lower lip for a moment, and finally nodded. “One night.”

He growled in response and his dick hardened in his pants. He’d promised one night, but the way she looked at him, he was confident it wouldn’t take that long. He strode across the room to the bedroom and kicked open the door. Her eyes widened, and he could have sworn he heard her growl, too.

He tossed her on the bed and she immediately unbuttoned her blouse.

No, it wouldn’t take all night, but they had it, so he planned to make full use of it.

Luke crawled up on the bed and on top of her. He stilled her hands and with a quick yank, tore the rest of the buttons of her blouse away to expose the creamy perfect skin of her belly and a blue satin bra that just barely contained her breasts. The full globes straining against the fabric called to him and he wanted nothing more than to bury his face between the perfection of her tits, but there would be time for that later.

With a tug, he pulled her leggings down to her ankles and shed himself of his own clothing.

“There’s no way you can know what you do to me.” His voice was hoarse and strained as he looked down at his woman—so ready, so perfect, so much his.