Her Billionaire Werewolf Stepbrother

by K. S. Martin

  “Did you clean out her things?” I ask cautiously.

  “No.” It was his turn to whisper.

  “Do you want me to help you?” I volunteer because I do want to help. I want to be there because I think I need that closure.

  “I would love it if you helped me Jane. I want you to decide what you’d like to keep.”

  “Jake has a chair.” I say thinking out loud.

  “It was his mother’s, she sat in it all the time and he sat in her lap.” I sigh at the thought of a little Jake sitting with his mom. “I won’t throw anything out until you come home and take your time. There’s no hurry sweetie.”

  “Thanks Dad.”

  “Call if you need anything or just to talk. I miss you.”

  “I miss you too Dad.” I push end on the keypad just as the door bursts open. Jake’s eyes are wild and his chest is heaving. Why does he look like that? It’s scary. It’s something beyond nuclear but I think he’s more hurt than angry. He turns and stalks back to the bedroom without saying a word. I follow. “Jake?”

  “Are you leaving?” He whips around to face me. I shake my head. “Are you sure? You’ve been acting funny, not like a newly mated she-wolf and then you can’t talk on the phone in front of me? You also wouldn’t answer the question he asked.

  “Jake.” I purse my lips then think about what I want to say. He’s getting madder. “It’s just that sometimes, I’m not sure how to take you.” He’s in front of me now. “You’ve always…” I hesitate and pause. I know it’s driving him crazy but I can’t help it. Sometimes, no all of the time, Jake just overwhelms me. I need to tell him but I’m afraid of what may happen. I don’t want him to tip toe around me but I don’t want to be toyed with either.

  “Tell me.” His voice is softening and he tips my chin up with his finger. “Tell me.” He’s gazing at me with such wonder that my heart melts.

  “You’ve always teased me and I’m never sure if that’s what you’re doing.” He leans down and kisses me. “I told Dad that I was all of those things. I’m satisfied and we all know that I’m safe.”

  “And happy?”

  “Happy is harder. Sometimes I’m happy other times I’m not sure. I don’t like being teased Jake. I’ve never dealt well with it. You know that.” He nods. “When you say things like she’s shoveling food in like a truck driver, it makes me not want to ever eat in front of you again.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I will try to put a lid on comments like that. It’s a guy thing.” I don’t understand. “When I said that to dad, I was trying to let him know that I made you hungry.” I’m still confused. “That I gave you plenty of exercise.” Oh. I roll my eyes. He kisses my forehead. “Breakfast is cold.” I shrug. I couldn’t eat now if I wanted to, my insides are still in turmoil. I really need to relax, I need to run. I don’t do it that often but with Mom, the mating, and Dad’s questions. God help me. I need to let her out.

  “Can we run today?” He nods. “Like now?”

  “Get dressed.” He turns and goes to a set of doors and opens them. It’s a closet full of clothes, his clothes. They are hanging on an upper and lower rack. There’s a tall set of drawers that goes all the way up to the upper rack. As far as closets go, it’s pretty amazing. Mine is more so because mine is a whole room. I go to my closet that I’d wandered into last night. It’s still breathtaking.

  This is the most amazing room on Earth. I look at all of the clothes and know that I will never wear them all. I don’t know where to begin because they are all so new. All I need is a pair of sweats and a tee shirt. Jake said that his assistant couldn’t go to the office in the clothes that I normally wear but today I am just me. I open one of the drawers. It’s full of designer panties. I pull a pair out and consider them. They are a deep purple and made of silk. I usually go for a five pack of white cotton but these are interesting. They are slick to the touch and there’s lace around the waist band.

  I drop them back in the drawer. The next drawer is full of matching bras. Of course it is. Jake likes lingerie. One of my eyebrows creeps up. I close that drawer. The next is empty and so is the next. Okay so no play clothes. This woman was obviously not the expert she thought. I wonder where my things are. I go to another set of drawers on the opposite side of the room. I open the top one. Thank God something familiar. My tee shirts are folded neatly and lined up like soldiers. I grab one with an ad for a pizza place at home and move to the next drawer. My sweats and socks, in the next my bras and panties. I breathe a sigh of relief. My whole room fit into these two drawers. I spot my jeans hanging nearby. This closet is just a bit much for only me. Why did anyone think that this many clothes was necessary? I pull on a pair of white cotton panties, my socks and then I feel him behind me. “Are you ready?” His fingers rest warmly on my hip.

  “Almost.” I fasten my bra and pull the pizza shirt over my head. Jake makes a face. “What?” He shakes his head and holds out his hand. I take it and follow but then stop and grab my tennis shoes by the door. I’m glad they made it too. Jake waits while I slip them on. “So where is this property?”

  “It will take us about twenty minutes to get there. I can’t wait to show you.” He smiled at me and took me to an elevator that I hadn’t noticed until now. This is our private elevator. It will stop on any floor you like but can only be accessed by this code. He pressed the buttons and I noticed that it was my birthday.

  “My birthday?” Jake winked at me.

  “The code will also make the main elevators of the building give you an express trip to whatever floor you want but don’t use it unless you’re alone. The others will try to get it.”

  “The others?” The other what?

  “People in the building.” I nod. The doors are opening and Jake steps inside. I follow. It’s bigger than I expected and all shiny metal. I can see our fuzzy reflections in the wall. “The elevator is surveilled.” He points up to the ceiling and I see a small red blinking light. Jake pushes the ‘G’. “The ‘G’ goes to the garage, not the ground. Ground floor and the front of the building are ‘L’ Lobby.” I nod. I can remember that. I look at the list of floors.

  We’re pretty high up but it drops fast. Jake leans down and kisses me. I whimper when his tongue moves over mine. “I’m glad you’re here Jane.” He says against my mouth when the kiss ends. “I’m sorry I overreacted this morning. I’ve wanted this for a long time and just the thought of you not wanting the same was more than I could deal with.” I nod. “I need to know that you are content here.”

  “I am, but be patient. This is all new to me, being without Mom, being with you, this…” I throw my hands up gesturing all around me. He nods. The elevator slows and dings. The doors open and there are cars lined up against the wall.

  “These are mine, my section of the garage. You can drive whatever you like. The keys are here.” He points to a metal cabinet and presses my birth date into the key pad. It opens to a dozen hooks full of keys. “What shall we take today?” I turn and look at the rainbow of colors. I like the big Jeep with the knobby tires. I gaze it with what probably looked like lust. He grunts and grabs a set of keys then pushes the button on the fob. The Jeep lights blink. “Do you want to drive it?” I shake my head. It’s unfamiliar territory and an unfamiliar vehicle. I’ll let him drive but I do want to take it out sometime.

  I climb into the passenger seat and check out the controls on the dash as Jake buckles in. He looks at me with his eyebrows raised. What? He reaches across me and pulls my belt across me then snaps it in place. Oh. He shifts it into drive and pulls out of the garage. It’s full. “Should you be at work today?” This building is full. He nods. “Then what are we doing?”

  “Jane, I run the company, I’ve had a death in the family and I’m newly mated. I can miss a few days. Besides, I’m only a call away from a very efficient staff. It will be fine. If I went in to work today all I would want to do is fuck you anyway so it’s probably best I’m here and not there.” My face h
eats. Why does he have to talk that way? Jakes never sugar coated anything but his blunt talk about our bedroom is new and it embarrasses me. He grins over at me as he stops at a traffic light. “What’s wrong?” I shake my head. “Jane, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life asking you each question three or four times. Just answer me, you know you will eventually and I shouldn’t have to beg. Just spit it out.”

  “Okay.” I steel myself. “I don’t like it when you say fuck you. It’s crude and it belittles what we have. It’s okay in the bedroom but…” Jake nods. “Sorry.” I mutter.

  “No, don’t be. As well as we know each other, we are still learning about each other. I will endeavor to keep our sex life private and in the bedroom.”

  “That’s not the point.” I say.

  “What is?” He eases away from the intersection continuing straight toward the outskirts of town and luckily in the opposite direction of rush hour.

  “It’s not what you said, just how you said it.”

  “Okay. How would you have preferred to hear what I said?”

  “I would’ve only thought of being with you all day anyway.” I say, pleased with myself for making his crude words sound nicer. He nods and we both stick to our own thoughts for a while. I watch the landscape. There are less buildings now and only the scattered house here and there. Jake turns into a gravel road. We bounce along for a mile or so then he stops at a cabin. There’s a man sitting on the porch whittling. Who still does that? The man is old and I think I recognize him but I don’t know from where.

  “Do you remember my uncle Hector?” I tilt my head studying the man on the porch. He’s watching me too. His eyes are nearly yellow, not a dark amber like mine or Jakes. Then I remember. He came to the house once. He and Dad had words then I never saw him again.

  “Yes. He fought with Dad but I don’t know what about.”

  “He thought Dad was mating too soon after my mother died.” I look over at Jake.

  “How long was it?”

  “Almost three years.” That’s not a short time. “My mother had been dying for a long time. She fought the cancer for as long as she could. He hadn’t really had a mate for over five years, a year that he spent saying goodbye. He begged her to hold on. Thinking back it was selfish but at the time, I wished for the same. She held on for as long as she could but I remember her making him promise to mate again. She didn’t want him to grieve himself to death and ultimately leave me alone. I wasn’t a child but I still needed him sometimes and she knew that. I was hardly full grown yet.” I reach over and squeeze his hand. “Poured myself into school and did my best to make them both proud.”

  “You did. Even my mother was proud of you.” I smile at him and he gives me a weak smile back. His face clears suddenly.

  “Anyway. Let’s go. Ever since Hector and Dad fought, Hector has been on his own. He left the pack and wandered the country some. A few months after I bought this, I ran into him and offered him a permanent place to live. He’s on his own and a little crazy but he’s safe.”

  “You built this house?” Jake shakes his head.

  “No. It belonged to the previous owner. When he died his kids wanted a fast sale, I paid cash sight unseen. You just don’t come across this much acreage so close to the city and it backs to a state park. I knew I would need to run sometimes and I didn’t want to risk public exposure. I also knew I couldn’t drive all the way home every time. It’s too far for a quick run. This was a great opportunity. The house was just a…”

  “Bonus.” I say and smile then turn to open the door. Hector is standing outside of it and I scream a little, startled. Jake laughs. “He’s your dad’s brother isn’t he?” I assumed he was hers when Jake said he took issue with the mating but I can see the resemblance now that he’s up close.

  “Yes, but he always loved my mother.” The door opens then and I see him scent me.

  “Sandy’s pup.” I nod.

  “My mate Hector.” Jake says across the vehicle. Hector nods and offers me a hand to help me down from my seat. I take it and hop down. He wraps me in a warm hug.

  “I’m sorry about your ma.” I nod as tears spring to my eyes. He doesn’t let me go until Jake comes around the car. “I only met her once but Jake says she was tops so she’s okay in my book.” I give him a watery smile. “It’ll be okay girl. Give yourself some time.” He claps my shoulder then wraps Jake just as warmly. This man should be a professional hugger. I feel better and lighter after he releases me. “You guys come in for coffee.”

  “We’re here to run. My mate needs to let it loose.” Jake grins. I sniff the air. It’s rich and moist smelling with all the trees around. The day is warming up and I would usually prefer to run before sun up or after the sun was down. Today though it doesn’t matter, I just need the release. Jake takes my hand and leads me into the woods away from Hector. I suppose he’s protecting my modesty.

  He could be protecting me in general since Hector does not seem to have a mate. Rogue wolves are dangerous. He lives in a cute little cabin but he’s still alone and without a pack. That sometimes makes them think the rules do not apply to them. “Up here is where I usually leave my things.” I follow Jake and there is a picnic table and a grill.

  I look over my shoulder and I can see the roof of the house through the trees. Why would anyone put this so far from the house? It’s odd. “Sometimes I bring the truck up here and cook out. I don’t want to bother Hector, he isn’t the most social of wolves.” He winks at me. Jake starts pulling his clothes off and tosses them on the table.

  I look back at the house again and decide that it’s okay when I don’t see Hector anywhere. While nudity isn’t a big deal for shifters, I have always been self-conscious. I’ve shifted in front of others but not often and not without feeling weird about it. I shed my things quickly and shift. It feels good to let her out. She’s in control now and she’s looking up at him. She stretches and sniffs the ground. Damp and earthy, well it’s dirt so, it smells like dirt. Maybe the smell means more to her than it does me. She seems content with it.

  I let her take over completely and settle back to enjoy the ride. Jake has shifted now after greeting her again. It’s been a long time since our wolves were near each other and the first time that they’ve ever run together. Jake never hung out with me or my wolf. Maybe because he knew that I was his mate and he didn’t trust his wolf not to mark me. Maybe it was because he was a shit when we were younger and too busy teasing me. Whatever the reason, it didn’t happen.

  He nips at her ear and she loves it. She nuzzles his face with her own putting her scent on him. He trots away and she follows. Huh. She’s never been much of a follower but she has no problem with it now. He’s wandering along and I feel the energy surge, she wants to sprint.

  She takes off, passing him and sprinting ahead. She’s running as fast as she can, her paws pounding over the ground. The grass is soft in the sunshine and warm under her. He’s coming up behind her, she hears him, hears his yip and she goes faster. She only wants one thing and that’s to expel all of this pent up energy. She goes faster, her lungs are efficiently huffing the air and her heart is pounding but she continues. He’s still behind her until he tackles her. She rolls and bounces back to her feet facing him. I feel her excitement at the prospect of play but he’s not happy with her. She drops her head and lays down in the grass submitting to him. He walks past her without looking at her. Jake’s wolf is like Jake. Maybe he has more control than I do of her. I only know what it’s like to be in here.

  She gets up and follows him. I can feel her regret and anguish. He’s not pleased and she feels guilty. He leads us to the top of a hill and sits. You can see the city from here. I didn’t come for the view, I came here to run. I shift and stand over him after I scent the air for other people. I fold my arms over my chest. The wolf looks up at me then back at the skyline.

  “I didn’t come here to sight see Jake. I want to run. If we aren’t going to run then take me home.” I kno
w it sounds bitchy but I can’t help the way that I feel. He shifts but stays down. He pats the ground next to him. I sit and huff out a breath. “I mean it Jake.”

  “I know.” He says without looking at me. “Just enjoy the sun for a minute would you?” I watch him.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “I like to hear the quiet.” I purse my lips and shut up. He comes here for peace. Great.

  “I’m going to run.” I say after a few long minutes of silence. “It’s been a really long time and it’s safe here right?” He nods. “Then I’m running. I won’t go far.”

  “When you see signs turn back.” I shift and sprint away from him. I run across the grass down the hill and up another. I don’t see Jake anymore when I look back. She scents the air and smells food. Her ears perk at the sound of voices.

  “Oh look Amber isn’t it pretty?” There is a woman with a child, then from behind a tree, a big man. The woman is showing the little girl the big, bad wolf. She lifts her nose to twitch in the air then let’s her tongue loll out.

  “Stay away from it, it probably has rabies.” What a jerk. She turns to go in the other direction and he claps his hands at her. She’s startled. He’s trying to scare her. He’s on the other side of the signs and she’s on her side. I don’t know what they say but I assume it says private property. This is the line between Jake’s land and the park. It must be because there are signs on posts about every ten feet.

  These people are in the park. The man is coming across the line now and stomping at her. There is no fence, only the signs to keep him out. She skitters away and he laughs as he claps his hands again. He says something about dumb animals.

  She dances further away not understanding why he is behaving this way. A big black streak flashes by her and attacks the man. He knocks him to his back and growls down into his face. The man wets himself and screams. I muse for a second over Jake making people pee and I wonder how many there are other than me and that guy. If my wolf could laugh. She would. Jake trots away from the crying man and nips at her muzzle. She follows him, he sprints away and she sprints after him. This was what she wanted anyway. His protection and to run. This wolf is our mate. We belong to this wolf. I can feel her thoughts.