The gardens surrounding Levi’s estate were just like everything else he owned—immaculate. She should have been intimidated, but the idea of a man who surrounded himself with such beautiful things lusting after her bolstered her confidence. She might just be another acquisition for him, but there were far worse things to be than desired by such an interesting man.
Like an inconstant slut. Just a few hours ago, Jaxon was all she could think about and now after the first disappointment, she was already on to the next guy. Maybe that’s why she was still single.
No, she knew that wasn’t true. In the few areas where Bailey’s loyalty had been tested, she was steadfast. She just happened to meet two men she had chemistry with in the span of twelve hours. Something that if she was asked about the day before she would have claimed as likely as a picnic with Santa and the Easter bunny. But here she was. Now what?
She reached a section of the garden with a fountain, water spurting from Cupid’s arrow, and a circle of rose bushes. She sat down on one of the marble benches and tried to figure out her next step. Should she yell at Jaxon for not telling her about the mate thing? But wasn’t that the same thing she was doing? Looking for someone to marry and make babies with? She just had a longer timetable in mind and her job didn’t depend on it.
Should she tell him about kissing Levi? Making out with his enemy was an unforgivable act. He’d probably break things off immediately, and ask Gerri to fix him up with someone else. One thoughtless moment and she might have killed all hope with Jaxon.
She stood back up and wandered around some more. The land Levi owned was vast and there was plenty to explore. She came upon a more wooded area behind his house. It seemed strange for him to have given how sculpted and manicured everything else was.
Her heels sunk in the dirt as she walked deeper into the area making her wish she’d been kidnapped in a more sensible shoe. There was a small lake between the trees. Bailey sat on a log at the edge of the lake and took off her heels. She plopped her feet into the cool water and relaxed.
Water flew in all directions as a giant brown bear broke to the surface. He was all teeth and claws and would have terrified her if not for the familiar silver eyes that seemed irritated. He stood on his hind legs and roared at her. Did he really she was going to get up and run? She’d already taken her shoes off.
“Don’t snap at me. I had no idea you were here. And maybe if you didn’t take people against their will they wouldn’t bother you while you were shifting.”
She watched the lake rippling, then turned back to Levi who was staring at her in confusion. The look on the face of a bear was adorable, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. “To be afraid, I’d have to believe that either you want to hurt me or you’ve lost control of your beast. Since you’ve had every opportunity to hurt me and haven’t, I don’t think you would and I doubt you’ve ever had a moment in your life you weren’t in control of.”
She continued to stare out over the water. When she ventured a glance back in Levi’s direction, she found him standing there in all his glory. And so much glory there was. Her gaze lingered on his glory for far too long. When she finally looked into his eyes, he was wearing a wicked grin. “Sorry,” she said, turning away again.
“No, take your fill. What’s mine is yours.”
Bailey winced.
“What?”
“Jaxon said something similar to me.”
Levi picked up a pair of jeans off the ground and slipped them on. He sat down next to Bailey on the log. The fact that he wasn’t wearing underwear was at the forefront of her mind.
“And I’m sure he meant it. I know you didn’t ask for this, but if you’re going to be a kingmaker, I’d like to throw my hat in the running.”
She didn’t know what to say. “Couldn’t you just find some other girl and even the score?”
“I don’t want another girl. Part of finding a mate is driven by instinct, and I don’t know how to explain it, but you smell like you’re mine. I know you don’t have my senses, but can’t you feel it on some level?”
She felt something. But she also felt something for Jaxon too. “I mostly feel confused.”
He chuckled. “Take your time. Work out your feelings. You’ll know where to find me when you do.”
Before she joked about his overconfidence, he looked toward the house. He seemed upset.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Jaxon’s back. We should start heading back before he shifts and tears apart my staff.”
“He wouldn’t do that.” She may have only known him for a day, but she was pretty sure about this one.
“No, he wouldn’t.”
As they walked back toward the house she asked, “Is your clan made up of different kinds of bears? I noticed you were a brown bear and Jaxon said he was a grizzly.”
“Keen observation.” He looked at her with genuine pride causing her shoulders to square. “The clan started as a cluster of brown bears that grew over the centuries. My family led it every generation until my father was betrayed by Jaxon’s. Even though his father was a newcomer to the clan, my father embraced him as a brother and he eventually became my father’s second. He used that power to stab my father in the back and take everything. My mother loved the clan, it was her entire world, but when she died, no one was there but my father and me. He died a broken man in a decaying hovel. On his death bed he made me swear to get it all back. So far I’ve kept my promise. I’ve amassed a fortune bigger than anything he ever had. All that’s left is the clan, it’s my birthright and was given to Jaxon because of a lie his father told. He may act sweet, but if he had a drop of honor he’d step aside and return what is rightfully mine.”
Watching the passion in Levi’s eyes, Bailey was swept up in his conviction and was on the verge of also demanding Jaxon hand over leadership, though she didn’t know anything about what was going on. But she’d definitely ask. “That’s why things don’t matter to you. It’s not about the wealth, it’s about the promise.”
She felt like she understood him on a profound level. Her heart ached for the little boy exiled from his clan for crimes his father never committed. She knew that kind of loneliness, and she understood why he clung so hard to the memory of his mother. For a time, all his family had were each other and now he was left to carry on their dreams.
Jaxon rushed towards them as they headed for the house. He looked disheveled, the start of a beard darkening his chin, his eyes were wild. Clutched in his fist was a thin gold chain with pendant on the end. When he got close, Bailey could see the pendant was a golden bear. The necklace didn’t look expensive, perhaps a hundred dollars, yet Levi was willing to risk felony charges to get it back. Bailey couldn’t imagine being loved like that, having someone willing to go to prison just to get back something you once owned. The thought brought tears to her eyes.
She wiped them away, but not fast enough. Jaxon looked back and forth between them. Them coming out of the woods, him half dressed, her crying. Jaxon drew his own conclusions and pounced on Levi, shifting mid-air. Levi seeing what was coming, shifted too. By the time they slammed into each other, they were two giant angry bears.
Bailey screamed at them, the tears in her eyes falling freely now. “Stop! Please stop! You don’t understand.” But what could she do? There were two bears with every reason to kill one another. How could she possibly stop them?
The two of them wrestled, neither getting the upper-hand. They both tried to get the other’s neck between their teeth, but neither succeeded.
Fortunately, Evan wasn’t so easily deterred, and he knew where the high pressure hose was which he unleashed on the grappling pair.
It worked, the high slam of water pushing them apart. The two of them shifted back, sitting on the ground in puddles they panted. Both of them were covered in scratches and bites. “I didn’t hurt her, you idiot.”
“Then why is she crying?”
“How should I know? Perhaps you should ask her before drawing false conclusions. But I guess accusing people of crimes they didn’t commit is a talent passed from father to son.” Levi bent down and retrieved his mother’s necklace from the grass.
Jaxon picked up the scraps of clothes he had left and walked over to Bailey, “Let me take you home.”
She gave a nod and followed him back to his car. As she walked away, she couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder at Levi. Evan was already attempting to guide his employer back in the house, he was probably getting a Christmas bonus for this.
Jaxon headed to the back of his Bronco and pulled out a change of clothes. He must have kept extras nearby being a shifter. After he was dressed in jeans and a flannel button up, he climbed in next to her. “I am so sorry this happened to you. I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that he’d pull something like this. I guess I underestimated him.”
“Why would you steal his mother’s necklace in the first place?”
“I knew how much it meant to him. I thought I could trade it back in exchange for him leaving.”
“Why not just give him leadership?”
He glanced over at her as they drove. She realized she’d been defending him ever since Jaxon got in the car. “Did he tell you what my father did to get leadership?”
“He didn’t give me the details about that.”
“Well, he’d been stealing money from the clan. When they discovered the missing money, he had already set Levi’s father up to take the fall. His father was exiled, he lost everything. Years passed before anyone found out about the truth and by then he’d gambled most of the money away and left the company and clan in ruins. I’ve spent years picking up the pieces my father left behind and if I thought Levi’s intentions were honorable, I’d step aside. But you’ve seen how far he’ll go and he hates the clan, what will he do to them if given the opportunity. I’ll tell you what he’d do, he’d burn it all to the ground doing the same thing to the clan that they did to his father.”
Bailey bit her bottom lip. She knew Jaxon was right. If he was willing to destroy a three million dollar painting to prove a point, he wouldn’t hesitate to decimate the clan for what they did to his family. “So what are you going to do?”
“Everything I can to protect my people.”
“Including finding a womb for your cubs, I suppose.” Now she was the one acting like a brat.
“Only if I like the woman attached to the womb. No one binds themselves to another person for life without being fairly confident they’ll be happy to that person.”
That reminded her of something Levi had said, “What do I smell like to you?”
“Home,” he said without hesitation. “When I catch your scent in the air, it’s like the place I belong is in that direction.” Then his eyes narrowed. “Did Levi say something to you?”
“Yeah, he said I smell like his. But he probably only said it to keep me away from you.” What were the chances that two gorgeous, amazing men both desired her on a primal level? Next to nil.
“Levi wouldn’t lie about something like that. If he says you’re compatible, you are. How do you feel about that?” Jaxon’s voice was the steadiest she ever heard. He sounded more like a psychiatrist with a patient, rather than someone about to hear something they probably didn’t.
“Confused,” she answered honestly. “All of this confuses me. I don’t know what to do.”
“Then maybe you should go out with both of us until you’re sure about what you want.”
Bailey shook her head. “No. I couldn’t do something like that.”
“I was serious when I said that my clan mates for life. There is no option for divorce a few years down the road. If there is even the smallest chance your heart might belong to another, I need you to know for sure before we move forward.”
“I’m surprised you’d be okay with me dating your foe. After all, you’re wearing his claw marks down your chest right now.”
Jaxon chuffed. “I got in a few good hits of my own. And we weren’t always enemies. Before his father was exiled, Levi and I were best friends.”
“It’s strange. As a child, I dreamed of having parents. I begged and prayed for them. Every birthday, that’s what I wished for. Never once did I imagine having a father that did what yours did. He tore apart your life in so many ways. I’m so sorry.”
Jaxon shrugged. “If he hadn’t been a failure as a person in every possible category then I wouldn’t be the man I am today, and I happen to be quite fond of me, so for that, I’m grateful.”
He managed to find the bright side no matter what. His father dropped a mess on his lap and he endured it without complaint. He wasn’t a perfect man, but he was definitely a good one. Bailey laid her head against the window imagining a future with Jaxon. It was a beautiful picture, but now some part of her thoughts went back to Levi. How was she going to choose between these two men? She’d have to take Jaxon’s advice. Date them both and figure it out before it was too late.