Stefan: Le Beau Brothers: New Orleans Billionaire Wolf Shifters with plus sized BBW for mates (Le Beau Series Book 3) (7 page)

The last place he wanted to be was his empty home. It had always felt so comfortable, the perfect bachelor’s pad. Only now he longed to share it with his mate. He had a lot of thinking to do and plans to make.

Marcus and Simon met him as he reentered the ballroom, both wearing matching sympathetic expressions, while Cade frowned at him from his table.

“Stefan, what the heck are you doing back here alone?” Marcus asked.

“El went home and won’t speak to me.”

“What the hell did you do?” Cade growled.

“I only kissed her,” he pleaded in his defense.

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Simon frowned. “So, why won’t she talk to you?”

“She doesn’t like me and got upset when I kissed her. But, to be totally honest, I think she’s more upset that she enjoyed it and was angry with herself when she got a bit hot and bothered. And for some reason, every time I try to get close she freaks out.”

“You’ve lost me,” Cade said.

“She knows my history with women and has labeled me–what did she call me? Oh, yeah, a billionaire playboy scallywag, and a man whore.”

“Ouch!” Marcus chimed in. “That’s cold.”

“Anyway, I think she’s more upset that she’s attracted to me than anything else. She doesn’t want to like me and yet wants me. Women are confusing.”

“What are you going to do?” Cade asked.

“I still get a dinner with her from the auction. I asked her out before she left, but she wouldn’t answer.”

“You could call her in the morning,” Marcus offered.

“The morning! Marcus, you’re brilliant.”

Marcus frowned at him. “What did I say?”

“Yeah, since when does he say anything brilliant?” Simon asked.

“She mentioned she had to fix a stall door tomorrow morning. I’ll go over early and fix it for her, and while I’m there I’ll set our dinner date.” Stefan looked very proud of himself and his plan.

“What’s your backup plan if that doesn’t work?” Marcus asked.

Stefan glowered. “You know, you’re suddenly not so brilliant.”

Cade barked out a laugh as Marcus looked at Stefan confused again, and Stefan pushed from the table. “Don’t forget, we have a meeting with Sam tomorrow to go over the construction progress.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Stefan groused as he walked away.

The Morning After

Snatching her cup from the kitchen table, she stomped across the living room to the huge picture window and scowled. Annoyance to the tenth degree interfered with her normal enjoyment of the spectacular view of rolling pastures.

Even her fingers were playing out her annoyance as they tapped an angry beat on the porcelain mug. Her eyes didn’t see the gorgeous sunrise greeting the day, or the frisky colt kicking up his heals on the ridge. Heck no, instead she had a vision of the aggravating gigolo who paid two hundred thousand dollars for her last night at the charity ball, replaying in her head for…oh, who knows, she lost count how many times. Her stupid mind was wreaking havoc with her normal daily routine over the events of last night and the situation she was now forced into.

Since graduating from college summa cum laude
as a large animal veterinarian, she had been too busy to think about men. It had been what, eleven years since she had seen the gnat of a man who now was intruding on her peaceful world? He wanted to win her last night for some insane reason that eluded her. It didn’t matter how many times she replayed the events in her head, it still made zero sense.

A secret smile fluttered on her lips as she recalled the crush she had harbored for Stefan when she was a teenager. Somewhere around ten or twelve years older than her sixteen years at the time, he’d been breathtaking.

Glossy, thick, blond hair that hung past his shoulders in waves. Dreamy, honey golden eyes with the thickest, longest lashes she’d ever seen. Full, decadent lips that made her heart flutter just by thinking about them. But, his body...damn, instant wet panties. Her smile immediately transformed into a scowl as she visualized the womanizer she knew him to be.

Stefan Le Beau was one distraction she didn’t need nor want. Squaring her shoulders, she turned from the unseen splendid view. That impressionable teenage girl was long gone. Experience had stomped ‘carefree’ right out of her.

Between the loss of her father and the never-to-be-named-again college boys, her heart was no longer open for business. Her opinion of most men didn’t even budge the arrow on the interest meter.

The last thing she sought was a date, God forbid a relationship. Dating could lead to emotions, and for her that always meant heartbreak. Therefore, she simply removed men from her equation of happiness. Life was predictable on her ranch, nice and steady, just the way she liked it. She didn’t need nor want anyone rocking the even keel she had established.

Gulping the last of her coffee, she walked back to the kitchen. A glance at the clock over the sink told her it was time to start her daily chores. El made straight for the wheelbarrow and manure fork. There were stalls to muck and horses to be fed. One step through the large double doors of the main barn and she stopped short. Someone was in her barn. All she could see from where her feet remained glued in place was a set of extra wide shoulders and a very lucky pair of jeans that were painted onto a perfectly honed male ass.

Stefan Le Beau.

Great.

Just peachy.

A toolbox stood open and several tools lay spread on the floor near the damaged sliding stall door. The one she had planned to work on today. The lunkhead whistled to himself as he wrestled the door back on its track. Leaning on the manure fork, she watched silently as she wondered if he even knew which end of a screwdriver to use.

Reluctantly she had to admit, he made quite a sight with biceps flexing and thighs straining. El suppressed a groan when he bent over and his jeans pulled further down that delectable backside. The man apparently hadn’t heard the news..there was a thing called a belt. 

As if it wasn’t bad enough, the aggravating man stood and arched to stretch his back, which, of course, tested the limits of the buttons on his shirt. Without her permission, her body clenched and her nipples hardened. Damn body. She just had a talk with it last night, too. Apparently a second reprimand was in order along with a badly-needed chat with her hormones. 

When BR lifted his cowboy hat to scratch his head she got a glimpse of his face. A five o'clock shadow! It made him look a little less white collar, a bit more rugged, and, God forbid, a whole lot more handsome. Of course it was perfectly trimmed and shaped. How do you even manage a five o'clock shadow at seven a.m.?

And why is it so hot in here?

As if he heard her, Stefan turned his head her direction, his honey brown eyes met her chocolate gaze. She quickly straightened and adjusted her hat nervously. And that pissed her off more. After her two hour session last night with Pamela, she was on an even keel again. There was no reason to feel nervous around him or any other man.

“Good morning, El. How are you this beautiful day?”

His greeting was too bright and sunny for this time of the morning. She would bet he wasn’t accustomed to hard work before breakfast. His dimples made her heart ache for things she’d never have. Dang it, she would have to have a talk with that, too.

“What are you doing in my barn?”

Stefan pointed the screwdriver he held at the stall.

“Fixing your door.”

As if he was supposed to be in her barn at seven a.m.

“I don’t remember asking you to come here, or fix anything on my ranch.”

“You didn’t need to ask. I wanted to help.”

The best solution was to pay him for the labor and get rid of him. She never went into debt to anyone if she could help it.

“No man works for free on my ranch. What do I owe you? Then you can leave.”

She crossed her arms to hide her treacherous nipples, and kept her tone neutral.

“If you go out to lunch with me, I’ll be paid in full.”

He bent again to gather the tools left lying about. She swore he turned just a bit to give her a really good view.

“You already paid for lunch last night, or has your short-term memory already faded in your old age?” She was really getting annoyed now.

He stopped and gave her a heart-stopping mischievous grin. “Actually, I paid for dinner. I’m talking about lunch. And, for the record, my memory is perfect and I’m not that old.”

El tapped her foot in frustration. “On what planet would I agree to eat two meals with you?”

His gaze became heated and caused his golden eyes to sparkle in the dimly lit barn. She blinked to erase the image, and suddenly he was there, in front of her, much too close.

Stepping back, she looked away. He was too intense.

Too tempting.

Too everything.

Her treacherous nipples were still hard pebbles and now her panties were damp. The man was a menace and needed to leave ASAP. She couldn’t handle him acting like he was attracted to her when she knew all too well the type of women he hound-dogged around with.

When his eyes made a slow sweep over her body as though he wanted her and he licked his lips suggestively, she was pushed to her limit. The man was an expert at seduction, but she wasn’t falling for his tricks.

“Pack up your tools and take your little games somewhere else. They aren’t appreciated here.”

“Aw, now, cher, don’t be like that. You might as well admit that you’ll be eating a lot more than two meals with me. Come on, have lunch with me.”

“I think it’s time for your medication. I suggest you pick up your toolbox and leave. I have things to do.”

“Tell you what, you have lunch with me at Ralph’s Diner down the road and afterwards I’ll drop you off and leave.”

“What’s option two?”

Stefan’s grin faded. “There is no option two.”

“You’re not going to cry, are you?” she frowned.

“Would it work if I did?”

“No.” El threw up her hands. “Ah, hell. I’ll go. But, only because Grand-mère would be horrified by my lack of manners if I didn’t.”

Stefan’s face lit up like a little boy with his first pony. “Will eleven be too early for lunch, or should I come at noon?”

“Eleven is fine. I’ll have the morning chores done and I can get a shower in before you return.”

“Oh, now you’re just being plain mean talking about taking a shower to me,” he teased as his gaze heated again.

“Not happening, BR.” She pushed the wheelbarrow into the stall trying her best to ignore him.

Holy Moses! Was he just looking at my lips like he wanted to kiss me, or did I imagine it?

Breathing immediately became an issue and she felt slightly lightheaded. The man was potent… no, beyond potent. She could handle plain, old everyday potent – this was something altogether different. She wanted to lean toward him and lay one on him good and proper.

What the hell was that? You don’t go around kissing men. Ever.
But, damn, she sure did want to.

“BR?”

“Don’t ask things you don’t want to know.”

El began mucking out the first stall effectively ending the conversation.

Stefan had two options, leave or start mucking the next stall. It looked like his brand new Tony Lamas were officially work boots and no longer just for show.

Two hours of hard labor and the barn was spotless. The last time he worked this hard was when they remodeled the cabin a couple years ago. He hadn’t realized how much he missed it. El did this seven days a week with no time off. He decided right then he would come by as often as possible and pitch in. He didn’t care for the idea of his mate working this hard while he sat in an office. It felt...wrong.

El straightened from dumping the last load of soiled straw, put her palms to the small of her back and flexed to stretch sore muscles.

She had to hand it to old BR, he’d hung in there until the job was done.

Well hell, I guess I better offer to fix him lunch. We can’t go to the diner with him smelling like a dirty stall.
She rolled her eyes.
Grand-mère is going to be thrilled. I can’t believe I’m allowing him to join us. Guess I’ve made more headway with Pamela than I thought.

“Thank you for helping, Stefan. Would you like to have lunch here at the house instead of the diner? I’m sure Grand-mère would like to meet you.”

His heart leapt into his throat. She actually thanked him and asked him to join her in the house. Progress was a beautiful thing.

“I’d love to meet your grand-mère.”

The house was warm and inviting. Everything he expected a ranch house to be. Comfortable furniture with lace doilies at the head rests, woven rugs scattered on the floor. This was a well-loved home.

“El? That you? Who's with you, cher?”

“Stefan Le Beau came by to help out this morning.” She gave Stefan an evil grin, then continued. “I found him fixing the broken stall door and now he won’t leave.”

“Thank you for helping my granddaughter, Mr. Le Beau. Why don’t you come on in and take a load off.”

“I would love to, ma'am. But, please, call me Stefan.”

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll call you Stefan if you call me
Mémé
or Marie, I answer to either. Now, I'm sure you could use a cup of coffee. So bring yourself in here.”

“Yes, ma'am, Marie.” Stefan laughed. He liked this feisty old lady.

“Good answer. No use arguing with
Mémé
,
” El agreed.

“I’m sure it would be like arguing with my mother, a waste of breath and always a losing battle.”

Stefan removed his hat and smiled. The effect was staggering. His hair was slightly mussed and hung into his honey-colored eyes. And those dimples could cause cardiac arrest, not to mention the way his shirt stretched taut over his chest. Or the soft, worn blue jeans that hugged his hips like a lover. He was the picture perfect cowboy of every teenage girl’s wet dream.

Heat raced up her neck to her face when a polite cough jerked her gaze to his.

Shit!

His lips twitched as he suppressed his pleasure at her appreciative assessment. He tried to hold back his excitement. He failed.

“I have coffee brewed. Would you like a cup?”
Mémé
offered. “I knew El would be coming in for a cup about now.”

“Thank you, I would love a cup.”

“What have you been up to, Stefan?” she heard Grand-mère ask as she got the coffee together in the kitchen.

“We’ve started building Simon’s new PTSD dog compound and Lucas is home from traveling. I believe he’s planning to purchase a working dude ranch across the state line in Texas.”

“Oh? I’m so glad Lucas is home. He an El were friends before he left to travel a couple years ago. He even asked her out a few times.”

What the hell?

Stefan would be having a talk with Lucas the minute he got home. “Really? Did they date before he left?”

“No, much to my dismay. I can’t seem to get El married to a nice fella, not for a lack of trying, mind you. At this rate I’ll never get great–grandbabies.”

Honey-colored eyes fastened on hers as she entered from the kitchen with a loaded tray.

“Grand-mère, why are you talking to him about my love life? Could we talk about something else, please?”