Stefan: Le Beau Brothers: New Orleans Billionaire Wolf Shifters with plus sized BBW for mates (Le Beau Series Book 3) (17 page)

“Dammit, Stefan, move.”

He rocked gently into her, a little farther with each stroke, terrified he would hurt his mate. Her narrow channel was so tight and yet at the same time drew him in, greedy for him. The energy and rightness was so intense, his eyes rolled in his head as his pulse pounded in his ears. Goddess, he wasn’t going to last. The sensations and emotions swirling in the room were on the verge of overwhelming.

“Do you feel that, El?

“I think so. What is that?”

“Our connection. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.” A growl from his wolf ripped from his chest and forced him to thrust deeper, faster. A frantic mating, hips slammed hips, flesh slapped flesh as he pounded into her. The air rushed in and out of his screaming lungs. A small voice whispered in his mind, he needed to slow down and make this amazing for her, but he couldn’t stop.

Somehow her moans and whimpers broke through the haze. The tendons in his neck and the muscles of his shoulders strained with the magnitude of their passion as he forced himself to stop thrusting and stilled her hips. Chest heaving, he gathered his failing control.

“Did I do it wrong?” Anguish rang in her voice.

“Hell, no! You’re perfect. I’ve never had a woman shred my control before.” He moaned as he concentrated on gathering his destroyed discipline.

With renewed resolve he began to rock again, slow, deep thrusts designed to give ultimate pleasure to his mate. His frantic needs could wait.

“More, I can’t...”

It was his duty to please his mate and she needed more. With a powerful thrust he drove deep. Faster, deeper strokes, but not mindless like before.  It may sound like a cliché, but in that moment they were literally one.

One body.

One mind.

One heart.

He held his release, as he loved her with his body, basking in her breathless sobs of pleasure and wild thrusting of her hips. He watched as she lost herself to passion.

WITH HIM.

El cried out, “Oh God, Stefan!”  As her body held him in a grip so tight he wasn’t sure if he would be walking in the morning.

He couldn’t care less. His mate had called his name in ecstasy. It didn’t get any better than that.

He felt her climax roar through her body as he plunged deep with one final thrust and allowed his own release.

Carefully, he pulled from her. As he rolled to the side, he swept his arm around her and drew her tight against his side. Aftershocks of pleasure radiated quivers throughout her body. He felt her shiver under his fingertips as he ran his hands up and down her back. With his free hand, he pulled the blankets over them.

Damn, her skin is soft.

El could still feel her abdomen contracting spasmodically.

Holy mother, that was amazing.

If she thought she was a lump of goo before, now she swore she was nothing but a formless puddle. Never again, she would never, ever move again.

As her breathing slowed, she absently wondered how people did this more than once in a night, hell more than once a week.

She ran her fingernails gently up and down his heavily muscled chest, but didn’t dare allow herself to look too closely at what just happened between them. Not yet anyway.

She could feel Stefan feathering kisses in her hair. He put a finger under her chin and forced her face up. Why, she didn’t know. They couldn’t see in the dark anyway.

“Goddess, you’re so beautiful.”

She stiffened. Rose’s voice rang loudly in her mind. “My personal favorite is night vision.”

El abruptly sat up and dragged a sheet to cover her nakedness. “Get out! Get out of here now!” She used both feet to shove him onto the floor.

“What the hell, El?”

“You could see me the whole time and let me believe you were as blind as I was,” she screamed as she jabbed her finger into his chest. “I bet you found that all very amusing. You bastard, get out of my room. You’re just like all the others.”

She struggled to stand while ripping the sheet from the bed. Using her body and pure rage she forced him into the hall and slammed the door.

Hell Hath No Fury...

Dumfounded, Stefan stared at El’s locked door. He needed to employ his new speed dial settings on his cell phone immediately

“Hi, Mom.” He paused to run his fingers through his mussed hair and take a breath. “I really screwed up.”

“What’s wrong, cher? What did you do?”

“I have no idea.” He threw his arm in the air. “When El invited me to her room tonight after our date, I was over the moon.”

“So... how is that a screw up? You didn’t call out another woman’s name, did you?”

“Mother!”

“Sorry. But, you have to admit it could have happened.”

Stefan squeezed his eyes shut. “Anyway,” he huffed into the receiver, “she was uncomfortable with the lamp on, so I turned it off. All I wanted was for my mate to feel comfortable.”

“Okay?”

“We were cuddling in the bed recovering from–you know–and I gazed into her gorgeous brown eyes and told her she was beautiful. Next thing I know she shoved me out of bed, screaming at me to get out.”

“Oh. Cher.”

“What the hell did I do?”

“You shut out the lights and didn’t say anything.”

“How is ensuring my mate’s comfort wrong?”

“That’s not the problem, Stefan. You didn’t tell her that even though she couldn’t see you, you could still see her like it was midday.”

“You lost me.” Stefan growled in frustration.

Emma softened her voice. “Baby, she thought she was safe from you seeing her naked. You should know by now that El has a horrible body image. To her, you deceived her in the worst way possible. Because of her past, your deception made her feel like she has been toyed with, bated, and used. I’m sorry, without knowing her history, you couldn’t have known.”

“Shit.”

“Leave her be for now and let her cool off. I’ll stop by tomorrow and try to talk to her.”

“Do you think that’ll work?”

“That and a lot of groveling. Prepare yourself, this could get very painful before it gets better.”

He sighed and then said, “Whatever it takes, Momma. At this point she hates me and I really don’t see how I’m ever going to get her to accept me, much less love me.”

“All right. Let me think.” There was a long pause. “Do you know of anything she wants very badly?”

“I heard the foreman mention a prized mare she wanted, but the breeder refused to sell.”

“Buy that horse first thing tomorrow. Get up and do the chores, then leave without seeing El. Let her miss you a little. When you show up with the horse, you’ll be her hero.”

“That’ll fix it?”

“That’ll get her to talk to you again. You have a long row to hoe to fix this, and one horse isn’t going to do it.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom. I’ll let you know how it goes and you can tell me what to do next.”

“All right, cher. Get some sleep and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Momma.”

*****

The instant Emma hung up the phone, she alerted the family. An emergency meeting was required. It didn’t matter the time of day or night. Even at midnight it took only ten minutes to rally the troops.

Cade was the last to walk in with Anna. As he settled her on the couch, she rolled her eyes at the others over his shoulder. The more her baby belly grew, the more Cade hovered. As chuckles sounded throughout the room, Cade turned to see what everyone was laughing about. Anna almost felt bad for making fun of his mother hen behavior, but the confused expression on his face was always priceless.

Emma called the meeting to order. “I received a panicked call from Stefan tonight and we may need to step in and assist him with El.”

“The Romeo can’t keep his lady happy?” Lucas snorted.

“Zip it, pup,” Isaac snarled.

Lucas sat back and shut his mouth. It wasn’t wise to make his father angry.

“Do you have something in mind?” Simon asked.

Isaac cleared his throat. “Your mother and I tossed around some ideas and we wanted your opinion.”

“If things don’t turn around soon, we think we’ll be forced to bring the island into play.” Emma sighed.

“Do you really think it’s that bad?” Cade was alarmed at their drastic suggestion.

“Sadly, yes. I’ve been privileged to El’s past through Marie. I won’t tell her tales out of school, that’s up to El to disclose her history to those she trusts. Trust me when I say, Stefan betrayed her in one of the worst ways he possibly could without realizing it or meaning to.”

“Stefan.” Anna shook her head sadly. “So, when do we need to do this?”

“I’ve told him I’ll advise him as much as I’m able. He may call you and Rose for help as well. If the situation becomes any worse, I’ll alert you all to take action.”

The room was eerily silent as the family digested the situation.

*****

It was four a.m. and the lights in the barn already blazed. Sleep had never come. His entire future teetered precariously before him, turning his stomach into painful knots. He slapped a hand over his mouth and ran for the barn washroom. Every time his thoughts drifted to losing El forever he wanted to throw up.

It hurt to think or breathe or...feel. He went through the motions of his chores on autopilot. As if sensing his distress, the horses nickered to him, gently nudging him when he came near. It was too painful to speak to them today, instead he gently stroked each in turn as he mucked out their stalls.

All the ranch dogs and barn cats gathered around his feet. That was the final straw, he lost it and sobbed uncontrollably.

When his knees finally gave out, he crouched on the floor, doubled over with grief. Shep, the largest of the ranch dogs, nosed into his embrace and held Stefan as best he could, pressing his body as close as possible. Then he laid his head over Stefan’s shoulder and applied pressure to bring him in tight.

Inhaling a shaky breath, he stood and wiped his tears. He had a horse to buy.

The hour and a half drive to Folsom, Louisiana was the longest truck ride of his life. He had to get this horse. He couldn’t even consider ‘not’ bringing that mare to El. The empty trailer he towed would be filled on the way home. It didn’t matter what it took to make a deal with the breeder, he would be buying that horse today.

The truck and trailer raised an ominous plume of dust as he sped down the dirt drive to the ranch house he sought. It was like a menacing hand that reached for him as he raced to outrun it. Or was it the pain he ran from before it over took him again?

Mr. Michaud stepped from the house and waited for whomever was in the truck to step forward. “Where’s the fire?”

“Sorry about the rush,” Stefan apologized. “I’m here to purchase a specific mare.”

“Sorry, son,” Mr. Michaud frowned, “none of my mares are for sale.”

Stefan’s stomach churned. “Price is not a factor.”

“Look Mr...?”

“Le Beau. Stefan Le Beau. Of the Le Beau Corporation.”

“Pardon me, Mr. Le Beau, I didn’t know who you were.”

“Please, call me Stefan. Now, about that mare.”

“All right, Stefan, if you call me Marcel. Now, what mare has you in such a rush?”

“Mystic Wind.”

Marcel scrubbed his jaw. “You have an excellent eye for horseflesh. She’s my most promising mare. As a matter of fact, I just bred her to the number one stud in the state.”

“What would it take to replace her and increase your breeding operation to your satisfaction? I want to leave here with that horse and you in a better position than before I arrived.” For a man like Marcel, it’s not always about the price tag. He lived to breed the best foals in the nation, and Stefan was going to exploit that to his advantage.

“That’s an impossible offer to reject. You really play hardball when you want something.” Marcel chuckled.

*****

Two hours and several phone calls to obtain the horses Marcel required in exchange, Stefan had the horse he came for. He could almost breathe easy again. Almost.

As soon as he cleared the country roads and had miles of highway stretching before him, he called his mother.

“Hello?”

“Good morning, Mom.”

“You sound tired, did you sleep at all?”

“Not really. But, the good news is I got the mare she wanted.”

“Excellent! That’s such good news. She’s going to be floored when you deliver the horse to her.”

“Plus, she comes with a bonus.” He grinned as he waited for her to ask.

“Oh my. What? Did you get her a second horse?”

“Sort of. The mare was just bred to the top stud in the state.”

“Even better! Call me later and tell me how it goes.”

“I will. Love you, Mom.”

“Love you, too, cher.”

Stefan checked his watch, by his calculation he would pull up her driveway in time for lunch. If all went well he would be having a meal with his mate in an hour.

*****

El awoke to a silent empty house.

Did Stefan leave for good?

Absently she rubbed the tightness that had settled in her chest. It both surprised and annoyed her how much that thought made her heart ache. She’d tried to avoid getting involved with the playboy and last night she failed in her resolve. She’d have to try harder if he ever returned.

Mémé had called to tell her she was having breakfast with her friend and would see her later in the day. She was on her own, so there was no need for anything fancy. A fresh cup of coffee sat before her and a toasted frozen waffle lay in a pool of syrup on her plate. It defied comprehension how a buttermilk waffle covered in butter and liquefied sugar could taste like cardboard.

El relinquished the soggy waffle mess to the garbage can and settled for her coffee. She needed to mainline caffeine this morning after her restless, sleepless night.

The foreman told her the chores had been done when he arrived at six a.m. Stefan must have done them early to avoid seeing her. She couldn’t help checking to see if his suitcase was gone. She saw it sitting silently in the corner of his empty room and her heart leapt. Stupid heart. His bed didn’t look slept in, but he must be coming back or his clothes would be gone.

Hours later she re-read the same page in her novel for the tenth time, but refused to glance across the room. If she looked at the clock one more time, she was going to kick herself. Why should she care if BR came back?

Was that a truck? More hopeful than she cared to admit, she turned to look out the window. Her pulse raced at the sight of his truck slowing in front of the barn. Why was he parking over there? Wait. Does he have the horse trailer attached to it?

Curious, she leaned closer to the glass. Dang it, she couldn’t see what he was doing from that window. She moved to her bedroom window and craned her neck to try to see what he was up to. Crud, she couldn’t see from there either.

El refused to walk out there to see what was going on. If he wanted to talk to her he’d have to come to the house. She harrumphed as she plopped back into her chair. The infuriating man could just stay in the barn.

A few, very long minutes later, Stefan knocked on the door. She answered it wearing a glare.

“Hello, El.”

She grunted in response and continued to glare.

“If you have a minute,” he paused to drag in a breath, “I have something to show you in the barn.”

His face was etched with pain and longing. She would have to be completely heartless to say no. Still refusing to speak, she nodded and followed him to the barn.

Stefan’s heart hammered his ribs to rubble. This was it. In fifty more steps, he would either win a second chance with his mate or die of a broken heart.

Unconsciously, he slowed his steps. Terror ripped through him; this could be the last time he looked upon El’s beautiful face. He had to make this last as long as possible.

He saw her frown at his strange behavior.

Goddess, please help me.

He stopped outside the closed barn doors and turned to her. “Please, wait here. I’d like to bring my gift out to you, if I may.”

El nodded again, obviously confused.

He purposely positioned her outside the doors that prevented her seeing inside.

When the clip clop of hooves sounded, El rose on her tiptoes and craned her neck, trying to see what kind of gift could possibly require the use of a horse.

She gasped and staggered back a few steps when Stefan stepped through the doors leading Mystic Wind. Her eyes shot to his and back to the most beautiful animal she had ever laid eyes on.

“I know we have a lot to talk about, but I want to not only tell you but also show you how terribly sorry I am for my stupid, ignorant, male blunder last night. Please accept this mare as my pitiful effort to apologize and beg for another chance.”

Her eyes misted over. She wasn’t sure if the cause was his grand apology or the horse standing before her. She decided it must be the horse. Mystic Wind was safer.