ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (197 page)

Amanda blinked as her fork hit the bottom of the plate; she looked down in astonishment to find that she had already finished all of her cake and ice cream.

She glanced at the clock, determining that it had been at least ten minutes since Buck and Emily had begun talking, which meant that Buck had been ignoring her in favor of focusing on the big-breasted blonde vixen in front of him.

After two more minutes, she slid Buck’s plate over to her side, taking a bite of his pie and hating how good it was. Five minutes later, she had finished off his pie and ice cream, and looked over to find that they were still talking.

She shook her head; it was unbelievable. She watched two more minutes go by before she decided that she had had enough. She stood, looking to see that Buck had still not noticed her, before resolvedly walking to the door and marching out, deciding that she would walk back to the pack house, call Carl, and rant to him about what he had gotten her into with every intention of making him feel guilty.

Her blood was boiling. She had really believed that what she and Buck were developing between them was something special. And yet, it apparently wasn’t that special if he completely ignored her at the sight of the first bleached-blonde bimbo that crossed his path.

She was halfway down the road into town before she heard Buck’s panicked voice call out behind her. Amanda ignored him, rolling her eyes.

“Amanda, wait, please!”

She continued to ignore him, picking up her pace and debating whether or not she should just run back to the pack house.

Her mind was made up for her as Buck appeared at her side, having run the distance between them as she debated.

“Amanda, stop,” Buck said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder with just enough force to get her to stop as well.

“What?” Amanda bit out, seething with anger. “What the hell do you want Buck?”

“You ran off.”

“Gee, how observant of you,” Amanda scoffed sarcastically.

“What’s the matter?” Buck said, frowning at her tone, “And you ate all my pie.”

“Yeah, well you deserved it.”

“I don’t get it,” Buck said, “why are you mad?”

Amanda looked at him incredulously and saw he looked genuinely baffled, making her even more annoyed.

“Are you serious, you’re seriously asking me why I’m mad?” she demanded.

“Did I do something, is this about Emily?”

“Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner,” Amanda said. “Yes, obviously you did something and yes it relates to Emily.”

“Are you . . . jealous?” Buck asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

“No, I’m not jealous,” Amanda bit out, “what’s there to be jealous of about that tramp?”

Buck raised a dubious eyebrow, not believing her for a second. “That sounds pretty jealous to me.”

“I’m not jealous,” Amanda said, crossing her arms. “I’m just annoyed.”

“At what?” Buck asked, annoying her even further.

“At you!” she said loudly, gaining a few stares from the few people out walking. “For treating me like garbage. For completely ignoring me for twenty minutes as you talked to that bimbo, totally oblivious to my existence. You turned your back on me and you couldn’t even be bothered to introduce me. I know I’m nothing more than a treaty to you, but you could at least act like you care,” Amanda said, her voice unexpectedly hitching at her last few words as she realized just how hurt she was by his actions.

Buck’s eyes softened, as he stepped forward, reaching out to hug her only to have Amanda take a step back.

“Do you really think I want a hug right now, really?”

“I’m sorry,” Buck said, scratching his head, “I am so sorry Amanda,” his eyes taking on that puppy-dog quality that Amanda hated. “I didn’t mean to. And it’s not what you think, really. I mean, is she attractive: yes, but am I interested: no. Because I want you. And, what you said was bullshit. You aren’t just the fulfillment of some treaty to me. I really do like you, and I have genuine feelings for you. You’re amazing.”

“So amazing that you ignored me.”

“I didn’t mean to! Honestly,” he added when she rolled her eyes. “Emily’s a talker; it’s hard to get a word in with her. And, you have absolutely no reason to be jealous. I didn’t introduce you because I didn’t have time; it’s like she never takes a breath. More to the point, she’s my cousin.”

“What?” Amanda demanded, voice raising as she took a threatening step forward.

Buck swallowed, suddenly even more nervous. “She’s my cousin. You know, my mom’s sister’s daughter. We taught together in rooms across the hall from each other when I was still a teacher. I haven’t seen her in years; honestly, I thought she’d moved out of state. We just lost touch.”

“She’s your cousin?” Amanda asked, still a bit dubious.

Buck laughed, putting his hands on her shoulders and bending slightly to look in her eyes, scanning her face briefly for signs that she’d kick him. “Yes, she is my cousin, my first cousin, and even in this little country town of Montana, we don’t date within the family. I grew up with her; she’s almost like a sister. I say that she’s attractive in a purely objective manner; I have no interest in her that way, and quite frankly, it’s gross. I’m so, so sorry I ignored you, but I promise I will never let that happen again. Even if I have to be rude and interrupt someone mid-sentence, and even if it’s the president, I’ll always introduce you. Anything to let you know that you’re my first priority.”

Amanda smiled just a bit in spite of herself. “You know, you should have just opened with she was your cousin.”

Buck shrugged. “Yeah, well, sometimes I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, and I apparently have a hard time getting a word in edgewise with women.”

Amanda smirked. “Yeah well, it’s not my fault that you’re such a softy.”

“A softy huh?” Buck challenged, getting a predatory look in his eyes.

“Oh boy,” Amanda said.

“Oh yeah.”

Amanda giggled, running away and tearing for the trees behind town, Buck fresh on her heels.

As soon as she made it to the outskirts of town, well out of sight of anyone nearby, she shifted into her wolf form, loving the feel of the wind whipping through her short, fine brown fur as her paws touched the supple dirt before leaping off of it in the next step.

She heard Buck’s rapid footsteps turn into the hard, swift thumps of paws as he transformed behind her, growling playfully as he nipped at her tail, closing in.

Amanda darted around a tree, her laugh coming out as a high pitched yip in wolf form as she called for Buck to catch her.

Buck thoroughly enjoyed the chase, coming mere inches of her before she darted around another tree, as swift as an arrow.

Finally, Amanda came to an abrupt stop as she reached a small stream of water, paws digging into the bank of it as Buck came to a stop behind her.

Suddenly, Buck tackled her, nipping at her neck playfully as they both yipped, rolling over a few times before they settled, Buck resting on top of her as they stared into one another’s eyes, both of their chests heaving from the combination of exertion and exhilaration.

Amanda shifted back to her human form, unashamed at being naked since the shift; it was natural out there, in the seclusion of the trees. Buck didn’t look down; he only stared into her eyes as his hulking wolf form towered over her, sheltering her.

After a moment, Buck shifted back into human form as well, still leaning over Amanda on all fours, breathing heavily.

Amanda smiled, bringing her hand up to wipe away a tiny smear of dirt on Buck’s cheek before setting her hand back down, looking up at him.

Buck looked at her a moment longer before tentatively leaning down, giving her time to pull away as he looked at her questioningly. Amanda grinned, bringing her hand back up to tangle in his hair and pull his head down the rest of the space between them, bringing their lips together in a soft kiss.

Buck let out a small sound of surprise before closing his eyes, moving his lips against hers gently, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips before she parted them softly, allowing their tongues to dance in a soft caress.

Amanda looped her arms around Buck’s neck, pulling their bodies flush against one another, making Buck groan. Buck’s hand trailed a hot path up the side of Amanda’s body, caressing the curves of her hips before making its way up, the other hand’s fingers running through her hair.

She bucked up, rubbing their bodies against one another before wrapping her legs around his hips, grinding them together and making her intentions very clear.

Buck broke the kiss, trying to control his heaving chest as he looked at her curiously. He cleared his throat, eyes trying to focus on her face instead of roving over the wonderland that was her body. “Are you sure?” he asked huskily.

She nodded. “I want our first time to be special; not the result of some treaty-ordered marriage. I want you now,” she said, voice steady and sure as she looked into his eyes.

Buck nodded, smiling softy as his hand gently stroked her face. “I want you too, so much. I,” he swallowed, words coming hard for him, “you mean a lot to me, and, I want to give you the world.”

Amanda silenced him with a kiss, tongues tangling passionately as they clung to one another, Amanda’s legs opening and falling on either side of Buck in invitation.

Buck groaned, kissing her neck as his hands caressed every inch of her body, making her moan at the contact, her body heating with desire.

“Hurry up,” she said playfully, “I don’t have all night.”

Buck growled at the challenge, coming back up to capture her lips once more. He adjusted himself, rubbing up against her and making her arch as he finally entered.

Amanda groaned, nails digging into his back as they began moving together, the sound of their hitched breathing and muffled moans covered by the sound of the rushing stream beside them.

Their limbs tangled and their chests pressed against one another as their bodies gyrated together in their passionate dance. With a cry, they toppled over the peak of ecstasy together, the two of them collapsing in a sweaty mess on the banks of the stream, panting for breath.

Amanda curled into Buck’s chest, resting her hand on his pounding heart as she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. Buck squeezed her tight, his hand gently running up and down the expanse of her smooth back as they caught their breath, listening to the sounds of nature around them.

After a few minutes, Amanda stood and stretched, smirking as Buck’s eyes were riveted to her lithe form.

“We should get going; we’ll probably have to sneak in through a window or something, given that our clothes are kind of destroyed and everything.”

Buck shrugged, sitting up on his elbows. “The pack will know to look away out of respect, but yeah, we can sneak in if you want. My window’s unlocked and my shower is huge.”

“Even bigger than mine?” Amanda asked in astonishment. If her shower was huge and a conundrum to use, she could only imagine the monstrosity that was Buck’s.

Buck grinned. “It is, and, it’s got some very nice massage settings,” he said, standing and wrapping his arms around her before kissing her briefly, “I think you’ll really enjoy it. I can show you how, that is, if you don’t mind sharing with me.”

Amanda grinned, leaning up on her toes to kiss him once more before grabbing his hand and leading him back towards the pack home. “On the contrary,” Amanda smirked, “I insist.”

TO GO BACK TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS-->
CLICK HERE

BONUS

DRAWN BY THE

WOLF

By Sicily Duval

Chapter 1

I watched as Mrs. Van der Groot walked around her apartment, going over every tiny detail, from the eggplant color of her curtains to the thread count on the pillow cases. She inspected it with a hawk’s eye, but I wasn’t worried. I’d done this a million times before. Catering to the Manhattan Elite was just a matter of knowing what they wanted.

Image was everything.

“This is good, thank you Nadine,” Mrs. Van der Groot finally said. “I’ll transfer the funds.”

“Always a pleasure,” I said and walked out the front door, the clack of my high heels echoing off the newly installed wooden floors. Real wood, not wood laminate, because even though Mrs. Van der Groot couldn’t tell the difference, she was sure her friends would be able to.

I’d been an interior designer working the Upper East Side for four years, and my clientele included people just short of celebrities. I made a lot of money, and I loved it. The finished product was always my favorite, the idea that something old could be transformed into something new, a cave could become a palace of dreams.

Not that these rich homes ever were caves to begin with, but it was the concept.

My phone rang, and I tapped the ‘talk’ button.

“You have a meeting at three, and your mother called,” Lidia, my assistant, told me.

“I’m headed back to the office now.”

My offices were on Park Avenue, in the Manhattan Business Center. The center was alive with the hustle and bustle of men and women at work, making money.

In my office I opened the salad I’d picked up on the way, and took a bite. Half an hour to eat, call my mom, and then next client at three.

“This came for you in the mail.” Lidia placed a manila envelope on my desk. It contained a ticket to Alaska. I rolled my eyes and dialed my mother’s number.

“I could have afforded the ticket mom, you don’t have to go and spend money on something like that when I have more than enough.”

“Oh, nonsense. It’s a gift, you can’t refuse it. Besides, your father and I wanted to see you, and if it’s up to you, you just won’t come. We didn’t want to take that chance, dear.”

“I’m really busy, mom. I have a lot of important clients. I have to shoot to another one in about twenty minutes. I can’t just let everything go and run to the wilderness.”

My mother snorted. “This isn’t the wilderness. Everyone has time off, don’t they? You’re the boss, schedule leave for yourself. You have to come. We haven’t seen you in four years!”

My parents had moved the same time I had. I’d grown up in Ann Arbor, a small-town girl with big dreams. I’d moved to the city, they’d moved to a god forsaken town in Alaska and opened a fishing and hunting shop. I looked at the ticket. It was return.

“I can’t get away for two weeks, mom,” I said. “That’s a lot of time—“

“So hire an intern or something. Make a plan. Daddy will be at the dock to pick you up.”

I sighed. “I’ll see you, then.”

My mom squealed. “Then you can finally meet Mac!”

Mac was the guy working in the shop they owned. I heard about this guy every single time I spoke to my parents.

“Right, the guy that has conveniently replaced me in your family,” I said.

“Don’t be a snob. You wanted to move to New York. You’ll always be our daughter. But Mac is a swell guy. You’ll really like him.”

“Sure mom. But I have to go. I have a meeting. We’ll talk more next week.”

“Oh I wanted to tell you—“

“Bye, mom,” I said and hung up. I put my phone down on the table and leaned back in my swivel chair, covering my face with my hands.

“Is everything okay?” Lidia asked, bringing in a cup of coffee.

“I have to go away for two weeks from next Monday.”

Lidia nodded. “What do you want me to do?”

“Book some time off for me. You can take some time for yourself as well, as long as the calls redirect to your cell. Make sure I have no clients or appointments until after I’m back.”

“What about your three o’clock?”

“I’ll speak to them.”

Lidia smiled. “Thank you, Nadine,” she said and left the office, closing the door behind her.

After work I went to the hairdresser. I used the same lady every time, she knew what I needed and understood my style.

“You’re back earlier than expected,” Marie said when I sat down.

“I need to go on a trip. I want something different, something a bit more stylish. Something with flair,” I said.

“Is it a business trip?”

I sighed. “I wish. I’m heading out to Alaska to see my parents.”

“Prettying up for them, are you?” She finger-combed my hair out of my face, measure it against my jaw. It was in a shoulder-length bob now, my general go-to for my meetings.

“Something like that.”

The fact was that I wanted to change my hair because I was forever trying to fight the small-town girl I’d grown up to be. I wanted to look classy, like a business woman. Interesting. I’d spent my childhood looking at pictures of people that I imagined lived life in the fast lane. I wanted to show my parents I’d managed. I wanted to prove to them the life I’d made was better than the one they chose.

I wanted to look the part, so no one would realize there was still a void inside me that I’d thought money and clothes and reputation would fill.

Marie cut my hair in an A-symmetric stacked bob that reached just below my jaw on the one side and just above it on the other. The layers brought the red in my auburn hair out.

“This style brings out your eyes a lot more,” Marie said when she was done.

“It will bring out my freckles, too,” I said, frowning at myself in the mirror.

“You look great. Freckles are beautiful, in my opinion. Besides, you always cover them with concealer. Who will know?”

“You’re just saying that because I pay you,” I said, forcing a smile. Marie chuckled and swiped the card I’d given her.

I usually hopped on the treadmill in the mornings before work. It made me more productive if I was up and at it first thing. But tonight I got into my running shoes and started at a fast walk. The treadmill faced the corner of my office where two large windows met to make the walls seem like they didn’t exist. The view of Central Park in the dusk was magnificent. I walked just until I knew I was warmed up enough, and then I pushed my treadmill up to eight point five miles per hour at a twelve percent incline. I balanced on the sides, and when it was up to speed I sprinted.

I ran until my thighs screamed at me. I ran until my chest burned and my skin was slick and shiny with sweat. I watched the city lights come on one by one, the dusk giving way to the navy and then black of the night sky, and the city fall quiet around me.

When I finally got off, my muscles trembled and I felt sufficiently numb. People underestimated the power of exercise. After I showered I crawled into bed and closed my eyes. In three days I was going to have to head out to Alaska and see my parents. I groaned into my pillow.

The flight from New York to Ketchikan was just over nine hours. Before I’d left I’d gone shopping for winter clothes. It was summer, but my mother had warned me the average temperature in the day was about sixty degrees.

My parents lived in Metlakatla, a small town on Annette Island. There weren’t any flights going to a place that small – why would there be? – so I took a ferry. Measuring the weather was one thing. But the actual feel was a whole different thing entirely. Sixty degrees didn’t feel so bad, but the wind sliced through my jacket and I was frozen right down to the marrow before the ferry left the dock.

The view was stunning. I was inside the cabin – there was no way I was going to brave the cold to experience this wild country first hand – but I stood by a window. All around us the country rose and fell in snow-capped mountains and monochrome valleys. The sea was a gun-metal gray, stretching out all around the ferry like glass, and lapping softly against the sides.

The sky mirrored the color of the ocean in a lighter shade of gray.

Two hours later the ferry moored in the dock at Metlakatla. The little town looked exactly the way I’d imagined it: Small. Old. Scattered across the island.

Backwards.

I found my suitcase and got off the ferry. I looked around for the salt-and-pepper gray hair that marked my dad. The passengers around me filtered way, each finding the people they belonged to, until I was left alone on the dock. I pulled out my phone and dialed my parent’s home number, but the line was busy. I cursed under my breath.

Why on earth they wouldn’t get cell phones was beyond me. This was the twenty-first century. I looked around, taking in the off-white buildings and browned roofs that made the whole place look like it had fallen out of a sepia photo. Maybe people here didn’t know what year it was.

I waited an hour. The few people that worked around the dock went about their business ignoring me. Finally I took matters into my own hands and I found the building that contained a reception desk.

“Do you have a car I can call?” I asked. “My ride hasn’t arrived.”

The man behind the counter had skin that looked like it was made of leather and a vacant look in his eyes.

“Excuse me?” I asked when he didn’t answer.

“He doesn’t understand English,” a man behind me spoke, and I turned around to see another native. His eyes were as black as his hair, and he was big. I could tell he was all muscle despite the thick fur jacket he wore. I wondered for a moment if he’d hunted and killed to make that coat himself.

“What do you need?” he asked.

“I ride. My lift didn’t pitch.”

“Where are you going?”

I didn’t have any kind of address, but this town was small enough. Maybe he would know.

“Bullets and Bait? The hunting shop? Owned by the Campbells.”

“That’s not too far in. If you go down—“

“Could you find someone to drive me? I’m not really cut out to navigate this place on foot.”

The guy looked me up and down, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I guess I could drive you,” he said. “But it’s out of my way.”

“Please, I’ll pay you.”

He looked at me for a second like he was thinking about it. “Fifty dollars,” he said.

“What? Fifty? This place can’t be more than two miles all the way through!”

He shrugged. “Okay, so what you’re going to do is as soon as you leave the dock you turn left—“

“Fine.” This guy was a pain in the ass. “I’ll pay you fifty dollars. Just get me there.”

He nodded and smiled, revealing a row of perfect white teeth. His canines were just a little more pronounced than the rest of his teeth. His mouth was mesmerizing, his smile changing his entire face. If he wasn’t so infuriating I would have said he was drop dead gorgeous.

When he walked outside he moved fluidly, like he had water in his veins instead of blood. I followed him to a faded truck that had more rust on it than light blue paint, which I assumed was its initial color. He walked around and got in, not bothering to open the door for me. I opened it and fought with my suitcase to get it into the foot well. When I finally managed and I slammed the door shut, my driver chuckled.

“You should have put it in the back.”

“Thanks for letting me now,” I said sarcastically. I took out his money and gave it to him. He shoved it into his pants pocket in a crumpled ball.

He turned the ignition and the truck sputtered to life with a cloud of black smoke. We drove in silence for a while, the rumble of the truck filling up the spaces around us.

“You’re a wolf, aren’t you?” I asked. His fluid movement, his canines, his muscles. It all made sense. We lived side by side with mythical creatures, but in my city life I didn’t encounter many of them.

“I am. Do you know much about them?”

I shook my head. I knew they existed. I knew some trademarks. “I think I noticed because you weren’t bothering to hide it.” Most people did. A lot of people discriminated against mythical creatures the same way they used to discriminate against skin color. Now that there was something worse, it didn’t seem all that important what color their skins were as long as they were human.

“No point in hiding who you are. It just makes it harder for people to get to know you.”

And if I didn’t want people to know the real me?

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“I am Mequssuk.”

“What does it mean?” Something wild. Something fierce. Something equivalent to the raw power I could feel pulsating from him, the authority with which he moved. Courage, Bravery. Something like that. I looked at him eagerly while he rubbed his stubble with one hand.

“Shaggy dog,” he finally said. I stared at him for a moment before I burst out laughing.

“Your parents called you shaggy dog?”

He rolled his eyes at me. I knew I was being rude but I couldn’t help it.

“I’m Nadine,” I finally answered, managing to tame my laughter into a grin.

Chapter 2

We parked in front of Bait & Bullet. The store front was standard with large windows displaying fishing tackle and rifles. The name was painted in a green and gold arc across both windows and I sign hung in the door that said ‘come in we’re open’.