by Becca Van
Chapter Two
Jake and his brothers helped get Karen’s stuff from her car. He and his wolf had smelled her as soon as she walked through the door. His wolf had prowled beneath his skin, frustrated and anxious to claim her. He’d pushed his beast back down and studied her from behind the bar. She was so small and petite compared to him. Her shoulder-length hair was blonde, streaked through with red and brown highlights. He’d let his eyes rove over her body. He’d paused on the soft mounds of her lush breasts, and his cock had hardened even more. She couldn’t be any taller than five foot five, and she had nice, rounded hips and long, slim legs. She came from money. He could see that by the way she moved and acted. He wondered if she was a runaway. She had the sweetest eyes he’d ever seen. They were a combination of green and blue. He’d inhaled deeply and smelled her fear. He’d wanted to jump the bar and wrap her in his arms. He’d looked at his younger brother Devon and known he was battling his own beast as he stared at the beautiful woman.
Jake had watched as she clutched her purse to her chest. She’d looked ready to bolt back out the door. She’d straightened her shoulders and walked over to the closest booth. She’d sat down but slid around the curved seat a little so her back was to the window. He’d watched her reach for a menu and hide her face behind it. Jake couldn’t stand being so far away from her. He’d wanted to sniff her and roll in her scent, but had settled for going over to her to take her order. She’d looked up at him, and he’d seen her eyes widen, and then she had been staring. Good. It seemed his mate wasn’t immune to him either. He’d taken her order and sent Devon out back to get Mac to prepare her meal. He’d known it wouldn’t be long before he would be back by her side. His wolf had been butting against him, pushing him to stake his claim.
Jake had placed her order on the table and tried to think of something to ask her, to stay by her side, but she had surprised him by beating him to it. She’d asked if he had any work available, and he’d had to stop himself from rubbing his hands together. She’d just given him a reason to stay, and he wasn’t about to pass it up.
Jake had talked with her, introducing himself, and knew she was lying about her name as she hesitated when giving it. He could still smell her fear and nervousness and wanted to pick her up, to hold her tight. Devon had brought the coffeepot over when he asked, and he’d watched as Karen jumped when his brother placed a hand on her shoulder to nudge her over. His brother had sat beside their mate and he’d heard him growl low in his chest. Jake had glared at Devon, letting him know to get a hold of his beast so he wouldn’t scare their mate away.
Jake had known Devon had contacted their older brother Greg telepathically and knew his brother was on his way to the club. He’d wondered how their little mate would react to meeting his much-larger-built and taller brother. He didn’t have long to wait. Just as that thought had popped into his head, his brother had come crashing through the club doors.
Jake could smell Karen’s desire for them and wanted to pick her up, lay her over the bar, and sink his cock into her pussy, but he knew that wasn’t about to happen. Their little woman was so skittish she couldn’t sit still. He’d watched her pupils dilate as she’d looked up into Greg’s eyes. He’d seen her shiver and known she was turned on by all three of them. He’d hired her on the spot, and then he and his brothers had walked outside to help her unload her car.
“Which is your car, honey?” Jake now asked, already eyeing the piece of rusted-out junk close to the club’s doors. He could smell her scent on the car and knew it was hers. He wanted to get it towed and replace it with a new car, but knew he didn’t have the right. Not yet, at least. But if he had his way, she wouldn’t be driving that piece of junk ever again. Her actions and grace belied the car she drove and the cheap clothes she wore. He wondered whom and what she was running from. He moved in close to Karen as she unlocked the door to her car. He could see at a glance she had been living in the vehicle. What he wanted to know was for how long. He gently moved her to the side, reached in, and unlocked the back door. He and his brothers began unloading her stuff. She only had one bag of clothes that he could see, and he wondered how long she been running. There was a quilt in the backseat and a pillow. Her scent surrounded him as he began to gather up her stuff.
“Follow me, honey. My brothers can get the rest of your stuff. Let me show you to your room,” Jake said and walked to the side of the club.
He led her up a set of stairs and through the door. He walked to the first door off the hallway and stepped into the room. It wasn’t much, but it was clean and comfortable. He placed Karen’s stuff on the queen-size bed and turned to see her standing in the doorway. She jumped when she heard Devon and Greg coming up behind her. She moved farther into the room, just off the doorway, so his brothers could get through the entrance.
“Is there any more?” Jake asked his brothers.
Jake looked at the pitiful amount of stuff she had but gave a negligible shrug since he could do nothing about it, yet. He walked toward Karen and watched as she stood up straight as if she were about to take him on, and then he saw her cringe and step back. Her back bumped into the wall behind her.
“Take it easy, honey. We’re happy to have you on board. I hate doing the figures for the club. You have just taken a load off my shoulders,” Jake stated and stopped a few feet from her. “Now, let’s get down to business. You start work at ten a.m. There isn’t much happening around here before then. You can work through to six. All meals are provided, and so is your room. You’ll get a weekly wage on top of that. The pay’s not much to start with, but you will have a three-month probationary period just like everyone else. If you don’t like something, you will come to one of us and talk about it. If you have any problems at all, again, come to one of us and we’ll help you. Do you have any questions?”
“No. Thank you for helping me unload and for giving me a job. You don’t know how much I appreciate it,” Karen stated.
Jake smiled. She’d really tried to look at each of them in the eye when she’d said that, but she was so shy she ended up looking at her feet again. He slowly reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand and brought her eyes up to his.
“No problem, honey. You look beat. Why don’t you have an early night? Oh, one more thing. The bathroom is the second door on the right. Sorry you don’t have one off your room, but since no one else is staying here, it’s all yours anyway.”
“Thanks.”
“See you in the morning, baby,” Greg said.
“Bye, sweetheart,” Devon stated.
“I’ll be downstairs until midnight. Just holler if you want anything. Okay?” Jake said and was satisfied when she nodded.
Jake followed his brothers to the end of the hall and down the narrow stairs to the club below. He knew as soon as he was back behind the bar the questions would begin. He only wished he was able to answer them. He still thought she was lying about her name and a lot of other stuff as well. She’d been nervous and evasive when she’d answered his questions. But underneath all that fear and anxiety he could smell her sweet pussy creaming for him. Her musky scent had gotten stronger and stronger with the arrival of his brothers. He was going to have to put word out and about amongst the pack that she was theirs. He’d seen some of the younger Omegas from his pack, the Friess Pack, giving Karen the once-over. He intended to stop that tonight.
Jake stepped up behind the bar with Devon. Greg had already settled himself on a seat at the other side. His older brother stared at him expectantly, and he sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to satisfy his brothers’ curiosity. He knew that because he was just as frustrated as they were. He wanted to know everything about the woman calling herself Karen. He wanted to know her life story from the moment she was born.
“Where’s she from?” Greg asked.
“She says from Washington State,” Jake replied.
“You don’t believe her?” Greg asked with a frown.
“Actually, I think that was one of th
e only times she didn’t lie. Well, that and about her being a bookkeeper, but she was still hesitant when answering the question of her previous employment. So, who knows?” Jake replied with a shrug.
“Do you think her name is Karen Jones?” Greg asked.
“No.”
“Well, fuck. What the hell is she up to?” Greg spat out.
“That I don’t know. All I can tell you is she says she’s not on the run from the law and I think I believe her on that, at least. She’s definitely on the run from something or someone. She’s scared shitless,” Jake stated needlessly, knowing his two werewolf brothers would have smelled her fear like he had.
“We need to find out who she is. Devon, when she comes down here tomorrow for her shift, I want you to search her room,” Greg commanded.
“Don’t you think we should give her a chance to come clean first?” Jake asked, frowning at his brother.
“No. I want to know what’s going on with our mate. If she’s in trouble and needs protecting I want to know about it as soon as possible. We can’t protect her if we don’t know what we’re protecting her from,” Greg stated.
“Shit. The last thing we want is to have her running,” Jake said. “Are you going to dress down the Omegas that were staring at our mate, or do you want me to?”
“I’ll do it,” Greg replied.
Jake heard the low, growling rumble in his brother’s chest. It was so full of authority even the hackles on the back of his neck stood up on end. His brother talked really low, and he knew none of the humans in the room would be able to hear him. He heard Greg in his head as his brother used the common telepathic link to warn the Omegas.
“The woman calling herself Karen Jones is off-limits to all of you. She’s ours. If I catch anyone looking at her or treating her with anything other than respect, you will answer to me and my brothers. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Greg,” the Omegas replied, and Jake sighed with relief. He had thought he was going to have to knock a few heads together after the way they had been staring at his mate. He was glad the younger men had decided to listen to his brother’s dictate.
“I’m heading back to the den. I intend to clear my calendar and get some of the other Betas to step up and take over until we have our mate safely in our wing of the pack’s mansion. I should be back around ten in the morning,” Greg told Jake, then left.
“She’s fucking gorgeous, isn’t she, Jake?” Devon asked him. “My dick stood straight up as soon as she walked in the door.”
“Yeah, mine, too. We’re going to have to be careful with her until we find out what she’s hiding. Don’t go pushing her too hard, too fast,” Jake stated.
“I won’t. There is no way in hell I’m letting her walk away though,” Devon said.
Jake sighed as he worked the bar automatically. His thoughts were both on the beautiful woman upstairs and in his pants for the rest of the night.
Chapter Three
Keira stood staring at the bank statement in her hand. A large sum of money had been withdrawn from her account, and she knew it hadn’t been her doing. Who the hell had access to her trust fund? The answer flashed before her mind, but she just couldn’t comprehend her own brother stealing from her. She knew David had resented her from a very young age, and no matter how hard she’d tried to be his friend, he just kept pushing her away.
She couldn’t understand why he was stealing money from her. He was the only one who had access to her account, but she knew he had his own trust fund. Their parents had set up a fund for each of them, and there was more than enough money from the estate for anything they would ever need without ever having to touch their own money. She was going to find David and ask him why he had taken her money.
Keira moved through the house. It felt so empty and still without her parents here. They had been gone for nearly six years, and she still couldn’t get used to them not being around. She walked along the thick-carpeted hallway heading for David’s office. She loved the feel of the plush pile beneath her bare feet. She often walked around the house with no shoes or socks on. She stopped outside David’s office and raised her hand to knock on the door. She stopped her fist from connecting with the wood just in time. The door was slightly ajar, and she heard David talking on the phone to someone. He’d mentioned her name.
“Nah, Keira’s a dumb little bitch. She has no idea I’ve been using the estate money. No, I’ll deal with her. Besides, she doesn’t trust easily and she trusts me. She’s always trying to be nice and friendly to her only brother. I’ll have her out of the picture by the end of the week just like I did with our parents all those years ago.”
Keira didn’t hang around to hear the rest of the conversation. She rushed up to her bedroom, flung some clothes into a bag, grabbed a spare quilt and pillow, and took off. She stopped at the closest ATM, withdrew the daily limit, and didn’t look back.
Keira woke herself up whimpering and sobbing. It had been the same night after night since she had left her home in Seattle. She was shaking and sweating from the aftereffects of her nightmare, and she was so tired. She knew she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again, so she turned on the bedside lamp, propped herself up on the pillows, and stared at the walls and ceiling. She’d come a long way from home and didn’t know what to do about her brother. She’d thought about going to the police and reporting him, but she had no idea what he was up to. He could be running drugs or weapons. All she knew was the brother she had worshipped wasn’t the man she’d thought he was. She didn’t think she could deal with the reality of sending her brother to jail, but she didn’t know what else to do. She pulled her legs up close to her body and rested her head on her knees. She’d been surviving on little sleep and knew it was catching up with her. She wanted nothing more than to roll over and sleep for a week, but she knew that wouldn’t happen.
By the time the sun began to lighten the sky, Keira was exhausted. Her eyes began to droop, and her body was aching from staying in one position for so long. She eased her legs down the bed and leaned back on the pillows. She would just rest for a moment, and then she would get up and get ready for her first day on the job. Her eyelids closed, and she went to sleep.
Keira jerked upright at the sound of her door opening. Shit. He’d found her. She was out of bed and across the room before her eyes were functioning. She had the bedside lamp in her hand but didn’t remember picking it up. She must have ripped the cord from the socket because the cord was dangling down and brushing against her leg. Her bleary eyes finally began to focus, and she stood staring at the three large Domain brothers.
“Are you all right, Karen?” Greg asked as he walked toward her. He gently took the lamp from her hand and put it back on the bedside table.
“Yes,” Keira squeaked, then paused to clear her throat. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure, honey?” Jake asked.
“Yes. What are you doing here?” Keira asked the three men as they stared at her body. She could see the heat in their eyes and finally realized she was standing in front of them in nothing but her panties and a T-shirt. She crossed her arms over her breasts to hide the fact she was reacting to their presence. Her areolas prickled, and the skin puckered. Her nipples elongated, becoming two hard points.
“We came to check up on you when you didn’t come down to work. We were worried about you, baby,” Greg said and moved in closer to her. She saw his nostrils flare as he breathed deeply, and she could have sworn she saw his eyes flash.
Keira blinked as she stared at Greg, and then comprehension dawned. “What time is it?”
“Twenty after ten, honey,” Jake answered.
“Shit. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I fell asleep again. If you leave I’ll get ready and be down in ten minutes.”
“Are you sure you’re okay, sweetheart?” Devon asked.
“Yes, thanks, I’m fine.”
“Okay, we’ll see you in a few, baby. Don’t rush, there’s nothing that important you
have to do today,” Greg stated.
Keira watched as the three hot, sexy men left her room. When they were gone she scurried around the room getting her clothes and toiletries and headed for the bathroom. She was in and out of the shower in two minutes flat. She dressed and was downstairs before her ten minutes had passed. She hesitated in the doorway of the narrow stairwell and was glad when Jake appeared. She had no idea where she was supposed to meet him and his brothers. He had just saved her from searching him out.
“This way, honey,” Jake said and took her hand in his.
God, what is it about these men that has my libido revving? She let Jake lead her down a hallway and into the kitchen of the club. There were several people already at work in the kitchen. The smell of freshly brewed coffee had her eyes searching for it. She spied a large pot warming on the counter.
Jake led her into the kitchen and introduced her to the other staff. Once that was done he grabbed a couple of mugs from a cupboard and held one up, silently questioning. At her nod of acceptance he poured the dark brew into the mugs and led her out of the kitchen. The club was bigger than it looked from the outside. He led her into a large room containing two desks and a sofa.
“Okay, let me show you how our software works, and I can leave you to it,” Jake stated.
Keira glanced toward Devon, who was sitting at the other desk, and Greg, who was sitting on the small sofa. He was so big he took up more than half of the two seats with his wide shoulders. She let Jake seat her at the desk, and then he pulled another chair up next to her. She felt him looking at her, but she kept her eyes on the computer monitor. He showed her the software and how they dealt with all the invoices and purchase orders. He took her through every aspect of the business, and she was impressed by how organized they were. She saw Devon leave the room from the corner of her eye, but didn’t think anything of it. He obviously had other things to do. She did wonder what Greg did though. He sat staring at her the whole time Jake was explaining things.