The Bear's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance (4 page)

Valemon stood up and summoned his butler with a button hidden under the table.  The whip-thin man quietly entered the room.  “Hans, please take Ms. Jenner to her room, she is tired from her day and wishes to retire early.”

“Yes, sir,” Hans replied.  “This way, miss.  I had your belongings brought up to your room while you were dining.” 

Rachel hobbled behind the butler as he led the way to where she would be staying for the duration of her time at the manor.  She hopped up the spiraling stairs to the balcony.  She couldn’t wait for the boot to come off so she could walk properly again.   Being limited in any way really irritated her to no end; luckily, she only had to put up with it for another three weeks.    She reached the top of the stair case and followed the butler around the corner to the east wing of the ancient house. 

Hans paused at a large wooden door.  “Here you go, miss, your chambers,” he stated as he opened the door with a flourish.  He was taking perverse enjoyment at the poor woman’s awe and confusion, and wanted to surprise her once more.  “As you can see,” he continued as he lead the dumbstruck woman into the luxurious chamber, “you have a king size bed, your own dresser and vanity to sit down at while you groom. 

“You also have a large flat screen television with all available channels at your disposal behind that wooden panel on the wall facing the bed.  Through the door on your left, is your own private privy chamber, which is fully stocked with all the toiletries you might need.   Cleaning service comes in once a day at noon while you dine. The door to your right is your closet. 

“Your linens will be changed once a week when your laundry is picked up, please place all your dirty clothes in this bin next to the door to make it easier on the cleaning staff, it would be much appreciated.  It will be delivered folded and pressed that evening.  We do have high-speed WiFi available for you to use, as well.  I took the luxury of jotting the password down on some stationary and left it on your end table.  If you need any more assistance, please do not hesitate to ring.  The call button is next to the door, right here.” Hans indicated the button with one of his long spiderlike fingers. 

Rachel stood, speechless, as she looked around the luxurious chamber.  The king size mattress was housed in an ornately carved wooden four-poster frame, which supported a frame on which red velvet bed curtains hung.  She couldn’t tell which type of wood the bed was carved from, but she guessed it was old, expensive and rare. She walked to the foot of the bed and looked at the dark wood panel that was there, and noticed a button underneath.  She pushed it and the panel rose revealing a large flat screen television.  She took the remote, which sat neatly on a shelf next to the device and pushed the power button.  She hobbled over to the bed, flopped down on it, and surfed the channels, searching for one of the English Language stations.

After fruitlessly searching through the thousands of channels in hopes of something to watch, she got up from the bed and decided to see the bathroom. 

She opened the door and a gasp erupted from her throat.  The floor was made from slate tiles; the sink was sunk into the dark marble counter top, which was neatly organized.  Toothpaste, hand soap, and other various sundries were lined up neatly along the counter top.  There was a shower stall in the far corner, next to the toilet and adjoining bidet, and off to the right, was a deep whirlpool tub. 

Rachel needed to relieve herself so she proceeded to do so.  She noticed her flow had stopped. When she was finished, she made a note in the appropriate app on her phone and went back to watching TV. 

Her mind drifted as the newscaster on television droned on about the economy.  She thought about Valemon.  His silver hair and beard, his broad, strong shoulders and his soft rumbling voice.  She could have found a worse man who needed a surrogate.  He was courteous, and seemed attentive to her needs. 

She had everything she could possibly ask for while she remained here in the manor with him, and more.   Everything seemed too perfect, and she couldn’t shake off that dreadful feeling that all of this, the manor, the man, everything, was too good to be true.

CHAPTER TWO

Two weeks passed as Rachel and Valemon got acquainted.  They took walks around the grounds, and he showed her the secret tunnels his ancestors used to reach their ships in the caves under the castle.  The smell of rotting wood and sea filled her nose as she entered the cavern.

“Haven’t been maintaining the dock?” she asked.

“No need,” he replied pointing to a small wooden rowboat next to the stairs.  “I use that to go for short trips up the fjord when I’m feeling restless.”

“What’s down there, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“Not much, just a small island that I like to visit from time to time.  It’s quiet and out of the way.  Even though I’m far away from the city in this castle, I still have servants.  Some days I crave solitude.  That’s when I take the boat and go to that place.”

Rachel had a suspicion it was the same island she had gotten injured on almost a month ago.  The previous day, Valemon took her in to the clinic in Trondheim and the doctor gave her the all clear to remove the boot.  Her ankle had fully healed in less time than they had anticipated. 

She walked next to Valemon along the narrow dirt path that lined the sea-filled cavern.   She shyly put her hand in his.  His large hand enveloped hers completely.  She was not a small woman by far, but Valemon’s massive size dwarfed her.  He stopped and looked at her, his silver hair shining in the light of the bare fluorescent lighting of the cavern.  She looked up at him, and couldn’t help but feel a renewal of the initial attraction she’d felt when he brought her to this marvelous place in the Norwegian countryside.

She felt a jolt of arousal as his large warm hand surrounded hers.  According to her app, she should be nearing the best time for conception.  She swallowed hard and decided to go for it.  She couldn’t remain a virgin forever, and at least Valemon seemed like a very gentle soul.

“Hey,” she began.  “Umm...you know, in the room you have me in?” 

“Yes?” he asked, confused as to where this was leading.

“Do you think that hot tub can fit two?” she asked coyly.

Valemon looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.  “Well, it could.  It is rather large, why do you ask?”

Rachel sighed in exasperation; she was determined to take the lead in this before she could back out due to fear.  “Just come to my room around eight.  I need to show you something.” 

Valemon knew she had been taking pictures of the area around the castle.  He allowed it because it helped keep her busy and engaged in her passion.  The only conditions he put on her were to never publish the pictures online or send them away to a publisher.

Maybe she wanted to show him the things she had captured while exploring the isolated house.    He shrugged. “OK, sounds good.”  He didn’t want to get his hopes up that anything would happen between the two of them.  She was still the scared virgin, after all.

Rachel looked up at the massive mountain of a man.  She gulped nervously.  “Was just wondering, do you have any vodka? I wouldn’t mind having a bit of vodka and cranberry juice later.”

“We have aquavit, that’s about it.  We distill l it here on site.  I have heard it goes well in apple cider.  I do think we have some of that.  I thought you didn’t drink?” he asked arching a silver brow in skepticism.

“Well...umm, sometimes I do. Just...” she stammered.

Valemon looked at her pointedly, trying not to crack a smile across his stoic face.  “Well dinner should be ready soon.” He said it gruffly, amusement twinkling in his ice blue eyes. “Let’s get upstairs, and I’ll tell Hans to get you that drink for later.”

They walked up the winding tunnel to the manor.  It was a long trip, and would have been really dark if Valemon or his predecessors hadn’t put up lighting. She could just imagine the pirate crew sneaking down here in the dark of night to sail out on the tide to pillage an unsuspecting vessel.

They exited the tunnel via a small sally port near the back wall of the castle.  Rachel reached for Valemon’s hand again and relished in its warmth.  The touch reinforced her resolve to go through with it tonight.  She might need a bit of liquid courage, but her few weeks living with Valemon had bolstered her trust in him.  He was always courteous and solicitous of her needs.  He was fun to be around and Rachel really dug his understated sense of humor  He never imposed himself on her in any way; he always knocked at her door when wanting to speak with her. He showed her around his impressive property, and even allowed her to take photographs of it all. 

They made their way to the small dining room, still holding hands.  Hans tried not to smile as he noticed his long single employer, making a connection with a woman after all these years.   He deftly set the table while the two seated themselves.  Valemon quickly grabbed the butler’s attention as he placed the evening meal in front of him.  Valemon whispered Rachel’s order in the butler’s ear and winked at the woman from across the table. 

Hans stood up and did a polite bow. “As you wish, sir.” He walked out, leaving the two to dine in peace.

Rachel kept looking over at Valemon and blushing as she nibbled on a forkful of pan seared cod.   What would he think of her if she took the lead on this? Maybe that’s what he was waiting for? She thought to herself. She poked at a roasted potato and popped it in her mouth.  She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the stunningly handsome man sitting across from her.  She had absolutely no idea what was coming over her, this was completely out of character.

Valemon smiled internally at the woman’s obvious conundrum.  She was trying so hard to be a good girl, but watching her wrestle with her libido was rather amusing.  He abandoned the thought that she wanted to show him the photographs that she had taken around the castle.  He could smell her heat as she fidgeted nervously in her seat while attempting to eat her meal. He smelled her heat when they were down in the tunnel; it mixed well with the salty tang of the sea. Her sweet musk wafted to his sensitive nostrils and mingled with the scent of the apple cobbler that had just been laid before them as a dessert.  The couple nibbled at their dessert, not taking their attention off one another.

Once they were finished, Rachel rushed to her room to wash up and brush her teeth.  She didn’t want any kind of issue getting in the way of tonight.  She wanted it to be as perfect as it could be.  Just because she was going to be a surrogate for this man, didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself, especially since it was going to be her first time.  She filled up the hot tub and dropped one of the bath bombs she had found in a basket next to the tub into the warm, swirling water.

The water rapidly turned a bright azure as the coloring and essential oils from the bath bomb mixed with the warm bath water.  She inhaled the fresh scent of the sea as she heard a polite knock on her door.

Hans was standing there, holding a tray with a glass filled with sparkling apple juice.  “Your drink, miss?  Aquavit mixed with apple cider, just as you wished.” 

“Thank you, Hans,” Rachel said warmly.  “That will be all.”  She felt somewhat odd saying that, since she wasn’t the mistress of this house, but it felt appropriate. 

Hans bowed, with a smirk on his face, and backed away as Rachel closed the door.  That butler was rather creepy, but Valemon trusted him with his life so she let it slide.  She stepped back in her bathroom and placed her drink on the ledge surrounding the hot tub.  She took off her clothes and placed them in a neat pile at the door.  She just began to place her toe in the warm, swirling water when she was alerted by another knock on the door.

She grabbed the white terrycloth bathrobe from the back of the door and put it on as she went to answer the door.  She grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door to reveal a smiling Valemon on the other side, holding a highball of Aquavit on the rocks. “Hey, did I catch you at a bad time?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face.

“N...no...Not at all” Rachel stammered. “Come on in.” She moved out of the way.

Valemon stepped inside the neat bedroom and looked around.  “Smells like you’ve found the bath bombs we had stashed here. One of the housekeepers makes them as a side business.  They sell rather well.”

“Well, I haven’t had my bath yet,” Rachel said, looking coyly off to the side. “If you want to join me...”

A huge grin lit up Valemon’s rugged face.  “I would love that.” He touched Rachel’s hand. 

Her eyes went wide as his large hand gently caressed hers in a tender gesture of affection.  A surge of arousal coursed through her as his warm, soft palm gently caressed her own.  Rachel swallowed hard, took a step towards him and reached up and placed her hands on his broad shoulders. 

She then laced her hands behind his solid neck and drew his silvered head down to hers for a kiss.  She felt his silver beard tickle her cheek as his warm, soft lips met hers.  Her heart began to quicken as she felt his warm, moist lips part and his tongue gently caress her lips in a gentle attempt to seek admittance. 

Rachel eagerly returned the caress with her own tongue.  As their tongues danced and whirled around one another, Valemon wrapped his powerful arms around Rachel’s slender waist and drew her closer to him in a gentle embrace.  He didn’t want to hurt her, after all. 

The kiss went on for what seemed to be an eternity.  She felt his hand move up her side towards her breast as they continued to embrace.  She pulled away gently. “Let’s get in that tub before the water cools off.  I left my drink in there, anyway.”

Valemon smiled and followed her as she led him by the arm into the luxurious bathroom.  The hot tub was still roiling the steaming azure water around as they stepped in.  She looked at Valemon and blushed a little.  “First time ever letting a guy see me naked.”

“Well, let me go first then.” He said it quietly, his face showing a hint of lust as he wrestled at self-control.  He wanted nothing else than to take her right there, but he didn’t want to scare her.  This time might not work and he really didn’t want to spoil it for any future attempts they might possibly need. 

“On second thought,” he said thoughtfully, knowing that his size might frighten her, “Let me help you.” He stepped closer to the trembling woman and bent down to kiss her once more.  She felt her nipples perk up and the juncture between her legs get moist as desire washed over her.  Rachel felt Valemon’s deft hands tug at the belt that held the bathrobe secure.  One quick tug from the powerful man and the robe slipped open, revealing Rachel’s firm, nubile body.  At thirty, she was in peak shape. 

She had well defined muscles everywhere, not massive like a body builder, but defined enough to make her the picture of heath.  Her narrow waist even had a lightly defined six-pack going on.  Valemon took a deep breath as he took in the beauty before him.  Small perky breasts, with pink, taught nipples pointing skywards; her slender, well-defined waist narrowed and then flared out at the hips.  Valemon was in heaven and it took every ounce of self-control to not overwhelm her. His massive manhood strained at his lounge pants as he appreciated Rachel’s beauty. 

Rachel turned around with a smile and dipped her toe into the warm water of the hot tub. “Are you coming in?” she asked coyly.  “The water is warm, and from the looks of things, there is room for both of us, even if you’re bigger than the average bear.”

Valemon’s face fell momentarily at her metaphor, but he quickly recovered.  He pulled his black silk shirt over his head, revealing his massive muscular torso, which was covered by silver hair. 

Rachel smiled, sipping her drink.  “Oooh, you’re a fuzzy one,” she said, as the alcohol kicked in, making her feel bolder than usual. 

Valemon grinned. “Better to keep you warm in the long Norwegian nights.” He bent down and removed his black, silk lounge pants.  He stood back up and kicked them off to the corner, as Rachel’s eyes widened and she gasped in fear.

He was huge in all aspects.  This mountain of a man wasn’t just a hair short of seven feet tall; his manhood was intimidating as well.  Rachel guessed that it was at least thirteen inches long and good five or six inches around.  She had no idea how it would fit in her, so she took another gulp of her drink and tried to relax.

Valemon stepped in the hot tub behind Rachel, causing it to splash a bit into the overflow drain. “You’re now even more nervous aren’t you?” he whispered in her ear as he moved her long blonde tresses away from her neck.

Rachel nodded mutely, sitting rigidly in the hot tub, regretting ever thinking about going at it in the natural way. 

“I’ll be as gentle as I can, I promise,” he rumbled softly in her ear as he bent down to kiss her neck and shoulders.

As she felt his soft lips on her flesh, the icy grip of fear began to relinquish its hold on her to be taken over by the hot surge of lust.   She groaned as she felt his sharp teeth nibble at her sensitive earlobe while his massive hands travelled up her firm abdomen to caress her virgin breasts.  Valemon took the sensitive, pink nubs between his thumb and forefinger and gave them a gentle twist, causing Rachel to moan as desire cascaded through her body. 

She felt her womanhood begin to swell and throb, as Valemon caressed her tender flesh with his hands and mouth.  She felt his insistent erection prodding the small of her back but she ignored it for the time being.  Out of sight, out of mind, she thought.  She wanted to enjoy it before having that massive tool shoved inside her.