Tempted by the Bear - Complete (22 page)

T
ori

W
hen Keith said
he wanted us to start something, he meant it. He texted me to say he’d pick Lucy and me up after my final to look at apartments his friend rents out. Considering I keep reliving the kiss he gave me on my cheek when he dropped me off yesterday, I have no complaints.

I push my way out of the building and take a deep breath of the warm summer air. A guy in my class is next to me, and our feet tap lightly down the marble steps. He says, “It’s so great to be done. Are you coming to the quad later tonight? I heard the band’s killer.”

I notice Keith’s Jeep, and he’s leaning against the passenger door of it. I’m surprised, because I thought he was going to pick us up outside the dorm. He’s in a pair of sunglasses that hide his eyes, and I’m not sure if he’s seen me, but the sight of him with his arms crossed takes my breath away. My voice sounds distant when I answer. “Yeah, probably. See you there.”

Waving my arm, I make my way to Keith. He smiles at me as I ask, “How did you know where I’d be?”

“Your roommate. Look in the back.”

“Darn it, so you’re not stalking me.”

He opens the car door for me, and Lucy smiles. “Hey. How did it go?”

“Not bad.” I slide over the leather and toss my backpack behind my seat.

When Keith gets in, he turns to me and lifts his glasses. His stare is intense. “Do you think someone’s following you?”

I frown.
Protective much?
“No. I was joking.” I’m getting a weird vibe and wonder if dating Keith means he’ll become super protective. I wish I could turn around and roll my eyes at Lucy.

He relaxes and says, “I’ve got two places to show you, but I’m taking you to the one I think you’ll like best first.”

Lucy says, “Thanks so much for doing this for us.”

Keith glances in the rearview mirror as he slides his glasses up his nose. “It’s my pleasure.”

He turns up the radio, and we enjoy the music and sunshine as we head out of town. Fifteen minutes later, we’re pulling up to a gated community. When we’re let through, I take in the pristine landscaping. As soon as I notice the pool, I get nervous. I told Keith my budget, and this neighborhood has to be out of my price range. I reach over and turn down the music. “Whoa. Can we afford this?”

Lucy pipes in. “This is on me. You pay what you planned, and I’ll cover the rest.”

“Lucy, no.”

“Tori, yes. After a year in the dorms, I want luxury, and since you’re the only person who can tolerate me as a roommate, you’ll just have to give in.”

Keith says, “It’s not as expensive as you think. Garrett bought this as an investment property, and his price is quite reasonable.”

Now I feel ganged up on, but since we’re here, I drop the subject. Keith parks us in front of a brick building, and I glance around at the luxury sedans and SUVs. Lucy will fit right in, while my Volvo sedan will look like a beater car in comparison.

Keith explains that there’s a gym in the basement of our building. When we walk in, I discover there’s a man in a jacket similar to what a hotel doorman would wear. Keith tells him who we are, and the man explains that our guests must be on his list and that he will buzz us when they arrive before he sends them up.

I’m reminded of my friends in New York City and wonder why the overkill here in Nowhere, Maine. When we get in the elevator I ask, “That’s a little much, don’t you think?”

Lucy answers in a tone that’s a touch too perky. “I think it’s wonderful. You can never be too safe these days.”

Keith swipes the keycard over a reader, and we begin to move. I ask Lucy, “Since when did you worry about being safe? You forget to lock our dorm room half the time.”

She shrugs. “It’s time I changed my ways. Besides, this place has a pool.” She grins at me, and I shake my head. I’m probably making too much out of nothing.

Keith says, “I like knowing you two are well protected.”

Protected?
I feel like someone’s not telling me something, but my worry disappears when the elevator door opens. I step onto carpet so thick I could lose an earring in it. The couches are chocolate-brown leather and oversized, and the largest painting of a forest I’ve ever seen takes up one wall. “Wow.”

I wander toward the dining room and notice the kitchen to my right. Silver appliances shine amid the black cabinets and the black-granite countertop that has what appears to be flecks of mica in it. Lucy went toward the bedrooms, and I call out, “We might have to cook. There’s a Viking stove.”

Keith is behind me and asks, “Are you a good cook?”

The metal is cool under my fingers as I drag my hand along the top of it. “Kind of.” I gaze over at the man who makes my heart beat faster. “My mother loves to, and I make a great sous chef.”

“You’ll have to share your tricks. Cooking is one of my passions, too.”

Lucy comes around the corner. “Okay, come pick your bedroom, because this place is ours.” She grabs my hand, and as she tugs me along, I look back over my shoulder at Keith to raise my eyebrows.

She whispers, “We each get our own bathroom, which is handy for overnight guests.”

I slap her arm as we enter a room. The bedrooms are almost identical in size, with the only difference being the color schemes. I ask, “Can I take the blue?”

“Sure. I wanted the yellow one anyway.”

“Perfect. But—”

Lucy holds up her hand. “Don’t. Seriously. The lease is going to be in my name, and you just pay me each month. Got it?” She walks over to the couches and lands on one with a whoosh. “Did I mention I think we should live off campus next year?”

I’m a rich girl, too, although not quite on Lucy’s level, and there have been plenty of times I wanted something and footed the bill for my less-fortunate friends. So I plop down beside her. “Did I mention you have good ideas?”

Keith sits in the overstuffed chair across from us. “So you ladies are done?”

Lucy says, “Yup. Unless the other place is better.”

“It’s not.” He moves his gaze to me. “Tori?”

“Why not? And the first thing I want to do when we move in is cook you guys dinner as a thank you.”

I turn to Lucy. “Invite the new man, too. I’m dying to meet him.”

Lucy sits up. “I will. Which reminds me.” She gazes at Keith. “How soon can we move in?”

“Today if you want. I’ve got the lease and the keys.”

I ask, “When you do something, you get it done, don’t you?”

Keith winks at me. “As a matter of fact, I do. I’m even prepared to help you girls move in.”

Lucy stands up. “Well then, let’s get on it. I’ve got a date tonight.”

Her rush to move in makes sense now, and when Keith walks toward the door, I waggle my eyebrows at her as I whisper, “Are you bringing him home to help you unpack?”

She whispers back, “That depends on where you’ll be.”

Keith has called the elevator and says, “I’ll keep her out late.”

I glance quickly at Lucy in shock, because I didn’t expect him to hear that. Lucy just grins at me and says, “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

The elevator moves quickly enough that a sinking sensation unsettles my stomach, and it occurs to me that I’m having dinner with Keith as if it was expected. As we walk to the car, I try to figure out what’s bothering me. I should be thrilled that the man I’ve lusted after for more than a year finally wants me, too.

The sidewalk drops before I notice, and I stumble. I cry out when I’m sure I’m about to kiss the pavement, but strong hands catch me and set me back on my feet. I glance up at Keith and find concern etched on his face. I say, “Thanks for the save. That would have hurt.” I grin as I recall how he picked me up off the ground the first time we met. “Seems I’ve gone from falling for you to being saved by you.”

Keith doesn’t smile back. He pulls me into an embrace so tight it hurts. His heart beats against his chest as if he was really afraid for me. A suffocating breath later, he releases me to walk over to open my door.

I have no idea what that was about and turn to Lucy in the back. She shrugs and shakes her head as if she doesn’t know, either.

When Keith starts up the engine, he turns up the music, and I wonder what’s going on with him.

L
ucy

N
ot much fits
in a dorm room, and one car trip was all I needed to move into my new apartment. Keith and Tori have just left, and I sort through my clothes to find something to wear. Sven and I are going out for dinner and a movie. He’s taking his dating lessons seriously.

I’m not the least bit interested in a movie and will do my best to lure him to my apartment with the promise of cable. He doesn’t need to know it’s not activated yet, because I plan for the real action to be in between the sheets and not on a screen. When he asked where we should eat, I took into consideration his table manners lack the social etiquette for anything fancy, and his appetite could bruise even my pocketbook at an expensive restaurant. I chose a local barbecue place where silverware is optional.

I slither into skinny jeans as my phone buzzes with a text, and I reach down to discover an unknown number. But the words tell me who it is in an instant.
“Big bear to little bear, do you copy?”

“Roger that.”
I figure he’s probably one-finger texting and take the time to enter him into my contacts.

“Testing my new phone. See you soon. Over and out.”

I chuckle as I pull on a light cotton sweater over a lacy camisole that matches my bra and panties, and I hope they look good on my bedroom floor later tonight. I gather up my clothes and shove them in the closet. I can organize things tomorrow.

I’m grinning when I walk out of my new building and wave at Gary, the werebear-slash-Le Roux guard who is the doorman. But it puts a damper on my happiness, because I think about Tori. She’s sensed something was up no matter how hard Keith and I tried to make this all seem natural. My roommate is smart, and she’s going to figure out she’s being watched round the clock, and then the questions will come. Questions Keith and I aren’t ready to answer.

I gaze around at the hidden cameras as I approach my car. I hope Keith speeds things up with their relationship, because keeping the werebear world a secret from Tori now is going to be hard. I drive slowly through the complex, and when I glance at the gates, I wonder why Keith didn’t have them install barbed wire. He’s beyond zealous about Tori’s safety. But I get it. The Veilleux have taken more than one mate from him, and I know he feels responsible for his late wife’s death.

I imagine how I’d handle losing Sven, and my heart aches as tears form in my eyes. I blink quickly to keep them from falling and shake my head. I’ve known the guy for a few days, and the thought of being without him already hurts. The true mate bond is serious stuff. I flip on the radio to help me return to my happy mood.

When I get to the Le Rouxs’, Sven is standing on the porch waiting for me. He jogs to the car, and I guess it’s so I won’t get out, or maybe he’s as anxious as I am. My skin tingles with excitement as he gets in my SUV. His scent overwhelms me like a drug, and I breathe in my favorite high.

Sven does the same, and after he lets out a big breath he says, “Little bear.” His voice is low and incredibly sexy.

I reach up and touch his freshly shaven cheek. “Hi.”

He lets out a low growl and grabs my shoulders to kiss me. I have no trouble falling into our connection as I get drunk on his taste. When we force ourselves apart, I glance at his mussed hair and grin. “We’re ridiculous.” I comb my fingers through his hair to straighten it out.

When Sven does the same to me, I tremble and am about to dive in for more when he grabs my wrist and says, “We’ll never get to dinner if we keep this up.”

“So?”

He winks at me. “You’re going to need the fuel.”

I click the car into reverse and turn to look over my shoulder and out the back window. “Did your rulebook give us the go-ahead?”

“I threw it out.”

His dimple is adorable when he smiles, and I want to kiss it. “Good. Because I’ve got plans for you.”

After Sven and I eat a whole pig’s worth of ribs, I have no trouble convincing him to skip the movie and I drive us to my new apartment. He takes in the surroundings without a word as we make our way through the grounds. Once we’re out of the car, he says, “You are really rich. This place is amazing.”

I grab his hand. “Get used to it. It’s part of the package.”

Sven frowns at me as we walk to the door. “You know I don’t care, right?”

“Of course I do. I understand how true mates work. But it’s okay for you to enjoy it.”

His forehead is still wrinkled, and I ask, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know how to do this.” He waves his hand in a sweeping motion. “It’s too much.”

I stop and turn to face him. “Look at me.” His icy-blue eyes gaze at me intently. “It’s just stuff.” I reach up and put my hand over his heart. “This is what matters.”

He covers my hand and presses hard. “Yes.”

“Focus on us.”

He nods and drops his hand. I take it and lead us into my building. I introduce him to Gary and explain he’s my true mate. Sven is silent as he takes in the details around him. When we step out of the elevator, I lead my boyfriend straight to my room.

Without a word I lift my sweater over my head, and my jeans scrape against my thighs as I remove them. I watch as Sven’s chest begins to rise and fall more quickly, and I say, “We could be in a shack right now and none of it would matter, because all I want is you.”

Sven steps forward to take my face in his hands. “You have me.”

I gaze into the face of a man who comes from a world that’s dying. He came to be saved, and yet I feel as if he’s saving me from a life without purpose. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do now, but I know my true mate is the key, and one day it will be revealed. He’s given me what I need. “And you have me.”