Stefan: Le Beau Brothers: New Orleans Billionaire Wolf Shifters with plus sized BBW for mates (Le Beau Series Book 3) (12 page)

Without looking away, he directed
Mémé to pull the sweats up as he lifted her from the bed. Once she was modestly dressed, her level of anxiety eased.

“Thank you, Stefan, for being a gentleman about that.”

“Your comfort is of utmost importance to me,” he said quietly. “I would never take advantage of you in such a despicable manner. Regardless of what you may think, my mother raised me to be a gentleman. Your opinion of me matters. So much more than you know.”

She smiled shyly at his gallant little speech, and then whispered, “Maybe you’re not so bad.”

At this rate her icy heart melting was going to cause a flood.

With incredible gentleness, he raised her chin with a single finger and searched her eyes. His heart sang when he saw the beginnings of affection in her gaze. Slowly he bent for a kiss, hesitating for a moment a breath away from her lips. When no objections came, he brushed his lips over hers. It was barely a kiss at all and yet it was everything.

A Few Days Later

Stefan stretched his aching back. Morning chores were calling his name. Tonight he would be sleeping in El’s bedroom if he could manage it. His mate was well on her way to a full recovery. The bruising had faded and was more green than purple. Yesterday, a fiberglass cast replaced the temporary one from the emergency room. El grumbled all the way home when the doctor insisted she stay out of the barn for at least another week.

Patricia was with his mechanic being checked from top to bottom. He hoped to get the results today. Something was very off about the accident. El’s attacker was gone before the police arrived and still on the loose.

Stefan wasn’t about to leave her side until the man was apprehended; he had a gut feeling the animal was waiting in the shadows to attack again. He hadn’t discussed what happened that night with her yet, at least not in detail. Now that she was feeling better, he would find a way to bring the subject up and get some answers.

Coffee. He needed coffee, stat. The house was still quiet so he must be the first person up. Barefoot, he padded quietly to the kitchen and began his search for filter and grounds. The aroma of fresh brew filled the house as he waited, mug in hand, for his first cup.

Rustling alerted him he was not alone. A glance over his shoulder, showed him El paused in the doorframe. A frown creased his brow, unease radiated from her in waves.

What’s wrong?

He grabbed a second mug and filled both. When he turned to offer her the cup, he noticed she was chewing her lip and her gaze was pinned to his boxer shorts, his ‘very happy to see you this morning,’ boxer shorts. A roguish grin stretched his lips as he set the mugs back on the counter.

Two steps and he was standing before her with his hand extended.

She frowned at his strange behavior but hesitantly took it. His grin turned sweet and a bit lopsided as his dimples deepened and joy crept into his eyes.

“You’re happy to see me this morning.”

He pulled her closer until her plump breasts brushed his bare chest. Only her cotton nightgown separated them.

“You’re fighting it, cher, but you like me. I think you like me a lot, admit it.” He drawled the words next to her ear, warm breath heating her skin and other parts of her body.

She sucked in a nervous breath; the rise of her chest rubbed her already peaked nipples against the fabric of her gown. Who knew soft cotton could cause this much friction? Something twitched against her belly.

Was that?

A tortured groan in her ear answered her unasked question.
Yes, it was. He was a well-built man everywhere from what she could feel.
Lips were felt on her neck, and trailed kisses to her shoulder...

Did he just lick me?

“Mmm...I could get used to this.”

“Well, don’t.” She meant to say it...well, like she meant it. Instead her voice was husky.

Alarms rang in her mind and she pushed on his chest to create some much-needed space.

“My grand-mère could walk in here. Put some clothes on and control yourself.”

“One day soon, I guarantee, you will beg me to lose control.”

“Well, your guarantee isn’t happening today.”

Stefan didn’t reply, he simply ran his palms down her bare arms and stepped back. Then blatantly drifted his gaze over her as he licked his lips. He left no doubt about his desire for her.

The passion of his suggestive actions caused an intense reaction throughout her body. Her heart was doing funny little fluttery flips, and excited quivers invaded her girl parts. She had always been unbelievably attracted to Stefan, and up until recently she had been winning the battle. Somehow he’d wormed his way under her skin, past her defenses and managed to not trip her alarms.

There was a gleam in his eyes and a hint of laughter she found as sexy as hell. His fingertips brushed her cheek, sweetly, disarmingly. He was way too dangerous to stand this close to. Her only option was distance, lots and lots of distance.

El cleared her throat and stepped around Stefan to claim her mug of coffee. Her hands were shaking so badly she had to set the mug back on the counter before it sloshed all over the floor.

Stefan chuckled behind her and left the room. Hopefully to put clothes on. It would be impossible to resist him if he stayed in the house. The new mare needed some work on the long line. She would ask him to do that today and get some space.

She heard Stefan’s phone ring and indistinguishable mumbling right before a loud curse in Cajun. He was really angry about something; the string of furious words firing from his lips was a dead giveaway. Seconds later a tow truck pulled up with Patricia trailing behind.

She watched as Stefan greeted the driver. There was a lot of squinting and pointing; they must be discussing the mechanic’s findings. Stefan’s face grew angrier by the second.

Minutes later, he stormed back into the house and yelled, “What were you thinking taking a ride from a stranger!”

“I beg your pardon?” She jammed her hands on her hips and frowned at him, almost superior, definitely annoyed.

“You got into the vehicle of a strange man on a dark, deserted road in the middle of a storm. Didn’t your mother ever tell you how dangerous that is?” Stefan threw his arms up in exasperation.

“Yes. How perceptive of you. I certainly did get into his car. People do things like that when their vehicle no longer runs and someone offers to help them. And, no, my mother never told me that because she died when I was two.” Now she was purposely enunciating each word slowly like he had a disability.

“You could have been...Why haven’t you purchased a newer truck?” he asked as he quickly changed the topic. Visions of the man attacking her was more than he could handle. Then his brain kicked in. “Wait. What? Ah, hell, I’m sorry, El. I had no idea you lost your mother when you were so young.”

“Where the hell is this suddenly coming from? Go home, Le Beau. You’re pissing me off.”

He ignored her comment and instead walked out to the truck to examine the damage again.

El stopped short as she reached her front door. “Why does it matter so much to you what I do?” She regarded him uneasily.

“It just does. I can’t explain why.” His lips clamped tight, then he mumbled something that sounded like, “At least not yet.”

“Hold on. What are you talking about, not yet?”

Stefan stiffened and rose from his crouched position near the front fender. He had said too much. From the condition of her truck, even if it hadn’t been tampered with, she could have been seriously hurt at any point. His wolf was frothing at the mouth alternating between rage and terror for its mate. That was amplifying his human reactions to a fever pitch.

El waited until he turned toward her. Oh, boy. By the expression he wore, he was really upset now. His eyes seemed brighter and she would swear they had a glow to them. His temper was definitely getting ready to blow. She had seen that same expression on her father a few times in her teen years. It never ended well. His fists were opening and closing like he was itching for a fight. This was no longer the easygoing, charming man she normally saw him portray.

An explosion of Cajun expletives fired from his mouth so rapidly she almost couldn’t keep up, and she spoke Cajun, too. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? How close you came to...dying?” He took a step toward her as he choked on the word. He was a confused jumble of anger, fear, and love.

El squared her shoulders, widened her stance, and stood her ground. No one had been able to intimidate El since she was six years old. Stefan Le Beau sure the hell wasn’t going to get away with it either.

She’d learned how to fight and protect herself long ago. Every ranch hand had taken a personal interest in her upbringing. It had been like having a dozen doting fathers. Then once she began to bloom, as the men liked to call it, she was enrolled in karate. She was a black belt, and though she didn’t go looking for a fight, she had no qualms about defending herself.

His eyes flashed at her as he stepped out of the shadow of the truck and into the sunlight. They held a heated emotion she found more fascinating than frightening. Stefan normally portrayed himself as a charmer. Who knew that beneath that façade was a man of intense emotions, a man he kept hidden.

Dammit, this man she could fall for, and that was just not going to happen.

Her thoughts stopped him in his tracks. Hope blossomed in his chest. Maybe he was making progress after all. He took a moment to breathe his temper away; he had to tread more carefully.

“I’m sorry, cher. The thought of what could have happened scares the hell out of me. I have a few things I want to check on Patricia and then I have some things to tell you.”

She studied him a moment, then gave a single nod. From the front window she watched him disappear behind the cab. Wait a minute, was that a tail? She swore she saw a tail flash near the rear tire.

It was several minutes before Stefan emerged from behind the truck and joined her.

As they settled in the living room, Marie joined them. “I see Patricia is back. She all patched up?”

“That’s what I want to talk to both of you about. The accident wasn’t an accident.”

Marie’s brows furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

“Yeah, what do you mean it wasn’t an accident?”

“Your truck was sabotaged. The fuel line was punctured and the tire didn’t blow on its own.”

“Why would anyone do that to my truck?” El asked skeptically.

Stefan leaned forward and stared intently at El. “Like I told you before, there have been issues surrounding my family and the women we...care about. Someone knows about my feelings for you. Whoever he is, he’s targeted you.”

Mémé Drops a Bomb

“What are you talking about?” El’s eyes blazed. “Since when do you have feelings for me?”

The air in the room literally crackled with tension. They were so intent on each other, both of them jumped when Marie banged her coffee cup loudly on the table.

“That’s it. I can’t take it anymore.” She focused on Stefan first. “As you know all too well, my granddaughter is hardheaded, but I love her. I know what you are, Stefan Le Beau, and who El is for you.”

Stefan was shocked, not only by her outburst but the fact she knew about shifters and mates.

Marie held up a hand. “Both of you shut up and let me speak my piece.”

She turned to El. “He’s telling you the gospel truth, cher. Believe him when he says he has very deep feelings for you. You might as well stop trying to push him away, he’ll never give up, ever.”

  She glanced between them and chuckled at the slack-jawed expressions. “El, Stefan is a shifter, a wolf shifter to be exact. You, my dear, are his mate. You can’t change that no matter what you do.”

She stood and patted Stefan’s knee as she passed. “Take it, son, the floor is yours. I’ll be in my room.”

*****

His heart thundered as he stared into his mate’s huge brown eyes, then he lowered his gaze to her hands. Slowly he reached out and took her hand to close the distance between them.

“I guess this is where I explain a few things. I’d planned to give you more time. You know, court you, before we tackled this.”

El looked toward the hall then back again. “Has
Mémé lost her mind?”

“No, cher. What she said is true. I’m a wolf shifter. I’m a man who can turn into a wolf.”

She snatched her hand away and eyed him warily. He could hear her heart hammering and smell her fear.

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you in anyway, it’s not like that. As a matter of fact, I will protect you from any danger or harm with my life.”

“You actually believe you’re some kind of werewolf, don’t you?” she scoffed.

“Not a werewolf, a shifter. I can change anytime, anywhere.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “My brothers did partial shifts when they explained it to their mates. Would you like me to do that?”

El crossed her arms. An expression of exasperation filled her face and body language.

“Whatever,” she said in disbelief. “Give it your best shot.”

“I’ll shift my left arm, okay?” He took a deep breath; it was make it or break it time. “One...Two...Three.”

El scrambled back in her chair and fell over the arm in her bid to get away. Her cry of pain tore at his soul.

He shifted back and jumped to help her.

“Get the hell away from me!” Regardless of the pain, she scuttled away from him.

Stefan raised his hands in defeat and stood still. He didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to get away from him.

He watched, heart breaking, as she gained her footing and ran to her room, slammed the door and locked it.

The commotion brought Marie out again. She looked at El’s locked door, shook her head, and walked to the living room.

“Freaked out, didn’t she.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving the floor.

He felt Marie’s hand on his shoulder giving him a small squeeze of encouragement before she removed it.

Heaving a loud sigh, she took the chair El just escaped from. “I’ll talk with her and explain a few things. You may not know this, but I talk regularly with your mother. It may help to have her and your sister-in-laws over for coffee tomorrow.”

Still staring at the floor, he nodded. He felt so broken, he couldn’t bring himself to look at Marie. Tears welled and threatened to spill.

“Take your time. I need to have a long chat with the hard head back there. Then we can talk, I’m sure you have questions for me.” She gave his shoulder another squeeze and left the room.

*****

For a woman of age, she had a vigorous knock. When the door remained closed she scowled and took steps. She had a set of keys to open every door in this house, and letting El stew in her room wasn’t going to happen. A simple twist of the key and she opened the door.

El gasped. “I locked that.”

“Yes, you did, and I unlocked it. Now pull yourself together. We have some talking to do.”

She crossed her arms across an impressive bosom and lifted one eyebrow. Marie had always been a no nonsense woman and she knew her son had raised his daughter to be the same.

“What the heck,
Mémé? You knew there was a monster, a freak, in the house?”

Now Marie was mad. “Don’t you ever let me hear you call a shifter a freak ever again! They’re some of the best people I’ve ever known.”

“Well, what are they then?” Her voice was quieter, sounding more like she was a little girl again.

“Chosen men, human men, who were blessed centuries ago by a goddess with a wolf soul and the ability to shift. You’re lucky to be the mate to one.”

“Lucky? How can that be a good thing?” She threw her hands in the air. “Wait a minute.” Her eyes narrowed on her
grand-mère
. “How do you know about shifters?”

Marie smiled sadly. “Elsa was a mate.” A lone tear rolled down her cheek.

“I’m sorry, Mémé, I miss her, too. I don’t know what I would’ve done without both of you.”

The women held each other in silence for a moment, and then Marie dried her eyes and straightened her shoulders. It was time for a serious talk.

“I’m going to tell you a few things and I expect you to listen carefully. Feel free to ask any questions as we go.”

El nodded and waited attentively. Now that she’d calmed down, Marie might get through to her.

With a deep breath, Marie began. “Shifters aren’t the mythical werewolf. From what I understand, a shifter lives a very long time, but they aren’t immortal. They age until they’re about twenty-five and then remain that way until they reach nine hundred years old. Then, they very slowly age again until they die of old age at around fourteen hundred years if they aren’t killed before.”

“I’m afraid to even ask how old Stefan is,” El mumbled.

“If memory serves, he’s about two hundred.”

El sucked in a breath and her gaze jerked to Marie’s, who simply nodded.

“So the woman ages but the guy doesn’t?” El frowned. “Auntie Elsa was old.”

“Shifters have several magical powers. James could make her look old for the benefit of the general public. It wouldn’t do for everyone to know about shifters.”

“Are you saying she stopped aging, too?”

“Yes. The mate is given a wolf’s soul during the mating ritual, and from that moment on they are a shifter as well.”

El began to hyperventilate.

“Breathe, cher, or you’ll pass out.”

It took a few minutes, but she pulled herself together again.

“Are you ready for me to continue?” She waited for El to nod then began again.

“I’m sure Stefan can explain all the magical gifts better than I can, so I’ll let him tell you about that when he explains the mating ritual. I do know the mating signs though. I want you to be honest with me.” She forced El to look her in the eye. “Have you been drawn to Stefan in an abnormally strong way?”

El sputtered.

“Oh, grow up, I’ve enjoyed sex. Still do on occasion,” Marie teased. “I was married and had kids, remember.”

“Grand-mère!”

Marie waved her reaction off. “So, have you?”

El twisted her fingers in her lap, then mumbled, “Yeah, kind of.”

“How about interesting smells? You smell anything yummy around him?”

“Yummy?” She laughed. “Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Something you love the smell of. Elsa smelled roast turkey around James.” The memory made her chuckle.

“I’ve smelled new leather a few times, like a new saddle,” she admitted.

“Sounds like that might be it. Have you heard his thoughts yet?”

“WHAT!”

“Mates can speak telepathically, send each other thoughts, feelings, emotions, even caresses. During the attack and your recovery, I think you’ve been subconsciously transmitting your pain. Stefan has been grimacing a lot and looks rather gray.”

“No way!” El’s eyes were huge.

Marie laughed. “Way.”

Instantly El heard
, It’s true. We can speak telepathically and feel each other’s pain.
Then she swore a palm cupped her cheek.

“What the heck!” She clapped her hand to her face.

“He just spoke to you, didn’t he?”
Mémé
guessed.

El could only nod.

“Thought so. Do you know why Stefan doesn’t want to go home?”

“No idea.” She shook her head.

“It’s very uncomfortable, painful even, for the male to be away from his mate if the ritual hasn’t been completed. Plus, they experience a powerful need to protect their mate. Did you notice how crazed he was after the attack?”

El snorted. “It was hard to miss.”

“Well, cut him some slack. He can’t help it.”

“So, are you telling me I have no choice here?”

“No, you have a choice, but keep in mind, a mate has half a soul and the shifter has the other half. If you don’t accept him, your soul will never be complete and it will be almost impossible to find a human man that’ll make you happy. You need him as much as he needs you.”

El frowned in thought. “Do you think that’s why I never dated? I rarely feel anything for the men I meet.”

“I suspect that’s part of it. Of course, some of those guys were just plain dicks.”

“Mémé!”

Marie shrugged. “It’s true.” She patted El’s knee and stood. “Now, take a minute to collect your thoughts and come to the living room.”

*****

Stefan looked hopeful when Marie entered the room.

“You feeling better, cher?”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you. It sounds like you have an idea just how important she is to me. You did a great favor for me today. Anything I can do for you, name it.”

Marie hugged Stefan tight. “Make my girl happy, that’s all I ask.”

Stefan sadly looked toward the hall. “If she’ll let me.” Then he glanced back at Marie. “How do you know about us?”

“
Elsa, my younger sister, El’s great-aunt, was a mate. She and her shifter, James, died during Katrina. The family tried to talk them into leaving the city, but they stayed to help others. Both died saving as many people as they could and are heroes to many who otherwise would have perished.” Marie sniffled, but refused to cry again.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He shook his head. “So many were lost with that storm.”

“Thank you. El is actually named after her. El’s middle name is Elsa.” Marie took a cleansing breath.  “Anyway, I know a lot about the shifters and have become good friends with your mother. She’s an amazing woman.”

“Thank you.” He looked at the hallway again. “Is she okay? I feel her confusion and fear.”

“I gave her a lot to think about.” She watched him stare at the hallway. “Hey.” When he looked her way she said, “Give her time. She’ll come out when she’s ready.”

“Okay.” His lips stretched into a small smile. “I could hear you. You’re amazing with her. Again, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m more a mother than grand-mère to her, both Elsa and I were. When her mother died we took over as surrogate mothers and raised her with my son.” Marie paused, then leaned toward him and took his hand. “When she comes out, I’ll give you some privacy unless she needs me to stay. Oh, and since I have every faith in you becoming part of the family, please call me
Mémé
.
” She gave his hand a squeeze. “You got this, cher.”

“All right,
Mémé
it is.” He gave her a nod as El walked slowly down the hall. The apprehension radiating from her was suffocating.

Mémé
reached for El’s hand as she approached. “Are you okay, cher?”

She nodded once. “I think so.”

“Would you like to speak privately, or do you want me to stay?”

El took a deep breath and gave her grand-mère a small smile. “I’d like to speak with Stefan alone, if you don’t mind.”

“Take your time. I’m going to see about lunch.”

El and Stefan said “Thank you” in unison, which eased the tension a degree.

She hesitated and glanced from the couch he sat on to the chair as if deciding where to sit.

“It’s fine, El, sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

She took the chair but didn’t speak.

“I’m sorry, babe.” He leaned forward to try to see her eyes. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”