ROMANCE: Bear Naked Passion (Billionaire Bear Trio Book 2) (8 page)

Chapter 4

“It's wonderful to meet you at last, and you are even more beautiful than your pictures,” he said, gazing into her eyes. Jenna felt her knees go weak, and she was drowning in the deep blue. The attraction between them was intense, and it felt natural for his hand to rest on her arm. He was wearing a fitted suit that was mostly black, and it even had a pocket watch attached to the waistcoat. His shoes were polished perfectly, so much so that the light was reflected off them, and the aftershave he wore was something she had never encountered, but she found it addictive.

“Would you like another?” he asked, gesturing to the glass. Jenna nodded, so struck by his presence that she was unable to summon words. A smile flickered across Liam's face as he took his hand away from Jenna, and walked to the bar.

Jenna sank back into her seat and breathed deeply, trying to regain her senses. She massaged her temples, reminding herself to keep her cool. Yet there was something so powerful about his aura, something that made her believe in love at first sight. She finished off the remnants of wine that sat in her glass, and cleared her throat as he came back with two drinks and took a seat opposite her. She leaned forward and formed a steeple with her hands, her blonde hair fell forward, and even though her plunging neckline was on full view his eyes still never left hers. Underneath the table his long legs rested against hers, and neither of them made any motion to move, content with the feeling of being so close with each other. 

“So here we are,” Jenna said.

“Indeed, let us toast to this happy occasion,” he said, and raised his glass. They clinked, and Jenna took a long sip.

“I hate to start with such a clichéd question, but are you from around here? Your accent its...different,” she said, for he spoke with a clipped accent and a steady cadence. Every word was deliberate and clear, and his voice was deep and controlled.

“I have been around a few places in my time. The world is a big place and I've spent some time living in various places.”

“I've never been out of the country,” Jenna said, feeling like he was so much older and experienced than her, like he could teach her things and show her a whole new world.

“You should change that. There is much beauty in many places.”

“What are the top three places you think I should visit?”

Liam pressed his lips together as he thought for a moment. “That would depend on what type of person you are, for not every place is appropriate for everyone.”

“Well, we've been speaking for a while, what type of person do you think I am?”

“I walked right into that one didn't I?” he said, laughing warmly.

“You sure did,” she said, sharing the laugh.

“I suppose I can' back down now. Well, let me see...where to begin. You're more mature than most people and you have a way of thinking that mirrors my own. I think you feel like you belong to another world, or another time, and you've never really felt at home in this life. So I think perhaps a place that you would like would be somewhere that had great historical significance, somewhere with a great deal of culture. But, despite those feelings, you are a product of this world and one of the things that made me want to meet you—and it's something that is plain for me to see now—is that you exude such a warmth, such happiness, so I think another place you'd want to visit is somewhere that you could enjoy, somewhere with a great deal going on, and you could lose yourself in the festivities. So I would suggest Rome, London, and Amsterdam.”

“They're all in Europe aren't they?”

“Yes, it's where my family came from. Where I came from...although that seems a lifetime ago now,” as he spoke a wistful look came upon his eyes and in that look Jenna felt the weight of his history, of great pain and suffering.

“What brought you over here?” she asked.

“The same thing that brought so many people over here, opportunity. It was time for a fresh start and there were too many bad memories over in Europe.”

“What do you mean?”

“It's...it's probably not proper for a first date, and I've been talking about myself too much, I really want to know more about you.”

“What would you like to know?” Jenna said, brushing a few errant strands of hair away from her face.

“Everything,” he said, without a trace of humor.

“That...could take a while, although there's not really that much to tell.”

“On the contrary, you strike me as a fascinating woman. I want to know your hopes and fears, your deepest dreams and darkest desires, I want to know where you've been and where you're going.” He leaned forward as he spoke and lowered his voice into a whisper, and Jenna felt her skin tingle with the intimacy of it all. His eyes were hypnotic, and she found  herself wanting to tell him things that she had never told anyone before.

“Where should I start?” she asked, her voice tremulous.

“Wherever you like my dear,  why don't you tell me first what you hoped to get from Tinder?”

“I guess...at first I was just, I was feeling a little lonely. My best friend moved away and everyone else I knew were getting married or falling in love and I felt left out, and it had been so long since I'd, you know, been with anyone, so I figured that it was as good a way as anything to meet some new people. I don't really know what I expected...some romance, companionship, maybe just a friend would do-”

“But what do you
want
? What would be the ideal result?”

“I don't...I haven't given it much thought.”

“Yes you have. Tell me,” he said.

“I want to fall in love.  I want to feel the way I've always wanted to feel. I want to have someone look at me like they truly love me, like I'm the most important person in the world to them. I want to belong to someone, truly, to share one heart and lose ourselves in complete worship to each other. I don't want to date and I don't want to screw around. I don't want to be with someone who is still trying to figure out who they are. I don't want to waste any more time. I want something real. Something that matters,” she said, her cheek flushing crimson after the passion that had fueled her words. She clutched her glass like a shield and had a few greedy gulps of wine, hoping that the answer would satisfy Liam, and when she saw the corners of his lips twist into a smile she saw that he did.

“That pleases me,  for I want the same thing too. I find that many people on Tinder are only looking for fleeting pleasure, but I find that strange as it is only momentary and is far more shallow than what a true relationship can bring.”

“And that's why you joined Tinder?”

“I thought I would try it out. In truth I was about to leave before I encountered you. And I'm glad to say that you have exceeded my expectations.”

“Likewise,” Jenna said, and she felt her heart beating fiercely in her chest. It seemed like they had passed into a new, forbidden territory, one that was scary and exciting at the same time. It made Jenna feel as though anything was possible as long as she was in the same vicinity as him.

Chapter 5

The drinks flowed, as did the conversation. They laughed together and Jenna found Liam to be entirely charming.

“I have to say, I was a little worried about meeting you tonight because so far the people I've met from Tinder have been, well, the less said about them the better.”

“I pride myself on not being like any other man,” he said.

“Yeah...how are you single again?”

“I fear my tastes are too refined. I've been looking for something particular and I am not willing to settle for anything less than perfection.” Jenna flushed and turned away, embarrassed at the compliment.

“There are a lot of people who would never associate perfection with me. I get a lot of people telling me I'm fat and that I shouldn't be anywhere near a dating site.”

“Philistines. They are merely incapable of appreciating true beauty, and they are not even worth the time it takes to speak of them.” His words were sharp and harsh, as though he actually took offense at their treatment of her, and it was something that only served to endear him to Jenna.

“But I must confess that I have something to tell you. It may make you think differently, it may not, but I am a billionaire. I refused to talk about it on my profile because I wanted someone genuine. My life is already filled with people who want my money and I do not need anyone else, but I feel like I can tell you know. I don't think you are going to lust after my money.”

“A billionaire...” Jenna said, gasping.

“Most of it comes from a family fortune. It is somewhat a blot on my honor that I am not a self-made man but there is little I can do to change the past, and I am not going to turn my back on the wealth. I have a number of charitable interests around the world. I am sorry for hiding this from you, but I hope you understand my reason.”

Jenna was floored by the revelation and had trouble processing it.

“Of course that's...that's fine. I'm still just...I'm not a billionaire,” she said, and the two of them shared a laugh again.

Knowing that he was a billionaire didn't change the way she looked at him however, and as the night continued she was drawn to him, enraptured by every word.  Neither of them could take their eyes off each other and she knew what it was like to be in their own little world.

But sadly the bar wasn't going to stay open all night and last orders were called, much to the chagrin of Jenna and Liam. As they walked out of the bar Liam offered Jenna his arm, which she took gladly, and they started to stroll.

“I love the night, it's so peaceful,” Liam said.

“I love this night,” Jenna replied with a wide smile on her face. They stopped and turned to face each other.

“It has been a pleasure.”

“Am I going to see you again?”

“I would like that. As long as we are both on the same page, that we want the same thing. I am not here to fool around. I want a mate, in every sense of the word.”

“A mate?”

“There's something else you should know about me Jenna, I'm not like you, I'm not like anyone else. I'm a vampire, and I want you to be mine.”

He stared deeply into her eyes and her soul was torn apart as he kissed her. The words reverberated around her head. Her body surrendered to the kiss while her mind tried to fight and pull away.

Jenna’s destiny lies in your hands. What should she do?

Pick Your Own Plot:

CLICK HERE if you want Jenna to go with Liam

CLICK HERE if you want Jenna to walk away from Liam

Chapter 6

The kiss was hot and almost suffocating. Jenna felt her back arch under the passion of Liam. Her insides rumbled with an intensity that she had never felt before and her mind blazed with lust. His hands reached around her back and pulled her tightly into him. There was a strange, ethereal coolness around his lips but there was a hunger too, and it was this hunger that she felt seize her, as though he was consumed by a need to have her. He held her so tightly that his fingers threatened to pierce her skin, but the pain blurred with pleasure and everything was like a dream. Never had she been wanted so much, never had anyone requested something of such magnitude. The words reeled through her mind and she could barely believe them.

A vampire.

Even now he was kissing her and she felt his tongue thrusting in her mind, dancing with her own, it seemed so unbelievable. Already he had revealed himself as a billionaire and that was shock enough, but a vampire...it all made sense. The reason why he had been so insistent to meet at night, and how he had been so cultured and knowledgeable about the past. And this vampire was kissing her. The realization that she had a monster in front of her made her jerk away, tearing herself from his hands, panting, the taste of him lingering on her lips. Yet when she saw him, his pale skin glowing under the light of the wan moon, she didn't seen him as a monster at all, she only saw him as the handsome man that she had spent an enchanting night with, and it almost felt wrong to be attracted to him but she couldn't help herself.

“A vampire?” was all she could muster. He gazed at her and his lips curled into a slight smile, barely flickering on his face.

“A vampire,” he said.

“Like the ones who go around sucking blood, turning into bats, stake through the heart, that kinda thing?”

Liam stroked his long slender fingers over his chest, as if remembering a wound. “Those stakes do leave a sting, but yes, I am a vampire, and everything that entails.” He took a step closer towards Jenna but she could not move.

“Are you going to...” she began to ask, but she could not bear to summon the terrible words.

“Jenna, for so long I have been searching for someone such as you. For so long I have endured endless nights of solitude, cursing the wasteland that you call the 21
st
century as I awaited the woman who would capture my attention, one who would be worthy to stand by my side and reap all the benefits. This is not an offer to serve my vanity. I do not simply want a trophy to hang off my arm. I want a woman of substance and beauty, someone who will be able to connect with me on an intellectual level as well as a physical one, someone who can rule my empire with a steady hand, and will not shirk her responsibilities. It is a burden that many people are incapable of wearing, and I would not ask this if I did not think you were ready,” as Liam spoke he moved closer into her and brushed her cheek with the outside of his finger. The coolness of his skin made her tingle and an exciting shiver ran along her spine as her breath caught in her throat.

“I want you to walk beside me in life, to shed the skin of this mortal existence and emerge from your cocoon, resplendent and beautiful.”

“And what if I say no?” she asked, her voice trembling. His hand fell away from her face.

“Then I would be disappointed,” he said with a heavy sigh. Jenna looked at him and knew in her heart that she should walk away, yet she could not. Liam may have been a vampire but he was also a man that she was incredibly attracted to, and although only mere moments passed, many things flashed through her mind. She thought about all the other dates she had been on, and all the other men she had turned down. Indeed she thought about the men who had turned her down as well. She had always complained about not feeling a spark and ending the evening with nothing fluttering inside her soul, and it felt churlish to turn her back on a feeling. There were so many reasons to turn away from other people, to retreat to her apartment and her loneliness again, but there was only one reason to stay and take him up on his offer.

Would she be able to live with herself if she walked away from this chance that he was offering? It was nothing like she had ever expected and the possibilities were frightening, cloaked by the shadow of the unknown, and yet somehow she knew that if she did turn away she would always wonder about what had happened if she had said yes when the impossible had held out his hand. Although he was a vampire and she had every right to be recoiling with horror she found herself drawn to him.

“Alright Liam,” she said after taking a deep breath, “but it has to be on my terms. I'm not ready to make such a commitment so soon after meeting. I want to spend more time with you. It can only happen if we make it to our third date. Those are my terms.”

Liam licked his lips and his eyes flashed with anticipation, enthralled by the challenge she had set before him. He walked forward again to kiss her, but this time she pulled away and placed a finger against his lips, leaving him wanting more.