by Ripley, Meg
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Mated To My Brother’s Best Friend
Werebears Of Glacier Bay
Meg Ripley
Copyright © 2018 by Meg Ripley
www.redlilypublishing.com
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, with the exception of brief quoted passages left in an online review. This book is a fictional story. All characters, names, and situations are of the author’s creation. Any resemblances to actual situations or to persons who are alive or dead are purely coincidental.
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only; this copy is not available for resale or to give to another reader aside from any transaction through Amazon’s e-book lending program.
Disclaimer
This book is intended for readers age 18 and over. It contains mature situations and language that may be objectionable to some readers.
Contents
Mated To My Brother’s Best Friend
Preview Of Alpha’s Secret Baby
Preview Of Damien’s Nanny
About the Author
Mated To My Brother’s Best Friend
Werebears Of Glacier Bay
1
Kylie
I sat at the table, looking out over the dance floor. In the center, my brother Cooper danced with his new wife, Alexis, and they both glowed with joy. I felt happy for them and loved having a little nephew to dote on. Everyone in attendance from the guests to the bridal party seemed to be out on the dance floor, having a blast. As my eyes continued to pass across the room, I took in the details of the rustic wedding. I’d always wanted a wedding like that—in a barn in the woods, with lots of rich golds and deep reds for autumn. Now that Cooper and his wife had had my dream wedding, I would need a new dream.
“It’s much better out there, you know.” Jace gave a nod toward the crowd, sliding into the seat beside me.
“It looks it.”
“Then why are you over here bumming?”
I raised a shoulder and hoped he would leave it at that. But of course, he didn’t.
“I’ve never seen you not dance,” he went on. “How many school dances did we go to? How many weddings and family events? You always dance, Kylie.”
I gritted my teeth and blinked fast. “It’s different now.”
Finally, he seemed to understand that it wasn’t just about me pouting or not feeling up to it. “What is?”
“Me. I can’t dance.”
“Why’s that?”
I scoffed. “Well, let’s see. There are two metal plates and six pins holding the bones of my leg together. There’s the fact that putting too much pressure on that leg still hurts. There’s also the fact that this accident has made me less coordinated than I used to be.” I crossed my arms and promised myself I wouldn’t cry. After all, the day wasn’t about me and my car accident.
Jace stood in front of me and held out his hand. I glared up at him. He pushed his hand closer to me and I looked away.
“Ky, come on; I’m your best dancing partner and you know it. You don’t need those crutches if you’ve got me.”
I sighed, wiping away a stray tear, then wrapped my arm around his and let him help me to my feet, leaving my crutches resting against the table. When he stopped on the dance floor, I leaned on my good leg and held onto his waist to steady myself. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and pulled me closer to him.
“Thank you,” I said as I lay my head on his shoulder. “You’re always there for me. First with the accident, and now this, and countless other ways throughout the years.”
“You’d do the same for me,” he replied.
I lifted my head to meet his gaze. I absolutely would. “I’m finally going back to work the day after tomorrow.”
“The day after tomorrow?” He raised his eyebrows. “How are you going to do that?”
“Light duty. Desk work.”
He looked relieved. “That’s good. At least you’ll get to rest.”
“I’ve had enough freaking rest. I’m antsy to get back out there.”
“So, you’ve shifted?”
I gulped. He had me and he knew it. “Not yet.”
He pressed his lips together.
“Hey.” I poked his shoulder. “Humans do my job, too, you know. Shifting is not a requirement for being on the search and rescue squad.”
“I suppose. I’d just like to make sure you’re fully healed before you get back out there. Have you not been able to shift?”
“It’s not that. I can feel it calling, I’m just…afraid to. I’m pretty sure it’ll hurt like hell, and I’ll just have to deal with that. But I have all these…other parts now. What will happen to my plates and pins when my bones move? What if it screws up my human leg or my bear leg?”
He pulled me close and put one hand to my cheek. “Don’t think about all that,” he urged.
“No one knows the answers. I don’t think I can take the chance.”
“You’ll feel it,” he assured me. “It’ll feel right or wrong. Either way, you’ll know, and if you go with it and let your body do its thing, you’ll be okay. I do think it might hurt, though.”
“You really think so?”
“About which part?”
“All of it? That I’ll know? That it’ll hurt?”
He nodded. “I think so, yes. To both.”
I let myself settle again with my head on his shoulder. He felt so warm and close. I inhaled, trying to etch his scent deeper into my mind. It smelled different than his usual cologne, the one he’d been wearing since we were in our teens. I felt so safe in his arms. How many years had it been since I first fell in love with Jace?
When Jace moved in next door, Cooper was 12 and I was 8. I remember that day clearly. Jace and Cooper were the same age, which was part of what instantly brought them together. I’d been the dorky tag along for many years, but when I grew into adolescence, they let me hang out a little more often. They made me prove myself to them. And I had.
My first crush ever was Jace. I think I was maybe 9, and it wasn’t long after he moved in that I began to notice him. Cooper and Jace were running around the back yard one day and Cooper fell and got hurt. Jace ran to him to make sure he was okay, and something in his little concerned face made me feel the depth of his character—not that I had any idea what that was all about at that age. Later, I realized that was moment I fell in love with him. And since then, that love has only grown deeper.
So, from age 8 until now at 23. Fifteen years spent loving him. Fifteen years of watching him go through girl after girl. Always dating someone, but never staying with any of them. He seemed determined to date the entire high school, repeatedly breaking my heart in the process.
He must be dating someone now, I told myself. He’s always dating someone. I imagined this woman. She was prettier than me, more fit, better coordinated. Flawless skin. Thick, silky hair. She probably had her life together. Unlike me.
What would it take to win someone like Jace? In all the time I knew him, somehow, I never figured that part out. I’d tried to get involved in his interests; in high school, I was on the yearbook team when he was a photographer. I got into cars, though it was quickly clear that I was not a gearhead. In my teen years, when I was still figuring out who I was, I’d spent years trying to be the girl I thought Jace would fall for—but I was never her. Eventually, I�
�d managed to find my identity, but I never seemed to form as much as a blip on Jace’s radar.
I thought about what Cooper’s life would be like now. Married—with a baby already—and surely more to be coming later. It was a life so different from the one I spent living in my apartment. I felt, too often, alone. Maybe that was why Jace had dated so much; maybe he felt the same and had been trying to fill the void.
2
Jace
I swayed back and forth slowly, holding her. Music must have been playing, but I paid it no attention. With Kylie so close, I could think of nothing else. I enjoyed the moment, and it made me think, once again, that I should tell her. That I should just confess and get it over with. But as many times as I’d pictured telling her, it ended in disaster every time. I knew if I told her, she would never talk to me again. I’d lose her forever. I couldn’t take the chance. Better to enjoy moments like that, so close, than to risk losing her.
She yawned and touched her forehead. Always a sign. “Let’s sit down if you’re tired.”
She nodded and let me lead her back to the table.
“I’ll get us something to drink. Cookies?”
“Sure,” she grumbled, and set her chin in her hand.
I headed over to the refreshment table and poured two cups of spiked cider. Cooper walked over, and I slapped his shoulder.
“Hey man!” I said. “How’s married life been treating you so far?”
He glanced at his watch. “Well, after three hours, I’d say I’m a regular pro.”
We shared a laugh. “Seriously, though, congrats. Alexis is great.”
“She is.” Cooper stuffed a cookie in his mouth and beamed in the direction of his bride. “Maybe one of these days it’ll be your turn.”
I shrugged. “You know, wild hearts can’t be broken.”
“I don’t think that’s a thing. You just have to find the right woman.”
“She doesn’t exist, man.” I knew it wasn’t true, but it was part of my mask. I had a certain role to uphold in our clan. Pining longingly over anything was not part of my reputation as the clan playboy.
Let alone our Alpha’s sister.
“I’m sure there’s someone special out there for you. Hey, is Kylie okay?”
I looked over at her, sitting miserably at the table, killing time on her phone. A slow smile spread across my face. “She’s good man. She’s okay.”
Cooper shot a concerned look her way.
“She’s still getting adjusted to things, you know?” I added. “Give her time.”
“I know and that’s what worries me. I want her to be able to be herself.”
I nodded. “She will be soon.”
“Well, thanks for sitting with her. I know she always appreciates her ‘other brother’ being around to support her.”
I laughed, but the comment stung. Her other brother. I sure as hell didn’t want that title.
“Oh, and by the way, thanks for not trying to bang all the bridesmaids. I know Alexis has some good-looking friends and all—”
“Come on, dude.” I waved a hand at him. “What do you think I was doing after the rehearsal?” I wiggled my eyebrows at him.
He rolled his eyes and blew out a sigh. “I should have known. Which one? No, wait. Don’t tell me. I’ll just wait to see who comes to Alexis in tears in a few days when you don’t call.”
“The Jace Man never calls,” I replied with a wink.
“Yeah, I know. That’s the problem.”
“Well, nothing to worry yourself over. You’d better get back to that bride of yours before I steal her away from you.”
He smiled and headed back to the sweetheart table where Alexis and their infant son Kodi waited for him.
I piled a plate high with cookies and couldn’t ignore the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. All the lies; so many years of them. But if I told them all the truth, I didn’t know who I would be anymore. How did I tell my friends that I wasn’t the person they thought I was all that time?
I hadn’t slept with any of the bridesmaids. Maybe I would have back in the day, but after the rehearsal, I went home alone, drank a few beers, and watched a survival show on Netflix. And that was what I did most nights, even if I’d told people I’d been out screwing some chick. I’d gotten bored with that life a long time ago, and any trace of it vanished after Kylie’s accident. Everything seemed to have changed that night.
I carried the plate back to the table.
“Thanks.” Kylie stuffed a whole oatmeal raisin cookie into her mouth and looked dejected.
A thought came into my mind; a crazy, reckless thought. No, no. But once it was there, I couldn’t deny it. Maybe it was all the spiked cider I’d been drinking, but I had to act.
“M’lady,” I stood up and held out my hand. “I request your presence.”
She raised an eyebrow and didn’t budge. “Uh, you already have it.”
I sighed. “Obviously.” I picked up her hand and pulled her to her feet. “I request your presence…elsewhere.”
She reached for her crutches and walked with me, wincing every now and then, but trying to hide it. I led her outside where there was a garden, and we walked along the path for a time. The garden wasn’t so big that we could get lost in it, but the tall shrubs and flowers provided some privacy.
I stopped by a Sitka spruce and looked up at the Alaskan moonlight peeking through its branches. I took a moment, knowing there was no going back. That moment would define the rest of my life, for better or worse.
I was shaking. She looked at me, confused.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I… I…” I couldn’t do it. The air deflated from my lungs. I couldn’t tell her. But maybe… “Kylie…”
She looked at me expectantly, and a moment later, I leaned forward and pressed my mouth to hers. At first, she jumped in shock and pulled back. She met my eyes for a few seconds, then returned the gesture, locking her lips with mine.
I leaned her back against the spruce for support and ran my hands through her hair, while hers roamed over my chest. My head spun. Is this really happening? Her lips were so soft, her mouth, so warm. My heart raced, thinking at any moment, she’d realize what we were doing and stop. But she never did.
“Come upstairs with me?” I murmured along her neck. My hotel room was so close. Just a few hundred feet back inside, then a short elevator ride up to the third floor.
She didn’t respond with words, but grabbed her crutches, turned and took my hand. I followed her to the elevator, and when it closed with only us inside, our lips crashed once again. We made it to my hotel room, barely, and once inside, I felt like I could devour every inch of Kylie and still wouldn’t have enough of her.
I quickly yanked off my shirt, tossing it onto the floor. Struggling with her dress, Kylie fumbled for the zipper at her back, so I turned her to unzip it. She let the dress fall to the floor in a shimmering puddle and turned back to me. When we were awkward young kids, we had accidentally seen each other naked once. Then, it happened again a few more times as we got older—which may or may not have been accidental. Her generous curves weren’t new to me, but having them presented to me for the taking most certainly was.
I reached out for her waist and pulled her close once again, kissing her as she moaned softly. My hands caressed her soft breasts, rubbing my thumbs over the firm peaks of her nipples, and my own hardness begged to be free. I pressed my body against her, allowing her to feel my arousal, and her hand trailed down to fondle me. My mind kept freaking out, shouting, This is Kylie. This is Kylie! Sometimes it was an expression of awe, sometimes of warning. What would Cooper have done if—or when—he found out?
Kylie slowly sat back onto the bed and unzipped my pants, pushing them down with my boxers, and finally, my erection was free. She slipped me into her mouth, swirling her tongue around my shaft, and my eyes rolled back into my head with the sensation. I had to pull back from her quickly.
“What’s
wrong?” she asked, still sitting on the bed.
“You don’t have to do it anymore.”
“Aren’t you enjoying it?”
My face went hot. “I do. Maybe a little too much?”
“Oh.” She gave me a cocky smirk and tilted her head at me before she motioned for me to help her up. “So, the boy next door finally wants to have his way with the neighbor girl.”
“When you say it like that…” I pulled her close again and nibbled gently on her ear. She gave a breathy sigh and I reached down, pressing my throbbing head against her for a moment, enjoying her moaning as I rubbed against her clit before she grabbed me and guided me toward her entrance. It was an awkward position, standing with her injured leg wrapped around me. Yet, somehow, I slipped inside her easily.
I held her ass as she slid up and down my length, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck. I picked her up and moved forward a few feet so that her back was against the wall for support. From that position, I could get a much better thrust.
I pounded into her and she dug her fingers into my hair. She felt so good, and every time I looked into her eyes, I wanted to melt. Kylie. My heart felt so full that thrusting so hard didn’t seem appropriate any longer.
I pulled her back from the wall and lay her down on my bed, climbing into place over her as she opened her legs for me. Kissing along her thighs, I made my way up toward their apex, taking a while to flick my tongue over her clit and make her moan before I entered her once again.
I slipped inside her and moved at a slower pace, kissing her lips and along her jawline, around her earlobe and down her neck, then playfully nibbled on her shoulder and her breast. I held her gaze as I pushed inside her and watched her eyes close in pleasure as I pulled back.