Chapter Twelve
Elsa's mind raced. Shouldn't she stop him? Weren't there a million reasons why she shouldn't kiss him? But all she could think was handsome Howard. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes. Hunky Howard.
His lips pressed gently against hers, then retreated. Hesitant Howard.
She opened her eyes. He was only inches away, his breath caressing her cheek. He watched her with a questioning look as if asking permission to proceed. And in that moment, as she gazed deep into his eyes, a wave of heat swept through her, melting her heart and filling her mind with a realization she suddenly knew to be true.
There was a duality about Howard. He was powerful, but restrained. Strong, but gentle. He could be aggressive, but also shy. Tough, but kind. She suspected his passion could swing from one extreme to the other - fierce to sweet. And God help her, she wanted to taste both.
She placed a hand on his cheek. He must have shaved before dinner, for his skin was soft and smooth.
"I started falling for you months ago when I first saw you on television," he whispered. "But I realize you only met me last night."
"You're waiting for me to catch up?"
A corner of his mouth curled up, and he nodded.
She grazed her finger over the dimple made by his half smile. She'd started falling for him the minute she saw him, too. He'd seemed like the perfect man until he'd activated the curse.
Why should she run away just because he made her birthmark hot? Did that matter, when he could make her hot all over? No other man had ever made her sizzle with desire. Only Howard.
She wrapped her hands around his neck. "I think I'm all caught up."
His eyes flared with heat. "Good." He slid his hands into her hair, cradling her face, as his gaze focused hungrily on her mouth.
She barely had time to draw in a quick breath before he pounced. No more hesitancy or sweetness. This was pure aggression. Oh, hot Howard.
He claimed possession, tasted her lips thoroughly, then demanded more, opening her mouth to invade with his tongue. She clung to his shoulders. Never before had she kissed a man taller than her, more powerful than her. A man who could lift her and carry her off like a giant He-Man. It was frightening, but exhilarating. For the first time in her life, she felt dainty and feminine. Sensual and desired.
She swirled her tongue around his, and an answering groan vibrated deep in his throat. She sucked him deeper inside her and he responded, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close. A thrill shot through her, hot and heady. He was big enough to dominate, but she wielded a womanly power that could bring him to his knees. It felt good. Raw and sexy. Powerful and passionate.
He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against her. "Elsa," he breathed. "You're killing me." He planted his large hands on her rump and pulled her against him.
She inhaled sharply. Huge Howard. Hard-as-a-rock Howard.
"That's how much I want you." He kissed her brow. "But don't worry. I won't ravish you in the woods like a wild beast."
For a second she wondered if she was disappointed. But then her brain kicked in. She was not the type to have a night of passion with a near stranger. Though to be honest, she'd never been tempted like this before.
He stepped back, releasing her. "Are you all right?"
She nodded. Cool air surrounded her, making her shiver, making her miss Howard's big, warm body.
He leaned over to pick up the plastic claw he'd dropped on the ground. As he wiped it clean on his pant leg, her gaze drifted. Huge Howard. Hot, heavy, hard Howard.
She shifted her weight to disguise the fact that she wanted to squirm. Don't think about it. She glanced up and discovered him watching her. Sheesh. Heat rushed to her face. He'd caught her ogling his crotch.
She turned away. "I don't usually . . . I should get back to my motel room. Alone." She winced inwardly, and her flushed cheeks flamed hotter. Awkward.
"Here." He offered her the plastic claw.
"Right." She quickly twisted her hair on the back of her head, then grabbed the claw from his hand and snapped it in place.
"Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?"
"I - I'm not sure. My aunts might be here by then. I haven't seen Aunt Ula in a long time, so I should spend some time with her."
Howard's eyes widened. "She's coming from Sweden?"
"Yes. And Aunt Greta's driving in from Minneapolis."
"Is there a special occasion I should know about? Like a birthday?"
Or a murder? Elsa waved a dismissive hand. "It's nothing. They're just worried about the silly curse." Worried enough that Ula had left her beloved island and Greta was bringing weapons. But Elsa didn't want to mention that. Howard would think insanity ran in her family.
"Elsa." He stepped closer. "I won't let anything harm you."
Her breath caught at the low, rumbling intensity in his voice. And the fierce passion in his gaze. The more she looked into his deep blue eyes, the more she felt it. A sense of being attached. As if she'd been waiting for him all her life. As if their souls had searched for each other across the mists of time.
His gaze grew more heated, then he looked away. "I'd better walk you back before I forget my promise not to ravish you in the woods."
"Like a wild beast?"
He winced. "Did I say that?"
"Yes." She walked downstream and heard him mutter a curse under his breath before running to catch up with her.
Barely touching her elbow, he escorted her toward the entrance of the park. He was back to being gentle and sweet, she thought with a smile.
And she was falling for him hard.
A few hours later, she kicked at the sheet and blanket that had twisted around her legs from all her tossing and turning.
"Dammit." She sat up in bed. How could she sleep when she kept replaying Howard's kiss in her mind? And imagining what would have happened if she had invited him into her room. Hot Howard. He would have burned up her sheets. The smoke alarms would have gone off.
But he hadn't even kissed her at the door. He'd simply squeezed her hand and wished her a good night before walking back to the restaurant parking lot.
"He's a gentleman," she whispered to herself. That was a point in his favor.
Though gentlemen didn't usually kill feral pigs with a knife. She shook her head, refusing to dwell on that.
"He's good with children." There was no disputing that.
She ticked off more good points on her fingers. "He's sweet and protective. Intelligent and thoughtful. Handsome and . . . handsome." Double points for that.
But why this sudden need to list his good points? The answer pricked at her. She was trying hard not to think about his one, major bad point.
He'd made her birthmark burn. And according to his aunts, that made him a threat.
With a groan, she tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling. There's no curse. They were simply a man and a woman who were wildly attracted to each other.
Why shouldn't she enjoy it? Why couldn't she fall madly in love with him? She loved the way he made her feel. After a lifetime of feeling oversized and clunky, he made her feel beautiful. Wasn't that a gift she should treasure?
But why had he caused her birthmark to burn? What made him different from every other man she'd ever met? Was it the secret powers he possessed? Super hearing, super vision, super smell. He'd admitted to those. And he was super fast and strong to have killed those pigs.
She rubbed the mark on her shoulder. How strange that it was shaped like an animal paw, and he'd grown up on an island called The Paw.
She shook her head. It had to be a coincidence. Bears were common in Alaska, so a group of islands called The Bear Claw couldn't be considered odd. Bears were common in Scandinavia, too. Even her last name, Bjornberg, meant 'Bear Mountain.' Coincidences, nothing more. Her life had become so strange lately that she was looking for strangeness where it didn't exist.
Her cell phone rang, and she jumped. Could it be Howard? Get a grip. She'd never given him her number. She scurried to the desk, where she'd plugged in her phone to recharge.
"Hello?"
"Ellie, sweetie," Aunt Greta responded. "How are you? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. How are you?"
"Tired, but I made it all the way to Buffalo. I just got off the phone with Aunt Ula. She's in Albany. I'll meet her there, then we're hoping to reach you by tomorrow night. Can you reserve a room for us?"
"Yes, of course," Elsa assured her. "Don't push yourself too hard. I'm fine here. Alastair is next door. And Oskar will be arriving tomorrow with some of the crew."
"Good. Stay in your room till you have plenty of guys to protect you."
Elsa groaned. "I have a job to do. I'm not going to cower in my room like a scared rabbit."
"You . . . oh my God, did you go out today?"
"Of course. I have a - "
"Oh no!" Greta's voice rose in panic. "I told you to stay in your room."
"I'm perfectly fine." And I'm twenty-seven years old.
"You're not taking this seriously enough!"
"Aunt Greta, please. Calm down."
"This has been going on for centuries! It's not only your grandmother who was murdered but her grandmother, and more ancestors as far back as we can remember."
Elsa gasped.
"And they all had the same birthmark you have."
Elsa's knees gave out, and she collapsed on the bed.
"Ellie? Are you there?"
"Yes," she whispered. She pressed a hand against her racing heart. Her aunt was doing a good job of scaring her now. "They . . . they were all murdered?"
Greta sighed. "We thought you would be safe in America, that you would never run into a berserker here."
"A what?"
"We thought they were all in Norway and Sweden," Greta continued. "Damn. They must have migrated over the centuries."
"Who? What?"
"The berserkers. According to family legend, only a berserker can activate the curse."
Elsa shook her head in confusion. Howard was a berserker? "What?"
"In a way, I suppose it's our own fault," Greta mumbled. "It's part of the curse. We should have never made the berserkers, and now we keep paying for it. Bad Karma, I guess."
"What are you talking about?"
Greta heaved a sigh. "So you didn't stay in your room like I asked. Please tell me that you at least had the good sense to stay away from the man who activated the curse."
Elsa winced. She'd just made out with him. "Well, I did . . . see him."
"Oh God, no. Didn't I tell you to avoid him?"
"He seemed perfectly normal."
"Berserkers can always seem normal. But you never know when they're going to go berserk!"
Elsa recalled her aunt's words from the night before. Did he seem wild or crazy to you? Was that what she meant by berserk? "He's not like that. He's not wild or crazy."
"Berserkers kill," Greta insisted. "They're killing machines. That's what they were created to do."
A shiver ran down Elsa's spine. How quickly had Howard run off to kill those pigs? "No." She shook her head, refusing to believe he was wild or crazy. He'd only done it to protect the schoolchildren.
"They go berserk and kill everything in sight," Greta continued. "They're like wild beasts."
Elsa's breath caught. I won't ravish you in the woods like a wild beast.
"Do you understand the danger now?" Greta asked. "Will you stay away from him?"
Tears crowded her eyes. She didn't want to say yes. She didn't want to believe anything bad about Howard. But she couldn't leave her aunts in a panic. Maybe after they met Howard, they would realize he was all right. They would see how sweet and gentle he was. "I . . . won't see him." For a day or two.
"Good. Now get some rest, and we'll see you tomorrow night." Greta hung up.
Get some rest? Elsa dropped the phone on the desk. Did Greta seriously think she could sleep now?
She paced across the room. Berserkers? She checked the lock on the door and paced some more. What the hell was a berserker?
She booted up her laptop and did a search. Berserkers were part of Scandinavian lore. Fierce Norse warriors who went into battle, wearing the pelt of a wolf or a bear. The term berserk could refer to a bear shirt. They worked themselves into an animal-like frenzy, killing indiscriminately.
She jumped to her feet and paced across the room. Animal-like frenzy? She halted suddenly, recalling the loud roar she'd heard that afternoon. When Howard was doing battle with the pigs.
Her skin prickled with gooseflesh. Was that why she'd felt like those ladies knew something she didn't know? They knew Howard could roar like an animal?
"No." She sat on the bed. Howard was normal. He didn't go into an animal-like frenzy. He certainly couldn't think he was an animal. That would be crazy.
Wild and crazy. Greta had said the berserkers were like wild beasts, killing everything in sight. Was she right? Was Howard dangerous to be around? But why would Shanna trust him to watch over her son if he wasn't safe?
Was this the duality she'd sensed about him? Powerful, but restrained. Strong, but gentle. Tough, but kind. Human, but animal?
I won't ravish you in the woods like a wild beast.
"No!" She clenched her fists. "I won't believe it."
Hours later, in a fitful sleep, she started to dream. A beautiful man came to her in the night. Large and powerful, he covered her body with his. His big hands roamed over her skin, setting her on fire. She wanted him. She cried out for him. She burned for him.
His hands were magic. Skimming the length of her legs. Fondling her breasts. Stroking her neck. Tightening their grip.
Choking her.
She thrashed against him, but he was too strong. Too powerful.
With a cry, Elsa sat up. She panted in the dark, searching the room. No one was there. It was just a dream.
With trembling hands, she turned on the light, then checked the room more carefully. No one there.
She splashed cold water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror, half expecting to see red marks on her neck. Nothing there.
It was just a dream. No doubt her subconscious was trying to process the new information she'd learned. Or it was trying to scare the hell out of her.
It had to be a psychic thing. Her brain was doing this to protect her. It was warning her what could happen to her in the future. If she wasn't careful.
If she continued to see Howard.