Undercover Alpha: BBW Paranormal Werewolf Romance (8 page)

“Oh,” he said, and Lucy couldn’t smell anything like a werewolf could, but she knew tension when she saw it. “Is it all right with you guys?”

“Sure,” Lucy said.

“Of course,” Ophelia said, walking back from where Frieda had dragged her.

“Don’t break anything, that’s all,” Frieda said, with a little wave.

“Got it,” he said, and disappeared.

“At any rate,” Richard said. “There’s quite a bit to go through, including some personal effects he specifically asked be returned to you ladies. Nothing of monetary value, so I asked the court to go ahead and release them. And you’re welcome to look around and see if there are any items—furniture, mementos—that you might want. Mr. Rome asked to have the entire estate auctioned and divided. But we can certainly take care of some items. There’s an appraiser coming on Tuesday, if any of you wish to be present.”

“I’ll come,” Lucy volunteered. She always found appraisal interesting, and she wanted to know more about some of the older furniture. It looked like it had history, and the appraiser would know at least some of what that history was.

She could hear James upstairs, moving around. What was he doing? A little part of her wanted to sneak upstairs. Just to talk.

Who was she kidding? She didn’t want to talk. She wanted to test out that big four-poster bed she’d seen in the pictures Richard had sent. They could start at that little settee at the foot of the bed and work their way around the room.

She wondered how much work those tight jeans would take to get off.

“Are you all right?” Richard asked.

“Oh,” she said, pulling her attention back to the paperwork. “I’m fine.”

“I’ll send you the time,” Richard said. “If there’s anything you’re particularly interested in, do let me know, I’ll let the appraiser know.”

“Thank you,” she said, but her mind was running in loops now, stripping Jason naked in every room of the house, feeling Jason’s big, strong hands on her body. Would he want her kneeling in the kitchen? Bent over the table?

What was he doing? Did he change when he smelled things out? Was there an in-between state between man and wolf? If Richard was a werewolf, would he notice?

Frieda tapped the back of her hand. “Come back,” she said. “Man just asked you a question.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just—”

“Your friend,” Richard said, without much patience. “Upstairs. Why exactly is he here, again?”

Good question, Lucy thought. “He’s our bodyguard,” she said. “Kind of silly, but dad hired him.”

Richard looked alarmed. “Have you had any threats? You should—”

“Nah,” Ophelia said. “Probably just an animal. Dad’s being paranoid.”

Lucy felt relieved she hadn’t had a chance to tell her sisters about the animals on her own porch. The whole ‘werewolf’ thing had been too much to cover in a car trip, even a long one. And she definitely couldn’t ask Jason to change into a big dog while they were on the 290.

“I’ll go check on him,” she said, getting up. “I’m sure he’s done with…whatever he was checking. Probably just wants to stay out of our way.”

She climbed up the stairs, the rich wood of the railing smooth under her hand. Someone had done a lot of work on this house. Had put a lot of love into it. Jason had said that werewolves didn’t live lives any longer than humans, so it must have been done by the previous owners. Richard said that the house had been in the family for a long time. Had they been werewolves too? Was this the house that was inherited by the alpha or queen? Was it
hers?

It would explain why she felt so at home every time she came back.

Werewolves had good hearing, right? She probably shouldn’t ask, just in case Richard really was one.

She wasn’t even sure why she was going upstairs. She was thinking of the bed in the master bedroom, the thick purple drapes around the 4-poster frame, the ridiculous gold-edged settee. It was so ridiculous, but it was also warm and rich-looking. She felt like she could feel her uncle’s presence there, just a little, because the room had so much personality.

She walked down the long hallway. There was a library up here, two guest bedrooms. A beautiful master bath with a clawfoot tub and Italian tile. The master bedroom was at the end of the hall, looking out over the backyard and the vegetable garden.

Jason was standing at the window. “It’s beautiful out here,” he said. “Though I’m not sure I could live with all this purple, if it was my house.” The sunlight was coming through the window, highlighting his hair, making his skin glow.

“He must’ve liked purple a lot,” Lucy agreed.

“A whole lot,” he said, and stepped aside a little, reaching his arm out toward her. It felt so natural. She stepped into his curved arm, and it was…right. He turned so his face was in her hair. Her breath picked up. “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she said, and put her arms around his waist. She should stop. She should say no. But she didn’t want to at all.

He kissed her, gently at first, and then with the passion she felt in her own heart. For a little while, she forgot her sisters, the inheritance, Richard, who might or might not be a werewolf himself—

It was just his strong arms around her, his lips on hers, her heart pounding in her chest. He slipped a hand into the waistband of her jeans, and she wanted them off, wanted him on her, in her. She wanted to know how big he was, how he’d feel, what it would be like to ride him.

Do werewolves do it doggy style?

She started giggling, breaking the kiss. Jason didn’t seem to mind, but he did seem a little confused. “What?” he said. “What?”

“I—I’ll tell you later,” she said, “I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay,” he said, smoothing her hair back with one hand, the other still wrapped around her. “It’s okay.”

“I think you should stay at my place tonight,” she said. “Because of the animals.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Good idea. We can tell your family on the way home.” He kissed her again, just a peck on the lips, but it sent shudders through her.

“There’s a lot we need to tell them,” she said.

“Yeah,” he said. “There is.” He kissed her on the forehead this time. “And some more things I need to tell you.”

“Good things, I hope.”

“All good things.”

He turned so his face was in her hair. Her breath picked up. “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she said, and put her arms around his waist. She should stop. She should say no. But she didn’t want to at all.

He kissed her, gently at first, and then with the passion she felt in her own heart. For a little while, she forgot her sisters, the inheritance, Richard, who might or might not be a werewolf himself—

It was just his strong arms around her, his lips on hers, her heart pounding in her chest. He slipped a hand into the waistband of her jeans, and she wanted them off, wanted him on her, in her. She wanted to know how big he was, how he’d feel, what it would be like to ride him.

Do werewolves do it doggy style?

She started giggling, breaking the kiss. Jason didn’t seem to mind, but he did seem a little confused. “What?” he said. “What?”

“I—I’ll tell you later,” she said, “I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay,” he said, smoothing her hair back with one hand, the other still wrapped around her. “It’s okay.”

“I think you should stay at my place tonight,” she said. “Because of the animals.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Good idea. We can tell your family on the way home.” He kissed her again, just a peck on the lips, but it sent shudders through her.

“There’s a lot we need to tell them,” she said.

“Yeah,” he said. “There is.” He kissed her on the forehead this time. “And some more things I need to tell you.”

“Good things, I hope.”

“All good things.”

There was no way she could tell her family about werewolves—much less about Jason—on the way home, but they did explain that they were worried about Lucy’s apartment, and that Jason had decided the safest way to determine if there was a threat was if he spent the night. “I’ve got that pullout couch,” she said, just in case Dad started getting suspicious.

“I’ll mostly be awake,” he said. “I can sleep through the day tomorrow.”

Lucy was suddenly certain she wouldn’t be getting much sleep either.

It was hard to keep still in the back of the car. She pressed her thighs together, hard, and tried not to think about the things she wanted Jason to do to her. She wanted. Wanted so much. Jason was talking big, and she didn’t think anyone could possibly know what they wanted so soon. She didn’t think there was any way she could live up to all he was thinking. But hell, she wanted to take advantage of having a guy like him around as long as she could. If he wanted to love and leave, she’d at least get some good love out of him. He sure acted like a guy who knew what he wanted. She still couldn’t quite believe he wanted her.

“You’re spacing out again,” Frieda said, elbowing her.

“Sorry,” she said. “Lots to think about.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think? About the house?”

“I dunno,” Frieda said. “It’s big, which means a lot of work.”

“We got the money, we could hire someone,” Ophelia said. “They could tend the gardens or whatever. If anyone wants the place.”

“What do you think, O?” Lucy asked. “You want to live there?”

“Out in the middle of nowhere like that?” Ophelia snorted. “No thanks. Plus, you’d have to redecorate the whole thing. It’s…too much.”

“It’s not that bad,” Lucy said.

“It’s…was he gay? I bet he was gay.”

“He might have been gay,” Frieda conceded. “Never married, right? And the place was kind of…stereotypical-looking. Like, he knew how to decorate.”

“Richard didn’t say anything about his personal life?”

“Nothing much about him at all,” Lucy said. “We’ve been trying to figure him out for a while. I mean, we’re not heirs by default, he named us in the will. But we never even knew him. I can’t even remember meeting him.”

“Me either,” Frieda said. “I can’t remember meeting anyone from Mom’s side of the family. Dad said they kind of dropped off the radar after she died.”

“She didn’t have much family anyway,” Lucy said. “Her parents were gone, remember? So it would’ve just been Oliver and any extended family. And if Oliver didn’t have kids, that meant we didn’t have any cousins. Mom might’ve but….”

“He’s a stranger,” Frieda said. “And he gave us all this money.”

“I think maybe that’s why I want to hold on to the house,” Lucy said. “At least for a little while. Kind of…get to know him.”

“We’ve got time,” Frieda said. “I still haven’t figured out what I want to do with myself. Just no more sheep, that’s all I know.”

Ophelia grinned. “You can be the caretaker.”

“Of our country estate?”

“Exactly!”

Lucy giggled.

“Maybe we could put in a pool and hire a pool boy too,” Ophelia said.

“You don’t need a pool boy,” Dad said wryly.

“Somebody would have to take care of the pool,” Ophelia objected.

“Enough,” Dad said.

Thinking about the house helped keep her distracted…right up until they dropped off Dad and Lucy’s sisters. Then she was alone in the car with Jason. Handsome, handsome, blue-eyed Jason. It was like he could see right into her, right down to the bone.

“We’ll tell them tomorrow,” she said. “About…all this. I need tonight to let it sink in.” She reached over tentatively and took his hand.

He just grinned. “Thank you,” he said. “For trusting me. I know…I know I’ve asked a lot of you.”

“Don’t,” she said. “You’re going to make me all mushy.”

He laughed. “Mushy wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but I’ll take it.” His eyes darted over to her. “Got any plans for when we get back to your place?”

She had all kinds of ideas, but they all flew out of her head as soon as he asked the question. “Um,” she said. “Kind of?”

“Kind of,” he said, and his voice was warm, rich. It sent another shiver down her spine. “I don’t know, maybe we better go with my plans.”

“What were your plans?”

“Well,” he said. “I was thinking of your kitchen table. It’s pretty sturdy, don’t you think?”

The kitchen table had crossed her mind. She shifted her weight again. God, she was wet. “I bought it at a yard sale. The guy said it was made from a barn door. That…that sounds pretty sturdy, right?”

“What about the legs?”

“They’re pretty big. I think. I mean, they’re thick. I mean….” Everything that was coming out of her mouth sounded dirty. “I bought it to hold some weight. Not for—for my art supplies and things.”

“Big and thick,” he said. “That the sort of thing you like?”

She bit her lower lip so hard it hurt. “Sometimes,” she said. They were almost at her house, but she was going crazy now, her body almost feverishly hot. She couldn’t wait to get out of the truck, to get her hands on him. To have his hands on her. Would he claw? “Werewolves—do you change, like, in bed?”

He laughed. “No, a little bit of claws and fangs sometimes. But…that’s up to you.”

That sounded pretty hot, actually. “Oh,” she said. “Really?”

“Yeah, the change—it’s like dropping over a cliff, once it’s really kicked in. You can’t stop it. But you can do a little bit, at the edge. I’ll show you, if you want.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Sure.” She pressed her thighs closer together. It didn’t help at all. It just felt hotter. And wetter.

“Almost there,” he said. “Almost there.”

She wanted him. Wanted him so much. Almost wasn’t close enough. She wanted to get her hand between her legs, but she wanted to wait, too. Wait until they were alone together.

Jason didn’t waste any time parking. Lucy almost ran to the apartment door.

There was a box on the steps. It had her name on it, and a return address she didn’t recognize. “I….” She looked over at Jason, who had a deeply concerned look on his face.

“It smells all right,” he said, glancing around. “I think I might—” He looked at her. “I can tell better if I change. Is that all right?”

“Yes,” she said. “If—”

“I’ll be fast,” he said, and winked. It was fast. For a second, his hair was thicker, his nose longer, and she caught a flash of tooth, and then—