Simon: Le Beau Brothers: New Orleans Billionaire Shifters with BBW mates Series (Le Beau Series) (17 page)

“
At the part where I say I share my magic with you, I bite you right here, where your neck and shoulder meet. But don’t worry, I’m told it isn’t painful and you’ll enjoy it. Then you say those same words to me and bite me in the same manner. That’s the complete ritual.”

“You’re not playin
’ me? That actually works?”

“Yes
, it does, if you don’t believe me ask Anna.”

She gasped
. “She did it? She is a shifter too?” She jumped up and ran to ask Anna. She found her in the kitchen. “Anna, did you do the ritual?”

Simon leaned against the kitchen island chuckling at the look on Anna
’s face.

Anna looked from Rose to Simon and back again. She turned to Simon before she responded to Rose. “Did you explain it all to her?”

“Yes, I told her about the entire ritual.”

“CADE!”
she called.

He came from the great room
. “Cher? Is something wrong?”

She turned to Rose
. “Yes, I have done the ritual with Cade.”

“So, you can shift and have magic and stuff?”

“Yes, and there is something else you both need to know. Rose, you’ll regress in age until you look like you did when you were about twenty five.” She raised an eyebrow at Cade and suddenly she looked twenty five again.

Rose’s hand flew to her mouth and her eyes became huge. She reached for a bar stool and sat.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just give me a minute.”

While she was recovering, Cade tapped Simon on the shoulder. “We all need to talk about the conversion. When she’s ready, come into the great room.” He and Anna left them to talk in the kitchen.

“Rose, are you sure you’re okay? You look really pale.”

“I just need to wrap my head around seeing my best friend do that before my eyes.” She waved her hand around. “So, I’ll do that too. Look all…young again.”

“Yes
.” He hesitated. “Um, Rose?”

She gave him a questioning look.

“Please tell me you weren’t a skinny stick of a woman at twenty five. I mean I’ll love you no matter what, but damn girl, I like your soft curves.”

Her eyebrows went up and she laughed at his pained expression. “No
, Simon, I’ve always been plus sized.”

“Thank Goddess.”

She shook her head at him. “Let’s find out what other bombs they are going to drop on me today.”

Once everyone was settled in the great room
, Cade look them both in the eyes. “After the ritual, within a few minutes, Rose will begin to regress. Simon, there won’t be much you can do but stay with her and keep your mouth shut.”

Anna took her friend
’s hand. “It’s not terribly painful. Your body will go through changes to anti-age for lack of a better word. Your skin will tighten, wrinkles will smooth out, and everything turns back the clock, even your ovaries.  That’s why I can have a baby again.” She grinned and rubbed her tummy. “My best advice is to watch a Lamaze video with me and practice breathing before you do the ritual. It’ll help you a lot.”

“Is there a time limit we need to do the ritual by?”
she asked.

Cade answered for Simon
. “No, but the longer you wait, the harder it is on Simon.”

Simon growled at Cade
. He didn’t want anyone pressuring his mate.

“Cool it
, Cujo. I need to know the truth.” She looked to Anna. “Want to watch a video with me this afternoon?”

“I’d love to. I even have popcorn
,” she said happily.

Chapter 11

Rose Moves
In

How could the past two weeks have been any more perfect?

Oh, wait, they couldn’t.
He smiled as he imagined waking next to Rose every morning in his bed.

Rose had finally agreed to move her belongings from Anna’s house to his. Both his wolf
’s soul and the man thanked Goddess for this woman. She was a gift more precious than he deserved but he was honored that he’d been blessed with her as his mate.

He paced the deck as she unpacked. When
he’d tried to help she’d swatted him and shooed him away. He didn’t understand what was taking so long. She only had a few suitcases of clothes.

A faint scent of panic struck him the moment he passed the screen door. Her anxiety caused his own to spike. Had Travis come back for her?

“Rose?” No answer. “Rose!” he yelled as he burst through the door, sending bits of doorjamb flying in all directions. “Rose? Where are you?” Hers was the only scent in the house, so what had caused her to panic?

Then he heard her cursing in the walk in closet.

“I’m trying to fix the closet rod, it fell as I was hanging my clothes!” she yelled back. “The rod let loose on one end and all of my clothes are trying to slide off.”

He ran to help her,
relieved there was no threat lurking.
Why did I build the bedrooms way back here?
He snarled as he rushed through the house.

A thud sounded, followed by a louder curse and low whimper. As he entered the bedroom, he saw Rose struggling to push one end of the closet rod back into place while blood trickled to her elbow.

He took the sagging rod from her. “There is a length of 2x4 in the coat closet by the back door, could you get that?” She ran to get it and he wedged it under the rod. “I’ll get a new bracket from the hardware store later and fix it properly,” waving toward the board, “that should hold for now. Are you all right?” he asked as he tried to assess her injury.

“I’m fine. The rod just slipped and scraped down my arm.” She raised it for him to see.

Over the past two weeks Simon had dedicated himself to courting Rose. It had been a slow process convincing her she was the only woman in the world for him. But, persistence paid off. She now believed he thought she was beautiful, sexy, and he’d never want anyone else. And now he had her living in his home, life was good.

Simon set her coffee in front of her as they relaxed to plan their day. “Cher, would you like to go dancing tonight?”

“There’s a club around here?” Her brows disappeared into the hair across her forehead.

“My cousin Julia has a place in the
bayou, you can only get to it by boat. She jokingly named it the Backwater to annoy her parents. She has a live band on Saturday nights. I’m told the music is usually pretty good.”

“Sounds like fun. What time should I be ready?”

“We can go after dinner, whenever we’re ready.”

“Okay, I better get moving. I promised to help Anna paint the bab
y’s room today.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and left with her coffee.

This new comfortable relationship feels like we’re a mated couple
,
he mused.
I like it.

Rose placed the last of the dinner dishes in the washer when she felt the air behind her stir. Without turning her head, she knew it was Simon. She
felt his presence like a tangible touch.

She looked at him over her shoulder. His blue eyes seared her with heat. The intensity of his stare made her shiver.
Lifting one hand, he laid his fingers against the blush of her cheek.
Then he
wrapped his arms around her from behind. He buried his nose in her hair and let his wolf rumble in satisfaction. “I’m ready to show you off at Julia’s whenever you are ready to go.”

“Let me check my face and hair. It’ll only take a minute.” She returned a few minutes later looking amazing.

Her hair was pulled back in a fashionable messy bun. A single strand was left loose to fall down the side of her face to the tip of her breast. He longed to follow that strand to its destination, scrape his teeth against her nipple and inhale her precious scent.

She was without a doubt the most beautiful creature
he’d ever seen in his life. Rose placed her arms around his neck, and he relished how her warmth seeped into his body.

“I may have to change my mind, you look too good
, and I’ll be forced to kill some idiot who tries to dance with you.”

She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed her purse. “Come on
, Romeo, I’m ready for a boat ride and a turn around the dance floor.”

Simon held her hand as she got into the boat then jumped in and revved the motor. “I’ll go slow so I don’t mess up your gorgeous hair
.” He winked.

She blew him a kiss and fluffed her hair dramatically.

Even going slow it only took twenty minutes to reach the pier serving the bar. He already heard the music and boisterous patrons. He cut the motor and helped her exit safely; boats weren’t designed for high heels.

Rose looked up and down the line of boat slips and shoreline
. “Where’s her sign?”

“She doesn’t have one.
We’d rather random humans didn’t wonder in. Mates are more than welcome, but the occasional human to happen upon the bar isn’t very well received.”

He led her to an open table
. “I’ll get us drinks, would you like wine or a whiskey Coke?”

“A whiskey
Coke sounds great.” Her eyes were bright with excitement as she checked out the crowd.

He squeezed into an open
spot at the bar and waved his cousin over. “Julia! How are you, cher?”

“Oh
, mon dieu! Simon, it’s so good to see you. I heard you found your mate.”

“I did.” He gestured to their table. “Rose is seated right there, stop over if you get a break.”

“Oh, elle est de toute beauté. You’re a lucky man, cuz.”

“Don’t I know it.” He grinned. “Can I get a Whiskey
Coke and a beer?”

“
Oui.”

He turned his back to the bar to check on Rose. Simon’s breath caught as she unconsciously moistened her lip with the tip of her pink tongue. That mouth was made for sin, with its plush lower lip. He imagined her mouth doing wicked things to a certain part of his anatomy. Blood thrummed in his veins.  Simon turned to inconspicuously adjust himself, his faded jeans were suddenly way too tight. Her intoxicating scent of coffee and cinnamon
rolls licked at his groin even from across the room. He wanted to rub himself all over her, saturating her with his scent whenever they were in public. His wolf wouldn’t be satisfied until they were mated.

Gazing at her across the room his blood surg
ed, he imagined her naked on his bed, her thighs parted in invitation. He lowered his head and tasted her passion. Loving her long into the night, her excited cries entwining with his hoarse groans as they made the bed shudder and shake. He shook his head. He really needed to get control of his randy thoughts. This was date night and he would show her a good time away from his bed for once.
Down boy, he snarled at his wolf
. When he glanced at her again she was snickering and shaking her head at him. He must be imagining loudly.

“Here you go, no charge, and congratulations
, Simon.” Julia rapped her knuckles on the bar top before she turned her attention to making another customer’s drink. She was very busy, so he left her to it. He’d barely taken his seat when the band took the stage for another set. He stood and held his hand out to Rose. “May I have this dance?”

“Why
, yes, you may,” she said, back playing along.

Simon held her close enough to see the sparkles in her blue eyes. He loved the way her gaze lit up when she was happy. But his wolf itched to see her eyes dazed with passion as he made love to her, and then sated and sleepy afterwards. For now holding her on the dance floor would do. Rose’s intoxicating fragrance surrounded him, teasing his senses. He was in heaven.

He cupped her cheek with a large, warm palm. “I’m so happy you moved into our house, Rose. Having you in my arms makes me the luckiest man in the world.” The moment she agreed to move to his house he’d called it
their
home. His glowing blue eyes regarded her with a tenderness that made her breath hitch.

She tightened her arms around his neck, urging his face closer to hers. “I didn’t want to go back to Anna’s
, to an empty bed anymore,” she told him. “If you really plan to have me as your mate, it only made sense.”

“Just say the word and I’m yours completely. For
ever.” He smiled, then dipped his head, kissed her deeply and nuzzled her.

She felt his breath on her neck as he breathed her in. He really liked doing that. Shivers ran up her spine when she felt him gently kiss where he said he would put his mating mark. Playing the vixen, she rubbed her body against his.

Over the past weeks, his sincere, quiet assurances, the way he gazed into her eyes as if she were the only woman in the world, had triggered a daring side she never knew she possessed. Her lace bra felt too restrictive against her sensitive, erect nipples as her actions created an intense stimulation. A pleasant ache began pulsing between her legs. From the passionate interest in his eyes, she knew he smelled her arousal.