by Edith Hawkes
Bearllionaire Stepbrother
Bear Oaks Book 1
Edith Hawkes
Contents
1. Jessica
2. Jake
3. Jessica
4. Jake
5. Jess
6. Jake
7. Jessica
8. Jake
9. Jessica
10. Jake
11. Jessica
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One
Jessica
My life was over; my world as I knew it was ending.
This can’t be happening.
My dad’s face was beaming when he told me the “great” news that would rip me from everything I knew. I’d had a bad feeling it was coming but had kept clinging to the fantasy that he’d change his mind.
“We’re moving to the great outdoors,” he grinned. “Just imagine it: all the fresh clean air, no more traffic! You’re going to love it!”
Did he not know me at all? Me, in the humid woods… with this hair? It was bad enough trying to keep the big ball of untameable frizz straight as it was.
I was a city girl, born and raised amidst all the noise, used to the convenience of everything being so close by… There was no way I could make it out in the wilderness. I needed the big libraries and countless coffee shops. Oh god, did they have Wi-Fi up there? I was starting to panic now. And how on earth would I live without sushi and Chinese takeaways? My tummy rumbled just at the thought. I was going to starve!
“Dad, are you sure this is what you want? You and Alex? Can’t she and Jake move in with us down here?” I looked up at him and saw his smile falter. I felt guilty asking, but what the hell? If you don’t ask, you don’t get. That was my motto.
“Well, yes, technically they could. But Jess, you know they have the timber business up there. It’s not feasible for them to commute each day,” he said, pausing. “And with the magazine I can work from anywhere. It makes sense for us to move in with them. But honey, if you really don’t want to go, I’m sure we can figure something out. Maybe I could go up on the weekends and spend the rest of the time in the city with you?”
Shit. I’ve turned into a selfish brat. And after he’d been through so much already. I couldn’t say no to him now and break his partially mended heart.
His happy demeanour had completely vanished, and I’d been the one to cause it to fade. I berated myself for being so stupid. My dad would actually give up living with his new wife for me, but I couldn’t be the one to ruin the only relationship that had ever made him truly happy. Ever since my mom died and for a very long while afterwards, he’d been a shell of a man, doing what was necessary to get through the day, living only for me – making sure I had everything I needed.
Meeting Alex in a chance encounter had been a life changer; it had breathed new life into him, and into me to an extent. Nope, I would have to suck it up and put my own feelings aside. It was my turn to take care of him, to make sure he was happy for a change. It would just be for a year anyway, I thought. After my gap year I’d be off to University.
“No, Dad, I was just making sure it was what you wanted,” I said and forced a smile onto my plump cheeks. I can do this. I can sacrifice a year of my life for my dad.
“Good. You can’t believe how happy this makes me. You and me, Alex and Jake – a new family,” he said, pulling me into a hug.
The mention of Jake’s name made my ears prick up. The mysterious and elusive Jake whom I was finally going to meet. My curiosity was already brewing; I wondered what my new stepbrother would be like and if we’d get along. Apparently he wasn’t all too social, and according my dad, the lodge we were moving into was huge, so even if we didn’t get along, there’d be so much room I’d probably never have to see him. It did seem a little bizarre that I hadn’t met him yet, but I promised myself to make an effort for dad’s benefit.
I’d met Alex plenty of times, of course, and she was as sweet as they came - would do anything for my Dad - but Jake always seemed to be too busy to come down from his mountain, always ready with an excuse. He hadn’t even made it to the wedding a couple of months ago. I frowned. How much time did it really take to run a timber company? It’s only wood, I naively thought. Or perhaps he didn’t approve of my dad? My hackles rose up instinctively at the thought. Why wouldn’t Alex like him? Everyone loved my dad, Thomas.
But my fate was sealed, and I was trading in my heels for rugged hiking boots whether I liked it or not. A couple of days later we packed up our tired old house and crammed boxes filled with memories into the moving van. We were ready for our new life… but oh, who knew what I was in for once we got to Scarfell Mountain.?
Two
Jake
Everything was about to change. I hated change. I liked my world how it was, quiet and safe. No drama, thank you very much.
Different scenarios played through my mind on how I could stop this from happening, but everything I came up with would ultimately break my mother’s heart. She wanted this, and after a life of solitude – namely looking after yours truly – she needed it. My mom, Alex, deserved a chance at happiness.
I had everything the way I wanted. Life was easy, simple, without any complications, but this new marriage had turned my world upside down, sending a huge spanner in the works… into a very well-oiled and delicate machine. And if I was being honest with myself, I really could do without the stress. I had enough on my plate as it was.
The small community up on Scarfell Mountain depended on me to keep them safe; they trusted me. By allowing two newcomers who had no clue what they were getting into to join us was a recipe for disaster.
It was downright dangerous, and I scolded myself once again for permitting them to come live with us.
But how, in my right mind, could I say no to the woman that gave birth to me? Who raised me and kept me safe all those years when it was abundantly clear I was out of control? Hormones had been ravaging my body during my change…
I think back to those dark days, believing I was the only one, a freak, until one day, after years of searching, following the tiniest clues about my father that my mother had provided, after making countless expeditions, I found my kind and led them, one by one, to sanctuary. To Scarfell Mountain.
Yet, now it was all in jeopardy, a house of cards aching to fall. All because two people claimed to be in love (pfft! no such thing) and because I didn’t have the heart to say no.
I had to prepare, to inform those who needed to know, to make sure our secret stayed secret. That, however, would be a tall order, I knew, especially when the mountain was teeming with unpredictable and volatile shifters – werebears.
“Everyone just calm down,” I said, raising my hands. The roar in the community lodge, Green Oak’s bar, slowly faded away. The chatter dissipated, and a dozen anxious faces peered up at me.
“This shouldn’t come as a shock to you all. You’ve known for quite a while now about Alex and Tom and what that could mean for our community—”
“Yeah, that’s all well and good, Jake, but what about the daughter? Bringing in one stranger is bad enough, but two?” Doug interrupted as he got out of his chair, riling up the crowd once again. I made a mental note to talk him about his behaviour later. I couldn’t let him challenge my authority.
“Sit down,” I growled.
The roar echoed around the bar, and Doug slunk back down, as if I’d injured him.
I took a deep breath. Get it together; you’re going to lose them! There was no need to cause a mutiny, but I had to make them see reason.
“It’s unfortunate, yes. But we’
ve dealt with bigger issues in the past when we’ve stuck together. I know we can make this work. And you’ll be glad to hear that Tom’s daughter, Jessica, will be staying for just a year.”
“Well I don’t like it…” Doug grumbled under his breath, and he pinned me with his gaze.
“Just keep to yourselves. Act normal, don’t shift unnecessarily, and I’ll make sure she stays clear of the east side of the mountain. Agreed?” I added, giving them the illusion of choice.
Several heads nodded. “Aye, we can do this, lads,” said Hank, the eldest member of the community, and a cheer of assent went up in response. I gave him a grateful nod.
Doug shook his head and stormed off towards the door. “It’s like you’ve all been neutered!” He slammed the thick wooden door, causing it to rattle and splinter in its frame.
Three
Jessica
The truck chugged along as I stared out the window, watching all my old haunts roll by. My taste buds would never forgive me, I thought, as I continued to mourn the loss of all my favourite restaurants, eateries and pâtisseries. I wanted to jump out of the truck and collect going-away samples from each and every one of them. Oh well, I sighed. It was probably for the best, and although I rocked my curves and was happy with the size of my butt and boobs, I didn’t exactly eat very healthfully.
Let there, at least, be one decent take-away, though, up in the mountains, I pleaded, sending up a little prayer. Just one.
Hours drifted by, and I must’ve dozed off at some point. When I awoke, the view through the windscreen was dominated by a mass of solid rock with intense green trees skirting its sides.
“Whoa,” I breathed.
“Isn’t it something?” my dad agreed.
Up in the distance, I could just make out a gate with a small hut cozied up alongside it. Dad slowed the vehicle as we approached. I looked quickly to the left, then right, puzzled by what I saw. A heavy-duty fence, metres high, looked as if it circled the entire base of the mountain.
I glanced over to my dad as he wound his window down to speak to the guard who approached.
“Is this some kind of army base?” I asked, my eyes wide. What on earth did they have behind the fence that they needed to protect? “Or some crazy cult compound? Dad, this is not normal,” I urged.
“Don’t be silly,” he replied and drove through the opened gate. The guard had obviously recognised him. “This is Scarfell. They just like to keep it secure.”
“Secure from what?”
“I’m not sure, really… trespassers? They do have a lot of equipment up there,” he said.
Well that was reassuring… not! I’d reserve judgment for later, but the first sign of any funny business or Kool-Aid parties, and I would plough right through that gate and not look back.
The road wound up and around the side of the mountain, and every so often, through the dense fir trees, I’d glimpse the breath-taking view. It was beautiful. At least it had that going for it, I reasoned.
“Whoa,” I said again as we passed several log cabins, but these weren’t any regular run-of-the-mill cabins. They were modern, wooden mansions. “Is everyone on the mountain rich?” I asked. I knew my new step-family had money, but I hadn’t envisaged the whole mountain, every person’s house, looking like it was part of a multi-million dollar spa retreat that you glimpsed in celebrity magazines.
He shrugged. “Everyone who lives on the mountain works for Jake’s company: Bear Oak. They get a share of the profits, I think, so I guess they do all right for themselves.”
My stepbrother was getting more intriguing the more I heard about him. Maybe having him as a stepbrother wouldn’t be so bad after all, especially if he was this generous with his employees.
“Here we are,” my dad said as we pulled up to our new home. I was genuinely gobsmacked. The house was double the size of any of the others we’d just seen, and I tried to understand how this ginormous home managed to perch of the side of a mountain.
“Finally, you’re here!” I heard Alex squeal as she came running out of the house and into my dad’s arms. They embraced and kissed like they were horny teenagers, and I averted my eyes, trying to pretend I was interested in the view instead.
Awkward!
“You must be Jessica,” a voice from behind me said. The low timbre of the man’s words and the way he said my name sent uncontrollable shivers through to my very core. Whoever he was, he sounded positively delicious.
I turned around to stand in the shadow of the hugest guy I’d ever seen. Had I shrunk or something? At only 5’5” I was beginning to feel tiny in this giant land - everything was so big.
Looking upwards, he must’ve been at least 6’6”. My eyes traced up the man’s torso to his broad, muscular shoulders. He wore a similar outfit to that of the guard, and I immediately assumed he was one of the Bear Oak employees. A very sexy one whom I wouldn’t mind getting to know further, I thought.
Down girl! What is wrong with you? You’ve been here for two seconds, and you’re already thinking about getting your freak on? I must hungry, I thought. Yeah, hungry for a bite of this delicious man-meat!
I swallowed as I saw his thick neck, his veins pulsing at the side. At last our eyes made contact, and I held my breath, not knowing what to say or do as I fell into his sweet caramel eyes.
Scarfell wasn’t looking too bad right about now - I could live without my little indulgences as long as all the men up here looked like him. I’d eat them up instead!
As I beamed at him, the man continued to stare at me. Had he asked me a question? I had completely zoned out, imagining what he would look like with that shirt off… undressing him in my mind.
“Ah, Jess, you look as gorgeous as ever,” Alex said as she pulled me into a hug, forcing me to break eye contact with the tall super-stud. “I see you’ve met Jake already.”
WHAT? No no no! This can’t be happening. Surely she said Jack and not Jake, my new stepbrother?
The guy looked at me and grinned, and I almost melted right there and then. “Hi, I’m Jake,” he said and stuck out his meaty paw. His hand enveloped mine, making it disappear like a magic trick, as we shook. I was not a dainty girl, but my limbs were like a doll’s in comparison to his intimidating frame.
I quickly claimed my hand back, my fingers brushing over his palm as they escaped, realising I was enjoying his touch too much and feeling a wash of shame at the thought.
“Jess,” I managed stutter in reply. You blithering idiot! I was totally not doing myself any favours, and I blushed.
“I know,” he chuckled. “Welcome to my mountain.”
“Your mountain?” I asked before realising the words were out of my rude mouth. “You own the whole bloody thing?”
He nodded, “Yup, from the fence line at the bottom all the way to the top.”
My eyes bugged out. OK, so he had a lot of money, but he wasn’t being serious, was he? How do you get to own a mountain? I doubt they have listings for that in the real-estate pages… Next he’ll be telling me he owns an active volcano!
“Stop showing off, Jake,” Alex warned, shaking her head. “Come, Jess, I’ll show you around Bear Oak Lodge, your new home. You have to pick which room you want.” She linked up with me and led me away from my hot stepbrother.
God, I have to stop. Did I have no shame? No more sexy thoughts!
“He was joking, right, about the mountain?” I whispered into her ear once we were far enough away.
“Oh, no, dear. He really does own the mountain and everything on it.”
Four
Jake
I totally wasn’t prepared. Not for her.
She got out of the car and my mind froze, but the rest of my body was on fire. Every cell was calling, urging me to get closer, to breathe her in.
This wasn’t going to end well, I thought.
My mom went running to her new husband while I stayed behind, partially hidden behind one of the large pillars on the porch. I watched her squirm an
d scrunch up her cute button nose as the two lovebirds sucked face. Something inside me told me I would do anything to lick that nose…
And those curves. Damn, she was an hourglass that could stop time itself. My cock twitched just at the sight of her.
Snap out of it, for fuck’s sake!
But my legs moved on their own accord, and before I knew it, I was calling her name. Her head turned to look at me, and her thick black curls swished over her shoulders.
The blue of her eyes matched the clear crystal hue of the sky above us. They sparkled at me, full of desire. My mouth watered; even from a few steps away I could smell her scent from between her legs, her excitement. Oh god, she was feeling it, too.
This had to be a cruel joke. This could not be my new stepsister. One I had to live with for at least a year? I would never make it. I would have to go live in a cave on the other side of the mountain, as far away from her as I could get!
Full of nervous energy, my mouth starting spilling nonsense, bragging like a privileged jerk.
Shut up, shut up. SHUT UP!
She must’ve thought I was an arrogant fool. I clamped my jaw down tight to prevent any further embarrassment and gave her an insane grin instead.
Oh, yes, let’s make her think I’m crazy idiot - ‘cause that’s so much better.
My mother thankfully came to my rescue and escorted Jess up to the lodge.
I watched them go, my eyes discretely fixed upon Jess’ delectable heart-shaped rump in those skin-tight indigo jeans, her hips swinging from side to side as she walked up the stairs.
Be still my throbbing cock…
* * *
It was lust, I told myself as I quickly made my excuses and darted off to my en-suite. I cooled off under a stream of ice-cold water, letting the temperature plummet till I shivered. But the literal cold shower wasn’t helping - my skin burned with desire for her, and the raging hard-on that had persisted since seeing Jess was not going away anytime soon; I knew I had to have her. One way or another.