Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

A fter exploring a few of the rooms that branched off the foyer and beyond; a huge dining room, the long table well able to seat two dozen people, a lovely, yellow drawing room, an intimate sitting room, and a large room with small tables and several chairs placed along the walls that could be none other than a ballroom, Olivia made her way, with only minor wrong turns, to the library.

She chose two books, one on werewolves and one on regular wolves, and got comfortable on the couch to read, but her mind wouldn’t let her focus. She was concerned about the loss of one of the wolves or werewolves, if she was to believe Tiernan. Either way, it was a loss to both species, and they would mourn. A section in the werewolf book finally caught her interest and she got lost in it.

A desire for a cup of tea a couple of hours later had Olivia, with book in hand, finding her way to the kitchen with no difficulty. The kettle was whistling when Tiernan entered and smiled softly at her, though a hint of sorrow haunted his beautiful green eyes.

Not thinking, simply just wanting to offer what sympathy she could, Olivia walked over to him and resting her hand on his arm, she said softly, “I’m terribly sorry for your loss.”

His hand gave her waist a gentle squeeze in thanks for her kind words. “Gillean lived a long, good life. He lost his mate Brigid two years ago and his son Tade last year to an illness that claimed six wolves before we got it under control. He told me that he welcomed death and hoped to see his family again. We saw and survived much through the years. I will miss him.”

The endless shrill of the kettle’s whistle had Olivia slipping away from him reluctantly, and she quietly asked, “Tea?”

“Aye, I could use a cuppa.”

“Sit while I get it for us,” she said, nodding at the table.

“I see from the title and your makeshift bookmark that you found another book on werewolves that you’ve been enjoying,” he said, opening the book to the marked page. “This book is completely fiction just like all of the books about werewolves. We’re inevitably thought of as evil creatures who viciously attack people and either rip them apart or condemn them to the life of an unearthly creature. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Olivia placed a teapot on the table along with two mugs.

“Fay keeps biscuits, to Americans… cookies, in the pantry if you’d like some,” Tiernan said with a nod at a frosted glass door beside the fridge.

Olivia chose two containers, one labeled shortbread and the other chocolate, and set them on the table, then sat.

“Do you believe in werewolves yet, Olivia?”

“I’m still trying to digest what you’ve confessed and make sense of it. That you claim to be a man as well as a wolf is not easy to believe. Though the alternative is difficult for me to believe as well.”

“Aye, the alternative,” he said with a nod and a slight smile.

“Being insane is no better than being a werewolf,” she said, shaking her head. “Either way doesn’t bode well for me.”

“Logically speaking,” he said, sounding like a professor about to enlighten a student as he reached for a biscuit, “I would say you’re better off stranded in a castle with a werewolf rather than an insane man.”

“Why would that be?” she asked and filled their mugs with tea.

“You have no idea what to expect from an insane man, whereas, you know wolves. Once part of a wolf pack, you are safe. The alpha wolf would protect you, so there would be nothing to fear.”

“But I am not part of your pack.”

“Once you accept the position I offered you, you will be.”

“You sound so confident.”

“I’m confident in you,” Tiernan said. “Once you get to know me, see how well you would fit in here and the benefits that come with it, I have no doubt as to what your choice will be.”

“So, the position includes becoming part of your pack?” When he nodded, she asked, “Does that mean I must become a werewolf.” Though she had already asked, she had to ask again.

“As I’ve already told you, I like you just the way you are. I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

“I’m going to be honest with you, Tiernan.”

“Please do. I respect honesty.”

She didn’t know in this case if honesty was the best policy, but she had to let her feelings be known. “Something bothers me about your offer. I don’t know what it is, but I feel there’s something more to it, something you’re not telling me.”

He smiled and for a moment she thought of the big bad wolf waiting to devour the young girl in the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood.

“You’re preceptive, Olivia, and when you figure out what I’m not telling you then I believe the decision for you to accept my offer or leave will be much easier for you to make.”

“A mystery to solve, though, is solving it necessary to obtaining the position,” she asked, finding it odd but also intriguing.

“Quite necessary, but I have faith you will solve it.”

“Then to do so, I will need all the information I can gather. I would love to explore the preserve, visit with the wolves, see your facilities before solving the mystery and making a decision.”

“As soon as the snow allows, I will take you to see it all,” he assured her.

“I look forward to it, but if you don’t mind me asking, what is your custom when one of your wolves passes?”

“When one of us passes, there is a mourning period, then the werewolf is cremated and the ashes spread in the forest where his or her spirit can roam free with those who passed before him. But enough sorrow, Gillean was ready to go, and while we will miss him, he lived a long, good life and he is now where he wishes to be, with his family. Let’s concentrate on you and this assignment that brought you here… a werewolf’s sexual appetite.”

“Is a werewolf’s sexual appetite that much different from a human’s?” She couldn’t believe she was asking such a ridiculous question, but it wouldn’t hurt to humor him. It just might get her some creative suggestions. And she had to admit she was curious to what he would say about sex.

“The challenge is that you have part man, part wolf. The wolf in the man will seek the way of the wolf when it comes to finding a mate, finding a female wolf, courting her when she accepts his advances, spending time with each other, finalizing it with robust sex, whereas the man in the wolf will seek sex from various women for nothing more than satisfaction.”

“Robust sex?” she asked, a sudden image of him and her naked in bed, sweaty and panting, leaving her damp between her legs.

“Do you prefer gentle sex, Olivia?”

Her name dripped with seduction from his lips, and his green eyes teasingly tempted along with the slight smile that teased the corners of his mouth.

She somehow kept her wits about her. “We’re talking about a werewolf’s sexual appetite, not mine.” She continued before he could say anything. “Do you prefer your own kind to human women?”

“I have had my share of both and have enjoyed both.”

“Why haven’t you wed?” She regretted her question. There was no need for it, and she didn’t know why she asked it. “Forgive me. That’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have asked it.”

“I don’t mind answering it. I have had several mates throughout my long lifetime, and I mourn every one of them.”

“So, you prefer your own kind to human women.”

“Now that you are aware of my circumstances, I’m sure you can appreciate the difficulties that go along with it. While some human women might find having a werewolf as a husband exciting, it might be more than she could eventually handle, especially with my dedication to the preserve and my lack of travel. It would lead to a divorce and the chance of my pack of werewolves being revealed.”

“I doubt anyone would believe such an outrageous claim.”

“But think of the publicity and the crazies who would try to prove the claim true.” He shook his head. “I would never subject my pack, my family to that. They rely on me to protect them, keep them safe, and I take my duties very seriously.”

She rested her arms on the table, leaned forward, and looked directly at him. “I don’t know what to make of you.”

He did the same as her, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward. “You will the more you learn about me while I learn about you.”

He reached out and traced the thin, barely visible scar on her cheek with one finger. “How did you get that?”

A whispery soft tickle raced through her from his tender touch, prickling her skin, and his eyes held genuine concern as though he worried over what had happened to her.

“Samson,” she said with a smile, “a malamute puppy I got when I was young. He accidentally scratched me while playing.”

Tiernan rested his hand beneath her chin as he ran his thumb across the scar. “That was more than a scratch to leave you with a scar.”

His touch was innocent enough, yet it sparked a passion in her. She had never reacted so instantly to any man’s touch, nor had she enjoyed one so much.

“A scar that you can barely see. Besides, it was my own fault. My granddad warned me to take it easy with him, that he was a pup and had sharp claws. Samson was the love of my life and my heart broke when he died.”

“You didn’t get another pup?”

“I was going off to college in a few months and I was too heartbroken over losing Samson to even think of replacing him. Besides, once in college and with my volunteer work, I had no time to devote to a dog, to make us a family, and that wouldn’t have been fair to either one of us. The wolves at the places I volunteered helped since some of them reminded me of Samson.”

When his thumb faintly brushed her lips, she eased away from him. She responded far too easily to his touch. She needed to keep her distance, especially if she wanted to work for him. And there was always that chance that he could be nuts. Or a werewolf.

“I should get my notepad, and we should keep to the subject.”

“Sex,” he said with a wickedly tempting smile and a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.

This assignment was going to be a lot more difficult than she expected and in a far different way than she expected.

“Let’s continue this in the library, then we’ll have lunch, then afterward I’ll need to leave you on your own for a while.”

“Don’t let me keep you from anything you need to do. We can talk later. I have more than enough books to keep me occupied, and your kitchen runneth over with food.”

He chuckled. “Are you sure you don’t mind? I dislike leaving you on your own to fend for yourself when I’ve opened my home to you.”

“No problem, really. I’ll be fine,” she assured him, and yet the oddest sensation came over her. She had the strongest urge to rest against him and feel his arms wrapped around her as if she didn’t want to be parted from him.

She stood and picked up the mugs to take them to the sink, and when she turned around to return to the table for the teapot, Tiernan stood directly behind her. She hadn’t heard him move.

His arm circled her waist, and he brushed his cheek along hers as he whispered, “Think of the castle as your home. Roam freely.”

Olivia stood where he left her and after hearing a door close, a howl broke the silence and several howls followed.

Olivia was so engrossed in taking notes that she didn’t hear Tiernan enter the library, but she caught his rugged scent, strong and enticing. She looked up when he came around the coffee table to sit at the opposite end of the couch from her.

“The books have kept you busy, I see,” he said, nodding at the three stacks of books sitting in front of her on the coffee table.

“I could spend days in here reading all the interesting and fascinating books you have here and never get bored.”

“Something I enjoy doing myself, getting lost in reading. Find anything that can be helpful with your assignment?” he asked.

“Some interesting. Some laughable.”

He didn’t dazzle her with a smile but rather tempted her with a glance that suggested pleasure before being blunt about it. “You could learn firsthand if you wanted to, Olivia.”

She was so tempted but a thought saved her. “Sex with a possible future boss. I don’t think so.”

“I would never have sex with one of my employees, a puzzle to add to the mystery and for you to think on, Olivia.”

His remark certainly did puzzle her. Whatever did he mean by it?

“Let me offer you some insight to a werewolf having sex with a human female. Scent, as you know, is a huge factor when a wolf pursues a mate. It is also helpful when a lycanthrope enters a room with many women in it. It is easy to pick up the scent of a rise in estrogen and with that rise, the woman would also be drawn to the werewolf’s scent. Sex would then be quite satisfying for both.”

“You have found willing women that way?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“Aye, I have.”

“But you don’t travel so how then do you find—” She shook her head. “Of course, the Christmas Fundraiser and you have had female journalists who have come to interview you since I read several such articles by females when researching you. And you have traveled locally though not often.”

“Aye, casual sex to relieve the craving. Certainly, you’ve done the same.”

“I can’t even recall the last time I had sex—” She shut her mouth quickly, admonishing herself for admitting something so personal to him.

“That’s why your estrogen level is so very high. If you cannot recall the last time that you had sex, then it must not have been satisfying for you, and with the strong urge we have for each other?—”

“My sex life does not concern you,” she said in a rush to stop him from saying any more.

“I beg to differ since I can scent your powerful desire for me, and I do desire you just as powerfully.”

She was shaking her head at him, unable to find words. Their conversation was far too personal and far too ridiculous to give it any credence.

A thought hit her. “It’s the cold. It affects the ovaries and spikes estrogen.”

His smile held humor. “In female wolves, but you’re not a wolf.” He shifted a bit closer to her and his smile turned seductive. “I would love to please you, and I can guarantee you that it would be memorable.”

“I am not here for sex.”

He smiled with humor once again. “Actually, you are.”

Olivia rolled her eyes and shook her head. She could not believe that a werewolf was trying to seduce her. Did she hear herself? A werewolf. A madman didn’t sound any better.

A humorous glint sparked in his eyes along with his smile. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“You read minds now?”

“Nay, it’s a logical assumption to wonder if it is a werewolf or a madman who is offering to have sex with you. But I can assure you that I am not insane.

“Which leaves you a werewolf.”

“Who would protect you with his life and always please you in bed or wherever else we chose to couple.”

“Couple?’ she asked while thinking how the various rooms in the castle would provide variety.

“My age is showing. An outdated and no longer used reference to sex. Of course, it’s the female’s choice whether to have sex or not. I can suggest, cajole, express my own desire but in the end, it is your decision. That I desire you is obvious, something you cannot ignore, something that is felt between us. I also take great pleasure in the innocent touches we’ve exchanged. It is a way of us getting to become more familiar with each other, more at ease, even more desirable to each other. And your womanly scent is like an elixir I cannot resist. It tempts all my senses until the urge to touch you, kiss you becomes a powerful thirst I must quench. And your kisses do quench, thrill, satisfy me, but I fear I will never get enough of them, that the taste of you will always linger on my lips, and your scent will forever haunt me.” He breathed in deeply. “You can’t tell me that you don’t feel the same, Olivia. I can smell your need. It radiates with a powerful ache. Let me satisfy it for you.”

His rugged scent captured her in an embrace and his words dripped with seduction and both fired her passion beyond anything she had ever felt. It was no wonder he could smell her womanly scent. Never had she felt so wet between her legs, and that she wanted him with such intensity frightened her.

Get out of there, Olivia! Get out now before it’s too late , she warned herself.

She hadn’t seen him move closer, didn’t realize he brushed against her, and when his lips drew close to hers, she knew it was too late.