Olcan (Boston Bear Brothers 2)

“What do you think?” he asked Niamh.

She looked at him, wide-eyed. “It’s enormous. What would we even do with this much space?” There are eight bedrooms, for God’s sake!”

“That’s one for me and one for you for each day of the week,” he laughed.

“Funny, but seriously. It’s so big!”

“But do you like it?”

She hesitated, looking around and biting her lower lip before looking back at him and smiling.

“I love it!” she squealed.

“Then, I think we are done house hunting.”

“Really, though? It is just so big for the two of us.”

“Perhaps we can buy some Segways and chase each other around it.”

“Very funny.”

“Well, we could fill it up with kids one day,” he offered.

“Now, that, I might be able to get behind.”

“I’ll get your behind,” he teased, slapping her playfully on the ass. “Let’s go buy us a house.”

“What did you decide?” the realtor asked as they stepped back out the door.

“It’s a little bit of a fixer-upper, but I think we can work with it,” Olcan joked.

“Perfect. Let’s talk dollars and cents then. The asking price is two point five million, but I’m sure they’ll come down for the right buyer.”

“Hold on,” Olcan told her, taking out his phone and calling Tom. They had a brief conversation and then he hung up, turning back to her. “Tell them I’ll give them one point eight in cash today, after that, my offer price drops.”

“That’s considerably less than their asking price.”

“The owner inherited this house free and clear but not the money to keep it up. He’s made no substantial improvements in the two years he’s owned it. Plus, he is in the middle of an ugly divorce and will soon be filing for bankruptcy if this behemoth doesn’t sell soon. I think he’ll be grateful to have money in hand. I’m offering him a fair price based on the current assessment and condition.”

“I see you do your homework . . . and quickly,” she noted.

“I do. Plus, see to it that the paperwork is done today and I’ll toss in a nice bonus to make up for the lost commission you were looking for—a private, cash transaction between the two of us.”

Her eyes lit up at this. Realtors were all the same. Their lives revolved around commission and a chance at a tidy sum off the books was something even the most scrupulous couldn’t turn down.

“Okay. Give me a couple of hours to see if I can make that happen?” she replied.

“No problem. Talk to you soon,” he told her, walking Niamh back to the car.

“Think he’ll go for it?” Niamh asked.

“He’d be mad not to take it, and she’ll be pushing hard to make it happen, giving him every reason she can throw at him as to why this is a good deal, especially with an off-the-books fee of about forty thousand in the mix for her.”

“I hope I never have to negotiate with you,” she said with a laugh.

“Haven’t you already? Fairly sure I lost that negotiation and just gave you whatever you wanted.”

Niamh smiled and took his hand as they drove back to the hotel they’d booked themselves into once they’d returned to the city from the cabin. Olcan had almost hated to leave, but he didn’t have the luxury of just locking himself away somewhere like that. He had a business to run and an extended absence always created questions. It’s why Fergus had made him Alpha during his, so that no one would get the idea that the flock was open to the wolves or any other kind of shifter.CHAPTER TWENTY-NINENiamh

IT TOOK LESS THAN TWO days to have all the paperwork filed and take ownership of their new home. Olcan had paid some extra fees to have everything expedited, but they’d still gotten off at well under the asking price. They had nothing to move into it but the few clothes they had bought in the last week or so as they’d lost everything in the fire at his home.

“Hold on, Olcan told her, picking her up to carry her over the threshold as they arrived with nothing but a single suitcase each.

It was going to be a busy day. Though there were a few items left with the house, such as major appliances and larger pieces of furniture that the owner couldn’t fit in his new apartment, the place was mostly an empty canvas for them to make their own. The first order of business was to get a feel for the place and what they wanted to put in it before going out to do some furniture shopping. If nothing else, they would need a bed delivered today unless they wanted to book another room for the night or sleep on the floor somewhere.

While they didn’t find the perfect furniture for their room, they did manage to find a smaller bedroom suite that they could use in one of the guest rooms until they did. It was good, as it would give them more time to find what they really wanted for their own space, maybe even have something custom built. With it on the way, along with some other smaller items for assorted rooms, they returned to the house to wait for the delivery, making a stop for groceries on the way.