by Marla Monroe
“Let’s go, precious. I’ll walk you inside.” Jessup helped her down from the cab of the truck.
She was thankful that Joseph wasn’t going inside with them. She was sure he would have insisted that he accompany her back to the back to talk to her boss. As it was, Jessup only waited for her at the counter while she slipped in back to find Mr. Craigly.
“Nessa, are you okay, honey?” he asked when she knocked on the office door.
“Um, I’ll be fine. I wanted to talk to you about being off, Mr. Craigly.”
“Nessa, hon, you need to find somewhere safe to live. That brother of yours was here looking for you early this morning. As angry as he was, I honestly think he might have tried to kill you if you’d been here. As it was I had a hard time getting him to leave. I almost called the sheriff on him.” Mr. Craigly appeared genuinely worried about her, but she figured he was just as worried that Derrick would cause trouble.
She realized that she would have to quit after all. Derrick wouldn’t leave her alone, and if he caused too much trouble, she’d lose her job anyway. It was there in her boss’s eyes.
“Actually, that was why I came in. I found somewhere to live and won’t be able to work anymore since I don’t have transportation to drive in anymore. I’m really sorry about not giving you any notice. I honestly would if I could.” She winced at how pathetic that sounded.
“I understand, Nessa. You’ve been a good employee and a hard worker. Don’t think I didn’t notice the number of times you came in to work and were obviously in pain. I’m just glad you’re getting out of that situation. Your brother is dangerous,” he said, shaking his head.
Nessa accepted an envelope with her last paycheck and thanked him for understanding. She walked back out front to find Jessup in the same spot she’d left him. He relaxed as soon as he caught sight of her as if he’d been afraid she’d disappear through another door and not come back.
“Ready to go?” he asked with a smile.
She nodded her head and let him lead her back outside. Joseph started the truck as soon as he saw them heading in his direction. Once his brother had her settled and buckled in, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove through what there was of the small almost town of Wolf’s Pass toward Cascade. She’d have been fine with stopping at the general store for what little she needed, but Joseph was driving and she had been instructed that what she wanted didn’t matter, more or less.
As they headed for the slightly larger town, Nessa wondered if she should tell them what Mr. Craigly had told her about Derrick. She was just mad enough not to, but somehow it seemed petty and childish when they were risking their lives for her, not to mention that she was scared.
“Um, my boss said Derrick had been by this morning looking for me. Evidently he was pretty upset that I hadn’t been home.” Nessa kept her gaze on her hands.
“What did your boss say about it?” Jessup asked, covering her hands with one of his massive ones.
“That he was glad I hadn’t been there. He said he was worried about me. I told him that I had a safe place and couldn’t work anymore.” She risked a glance up at Jessup.
He smiled down at her and squeezed her hands. “Good. We’ll keep you safe, sweetness. Give us a chance.”
She nodded then looked over at Joseph to find his mouth tight and his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. She could tell he was trying to keep from saying anything that would upset her just by the set of his jaw. She quickly looked away and focused on the scenery straight ahead of her. They would be in Cascade soon.
The small town was actually only a step up from Wolf’s Pass in size but did have a few more stores according to people she’d talked to at the truck stop. She’d never actually been there before. Before they’d ended up living in the trailer in Wolf’s Pass, they’d lived in Billings. Once they landed in the tiny community living in the rundown trailer, she’d never been allowed to go anywhere else. Derrick had liked keeping her under his thumb so he could control everything she did.
Once she’d turned eighteen and he’d gone through all of her inheritance, she’d mistakenly thought he would leave her alone and she could escape his abuse and neglect. Instead, he’d gotten more restrictive and found another use for her. One she didn’t like to think about and didn’t want anyone to know about either. She doubted Joseph or Jessup would still want her for their mate if they knew the entire truth. Nessa cringed at the thought of them finding out.
“Park as close to that dress shop as you can get, Joe. I don’t want her out in the open any more than we can help.” Jessup pointed toward a storefront.
Nessa focused on the small town around her as Joseph slowed the truck to turn into a parking spot in front of a line of stores. There were at least five stores to choose from that she could see. None of the names were visible from where she sat, but the windows held hints of what they sold. The dress shop Jessup had pointed out did indeed have several mannequins in the window wearing pretty dresses. They looked too sophisticated to her. She wasn’t used to anything fancy. She sighed, at least not in the last seven or eight years.
“Stay with one of us at all times, babe. Since neither one of us knows what your brother looks like, we don’t trust anyone near you,” Joseph said as he unfastened his seat belt.
Jessup had hers off and had climbed out of the cab already. Now he held his hand out to help her down as well. The second her feet touched the ground, both men guided her toward the dress shop.
“I’m not sure they are going to have anything for me here.” She really didn’t want to go in that store.
“We’ll check and see. If not, we’ll move on to the next store.” Jessup held her hand in his as Joseph kept one hand at the small of her back.
As soon as they stepped into the store, cool air greeted them as well as an older woman of about fifty dressed in a neat navy-blue linen pantsuit. Nessa couldn’t help but admire how nice she looked. Expecting the woman to look down her nose at her in her tattered jeans and T-shirt, she was surprised when instead she smiled and asked how she could help them.
“Hello, Grace. We’re looking for some things for our mate, Nessa,” Jessup told the woman.
Nessa gaped at the two men. They knew the woman and evidently she knew they were wolves since they’d called her their mate. Did that mean she was a wolf, too?
“Congratulations! What wonderful news! You haven’t announced it yet though, have you? I know I hadn’t heard if you have,” she said, clasping her hands together in front of her.
“Thank you. No, we haven’t announced it yet. We are waiting to clear up some things first before introducing her to the pack. I hope you will help us keep this quiet for now,” Jessup said.
Grace eyed Joseph quickly before lowering her eyes. “Of course. I would never speak out of turn. You said our?”
“Yes, he did.” Joseph almost growled out the reply.
“Then you are returning to your family? I know they have missed you.” Grace didn’t look at him as she spoke.
Nessa wanted to snap at the woman not to treat him differently because of his scars, but she didn’t really have a right to say anything and didn’t know the older woman well enough to chide her over it.
“We don’t have much time, Grace. Maybe you could show us what you have in her size.” Jessup obviously knew his brother well enough to know that the situation was deteriorating.
“Of course. Right this way.” She led them deeper into the store where she finally turned her attention to Nessa. “Hmm, you are a tiny thing. I’d say a size ten.”
“See. You need fattening up. That’s entirely too thin,” Joseph said with a frown.
When she would have said something to the effect that she wasn’t trying to please him, Grace stepped in and whisked her away to a dressing room.
“Don’t bother saying anything to him about it, child. You’ll not get anywhere with him. Your best course of action is to nod silently and proceed to do as you wish. Take my word for i
t. They are very opinionated wolves. As the ruling family, they have a right to be.”
Nessa frowned. “Ruling family? I don’t understand.”
Grace’s mouth fell open, but she quickly closed it. “They haven’t really told you much, have they?”
“No. I don’t know them that well. I’m not real sure about this mate business.”
Nessa watched as Grace busied herself unfastening a dress while seeming to decide what she was going to say. Finally, when she thought the older woman wasn’t going to say anything more on the subject, she turned with the dress in her hand and indicated that Nessa should undress.
“They will have to be the ones to talk to you about everything. You’re not a shifter, so I can’t really say more to you when you haven’t been introduced to the pack as a new member by mating. I will say that if they are claiming you as their mate, then you are. It’s not something a wolf can ignore or anything. They don’t pick out their mates based on what they look like. Mates are mystical and once they are located, it is set in stone. Either you accept them or you don’t, but they have no choice. You’re it for them.”
With that, Grace clammed up and helped her finish pulling on the dress. Once it was secured, she urged Nessa to walk out of the dressing room to let the men see the dress on her. She had to admit, the pretty yellow dress fit her perfectly. It was a little more feminine than she was accustomed to, but she couldn’t help but fall in love with how it felt on her body.
“Perfect,” Jessup said with a broad smile. “I knew Grace would be able to help.”
Nessa allowed the woman to parade her in front of the men in dress after dress before moving on to pantsuits. All the while, she pondered what it meant that Jessup and Joseph didn’t have a choice in who their mate was. What did that say about how they really felt about her? If they were stuck with her, did they really like her at all?
By the time they’d finished, to her dismay, they’d bought her several of the pretty dresses and four other outfits.
“You’ll want to go down to Allison’s shop for intimates. I don’t carry them since she does.” Grace handed the last package to Joseph as she spoke.
“Thank you for all of your help, Grace,” Jessup said.
“And for keeping our announcement quiet for now,” Joseph added.
“I look forward to the ceremony.” Grace waved them out as they left.
“What did she mean by intimates?” Nessa asked after they had stowed their purchases in the truck and started down the sidewalk.
“Hot, sexy underwear, babe. All for you.” Joseph popped her lightly on the ass before returning his hand to her shoulder.
“Hell no!”
Chapter Eight
Allison’s shop was simply called Intimates. The woman who met them as they walked in the door didn’t quite go with the classy style of the shop. Her long, layered purple hair seemed odd enough without the glittering nose stud and tongue ball. She had multiple piercings in both ears, and since her top didn’t cover her entire abdomen, the belly ring was pretty noticeable as well. Needless to say, Nessa had to look again to see what color her eyes were since all the jewelry drew her attention. They were hazel with swirls of green and brown.
Nessa hadn’t wanted to go in the store, but both Jessup and Joseph insisted and walked her between them down the sidewalk. Now she listened as the oddly decorated woman confirmed that she was Allison and it was indeed her shop.
“Are you looking for sexy, sensual, or kinky?” Allison asked.
“Sexy and sensual,” Joseph said before she could say anything.
“Follow me and I’ll show you what we have.”
They followed her to the back of the store where she indicated several racks and shelves of panties and bras in every imaginable color. She could feel the heat suffuse her neck and face as the unusual woman pointed out various sets to them.
“The greens and blues will look great on her,” Jessup said.
“Let’s look at some deep reds, too.” Joseph fingered some of the silky looking material.
“Don’t I get any say in my own underwear?” She couldn’t help the sarcasm apparent in her voice.
“Of course you do, precious. What colors do you like?” Jessup asked, running his hand up and down her back.
“Plain white is all I need.”
Joseph actually growled. She took a step back. It wasn’t that she was scared of him. For some reason, she wasn’t, but she didn’t trust that he wouldn’t make good on his many promises to spank her.
“White does nothing for your pale skin and beautiful eyes, Nessa. Let us pick out your things, okay?” Jessup kissed the top of her head.
She looked up at him and caught him sending his twin an obvious reprimanding look. She ducked her head and watched as Allison pulled out several sets in the colors the men had told her and laid them in a fan arrangement on an empty table that was probably for that very reason. She’d also added in a separate grouping a couple of black sets in different styles. Nessa couldn’t help but admire all of the lovely undergarments, but she really had no use for anything that fancy. They were made for sexy, beautiful women, not women like her.
The two men looked at the display and talked between them. Allison had disappeared, leaving her standing alone behind the men. She felt completely out of place in the classy-looking store despite the owner’s odd body art. She was sure she’d seen a hint of a tattoo peeking out from the bottom of her blouse on her back and the glimpse of another one at the waistband of her pants under her belly piercing.
“Nessa. Come here, babe. What do you think of what we’ve picked out?” Joseph’s voice startled her.
She slowly eased forward and stood between the two men to see what they’d chosen. When Jessup’s hand settled at the back of her shoulder, she began to relax. Then she noted the ones Joseph was pointing out and shivered. They’d picked out over a dozen bra-and-panty sets in shades of dark red, navy blue, greens, and black.
“There’s too many, guys. I don’t need more than four sets. I rinse them out every night.”
She felt Joseph stiffen next to her. She’d upset him for some reason. She looked up into his face.
“You will not be rinsing them out nightly anymore. You are our mate. You will have what you need, what you desire.” His voice though low, held plenty of strength.
“I’m not used to all of this. Why would I need more than a few anyway?” she asked.
Jessup chuckled and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Because we plan to make you wet for us on a regular basis and you’ll have to change your panties often.”
“Because I may decide to tear them off of you when I want to taste some of that delicious cream or make you come.” Joseph’s hot breath as he whispered into her other ear sent chills down her spine.
She didn’t say another word or look up at them as Allison returned with her arms full of more silk and satin. She nodded at their choices before removing them and clearing off the table to spread out the amazing negligées and gowns she had brought back with her. Again, she’d chosen them in the colors the men had given her.
“These are the styles I thought would complement her body type the most. She has a very sensual figure,” Allison said.
“What do you think, Nessa? Do you like any of these?” Jessup asked.
Joseph leaned down so that only she could hear. “Although you won’t need them very often or for long.”
She hissed in a breath at the intended meaning behind his words. She couldn’t stop the images of him removing them from her body before ripping her underwear off. She quickly pushed the images away and fought to remain calm and quiet. She didn’t need him to know how much he affected her, though maybe he already knew.
“They are all pretty. I—I don’t know. Maybe the longer ones.”
Joseph chuckled beside her. “We expected that. Didn’t we, brother?”
“She’s obviously modest.” Jessup held up one of the longer emerald-green gowns in fro
nt of her and smiled. “I can see you in this, Nessa.”
Nessa smiled. She couldn’t help but respond to Jessup’s comment. She had known him longer than Joseph and had begun to relax and enjoy being with him. It would take time with Joseph. It hit her then that she had accepted that she was to be both of their mate. When had she decided to accept their claim?
She didn’t have time to think more about it as they were having Allison ring up everything and package it up for them to leave. She cringed once again at the amount of money they were spending. They’d obviously chosen some of the shorter negligées as well as the longer gowns since the woman was adding them to the packages. Images of her dressed in the dark red had her heart beating fast drumbeats in her chest. It led to thoughts of the men standing on either side of her running their hands all over her body beneath the silk material. Nessa was sure her nipples were poking at her plain white utilitarian bra even as they guided her back outside toward the truck.
“Let’s go to the Burger Barn for something to eat before we head back home,” Jessup suggested.
Nessa was relieved that they didn’t plan to shop any more. The entire ordeal, though easier than she’d anticipated, left her shaky inside. She didn’t feel comfortable with the expensive outfits they’d bought her. She’d never owned anything like what they’d bought other than when she’d been a child.
They pulled into the gravel parking lot for the Burger Barn, and Jessup helped her out of the truck. The brothers escorted her inside the diner-type restaurant and over to a table in the back. Once they’d sat down, the waitress appeared to take their order. There were several other groups already eating with a few more waiting for their food. As she looked around, she didn’t recognize anyone she knew. That went a long way to settling her stomach. All she needed was for one of her brother’s friends or acquaintances to recognize her.
They ordered burgers and fries along with their drinks. The men chose beer, but Nessa stuck with Diet Coke. She didn’t need alcohol to muddle her mind. Nothing between her and the brothers was settled yet as far as she was concerned. Maybe she had made up her mind to accept them, but they still needed to talk.