The Bear's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance Read Online Free Page A

the flat and saw Rachel standing there on her crutches, camera bag draped across one shoulder and a messenger style purse slung across her back.  “Well, I just turned in the keys.  I’m all ready to go,” she said sadly.
    Valemon put a large hand on her shoulder and helped her into his vehicle.  He sensed a bit of reluctance from her as she hopped up into the passenger seat.  “Are you really okay with this?” he asked, concern showing in his ice blue eyes. “I understand you hardly know me, and...”
    “It’s fine.  Really.  You figure, people have been doing it this way for centuries, right?  Like not a whole surrogacy thing, but...”
    Valemon smiled. “I get it.  Look, after you have the baby, you’ll be free to go on your way.   I just want to keep a close eye on you, that’s all.  I am rather sizable and I don’t want any complications endangering you or the baby.”
    Rachel nodded and looked out the window in silence.  She wasn’t sure why she felt she had to do this.  There was a mysterious draw to this giant stranger that she couldn’t put her finger on.  He was very attractive, but that wasn’t it.  She wasn’t the type to just jump into bed with the first hot guy to wiggle his finger at her, but Valemon intrigued her.  He was rich, solitary, and apparently has a very deep family line.  She looked a little more in depth into his family while waiting for the lawyer to finalize the surrogacy arrangements.
    Apparently, Valemon’s family could be traced back to when the Vikings first started their civilization.  His was one of the oldest and most traceable family tree in the whole of Norway, next to the King of Norway himself.  The history behind him would be fascinating.  She wanted to learn more about him based on this alone.  What mysteries could she pull out of this “Son of the Bear.”
    “You know, I’ll let you decide how you want to go about this,” Valemon said as he drove through the streets of Trondheim.   “You have two avenues, at least.  We could do it at the clinic, or we could...” he trailed off, not wanting to freak her out any more than he thought he had.
    “Well, let’s wait and see how well we mesh before we set a method in stone.  I still need to track my cycles for a month or two so we can get the timings right.” She evaded the obvious implication.  It wasn’t as if she viewed her virginity as some sort of trophy that she had to hang on to, it was just that the whole experience of sex was alien to her and she was, to be honest, a little bit frightened of the prospect, especially with him.  “Like, I dunno, you are a rather big guy and all...”
    Valemon shifted nervously in his seat.  “You’re worried I’ll hurt you.”  It wasn’t a question. 
    “Yeah, I guess, never even bothered with tampons,” she lamely countered. “Like, I’m not one of those super virtuous people you’ve heard about, if that’s what you’re thinking.  I just never bothered, that’s all.  I chose my education and career over the whole dating scene.” 
    Valemon sighed.  “You have no need to get defensive with me,” he rumbled.  “I find it admirable that you were able to keep your goals in sharp focus despite the obvious attention you probably had.”
    “Thanks,”  Rachel replied as she stared out the window.  They were leaving the city and entering the countryside.  Sparse rocky moors sped by as they drove down the twisting road outside of Trondheim.  She really didn’t want to talk much at the moment.  Her ankle was beginning to throb and itch and she was cramping up from her time of the month.  Valemon picked up on her reluctance to chitchat and continued the scenic drive in silence.
    The couple drove for a good forty-five minutes through the picturesque countryside.  Even though the Norwegian coastline was mostly covered in low scrub, there was an abundance of wildlife.   Arctic hares, turning brown to get ready for spring,