~ Acclaim for Milly Taiden ~

For Wolf Fever

“Wolf Fever is just another great example of Milly Taiden knowing what it takes to make
Paranormal hella' SEXY!”

—Shayna Renee, Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads

“This book was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. I loved the plot, the characters and the
hot, hot sex! Milly Taiden’s Shifters are always a crowd pleaser and Wolf Fever is no
exception!”

—Sheri & Jen, Two Bibliophiles Guide

“WOLF FEVER is full of hot sexy scenes that make you rethink wearing underwear while
reading. And it has a heroine that is tougher then even some of the toughest alpha
wolves.”

—Barb Hicks, Bad Barb Reviews

Copyright Warning

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious

or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any

resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely

coincidental.

Published By

Latin Goddess Press

New York, NY 10456

http://millytaiden.com

Scent of a Mate

Copyright © 2013 by Milly Taiden

Edited by Rachel Firasek

Cover by Mina Carter

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner

whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied

in critical articles and reviews.

Property of Milly Taiden September 2013

~ Dedication ~

For the people who rocked and made this book shine in one way or another:

Rachel Firasek

Mina Carter

Jennifer James

Michelle Wilson

Iris Montalvo Pross

Julie Duran- Fernandez

And

My Sexy Biter Book Pimps

Because you all love me and my wolves. I can’t thank you all enough for your support.

To all my readers: I hope you’re ready for your mission: Scent your mate…

Finally,

To all the writers out there: KEEP WRITING! Don’t ever quit and don’t give up on your

dreams.

Chapter One

Please?” Jordan leaned forward on the sofa and gave her best imitation of what Ellie
called “puppy eyes.” A soft squeaking protested Jordan’s wiggling on the leather. She
knew her enthusiasm probably rivaled that of a four year old at Christmas, but she was so
close to cracking Ellie, she didn’t care.

“No.” Ellie’s voice didn’t sound as sure as it had the first five times Jordan had asked

the same question.

“I thought you wanted me to write this book on shifter mating rituals? Don’t you think

I need to watch it? I mean, I can’t just write a book on your history, for your family’s
records, based solely on what you tell me. I have to see it.” Not really, but she was not
telling Ellie that and messing up her chance of watching something so cool.

Ellie frowned. “Well—”
“Come on.” Jordan huddled closer to the edge of her seat, almost falling off in the

process, once again rubbing the leather and making it whine. “Look, I swear to you, I will
be on my best behavior. I won’t do anything to call attention to myself. I will just observe
from the sidelines. Heck, I’ll observe from the distance with binoculars.”

Ellie rolled her gorgeous blue eyes and ran her fingers through her short blonde bob,

making the strands glimmer under the light of her sitting room’s lamp. “I don’t remember
a single time you have ever been on your best behavior.”

That was true. Jordan’s mouth always got her into some kind of trouble, especially

with the other faculty at the school where she taught.

“Okay. I pinky promise.” She lifted her hand, curling all her fingers until only her

wiggling pinky stood.

Ellie bit her lip and groaned, still unsure.
“I know shifters are not exactly common knowledge with most of the world. But you

have to admit that with more human-shifter interaction, it’s only a matter of time before
you guys lose a lot of your history. I promise to write a specific detailed account. Nothing
but the history behind this event.” Her heart pounded so hard. She wanted to shake Ellie
and order her to agree already.

“Jorda-a-an!” With the way Ellie said her name, in that soft sigh of defeat, Jordan knew

she had her. “If I agree to this insanity, you have to swear not to do anything to let anyone
know you guys are there! You will get me in so much trouble.”

Jordan struggled and failed to stop the smile from splitting her lips. “I promise! I

promise! You know I am dying to see this whole scenting ritual.” She rushed to say. “Now
why is it such a big deal to keep this all quiet?”

“Because,” Ellie leaned back on her sofa and stared at the ceiling, “this is an old

tradition. Males and females from all over will come together to meet each other, some
for the first time. Kelly and Marco are going to see if they are compatible.”

“But they’ve met once, right?”
“Yes, at a family gathering some months back. They didn’t even get a chance to talk.

From what Mom said, their eyes did the talking for them. Apparently, it was instant. It’s
why we’re having this ceremony. Tradition dictates we have it yearly, and the family is
hoping it works out for Kelly and Marco.”

Jordan frowned remembering Ellie’s cousin Kelly and the guy they’d kept referring to

as her potential mate. She tucked a long strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I still don’t
understand. How can you guys just allow some tradition to tell you who your mate is?”

Shit. Jordan had a hard time with anyone telling her what to do to begin with. It was

why she loved being an independent woman.

Ellie’s smile was weak. “We are part of a pack, and my father is Alpha. As such, I need

to follow rules like everyone else. You’re lucky you’re human and don’t have to worry
about any of this. And we don’t allow the tradition to tell us who our mate is. This is like a
first date.”

“In front of a whole bunch of people.”
“Right.”
“Who happen to watch to see if you hit it off?”
“Yes.”
“And who’ll know who she has sex with at the end of the night.”
“Correct. Wait. What?”
“Sounds like the perfect date.” She snickered and almost choked on her wine.
“This is why I didn’t want you there. You, Emma, Nicole, and Karla are so going to get

caught.”

“We won’t! We won’t. We’ll be super–spy, research ninjas. Quiet, but sexy smart.” She

grinned.

“Oh brother,” Ellie groaned.
“Speaking of brothers. Are, um, your brothers going to be there?” What she really

wanted to ask was if one particular brother was going to be there. God, she hoped not. The
first time she’d seen Aric Wolfe, she’d been a thirteen-year-old with a crush the size of
Alaska. One look was all it took, and her poor teenage heart had been in puppy-love for
years. And though it’d been a crush for a long time, it had never gone away. In fact, with
years, it had grown. She’d tried to date other men and rid herself of the idea that he’d ever
look at a non-shifter for more than a friendship, but it was useless. With time, her
attraction for him had grown deeper, into something she didn’t want to think too much
about or it would make her hyperventilate.

Blue sparkles lit in Ellie’s eyes. “Yes, all my brothers will be there.”
Oh hell. “Then, yeah, I will hide off somewhere and never move a muscle. I promise.”
Ellie’s laughter, filled with unabashed delight, made her smile. “I still don’t understand

why you’re so afraid of being around them.”

Yeah well, Jordan knew all about that super smelling-power shifters had. The last thing

she wanted was for Aric to know how one glance at his body and those damn sexy
muscles got her so turned on she’d likely start a fire. She could probably melt butter on
her skin. “I think it’s best to keep my distance. I know your parents weren’t fond of their
only daughter hanging with so many humans.”

Ellie shrugged. “It was either send me to regular school, or deal with packs of horny

wolves hitting on their baby girl.” She grinned, grabbed her glass of wine, and sipped.
“They knew humans don’t have our scenting or go into heat, so they decided to take the
chance.”

Jordan drank her own wine, letting the fruity flavor slip and slide over her tongue.

“Yeah, but I bet they didn’t think you’d end up bringing home an annoying, fat Latina for
your new pet.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Who’s the wolf here, you or me?”
Good point. Ellie’s parents had cared for Jordan. A lot more than Jordan herself could

ever understand. Even after all those years being so close to them and Ellie, she still
couldn’t make any sense of why they done so much when her parents hadn’t cared at all.
What was it about them that made them different? And there had to be some resentment
in there. They’d practically adopted her.

“Alright. I’ve become like a second daughter since we became friends. That has to be

annoying for them. I mean if they wanted more kids, they’d have had more the old
fashioned way.”

Jordan found the whole shifter community absolutely fascinating. If it were up to her,

she’d be all in their business trying to figure out how the whole animal-human thing
worked.

“Why would you say they’d be annoyed by you?” Ellie’s face creased in a frown. “They

like you. Heck, they love you more than any of their sons’ previous girlfriends. In fact,
they like you more than most family we have. You’ve grown on them.”

Jordan snorted. “Yeah like fungus or a rash.”
“No, not like that. Like an unusual but lovely woman who needs a mate.”
“What?” She spit out the wine she’d had in her mouth. “Who said I needed a mate?”
Ellie laughed, put her glass down on the coffee table, and settled into the sofa with her

feet under her. “My mother. She thinks you just need a strong man to help you realize
what you are missing out on.”

“And that’s a mate?” Jordan coughed, trying to stop the choking. Her tummy churned

with anxiety. She held Barbara Wolfe, Ellie’s mother, in high regard. But Jordan would
never think a long-term relationship would fix her. Thinking of any kind of dependence
on anyone made her feel slightly sick. She didn’t really trust most people enough for that.

“Yes. She was highly upset when I told her you broke up with your last boyfriend. She

thinks you just haven’t been chased by the right one.”

Jordan continued to cough while Ellie giggled. “Mrs. Wolfe thinks I need to be

chased?”

Well hell, maybe she was on to something. Chasing sounded fun. Usually Jordan was

too prickly for men to make a move, unless they were sure of themselves. But even then,
most of them turned out to be full of shit.

Ellie nodded, flipped on her back and stretched, rubbing her bare feet on the leather.

“Of course, dad thinks you’re too independent and need a man to rein you in.”

Rein her in? What the hell was she, cattle? Tristan, Ellie’s dad, was so old school.

“Yeah, that sounds like your dad.”

“Although, Aric—”
Jordan’s gaze jerked to Ellie’s face. The bemused smile on her was one Jordan had

often seen when Ellie was up to no good. “Aric was present during these conversations?”

Ellie knew Jordan liked Aric to some degree. It’s not like she could hide it from her.

The woman was a wolf. She could smell Jordan getting all kinds of turned on when Aric’s
name popped up. But what she never told Ellie was how deep her feelings ran. That was
something Jordan had trouble even thinking about.

Ellie’s eyes widened, filled with innocence. “Oh, yes.”
Fuck. Sweat gathered in her palms. Now her nerves were getting the best of her. Her

stomach did all kinds of acrobatic flips. She’d have to ask or die wondering. And she was
too curious not to know. “And what did he say?”

“It doesn’t matter. We both know you’re not looking for long term anyway. You like

your independence.” She shut her eyes and sighed.

“Ellie!”
Ellie jerked her eyes open with a chuckle. “Fine, if you want to know, Aric thinks you

are fine just the way you are.”

“Which means what?” She asked before she could stop herself. She’d always tried to

control her interest in Ellie’s older brother, but sometimes Jordan’s hormones just ran
away from her.

Aric. With his piercing dark eyes, eyes she swore begged her to strip every time he

glanced her way. And that tall slightly tanned hard body filled with boundless muscles. So
many muscles.

She cleared her throat. Visuals of running her nails down his six packs and nibbling on

his belly button made her reach for her wine again. But it was the strong jaw and “I’ll eat
your pussy really good” smile she couldn’t stop thinking about.

Ellie’s smile dimmed. “Aric said, in time, you’d find your mate and for everyone to

leave you alone to decide your life yourself.”

Her hope deflated. It was what she’d always told everyone. Somehow, hearing that he’d

said the same made her want to run to the liquor store and buy a barrel of wine.

A sharp pain pierced her heart, deeper and deeper until she wanted to cry. Though

Jordan would rather dance around naked in public than admit her feelings for Aric, she
had secretly continued to hope. Now, that hope was dead.

“That’s true. I can decide my life myself.”
She remembered thinking the same thing the night of her senior prom, until Aric had

seen her. Memories flooded her mind. She’d walked down the hall in her sapphire blue
dress to find him in the living room with Ellie. He’d given her a look she’d never forget. It
was the kind of look she’d always wanted to see from him. And he’d lifted a hand to her

face, caressed her cheek, and told her she looked beautiful. She’d almost melted into a
blue spot on the floor. Her previous concern at going to the prom dateless with only Ellie
as her companion had flown out the window. He’d been the only thing on her mind the
rest of that night.

She cleared her throat, unwilling to think about Aric any longer. “So, back to this

scenting ceremony, what exactly happens?”

“Well…” Ellie’s pale features turned a dark crimson with embarrassment.
Jordan started to worry about what went on. Would it be some rated R stuff? “Well

what?”

“First, they start out as wolves and sniff each other.” She glanced at Jordan and bit her

lip. “To see if the animals feel any kind of attraction.”

That made sense. Considering they were going to be mated forever, they needed to

know if they were both compatible as humans and wolves, so nothing strange there. She
stared at Ellie expectantly.

“They shift into their human bodies and scent each other that way too.”
If Ellie’s face turned any redder, Jordan would need to throw some water on her to

bring her temperature down. “Wait, they’re naked after their shift, aren’t they?”

Ellie nodded, glanced down at her glass of wine, and took a gulp. Oh. Yeah that would

be little more than Jordan had expected, but nothing she couldn’t handle.

“It’s okay, Ellie, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’re thinking.”
Ellie cleared her throat and downed the rest of wine.
“Why haven’t your parents pushed you into mating? I mean Kelly is like five years

younger than you, so that makes her around twenty-five, right? But you are still unmated.
And your parents don’t seem like they’ve lost their values. I mean your whole shifter
history is based on pushing the males and females to mate as soon as they reach the right
age. Go forth and make some fur balls and all that. Isn’t that what you’ve said before?”

Ellie shrugged. “Mom and dad are the pack leaders and don’t feel I need to be pushed

into mating until I’m comfortable. Mom kind of had a hand at getting Kelly and Marco
together, so that kept her occupied for a bit. Besides, the males are the ones that need to
mate first. They continue our line and need mates as soon as possible.”

Aric would need a mate. Bone-crushing sadness enveloped her. She wanted to go hit

something. Maybe shoot something. Dryness took over her throat. “So they’re going to get
mates during this ceremony as well?”

Ellie nodded, her lips pursing. “If my mom has her way, yes. She’s invited a bevy of

females for Aric, Mason, Nathan, and Jake to choose from.”

Her stomach knotted at the thought of Aric choosing another woman while she

watched. Distress twisted massive knots in her stomach. It was definitely best for her to
watch from a distance. If she caught some woman sniffing Aric, she might forget her
composure and let her well-known temper loose.

“Are you sure you still want to do this?” Ellie’s gaze held a note of sympathy.
She nodded, folded her arms over her chest, and bit her lip. “If I want to write an

accurate account about your kind in the book, then yes, I do.”

Where the hell were Karla, Emma and Nicole? This was ladies night. Okay, more like

“let’s get drunk, man bash, and eat a lot night” but still. Her friends had never been late
for wine and food.

She was about to open her mouth when the doorbell rang. The three consecutive rings

indicated at least Emma and Karla had arrived. Emma always rang the bell three times in
a row. It was like a nervous tick or something.

Jordan stood to open the door and her legs tried to fold under her. Shit, how many

glasses had she had? She slowly made her way to the front door to let her friends inside.

Another round of rings met her at the door.
“I’m here, cool your heels.”
She jerked the door open and found the three missing amigas.
Emma’s gaze roamed her face. “Damn, Jordan, how long have you been drinking?”
She licked her lips, tasting the residual wine on them. “Not long. Why do you ask?”
Karla tickled her side as she sashayed past her. “You’re all red in the face. You only get

flushed like that when we talk sex or you’ve had like a ton of wine. We all know that.”

Jordan was probably flushed from all the thoughts of Aric. Damn man made her get all

flustered without even being in the vicinity. “Get inside and stop whining or you won’t get
any food.”

Emma shoved her aside and made a beeline for the kitchen behind Karla and Nicole.

“Thank God. I’m starving.”

Jordan snorted. Her friends would never change. “Yeah, okay. I didn’t cook this time.

Sorry.”

Emma turned to her with wide eyes. “You mean you didn’t make the flan or the

empanadas?”

She shook her head. Her friends loved the chicken and shrimp filled dough. “Sorry. It

was my night off.”

“Since when? You and Ellie are the cooks. Nicole and Karla are the bakers. And I’m the

eater.”

Jordan laughed. “We’re all eaters. I don’t see a single skinny person here. Now go. We

have take-out in the oven. We’ll eat now that you’re all here.”

She followed the others into the dining room. For as long as she could remember the

five of them being friends, Ellie had always been the worrywart in the group. Though the
others had met the Wolfe’s back in college, she and Ellie had been friends the longest. It
worried Jordan to see Ellie so quiet. Somehow, she knew that the scenting ceremony was
not as simple for Ellie as she made it sound. While her family may not be putting
pressure on her to mate, it was probably not the case with the others in the pack.

“Alright! Pizza!” Nicole cheered.
“Thank God. I swear I could eat a horse.” Emma rubbed her stomach dramatically.
Jordan lifted a brow. “Um, didn’t you already eat horse when you did that stint in

China during your semester abroad?”

“Hell no. I did take a stab at the fried bugs, but I just couldn’t go past a single bite.” She

wrinkled her nose.

Nicole grimaced. “Damn woman, I couldn’t even take the one bite. You got bigger balls

than me.”

“It has been established that Emma has bigger balls than most men.” Jordan ran her

fingers through her hair.

“Will you all get in here already? You know I can hear you, and I’d like to participate in

how big Emma’s balls are,” Ellie yelled.

They brought the warm pizza boxes into the living room. Jordan opened a new bottle of

wine and maneuvered it with the extra glasses onto the coffee table.

“Alright. Now that we are all here, I need to inform you that Ellie has agreed to let us

watch the scenting ceremony.”

Everyone spoke at the same time.
Emma lifted her wineglass. “That’s awesome!”
“Finally,” Nicole said between pizza bites.
Karla laughed. “Leave it to Jordan to wear the poor woman down.”
“Hey, I resent that. I will have you know. I did not wear her down. I may have offered

my first born, ninety percent of my paycheck for a year, and a possible front seat to some
Broadway show, but that’s it.” Jordan leaned back on her easy chair, the single item in her
house she’d bought not caring about how it went with the décor. The fluffy chair was like
being snuggled by a giant pair of warm hands. It had an automatic heater and massager.
Hell, not that she’d tell her friends, but one of the reasons she’d bought it was because
the damn thing started vibrating under her ass at the store. She’d gotten embarrassed and
excited at the time. Oh, the possibilities.

“So,” Emma, the other bossy one in the group other than Jordan started, “what’s the

plan?”

Jordan laughed, holding the glass of wine by her lips. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Chapter Two

“I’m ready,” Jordan whispered.

Emma had gone full commando mode and made everyone wear black outfits and

earpieces to stay in constant communication. Emma loved all things action, so it hadn’t
surprised Jordan that she’d tried to get them all to look like they came out of Mission
Impossible.

“This is Karla. I’m ready too.”
“You guys are supposed to say over,” Emma hissed over the line.
“This is Nicole. Ready also. And over what?”
“When you finish saying something, you’re supposed to say ‘over’ like in the movies,”

Emma said.

“But this isn’t a movie. And why would I say over?” Karla whispered.
“This is the most action we’re going to see in a while. Can we at least make it

interesting?” Emma was trying to make a simple mission into a scene from Die Hard.

“We are wearing frigging black spandex for you. I draw the line at painting lines on my

face and hauling army gear. I am not going to end each thing I say with over.” And just for
the hell of it, Jordan grinned and added, “Over.”

“Shhh. They’re going to hear us!” Emma chastised.
Jordan rolled her eyes. “They can’t hear us. We’re so far away we need binoculars.

Now, everyone be serious, this is an important mission we’re doing.”

“Okay, so now that we all know we’re at our designated spots, we just do the

videotaping all the way through?” Karla sounded breathless. What the heck was she
doing?

“Yes. Don’t forget to put your video cameras on their tripods in the best location we can

get a clear image so I can review all the memory cards later on.” Jordan glanced around
the darkened vicinity. A shudder crawled up her spine. She’d swear someone was
watching her, but it was impossible. She’d done a full scouting of the area and had not
seen anyone.

“Did you all remember your backup batteries?” Funny that they were all middle school

teachers and Emma was the only one all kids referred to as drill sergeant.

“Yes. I got ‘em. Over.”
Jordan rubbed her temple. She would end up with a headache before the mission ever

started.

A prickling at the back of her neck made her glance around. Thick trees surrounded her

in the dark forest. The hairs on her arms stood on end in warning. Her sole focus turned
to every sound she heard. The soft whistling of the crickets tried to soothe her mind. But
then something shuffled in the trees. What the hell? She wasn’t a person to be easily
scared, but she knew something or someone was out there. The sound of her heartbeats
turned louder in her head. Still, no other noise could be heard. Then, howling from the
ceremony location made her turn to stare at the area. A crowd had gathered. A big crowd.
They were surrounding the clearing, but far back enough where she and the others could
see from the higher elevation.

Everyone was in human shape. They chatted animatedly. Hugs and kisses were shared.

A massive fire roared in the center. Torches and lanterns hung from chains draped over
branches, illuminating the clearing and allowing for a great visual.

She dropped down to her knees and dug the legs to her tripod deep into the earth for

stability. Then she locked her video camera on to it and set it to record.

“Don’t forget to set the recorders to mute, per Ellie’s instructions.” Emma ordered.
“Got it.” Jordan eased back to her feet.
Moments later, her eyes locked on him.
Her heart raced at her first sight of Aric. He and the others marched to the center of the

clearing. They said something to his father. His mother pointed into the woods
surrounding them. The guys spread out, each taking a different direction into the trees.

“You all saw that?” Emma’s voice broke into her intense staring of the clearing.
“Yes. Remember we can’t move from our spots or the sexy four might catch us as they

do their rounds,” Jordan reminded them.

A burst of wind shook the trees and kissed her skin. Electricity danced in the air,

turning it thick with anticipation. Something cracked behind her. She swirled so fast her
earpiece fell. Slowly taking in every dark crevice between the tree limbs, she looked for
the noisemaker. Nothing. But she knew there was something out there. She could feel
eyes watching her. No matter how hard she searched, nothing came out from the
darkness. Dammit. She should have brought her mace, or her stun gun, or hell, even her
bat. Something. But in her excitement she’d left all of her precautionary ass-kicking-
survival-kit in her SUV.

She crouched down, quietly cursing the darkness, looking for her ear piece. A quick

move from her left grabbed her attention. One very large, very angry looking brown wolf
stood there, baring his teeth at her. She shot up to her feet, her hands immediately going
into fists. She knew all the Wolfe’s in their wolf shape. With a white wolf for a mother
and a black one for a father, all the men had some combination of black and white on
them. She knew Aric’s by heart from secretly watching him all those times in her youth
while he tore from his shorts to run with his brothers and friends. This was not one of the
wolves she knew.

“Now you stay right over there and nobody gets hurt,” she whispered. Her mind ran a

million miles per hour. She tried to figure out how to defend herself if it came down to a
fight with the big wolf. Something poked her from behind. She grasped around, until she
had her hands wrapped tight on the branch behind her, tugging until she broke a limb off.

A low growl was the animal’s only response. Heartbeats pounded hard in her chest,

spreading the fear she was trying to tamp. He took a menacing step toward her. She didn’t
know what the animal’s plan was, but her gut said it wasn’t a good one.

“Listen to me carefully, fur ball. You’re not going to turn me into puppy chow. Now go

back to the party down there,” she cocked her head to the side, “and forget I’m up here.
Got it?”

The wolf’s features turned darker, as if angered by her words. Trust her to piss off an

already angry wolf. Nice.

A deeper growl made her jerk her head to the right. Another wolf stood there. His gaze

locked on the brown. She knew this wolf. The thick black coat with the white paws and
muzzle belonged to only one man. Aric.

The standoff was making her stomach queasy, and her stupid outfit was itching like

crazy. Aric’s wolf took three steps and stood in front of her. The brown growled and
launched toward them.

Oh hell.
Aric shoved the wolf off. The brown whimpered from a bite, but the stupid thing didn’t

stop. It went for her again. Aric snarled, digging his paws into the brown fur and biting
down on the brown’s neck. She winced.

With the branch in her grasp, she watched the brown lower its head in submission.

Apparently that was enough for Aric. He let go of the wolf and turned to her. The brown
took Aric’s distraction to jump in her direction, but she’d been watching the wolf closely.
She had a feeling he wouldn’t give up so easily. Her vision sharpened, and she focused on
the animal leaping toward her. She swung the branch with all her might and heard the
sound of bone cracking as it made impact with the wolf’s face. He landed on his side with
a thud. Aric stood and shoved at the other wolf, growling at it and snarling a warning. The
other animal left, limping and whimpering. Every few steps he’d turn and glare at her.

The burst of adrenaline rushing through her made her continue to grip the branch. She

stared at the location the other wolf had left through, waiting to see if he would turn
around and attack. Something brushed her leg, taking her concentration from the other
animal and bringing it back to the present. Shit. Aric had found her. She glanced down at
the black and white wolf, which reminded her so much of a Dalmatian.

“Er… Aric?” She whispered. Her throat went dry. This was the man she’d wanted since

forever and his muzzle was level with her privates.

Aric cocked his head, sniffing her hand. She dropped the branch, opened her fist, and

allowed him to sniff her palm. He licked her. He was so cute in his wolf form. Maybe if
she saw him as a pet instead of the sexy man she knew he was, she’d be able to get
through this without letting him know how badly she wanted the human version of him.
That could have happened, really, it could have, if he hadn’t shoved his muzzle into her
crotch. Her breath swooshed out of her as she stood there in shock.

He. Was. Sniffing. Her. Pussy.
And she didn’t know what to do. Granted, she’d wanted the man for years, but for him

to just shove his face down there was pretty weird. Where was the romance, the dinners,
the dates? Hell, why did she start visualizing Aric as a man shoving his face in her crotch?

He was in his wolf shape for cripes sake. She needed a mental evaluation pronto.

“Aric!” She squeaked, trying to shove the big furry head out of her crotch. He was

sniffing, and his hot breath tickled right through her thin spandex yoga pants. He
growled, shoving his muzzle further between her thighs.

“Cut it out! This is wrong on so many levels. Probably in different species levels too.”

She swallowed hard, took a step back, but he followed.

Then, just as quick as he shoved himself between her thighs, and not in the way she

wished he would, he backed out. He stepped around her in a full circle, sniffing her from
every angle. What the hell? Did she stink? He did another round and stopped behind her,
and shoved his face into her butt. “Whoa! Get your perverted furry face out of there or I
will shove my foot up your ass and tell your mother.”

He growled. And she’d swear it sounded as if he’d laughed at her, but he did pull his

muzzle out of her ass. Point one for her.

She glanced over her shoulder at the clearing, where Kelly stood in the dead center,

waiting. What the hell was she waiting for? Jordan didn’t get a chance to find out. All of a
sudden she was tackled to the ground.

“What the hell—?” Aric was caging her. His big furry wolf stood over her. “Aric?”
He dropped, bringing his muzzle right to her face. The bright grey eyes mesmerized

her. The harsh untamed beauty of his animal face beckoned her, and she watched him
change before her eyes. This close it was like something out of a movie. She’d always
taken glimpses, but she’d never seen him go from wolf to man, only man to wolf. The
muzzle flattened until his bone structure took on the sharp lines and angles of the future
Alpha. His shaggy, black hair dropped forward, almost covering his face. The moon, high
and full, gave her the ability to visually lick from his bristly jaw down his tattooed naked
body.

Wait.
Oh God.
He was naked and right above her. She couldn’t help it that her vision shot down south.

Her gaze raced down his muscular golden torso, down the tribal ink lines covering his
arms and chest, and zoomed onto his very hard cock.

“Wow.”
He chuckled. “Thanks.”
She tore her gaze away from his erection, as much as that hurt, and caught the humor

dancing in his eyes. He was enjoying her awe. Bastard.

“Aric—”
“Jordan,” he mimicked. He loved doing that to her—pressing her buttons to see her

react.

“Are you…um…is that normal?” She glanced down to his ever-growing hard-on and

licked her lips.

“That’s pretty normal whenever I’m turned on.” His voice sounded deeper than usual,

rough.

She was having a hard time following the conversation. All she wanted to do was gape

at his cock again to see if it had grown some more.

“What part turned you on, the fighting or the shoving your muzzle into my crotch?”

She watched his eyes glow in the darkness. Knowing that he still had the animal right
under the skin made her very perverted mind more excited. How she would be able to
deny her arousal with the super slick pussy and drenched panties, she had no idea.

He sniffed and growled, dropping his body flush over hers. She gasped. Her hormones

went into a frenzy at the feel of his hard muscled flesh. Sure there were rocks poking at
her back and only God knew what insects crawling under them, but for the life of her, she
couldn’t find it in her to care about any of that. The heat emanating from his warm body
intoxicated her senses.

She bit her lip to keep from moaning. He moved and rubbed the inside of her thighs

with his erection. She kept her eyes trained on his. One sharp inhale and she had no idea
what happened next, nor did she care. All she knew was that his very sexy lips were on
hers, kissing her. A deep soul-reaching branding that made her toes curl in her trainers.
The kiss was so hot and passionate she’d swear it was melting the spandex off her body.

Reaching up, she twined her fingers into his soft hair. She gave up pretending that she

didn’t want him. Who cared at this point? He was kissing her so damn well she only knew
one thing—she wanted more.

Arousal thickened in her blood, growing by leaps and bounds with each swipe of his

tongue over hers. She whimpered at his bold strokes. He delved into her, fanning the
flames with his drugging moves and making her panties soaked with the small rocking of
his hips between her legs. Her clit was thrumming with the need to come. If he continued
with his rocking into her, she would any second. She raked her nails down his arms and
his back, until she was digging her nails into his ass and hauling him into her.

He growled. The rumble traveled through their kiss and down her body, shooting

sparks of lust down to her core.

She caressed up and down his back, gripping and squeezing his muscles. Liquid fire

spread through her veins, heightening her need for him. She couldn’t get enough air into
her lungs. As if reading her mind, he moved to kiss and suck her jaw, nibbling down her
throat to her shoulder. She moaned. He rocked his hips again and holy god of men with
large penises she’d swear stars burst behind her lids.

“God damn, you’re good at that.” She heard her own breathless voice say the words

filled with surprise.

He grinned. “How good?” His breath was right above the wide neckline of her tank top.
She blinked and glanced down. He was watching her while tracing the top of her

breasts with a fingernail that should be on his wolf half. Why in the hell did the song How
Low Can You Go pop into her head? Stupid random music.

“Good enough to almost make me forget there are all kinds of creepy crawlies in the

grass under me. Around me. Likely climbing on my legs.” She shuddered. Not at the
possibility of bugs, but at the wicked smile he had on his sexy lips. She may have to do
some community service to be forgiven for all the really dirty things she imagined that
sexy mouth doing to her.

She watched him grip the neckline of her black tank top and tear through the material

right down the middle, taking her bra along the way, with his razor-sharp claws. His

nostrils flared and he licked his lips.

“I bet I can make you forget all of it,” he whispered.
Forget what?
She struggled to keep from passing out from excitement. There was clear promise of an

orgasm in his eyes, and she wasn’t passing it up. Fascinated, she held her breath. He
pulled back the torn pieces, as if unwrapping a present. She was a big girl, no doubt about
that. Hell, she’d always been a bit self-conscious of her plus size, which was why she
tended to be a bit rough around the edges with most men. But right at that moment, with
Aric’s gorgeous grey eyes trained on her like she was the sexiest woman on earth, she
couldn’t feel insecure.

“Beautiful.” He groaned and rubbed his nose on her chest. Her nipples tightened at the

first puff of warm air from his mouth before being suctioned between his lips.

She whimpered and lifted her back off the ground to shove her breast further into his

mouth. He sucked her hard. Each suck sent a direct jolt down to her clit and made her
pussy grasp at nothing. Her eyes shut on their own accord. Turbulent emotions spread
through her.

Need. Lust. Hunger.
All those times where she’d been fantasizing about Aric’s sexy mouth had nothing on

reality. The twirls of his tongue on her felt like slides of satin. It was hot. It was wet. It
was going to make her come.

“Oh, dear God.” She gripped the soft strands of his hair in her fists.
Suck, lick, nibble, and repeat.
That quick mounting pleasure made her frantic. Her yoga pants were yanked from

under her, but she couldn’t find the focus to care. Instead, she spread her legs wide in
welcome. She snapped her eyes open and went from seeing the full moon to glancing
down at him rubbing his face on her inner thigh.

“Mine.”
She’d ignore the whole caveman wolf man thing he had going right now. She knew he

was much more animal than man from the looks of his tight features. There was also the
fact that he was breathing on her pussy, and just the puffs of his hot breath were pushing
her to pleasure’s edge.

She wiggled and lifted her ass off the grass, hoping he got the hint. He pushed her legs

wider apart to fit his bulky muscled shoulders. Anticipation simmered in her chest. Her
lips were dry from all the panting.

“Aric—” His name turned into a strangled moan the moment his cool tongue flicked a

tight circle around her clit. Passion blazed through her blood stream in a quick burst of
speed straight to her pussy. He went all in, licking her pussy and sucking her clit with the
speed equivalent to one of her personal toys. Then he growled. The sound coupled with
the vibration sent a wave of desire rippling through her body. Within seconds, she was
hurtled into her orgasm. She gripped his hair, digging her nails into his scalp while
pleasure spread through her.

Before she had a moment to catch her breath, he had her on her stomach. On her

hands and knees, she was still panting and trying to figure out how in the world he’d

made her come in under two minutes. Not even her most expensive vibrator had that kind
of record. The soft caress of his calloused rough hands down her back made her glance
over her shoulder. His eyes were glowing. Hair had sprouted from his sides and he was
biting his lip.

“Aric?”
“I want you so bad, Jordan.” It was hard to make out the words through the rough deep

tone. She could tell how hard it was for him to hang on to his human side.

She met his gaze, held it for a moment and spoke with clear soft words. “So take me.”
Her breath caught at the possession in his eyes. “I wasn’t asking for permission. You’re

already mine.”

Well, damn. He moved behind her, caging her. Arousal bloomed with each lick he did

down her spine. She shivered. The feel of his tongue on her skin was sensational, like a
soft brush sweeping down her back. She fisted her hands in the grass, uncaring what she
grabbed to brace herself. His tongue continued its downward journey until he licked a
slow trail between her cheeks, went around her hole, and stopped at her pussy.

“Shit!” He growled.
She glanced over her shoulder at his tight features. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t have protection.”
“I…I’ve never been with anyone without a condom,” she admitted. “But I want you too

and I’m on the pill. I know you don’t carry diseases.”

He caressed her ass, squeezing at her cheeks hard. “Are you sure?”
God, yes. A soft whimper escaped her throat. “I’m sure.”
She hung her head and waited. And oh God was it worth it. Her breath caught in her

throat as he slipped the head of his cock into her sleek channel.

“Oh my…”
He was thick, but he didn’t stop. In one slow glide, he was stretching her pussy and

filling her so tight she felt her lungs fighting for air. His chest plastered to her back. His
hot breath tickled her shoulder. One quick pull and an even faster thrust, and fire rushed
her insides. He did it again and again, driving her mindless with each slap of skin on skin.
In no time she was at the edge of the pleasure cliff, willing and ready to take the leap for
him. Her body tightened until she was ready to burst out of her skin.

“Aric…please—”
“Yes, Jordan. Mine.”
The rumble was almost unintelligible, but she couldn’t stop herself from enjoying

hearing him say she was his, even if only for that one moment.

“Say it!” He snarled.
Her pussy constricted around his driving cock. Maybe she was delusional to even

consider voicing that. It didn’t matter. Thinking how badly she wanted him pushed the
words out. “Yes, Aric. I’m yours.”

She’d swear that was the moment he lost control. He fucked her with the precision of a

jackhammer. Hard. Deep. Rough. She begged him to continue. She didn’t know what was
happening, but her body had never been this ready to explode from the inside. She had
tuned everything out but her need for him.

He snarled. His cock felt like hot steel inside, branding her. She whimpered, and then

she flew. And just when she thought it couldn’t possibly get any more intense, he bit her.
The feel of his teeth, sinking into her shoulder, the pain and the pleasure he was giving
her at the same time turned out to be too much.

The tension inside her shattered into a million pieces. Everything went into hyper

mode. She’d never done drugs, but she’d swear this was how it felt to be high. Colors
burst behind her lids. Pleasure took center stage and she might have screamed, or
moaned, or both. Hell, at that point, she might have called him God. She was too involved
in the feelings of joy filling her and spreading through her body to notice any of that.
What she did know was that he roared. Really loud.

“Mine!”
His cock thickened inside her, until she’d swear he was going to split her in half with

the harsh thrusts. Mini orgasms rocked her core. Her pussy sucked him deep, and he
came in quick jerky thrusts. His snarls were sexy as hell as he bathed her insides with his
warm semen.

He flipped them, and she was over him while he lay on the ground. Their sweaty bodies

were glued together with perspiration. Fire, passion, and need filled his gaze, along with
that possession she had come to like seeing there.

She brought her lips down to his, meshing them together in one wet wild tangle of

tongues. Later she’d think about what happened; right now she wanted to feel.

Chapter Three

“Aric? Are you listening, son?” His mother watched him with intense curiosity from her
spot at the kitchen island. She’d just placed a platter of sandwiches on the center of the
table while she was prepping the afternoon meal. There were multiple large cuts of steak
out for grilling along with various ears of corn and foil wrapped potatoes.

“Not really.” Why lie? She’d know the truth anyway. It was one of the parts about being

his kind he could do without. He watched his brother, Mason, stare at his beer deep in
thought. Hell, now that he wasn’t so self-involved in his own memories of the previous
night, he noticed his other brothers were all very quiet. Each of them was avidly staring
holes into the kitchen table or their drink.

“I said that I invited all those young women for you boys to get to know better.” She

tsked.

One thing Barbara Wolfe didn’t like was to be ignored. His mother was not going to

stop trying to match make until all her children were mated and had little cubs in the
oven.

“While I don’t care for the Alpha of the central pack, I allowed him to send his

daughters here in the effort to see if you boys would find any of them mate material,” his
father stated. He walked up to the island and kissed Aric’s mother.

They were used to his parents’ displays of affection. One of the few couples who had

fallen in love with each other and became mates at the same time, it was all of their
wishes to emulate them. Aric truly thought he had found that with Jordan.

She was sassy and beautiful. He smiled, remembering the times she’d answered any of

his sarcastic remarks with something meant to reduce a lesser man to shreds. He found
her attitude sexy as hell and incredibly fun. Last night he’d marked her. That’s what males
gave their mates during a scenting ceremony. A mark. He’d bitten her. Not deep enough
to create the larger scar of a mate mark, but he’d marked her as his. The bite had put his
scent on her. It let others know she belonged to him. He’d been happy he’d finally gotten
her alone, and for once, he was able to do what he’d been dying to for years.

He’d asked her to wait while he verified the perimeter was secure. Later, he’d returned

to her, but she’d been gone.

“So?” He glanced up to see his mother frowning at him and his brothers. “Did any of

you even bother to meet the girls we arranged for you?”

A chorus of “No” dropped a frown on their mother’s face.

“This really isn’t helping your cause,” she said. “How in the world do you plan to have

mates by the fall if you don’t help me out here, boys?”

“Mom,” Jake answered. “I hate to break this to you, but we never said we wanted mates

by fall.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course you didn’t. If it were up to you four, I’d never see a

grandchild.”

Ellie walked in at that moment. She glanced back and forth between the table and her

parents. She made a move to leave the kitchen, but Aric needed her.

“Ellie, come have something to eat.” He pulled out the chair next to him.
She glared at him. Hell, his sister had done him a favor and he repaid her by putting

her on the spot with their parents. She strolled to the table and took a seat across from
him.

“Ellie, honey, did you have fun last night?” His mother asked with enthusiasm.

Apparently he and his brothers were not the only people she was trying to hook up.

“I did. Seeing Kelly and Marco so in tune to each other and their wolves make such a

match was…great. And knowing that she got marked made the entire event a success.”

Nice. She brought it back to the main event. Their cousin Kelly and Marco. This

reminded Aric of Marco’s younger—much dumber—brother Ricardo. The stupid teen had
been ready to pounce on Jordan when Aric had arrived. Though he didn’t scent fear from
her at being growled at by the brown wolf, it had still pissed him off to see any other male
near his woman. Especially during a scenting ceremony. She was his.

“Yes, honey, but did you find any males there interesting?”
“No.” Ellie placed a sandwich on a plate and proceeded to ignore it. His sister’s blonde

strands and delicate features matched those of his mother to perfection, while he and his
brothers took after their father with the dark hair and harsher looks.

“Do you have any news on Caleb and what is happening with his pack?” His father

asked, taking a seat at the large table next to his sons. He took a bite of a sandwich and
pointed to Nathan. “I understand he’s having some trouble over on the south.”

Ellie’s gaze jerked up to stare at him. There were a number of questions in her eyes.

Many of which Aric couldn’t answer. He had no idea what Caleb was thinking, nobody did.
Things were strained over at the Rahound Pack. Though he and his brothers didn’t speak
of it, they knew Ellie and Caleb had something going on, something deep. Even his
parents knew. They didn’t bring it up, but they knew.

“Caleb is getting ready to fight for the pack leader position.”
“Damn.” Jake shook his head. “Things must be really bad for it to have gone there.”
They all knew Caleb would never remove anyone from power unless they abused it. He

was the Alpha’s son. When his father passed, Caleb had been out of the country, leaving
his uncle Rocco to take control.

“Do we need to go help him?” Nathan asked, pushing food around his plate.
He watched Nathan swivel his glass to make the soda funnel inside.
“He knows to ask for help if it becomes necessary,” Aric answered. “But I know he

wants to try to handle it himself.”

His father nodded. “He does. If he is to be Alpha, he needs to push Rocco out of the

way and face the pack on his own.”

“What made him choose to fight?” Ellie asked.
Aric heard the tremor in her voice. She cared for his friend, but he didn’t know how

much. Ellie was private. Even when he’d made it known to his sister that he wanted
Jordan, she’d refused to let him near her friend. She was so protective of Jordan he often
wondered why. She said Jordan wasn’t someone he could just use for one season of
mating heat and let go. He’d been forced to admit to her that he wanted more than that
before she agreed to even discuss her friend with him.

“Some of the enforcers turned violent against the women,” Nathan answered.
Ellie gasped.
Aric nodded. “They wanted them to be forced to mate with them. Caleb brought it up to

Rocco. What surprised him most was that the old man agreed with the enforcers.”

Ellie stood. Her pale features had turned even ashier. She headed for the outdoors.

Their house was surrounded by a large dense forest and Aric knew where she was going.
He stood and followed behind his sister.

He found her sitting on the two-person swing a few hundred feet away.
“Are you okay?” He sat next to her.
She turned to face him. He was taken aback by the agony he saw in her eyes. “Do you

know if he’s okay?”

He pulled her into his side and held her. “I do. He’s fine.”
He knew she could hear the words he didn’t say. For now. Caleb was going up against a

large number of people. The fight could spill into their territory, but until it did, they
needed to stay out of it. Caleb needed to prove he was the Alpha his pack needed.

“How did it go last night?” Ellie asked after a few minutes.
“It was good. We didn’t find any human intruders.”
She turned. Sad lines deepened on the sides of her mouth. “That’s not what I meant.”
Their deal. That’s what she’d been referring to. In order for her help, he’d offered to let

her know how things went with Jordan.

“I marked her.”
Her blue eyes went wide. She flung her arms around his neck. “I’m so happy for you,

Aric.” She sighed into his neck. “Jordan is perfect.”

He cleared his throat. “I already know that.”
Ellie pulled back, her smile dimmed as she stared at him. “What went wrong?”
“She left me.”
“I don’t understand. You said you marked her. She’s yours.”
“I still needed to do a perimeter check after and asked her to wait for me, but she left

before I returned.”

Ellie bit her lip. “Have you called her?”
He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Hell yes! I’ve called her. I went by her

house. Hell, I even went by the school.”

She grinned. “Aric?”
“What?”
“It’s Saturday.” She smiled at him as if he were an idiot.

“So?”
“We don’t have school on Saturdays.”
“I know that, but I had to check. I needed to know where she went.”
She hugged him again. And he let her. His baby sister was giving him some of the

comfort he needed. For a future Alpha, he felt mighty insecure when it came to his mate.
Jordan could run him around in so many circles he didn’t know if he was coming or
going.

“Don’t worry big brother. You’ll have your mate soon.” She winked. “I have a plan.”
Thank God for his sister. He had no idea what else to do. He’d been attracted to Jordan

the moment he saw her. The first whiff of her scent and his wolf had been in agreement.
She was theirs. But Jordan had been young, too young. And he knew she wasn’t from his
world. She didn’t know what it was to be mated to his kind. There was no divorce. There
was no other person. There was just the two of them. Working through everything,
together. So he’d been waiting and hoping that with time she’d want to be with him.

“I’m sorry about Caleb, Ellie.”
She shook her head. “It’s alright. I’m sure all will be fine.”
She lied to him. Or maybe she lied to herself. Aric didn’t have the heart to tell her that

things were a lot more complicated than they seemed. He and his brother and father had
their enforcers on alert. The fight in Caleb’s pack was going to be dirty. And it was only a
matter of time before it touched their grounds.

“Aric?”
“Yes, little pup?”
She smiled at his pet name for her. “You need to understand that you’re going to have

to work on getting Jordan to open her heart and let you in now. She is a little rough
around the edges since we were in high school. Kids tended to be awful to her back then.”

Rage bubbled in his veins. “What do you mean? How were they awful?”
Ellie shrugged. “You know boys. She’s curvy. They called her names. But she always

fought back. Not necessarily with her fists, but she could cut a person down with a few
words. It was her defense mechanism.”

“This happened for long?” He wanted to hurt those boys.
She shook her head. “Not that I am aware of, but it’s possible. When we became

friends, she’d already stopped the majority of the attacks and had grown a thick wall
around her heart. In time, people stopped looking at her body and focused on her
personality and her sassiness. Guys started to like her, and you’d think that was the end
of it.”

“But?” This was getting more complicated by the second.
“She never forgot. I know she’s still a little insecure over her size. She won’t say it.

Hell, she’d probably dare me to a duel with guns and all if I say it, but I know.” She
pressed her lips together and sighed. “You need to get to know her. She’s not going to fall
for the whole mate line. You’ll need to get her to want a relationship with you. Then you
can bring up the mate mark.”

Frickin’ hell. His relationship with Jordan just got a lot more difficult.
“She’s my best friend, Aric. I love her and I don’t ever want to see her hurt. I know

you’ve wanted her for a long time. But she’s a fighter who needs a protector—and it won’t
be easy convincing her of that fact.”

He’d be Jordan’s protector now. Hell, he’d fight King Kong if needed to save her.
“Any suggestions on how I get her to accept a relationship with me?” He was clueless

about the deeper side of Jordan.

He hadn’t purposely distanced himself from her through the years. Okay, maybe he

had. Everyone assumed that since he was in line to lead he was some kind of super-sure-
of-himself badass. And that may be true in most cases, but not with Jordan. He’d
developed an instant need to seek her attention from the moment he met her, but she’d
been a little girl. So he’d kept away from her, hoping that with time she’d grow to like
him. What he hadn’t expected was for her to develop into such a sassy, sexy woman. His
woman. One he wanted more than any other. A woman he didn’t know how to get close
to.

Ellie smiled, her eyes twinkling. “I think you already have this figured out, Aric. Think

about it.”

It took him a moment to realize where she was going. She’d given him a way to make

Jordan listen to him. A key. And now she’d reminded him to use it. He laughed and
hugged her to his side.

“You’re too smart for your own good, little pup.” His best friend Caleb was going to

have his hands full with his little sister.

“I know.” She ruffled his hair.

* * *

Jordan lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. What in the world was she going to do

now? She’d had sex with Aric. Oh, but it wasn’t just sex. It was the best fucking sex of her
life and she wanted it again so bad she was ready to call and beg him for more.

“Argh!” She threw a pillow over her face.
She lay there, reliving every kiss, every thrust, every pant, and every moan. There had

been a point she’d started to beg him to fuck her. Dear God, she was in deep shit. Her
body had turned into one giant erogenous zone, and thinking of Aric, and his hands and
lips made her nipples tighten and her pussy slick.

The sound of her doorbell made her lift her head from her bed. She was waiting on the

other girls to drop off their flash drives. Now that she thought about it, why the hell had
nobody called her yet? By now, they’d have had at least two conference calls to discuss
what they’d seen. Not that she was complaining. She was happy she got to go without
running into them. Aric had left her alone for a while. Well, enough time that she
questioned her sanity in doing all those amazing things with him. Then she got the hell
out of dodge. If they’d seen her with her torn up clothes, trying to hide all her girl bits
unsuccessfully, they’d have made her the butt of their jokes for the next decade.

Thankfully, they’d all driven their own cars, so she didn’t have to feel bad about leaving

the others behind. In fact, she didn’t even worry about her camera or the ceremony at that
point. She had been too worked up over the multiple orgasms and having screamed out
Aric’s name loud enough to be heard by a few of her friends.

She slipped on a robe and ran to brush her teeth.

“Hi, Ellie.” She let her friend inside and headed for the kitchen to make some coffee.
Ellie sniffed the air. Jordan wondered if she could smell Aric on her still. But that

couldn’t be right. Too many hours had passed. She’d been so exhausted by the time she
got home, she’d shrugged off the clothes and got into bed.

“Are you okay? You look really tired.” Ellie watched her intensely. Her blue eyes lit

with curiosity. Jordan had the urge to fidget so instead she put the coffeemaker to brew.

“I’m fine. Just need some more sleep,” she mumbled.
“I brought the flash cards from the others. They dropped them at my car before they

left, and I wanted to make sure you had them all.”

The way Ellie smiled made her a little worried.
“Oh. Great.” Jordan wanted to jump in the shower so bad now.
“So?”
Oh God. Ellie knew. She knew Jordan had sex with Aric. How could she face her friend

after all the bad bad things that felt so so good that she and Aric had done? She needed to
play it cool.

“So?” Jordan squeaked. Nice.
“What did you think of the scenting ceremony?” Ellie grinned. “You only harassed me

half to death to let you witness it, and now, you won’t even tell me your thoughts.”

Her thoughts? Her thoughts were all on one super-sexy, tattooed badass with the body

of a god and a cock that should be insured for millions.

“I think it was amazing.” Yeah. That would work. She would probably think it was

amazing once she saw the video of it anyway.

“Oh really? What was your favorite part?” Ellie asked.
Crap.
“Well…uh. When the guy, Marco, right? Uh, he was…uh, sniffing Kelly.” She knew he

had to have sniffed her. They were wolves for cripes’ sake.

Ellie’s eyes went saucer-wide. “You didn’t think it was a little odd for him to shove his

muzzle there?”

Huh? What the hell did she miss? “Um, no. Nah. It looked pretty normal to me. I’m

sure other men would think so too.”

“Human men would do that?” Ellie frowned. “I’ve never met one who has.”
“Oh well. It’s probably not a big deal. So, how is everything at your house?”
Ellie lifted her brow. “Everyone is fine. Mom and Dad are still playing match makers.”

She sighed, slipping a lock of hair behind her ear. She cupped her face in the palm of her
hand, resting her elbow on the table.

“What’s wrong with that?”
“They want grandbabies.” She shrugged, tapping her nails on the table. “The sooner the

better.”

Well, damn.
“What do the sexy four want?” She cleared her throat and brought coffee to the table. It

was a known fact Aric would need a mate, a shifter mate—soon. He was the oldest, and
dammit he was also the hottest of the bunch, with the responsibility of being future
Alpha. Though all the brothers had it in their blood, he was first born. They were strong,

powerful, and no-nonsense. They were also soft on the eyes, or in Aric’s case, soft on all
her body parts. Who was she kidding? He was so hot he made her panties shrivel into
nothing. Thinking of him, remembering last night, shot her temperature up and out of
orbit. Hello internal combustion.

Ellie filled a mug with coffee, sugar, and cream. Jordan watched her hand shake as she

spooned sugar into her steaming cup. “They know they won’t settle for the women they
feel are right for them.”

Jordan ignored her own coffee to watch her friend closely. “What’s wrong?” She

studied Ellie’s face. Whoever upset her friend was going to get an earful. She may not be
able to smell pain or fear, but all she had to do was look at Ellie to know something was
bothering her. “Do I have to kick Caleb’s ass?”

Ellie glanced down at her cup. “No. I…I haven’t spoken to him in days. There’s not

much to tell. He’s going through some stuff with his pack right now. I need to give him
time and space to figure it out.” She sipped her coffee and pursed her lips. “Let’s go look
at some of the memory cards. I don’t want to think of what’s happening with Caleb right
now.”

They took their drinks to the living room. Jordan sat in her leather chair and Ellie set

up the flat screen with Jordan’s laptop. Moments later, they were watching one of the
videos they’d recorded.

“What happened with all those people we saw last night?” Jordan wondered about the

brown wolf that’d tried to take a nibble out of her.

“Some of them came from pretty far way. They’re staying in the area for a bit with my

father’s permission to explore and get to know some of our females.”

“What about Marco and Kelly? What happens with them now?” The screen changed to

a shot of two wolves entering the clearing. She’d guess Kelly was the smaller of the two.
With a light grey fur, she looked like a Husky instead of a wolf. Marco’s animal was
brown and almost twice the size of the grey. The bigger wolf circled the grey. He shoved
his muzzle into her butt. What the––?

“They mate now. He’s already marked her.”
She continued to watch the wolf sniff Kelly’s wolf all over. Then it was her turn.

Jordan’s gaze was glued to the screen, watching the small wolf sniff at the larger one. She
sat transfixed. The two wolves shifted into full humans. Naked humans. Even though she
knew it would happen, it still felt like she was intruding on a private moment.

“He marked her?”
Passion flared in Kelly and Marco’s eyes as they watched each other. Kelly lifted a hand

slowly and brought it to his face. He inhaled. His eyes glowed bright gold. He hauled her
into him. Their bodies were pressed tight together like a couple making love, like she’d
been with Aric just hours ago.

“Yes. Didn’t you watch?” Ellie’s eyes widened.
“Yes, but you know I had to…” What the hell could she say? She picked lint off her

robe, ignoring the heat crowding her face. “I had to stay on alert so we didn’t get caught.”

Ellie giggled. “Right.”
Was her friend making fun of her? She stopped the video. It was getting a little too

erotic. She was still all kinds of turned on, and the last thing she needed was Ellie to sniff
that.

“So tell me what you want me to do now?” Jordan asked about the book and the

original plan of putting the entire ceremony in details for her family’s library.

“Write it all out as you see it.”
Jordan crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you mind if I go back to the clearing?” It’d

be easier to get a feel for what to write if she was down at the spot where it took place.

“No, but you do need to be careful. We still have out-of-towners and they may be in the

area.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be careful. I don’t want any close encounters of the sharp teeth

kind.” Once was enough.

Chapter Four

Instinct told Jordan to get out of the clearing the moment she set foot there. But had she
listened? Nope. That would have been too easy. Instead, she’d started taking photos and
visualizing what happened there. Then she glanced up to the spot she knew she’d been at
when Aric found her.

That’s how the two white wolves found her. At first she’d been distracted,

remembering the night with Aric. Leaves crunched. She glanced around, finally noticing
the wolves. Unease bounced around her stomach, twisting her insides into knots. The two
animals watched her. Without taking her eyes off them, she pulled out an air horn and a
bottle of pepper spray from her bag.

“Hello. I’m friends with the Wolfe family.” She kept her voice steady.
The smaller one of the two took a step closer and sniffed. She’d started to calm, hoping

the animals realized she wasn’t lying.

The little white wolf growled, initiating a mimicked snarl from the larger wolf. And

then she was running for her car being chased by two wolves.

Branches and trees zoomed past her. Growls sounded so close behind her, she knew

they were doing it to scare her. Goddammit, it was working. Her heart pounded hard in
her chest. Fear, something she absolutely hated with every fiber of her being, filled her
until it was hard to breathe. Her mind whirled, but she didn’t know what to do. Ahead,
she saw a thick tree with broken off branches. Focused solely on the branches, she ran for
it.

Thankful for all the tree climbing she’d done in the summers as a kid, she grabbed on

to those branches and hauled her ass up that tree faster than superman going around
Earth’s orbit.

She sat on the edge of a branch, gasping for air. The two wolves came into view. They

glanced up and growled. Fucking great. The wood was hard and uncompromising under
her ass. She rifled through her bag, searching for her cell.

Finally, she pulled it out and dialed Ellie. Nothing. She then dialed all her other female

friends. Nothing. She cursed. The one time she needed them, no one answered. She
wiggled to adjust her balance. The branch wobbled under her ass. She braced herself
against the trunk and took a peek down. At least twenty feet of air dangled below her feet.
Shit.

There was only one other option. One choice. One solution. Frickin’ hell. The last

person she wanted to call was him. But seeing as the two animals at the edge of the tree
didn’t look like they were going anywhere, she dialed Aric’s number.

He answered on the first ring. “Jordan?”
“I need you,” she whispered, glancing down at the two growling beasts. If it were one,

she’d go up against the animal or at least try to outrun it. Against the two of them, heroics
were out of the question.

“Is this some kind of joke?” He sounded surprised. And why wouldn’t he be? She left

him just the night before after he’d asked her to stay. “I’ve been calling you non-stop, but
my calls have been going straight to voice mail.”

Uh-oh. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to ignore the sexy Alpha.
She was still freaking out over having had sex, really amazing mind-blowing sex, with

Aric. The moment he’d told her in that no-nonsense, growly voice to wait for him, she
almost came on the spot…again. It was a bit much to take in. So she’d packed up her
equipment and done what any sane woman in her position would do. She rushed home,
locked her doors, threw herself on her bed, and thought about everything he’d done for
the rest of the night.

Loud growls brought her out of her daydream.
“I am so serious, Aric. Get your furry ass over here.” She hugged the tree trunk and

gasped. For a second she wobbled on the branch.

A soft snort whispered against her ear. “Where is ‘over here?’”
Was he laughing at her? She was in a maul or death situation here. “The…er, clearing

where you guys had the scenting ceremony.”

“What are you doing there?”
“Just get here already.” She raised her voice, watching the two white wolves run circles

around the tree and suddenly stop. “I have two flea-ridden mutts trying to take a bite out
of me! I may be a big girl, but I would like to keep all my body parts intact.”

One of the wolves snarled. The other jumped, scratching the tree bark on its way down.

Jordan jerked her feet up instinctively, almost falling backward in her haste.

“On my way. Don’t go anywhere.”
The line went dead.
As if she could. She watched the smaller of the two wolves stare at her with unblinking,

cold eyes. Jordan wasn’t one to scare easy, but the way the beast watched her, she knew if
she got down on the ground she would have to fight for her life. Swallowing at the
dryness in her throat, she attempted to push down the fear winding its way around her
chest.

“I want to see how tough you are when Aric gets here,” she hissed at the two beasts.
She wasn’t sure if it was the mention of Aric’s name or something else, but within

moments the two wolves darted off. Temptation to get off the hard branch and go home
turned her antsy. After what felt like forever, she saw Aric running toward her.

He stopped at the base of the tree and glanced up.
“Jump.”
“You must be high,” she muttered.
He chuckled. “No, baby, you’re the one high up on that tree. Jump and I’ll catch you.”

She squiggled on to her stomach and grappled with the first stump to work her way

down. “I will get down on my own thank you very m—”

She slipped off the branch. Her stomach plummeted on her descent. Without a doubt,

she was going to break something or land like a ginormous pancake in front of Aric. A
scream lodged in her throat. She clenched her eyes shut. Everything flew past and then
just stopped.

“I’ve got you.”
She jerked her eyes open and met his bright grey ones. Her gaze darted down to his

mouth. Nervous tension slithered down her spine.

She licked her lips. “Thank you.”
His muscled arms held her tight to him. A shiver racked her. “You’re okay.”
She couldn’t stop her eyes from feasting on his face. They were as close as last night,

and the light of day lent her the ability to see his sexy features with clarity.

“I know.”
His nostrils flared. With deliberate care, he placed her on to the ground, but he didn’t

let go. Instead, he cupped her face and kissed her. The combination of passion, fear, and
adrenaline sent her arousal skyrocketing. She curled her hands around his neck, digging
her nails into the back of his skull. Instant heat exploded in her core. Her pussy went slick
with need.

He delved his tongue into her mouth. Hot damn the man was a fantastic kisser. He was

aggressive. He took. He owned. He branded. And she loved it.

Desire swamped her in a wave of lust. She moaned. He slid his hands down her torso

and lightly grazed her aching nipples. He caressed around her waist, over her back, and
grabbed her ass. On her tiptoes, she plastered herself to him.

The kiss turned scorching. Her hormones yelled with urgency to have him. Sex with

him became her sole focus. The bar of his cock pressed against her belly. He was thick
and hard, and the weight of his cock alone was a nagging tease to her pussy.

Someone cleared his throat. “Aric? You ready to go?”
She snapped her eyes open and almost got whiplash shifting sideways to see his

brother, Mason, smiling at them. The twinkle in his eyes and the tiny dimple near his
mouth made the man heart-stopping gorgeous, but he was no Aric.

“Hate to interrupt, but we should go.”
She could still feel Aric’s very erect cock poking her. The raw lust in his eyes almost

made her say to hell with Mason. Almost.

“Let’s get you home,” he said in the growly voice that made her melt.
With a very dry throat and her tongue attached to the roof of her mouth, she allowed

him to hold her hand and lead her to his truck. At the door, he turned her over, pressing
her back on the door and pushing his erection against her belly. All her thoughts shot
down to the gutter. He rubbed his crotch on her at the same time his lips brushed over
her lips.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
Heat crowded her belly. Only one thing filled her mind. Getting him naked. Bad, bad

Jordan! She opened her mouth to suck in air. Nothing had ever felt as good as he did

rubbing on her.

Mason cleared his throat. “We really should go.”
The lust brightening Aric’s eyes made her nipples ache. She was a slut. And she didn’t

even care.

“Let’s go.”
Yes, please. Home or bed, it didn’t matter. Hell, she’d let him fuck her behind a tree if

Mason didn’t look. She slid into the seat with her mind muddled with erotic images of
Aric fucking her again.

“So what happened?” Mason started the truck.
Guessing by the time of day it was, she figured they must have been at the bar when

she contacted him. The Wolfe family owned different businesses in the area. Aric had his
own bar, Wolfe’s Den. At this time of the afternoon, he was usually taking care of
business and she’d called him away.

“Sorry to have interrupted your work.” She ran a hand through her hair. “But I came

here to look around for a project I’m doing for Ellie.” She wasn’t sure if she should give
the full details so she kept things vague.

Mason glanced at her and smiled. “Right, the book thing.”
“Yes. So when I got here, these two white wolves—”
Aric frowned. “White?”
“Yes. One was bigger than the other, but they both seemed pretty pissed.” She cocked

her head and watched him. “Why do you ask?”

“We don’t have pure whites in our pack.” Mason explained, his large hands gripping the

wheel.

They drove down the hill until they reached the main road.
“I forgot my car!”
“I would too if I were as busy as you two were.” Mason chuckled.
Aric slapped his brother behind his head. “Now is not the time.”
“Well, we have to go back for my car,” she huffed.
“Don’t worry sweetheart, we’ll have one of the guys drop it off at your house.” He

twined his fingers with hers and pulled her closer.

It was weird to be near him and have him show this much affection. She didn’t know

what to make of it. For years she’d been somewhat subdued at his little taunts and
innuendos. He’d flirted with her a multitude of times, but she’d never openly flirted back.
She knew he’d be able to tell she was turned-on, so she’d tried to rein in her hormones.
There had been some close calls. A time or two they’d danced together at a family
function and she’d become so aroused she was sure he knew, but this was way past
flirting.

After a few moments of being entranced by his finger drawing circles on her palm, she

realized they were not headed to her house.

“Where are we going?”
His sinful lips split into a wicked grin.
Oh god, if he continued to smile at her with so much concern, she was going to rip off

her clothes and rape him. Yep. She’d tear off his T-shirt and reveal the sexy tattooed upper

body. The same body she’d been brain fucking and mind licking for the past fifteen
minutes and would then rape him in the back of his truck. All that while his brother
drove.

“To my parents’ place. It’s probably best to speak to them about what white wolves

might be the ones you saw. I didn’t recognize their scent.” He hugged her to his side. The
heat of his body wrapped around her like a comforting blanket. She’d swear there was
some kind of connection growing between them. Her body urged her closer to him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” The last thing she wanted was to involve his family in

whatever that white wolf had against her.

“Stop the truck,” Aric ordered.
Mason pulled over and left the truck.
She turned to him with surprise. “Where did he go?”
“He’ll be back shortly. He’s giving us a few minutes.”
“Why?”
“I need to explain some things to you.”
She licked her lips. He lifted a hand to her face, sliding a finger down her cheek.

“You’re important to me. Very important.”

She gasped. “I am?”
“You are.” His tone brooked no argument.
“Since when? And if you say last night, I’m going to hurt you. Good sex does not make

us a couple.” While it had been really amazing sex, the kind that left her breathless and
panting, that wasn’t enough to create something lasting between them.

“First of all, it wasn’t just good sex, it was the best sex of your life, and don’t bother

denying it. Second of all, it’s not about sex. You and I have a connection. You know it, and
I know it.”

Sure, things between them had always been extra hot and with enough sizzle to start a

forest fire, but that was chemistry. “We’re not the first couple to be in lust.”

“This isn’t about lust. This is about us. You. Me. The future.”
“Are you crazy? There is no us. There is no future. There was sex. I’ll admit it was fan-

freaking-tastic sex, but sex nonetheless. You don’t even know me.”

He cupped her face, giving her with a deep penetrating gaze. “I know all I need to know

about you, love.”

This was crazy. “In order to even consider a relationship with you, I’d need to be able to

trust that you understand I am an individual. I’m not some little woman to stay barefoot
and pregnant in the kitchen while the big sexy man takes care of business.”

He grinned. “You think I’m sexy?”
“Argh!” Frustration flourished at light speed. She curled her nails into her palms and

counted to ten. She didn’t want to fight with him, not when she was still brain fucking
him. “See what I mean? You’re not listening to me.”

“I am listening, but you don’t seem to understand that shifters are possessive and

aggressive.”

“Life is more than just being possessive and telling your significant other what to do.”
The vein on the side of his cheek throbbed and he clenched his jaw. “It is. It’s about

protecting our family. That includes our women.”

She sighed. “That’s all fine and good, but I need a man who can accept me for who I

am.” She pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t expect you to change who you are for me, and I need
you to do the same for me or this idea of more will never work.”

“We’ll make it work.” He sounded so sure it scared her a little.
“How?” She had enough doubts to build a bridge to never-never land.
“I believe in you, Jordan. I know you’re the one for me. There will be no other woman

in my life as important as you.” He nuzzled his lips over hers. “Trust me.”

Mason opened the door and got back in the truck. With a final soft look from Aric, the

conversation returned to the white wolves.

“I didn’t recognize the scent of the wolves either. There were a lot of out-of-towners at

the scenting ceremony.” Mason commented and turned onto a dirt road off the main
street.

Great. Neither of them knew who the white wolves were or what it was they had

against humans.

They arrived at the Wolfe household. Only Aric’s parents and his brother Nathan were

home. Tension filled the living room where the group sat.

Aric glanced at his parents “What’s wrong?”
He drew her into the house, but wouldn’t let go of her hand. She tried to tug out of his

hold, but nobody seemed to notice how close he was holding her.

“One of the women from Caleb’s pack is missing,” his mother said.
“Who?”
“A teen. One of the enforcers wanted her, but when she refused him and sought Caleb’s

back up, things turned difficult.”

Jordan wiped her sweaty palm on the side of her shorts. There was enough going on

without adding the problem she’d had to the mix.

“I think I should go home,” she whispered to Aric’s side. “You have enough to discuss

without me being in the way.”

“Oh, don’t be silly.” Mrs. Wolfe smiled warmly. “Stay for dinner.”
For a person who’d grown up around the Wolfe’s, it was still hard for Jordan to

understand that they wanted her around. Hell, she’d lived surrounded by people who
never wanted her as a child.

Aric sensed Jordan’s nervousness at his continued grasp of her hand. He didn’t let go.

He didn’t care. Let the others know she was his already. They could probably scent his
mark on her. Not as deep as a mate marking, but enough for her to smell of him and his
wolf. He’d marked her inside as well with his seed. Fucking good time to start thinking of
being inside her tight body. Or how good she’d felt screaming for him. Jesus Christ. Last
thing he needed was to be remembering how amazing sex between him and Jordan had
been. Especially when his mother was nearby.

“Jordan was attacked today,” he stated as they sat on a two-person sofa. He tugged her

down next to him and curled an arm protectively over her shoulders.

“What happened?” His mother’s eyes flashed with concern and anger.
Jordan glared at him. Fire flaired in the look she gave him. “Aric!” She jabbed him in

the ribs. “Really, Mrs. Wolfe, it was nothing. Just think some of your guests aren’t human
friendly.”

“They had to really scare her, mom. She was up a tree from what I heard.” Mason

grinned, taking a long swallow of his beer and lifting his feet up to the coffee table. His
mother proceeded to slap him at the knees.

“Who the hell would do that?” His father growled. The golden hue of his wolf was

visible in his eyes. A protector through and through, the Alpha would not stand for
anyone to hurt one of his. And he most certainly saw Ellie’s friends as part of the pack.

“Some white wolves.”
His mother frowned. “White?” Then she turned to her mate as she took a seat beside

him. “We don’t know any whites, do we?”

“I’m not sure. We invited so many different Alpha daughters for you boys. And you

know they all came with their own guards.”

His mother lifted an arched brow and rubbed a hand on her husband’s leg. “Well then,”

She smiled at the group, “we’ll just have to tell them all to leave.”

“Oh, don’t ask your guests to leave for me.”
Jordan’s grip tightened on Aric’s hand, and he knew she was embarrassed. She had

always been quiet and polite to his parents. Though the same courtesy didn’t apply to
him. Their conversations tended to end up in a he-said she-said of sarcastic remarks. He
knew she wanted him. She was his, and no matter how much she fought it, she’d come to
realize it sooner or later.

“Nonsense, my dear. You’re family.” His mother’s brows dipped. “Nobody threatens my

family.”

That moment was enough for Aric to want to run out and hunt a deer or two for his

mom. She’d said exactly what he hoped she would in regard to Jordan.

The rumble of a vehicle brought his attention out to the front yard. Caleb’s pick-up

stopped in front of his house. Aric stood and marched outside with his father and brother.

An angry Caleb and four of his men stomped out of the truck. “We found the girl.”
Aric’s stomach tightened. “And?”
“She was dead.”
Aric had that feeling. “Do you know who did it?”
A short shake of his head was Caleb’s his only answer. He pulled him to the side,

leaving his father and brother with the other men.

“Do you need us to back you up?”
Caleb’s wolf rose to the surface. The rough growl of his voice was almost unintelligible.

“No.”

“The time for my fight is drawing near. I will take back what’s rightfully mine. My pack.

My people. My land,” Caleb snarled.

“I am here… We are here. Anything you need.”
“I need to do this on my own,” Caleb stated, glancing toward the house.
Aric nodded. “She’s not here.”
Caleb turned to face the windows where Aric’s mother and Jordan watched them. A

frown marred Jordan’s brow while she bit her lip.

“Yours?”
“Mine.”
“Congratulations.” Caleb’s words were heartfelt. He knew how hard it was for them to

find someone both man and wolf wanted. Someone they could grow to love.

“Ellie waits for you.”
“I know. But it’s not the right time.” Caleb turned to the men waiting by the pick-up.
“Be careful. Call on me if the need arises.” He would never stop offering his best friend

help at a difficult time.

Caleb nodded and joined the others in the pick-up before leaving.
Ellie, Jake, and Nathan arrived a short time later. They sat down for dinner and

discussed the need to remove anyone placing threats on humans.

“We’ll take care of asking them to leave.” Nathan and Jake stated at the same time.
Ellie spoke softly to Jordan. “Are you alright? Were you scared? Did they hurt you?”
Jordan grinned and sucked her teeth. “Me? Come on, chica. It would take a lot more

than a couple of mutts barking to scare me.”

His father choked on his laughter. “Good to hear that, Jordan. We’d hate to see you

scared.”

“Brave girl.” His mother praised.
Jordan blushed and guzzled down her water. Aric was proud of her. Her fearlessness

was priceless and exactly what was needed for a future Alpha mate. He twined his and
Jordan’s fingers together on his lap. She tried to tug them out of his hold but he didn’t
budge, so she stopped. His parents’ words warmed his heart.

The conversation turned to removing the guests from the area to ensure human safety.
“They all leave,” his mother ordered.
When Barbara Wolfe spoke, everyone listened.

Chapter Five

Aric watched Jordan’s SUV enter her driveway. He waited. Her sexy, curvy body covered
in sweaty yoga gear exited her car. With flushed, sweat covered skin and hair that hung in
a limp ponytail, she appeared to be exhausted. She dragged her feet as she made her way
into the house. He continued to wait. A few moments later, he heard the shower running.
He used the spare key Ellie had given him and entered the house.

Without hesitating, he went straight for her bedroom. In the midst of a shower, he

heard mumbling from her bathroom. She groaned about letting her friends talk her into
exercise. She muttered that her body hated the stuff. He shrugged off his clothes. His cock
went instantly erect at the thought of Jordan naked. Naked and wet.

Steam filtered under the door of the bathroom into the bedroom. He’d given her space,

even allowing Ellie to take her home after dinner at his parents. That had been five days
back.

All week he’d watched her go to and from work, carefully guarding her from the

shadows to ensure she didn’t encounter any more trouble. But she’d continued to ignore
his calls. There would be no more playing nice.

He gripped the cool knob, turning it without hesitation. The heat of the bathroom

enveloped him. She was so wrapped up in her solo conversation she didn’t hear him.
Though he had stealth, the soft squeak of the lock was not something he could stop.

He slipped inside the tub. She had her eyes closed. Water rained over her head and

down her bare body. A low rumble sounded in his chest. Her golden skin was flushed. Her
nipples were puckered tight, calling him for a taste. And the scent of her arousal made it
impossible to stay quiet. His wolf growled, the sound riding up from his balls and through
his throat.

Her eyes jerked open. Darkness filled them until her pupils ate up the brown.
“Aric.” She used that fuck-me voice that turned his cock concrete stiff. “What are you

doing here?”

“You. Mine.” That was the best he could do. The wolf was jerking at the skin. He

wanted her and the beast did too.

“I––”
Two steps and there was nothing between them. Her eyes widened. She licked her lips.

He lost it.

He pushed her from under the spray and back against the cool tile. Their lips met in a

rush. There was no careful. Gone was the idea of taking things easy. He needed her. The
beast pushed at his skin, wanting loose. They both wanted a taste of his mate. Aric fought
to control the savagery of the animal. It was nearly impossible. Then Jordan shoved her
tongue into his mouth and bit his lip.

Fuck slow.
She raked her nails down his shoulders. A shudder rocked his body. As if that weren’t

enough torture, she curled a leg around his waist and rubbed the heat of her pussy over
his cock. Lust drove his thoughts.

Mate. Mate. Mate.
He cupped her face in his hands, driving his fingers into her wet hair and pulling her

head back to an angle he wanted. He gripped her hair, loving her loud moan. The scent of
her arousal grew thicker in the small space.

She pushed him until they were turned and his back was to the tile. He growled low in

his chest. The sound vibrated through their kiss. She pulled back and he snarled. A soft
smile played on her lips.

She laughed before rushing out of the shower. “Catch me if you can.”
There was no time for games. He needed to be inside her. Water dripped down his body

as he shut off the spray. He moved fast and caught her at the edge of the bed. She
squealed.

She tried to turn over in his arms, but he wasn’t having it. The beast was in control. He

held her by the waist and yanked her on the bed with him. His cock jerked. She lay there,
face and upper body flat on the bed with her ass high in the air. Water clung to her
caramel skin and sexy curves. There was no doubt in any area of his mind this was the
sexiest woman he’d ever seen.

“Aric?” She’d make him come with her throaty voice soon.
She wiggled her hips and pressed back into his pelvis. The head of his cock nudged at

her pussy entrance. And fuck if she didn’t suck him right in. He groaned. He tried to tell
himself he should ready her for him first but her slick entrance wrapped tight around his
cock and drew him in. There was no thinking, just feeling. He dropped on all four and
drove deep.

Her pussy rippled around him in a tight suctioning that made him see double.
“Oh, God.” She whimpered into the sheets.
Gripping the long strands of her hair, he tugged her head back and pulled his cock

almost out of her and thrust hard. He twisted her head to watch her features while he
fucked her. Each drive of his cock into her tight pussy made her moan. She licked her lips
and fisted the sheets in her hands. He pulled her hair back and kissed her. The deep
strokes into her sleek channel made it hard for him to hold on. The wolf wanted a taste.
Fur pushed at his pores. His skin felt tight. Animal hunger turned him rougher, propelling
back and thrusting forward in punishing speed. He moved faster, harder inside her.

“Aric!”
He continued fucking her rough, slamming her pussy with his cock until she was

screaming and her body was shaking with the force of her climax. He couldn’t stop. He
continued pumping in and out of her at record speed. He snarled and licked the back of

her shoulder. The same spot he’d marked her. The wolf wanted his mate but it wasn’t
time yet. He slid a hand down her ass to lubricate his thumb with her honey.

She moaned again. Begged him to continue. He slipped his wet thumb into her ass. The

tight little hole tightened around his digit the same way her pussy did around his cock.
Her breath hitched. He rode her hard. But she didn’t back down. Instead she propelled
back into his driving cock.

“Mine!” He snarled
“Yes yes yes yes…”
His orgasm tore down his spine and rushed its way to his cock. He roared, emptying

himself in her quivering sex. She tightened around his cock, milking him deep. Her pussy
contracted repeatedly with her second orgasm.

Chapter Six

Jordan moaned “Oh my…”

Her bones liquefied. She panted. Aric was still coming inside her. Deep inside her.

Coating her with his cum. For some reason that thought alone made her hot for the man
all over again. She’d had a sucky day at the school and then had allowed her friends to talk
her into hot yoga. It had been pretty good for her lungs, but not that good for her muscles.
She’d come home whining about her sucky day.

Aric pulled out of her and lay on her bed. He dragged her to drape half over him. Thank

God. She couldn’t move if the house were on fire.

“That was…”
“Perfect,” he finished.
She continued to struggle breaths into her lungs. It had been perfect. It had been fan-

fucking-tastic. “I’m…”

“Mine.”
He kissed her forehead. Whatever she’d been about to say wasn’t important. Being

with him like this, in his arms, in her bed, together…that was everything.

“Relax, sweetheart,” he whispered into her damp hair.
Her throat closed up on her. Something big was going on here. Great sex did not mean

commitment, but he kept saying she was his and she was starting to believe it. How could
that be? She wasn’t a shifter. Heck she wasn’t even from a normal family. His words from
the truck had been twirling around her brain for days.

But dammit all to hell she was scared. She came from a broken home. Nobody even

acknowledged the word love in her family. And here was this tall, dark, and gorgeous man
telling her he wanted her long-term. It was unreal.

Other than Ellie, this was the first time something good was happening to her in a long

time. It wasn’t a situation she had ever found herself in before. Though she wanted to
dissect it, she wasn’t going to question it or go against it. That is, unless things got weird.
Life was too short for that crap. Her heart constricted at the emotions she had been
fighting for Aric. She wouldn’t be able to fight them much longer. She sighed into his
hold.

“Alright.” She yawned.
“Alright?”
“I’m yours…for now,” she whispered.

“No. Forever.”
For as long as things lasted. She drifted to sleep in his arms.

* * *

“I have an idea.” Excitement lit Emma’s hazel eyes.
“Uh-oh.” Nicole dropped on to a wooden desk chair in Jordan’s classroom. She ran a

hand over her drooping ponytail. Her usually pretty curly brown hair was frizzing on the
sides. Nic’s first grade class was one of the most active. It was clear she was exhausted
and it was only the middle of the day.

“The last time you said I have an idea, we almost got kicked out of the school.” Jordan

shuffled graded papers together and put them in a manila envelope.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Stop being such wusses.”
“Wusses?” Jordan turned wide eyes to Nic. “Did she just call us wusses?”
Nic nodded with a grin and threw a board eraser at Emma. “I believe she did.”
“Emma, we’re lucky to have jobs thanks to Karla’s brother being the dean at this

school.” Jordan reminded her. “Your last idea was to take the kids to clean up the park in
a bad neighborhood.”

“Hey, it was a great idea. They got to do some community service.”
True. “But we had no permission to go and paint a private park. You didn’t tell us the

place belonged to a church. We’re lucky they didn’t press charges.”

Emma pursed her lips and dodged the eraser Jordan threw her way. “They should be

ashamed to have a park looking that way with so many volunteers. We should have gotten
a thank you instead of the police called on us.”

Jordan watched Emma search for something on her smart phone before glancing up at

her. Emma’s hazel eyes had gone a deep green, which Jordan knew meant high emotion.

“Okay, what’s the idea?”
They were going to find out anyway, so it might as well be now.
“I’ve been thinking of those two wolves you mentioned.”
She’d told her friends the previous day about the white wolves at the clearing. Her new

and strange relationship with Aric was not discussed much. It was still in the what-the-
hell-is-this phase and really weird for her to think of being involved with him.

“So what about it?”
“Remember how you said the smaller white wolf had distinctive eyes you’d never

forget?”

She nodded. Of course she remembered. It was what kept her ass on that branch. The

cold hate she’d seen fill the wolf’s eyes had made her reconsider coming down from the
tree.

“Mason owns a paranormal club we should check out. I heard that after the Wolfe’s

asked everyone to leave, a bunch of them stayed near there and are now visiting his club
at night.”

“A paranormal club?” Nic perked up.
Yeah. They were going to get in trouble.
“Not all paranormals. From what I understand, vamps aren’t welcome. But think about

it,” she said. Enthusiasm coated her voice. “What if those white wolves are there? We all

know that wolves may go back and forth from human to beast, but the one thing that
doesn’t change is their eyes.”

“That’s true.” Nic no longer sounded worried about getting into trouble. “What do you

say, Jordan?”

“How do you even know about this place?” Jordan watched Emma with interest. She

was too familiar with paranormals and shifters. If she didn’t know better, she’d say Emma
had been spying on Mason. Not that it would surprise her, since Emma was the nosiest of
the bunch.

“Does it matter?” Emma shrugged. “I happen to know that tonight is one of the nights

Mason isn’t at the club. He’s off doing something else. Best time to go check it out would
be today.”

What could Jordan say? “What time do you want to meet up?”
Later that evening, they decided to keep Ellie out of the plans. With Jordan and Aric in

a brand-new relationship, the last thing she wanted was for Ellie to feel conflicted over
taking sides. Jordan was curious to know why the wolf had wanted to hurt her. It could
just be something as simple as hating humans, but instinct told her there was more going
on.

They sat in Emma’s car. Groups of people entered the non-descript building. Her

stomach churned. She turned to her friends.

“Horny Wolfe?”
Emma shrugged and bit her lip attempting to hide her laughter. “I didn’t come up with

the name, I just found the place.”

“There’s probably an orgy going on in there. And since I am the one looking for the

white wolf, I think I should go inside first and make sure it’s safe before you two come
in.”

“What?”
“No”
Nic and Emma replied at the same time.
“If there’s an orgy going on, I want to watch.” Nic stared at the entrance with a frown.
Emma laughed. “Perv.”
“Shut up, you know you wanna watch too.”
“Listen to me. If we all go in there and something goes wrong, who’s going to get

help?” Jordan highly doubted that the single wolf, if it were there, would attack her in a
place filled with Mason’s guards. Not when the Wolfes’ were known for protecting
humans.

“Fine, Nic stays, and I go with you.” Emma pulled out her Taser.
“Emma, no. I am the only one that knows what I’m looking for. One human may be

strange in there, but two of us will surely call attention.” Possibly the wrong, growly type.

Something about Jordan had turned that wolf aggressive. She needed to know what.
“Here,” Emma slapped an earpiece into her hand. “Try not to lose this one.”
“We’ll stay in constant communication and if anything happens we’ll come in to get

you and get back-up.” Nic held on to her cell phone. “But if there’s no danger and there’s
an orgy happening, let a woman know.”

After putting on the earpiece and opening communication with Emma, Jordan stepped

out of the car. Her short dress fluttered around mid-thigh, caressing her overheated skin.
She wiped her sweaty palms on the sides of her clingy dress. Her heels clicked on the
pavement, bringing her closer to the entrance and a club filled with paranormals. Nerves
on edge, she smiled at the doorman. The giant bulky man frowned. He lowered to her
height and sniffed by her neck.

“Are you sure you should be here?” His low growl made her teeter on the verge of

heading back to the car.

She smiled brightly. “Yes. Can I go in?”
He stared at her for a moment. A ring of gold circled his iris. “Seek the bartender if you

encounter problems.”

“Are you there?” She whispered.
“We’re here. Are you okay?” Emma was worried.
“Yes. I just wanted to make sure we were still connected.” Jordan shivered down a

darkened hallway and stopped at a second door. Her impulse was to turn around. The
sound of music and moaning came from the other side of the new metal door. She
reached for the handle. Someone turned the knob before she had a chance to grab it.
Pulsing beats filled the large space. Bodies swayed into each other, rubbing and caressing.
The lights flickered with the beat of the music. She squinted and headed for the bar.

Slipping between couples dancing, groping, and making out was harder than she’d

anticipated. By the time she reached the bar she was hot and sweaty. Not to mention
she’d swear someone groped her a few times.

“What can I get you?”
She turned to the female bartender. The woman had short dark hair with a purple

streak on the side. Jordan didn’t scare easy, but the way the woman smiled at her, as if
she could see right into her head made her more than a little uneasy.

“I’m…some water please.”
The last thing she needed was to get drunk in a place filled with paranormals.
“I doubt a pretty little human like you came all the way in here just to drink the water,”

she whispered, leaning over the bar.

Jordan glanced around the place, watching the couples gyrating in the dance floor.
“I was looking for someone.” She attempted to evade the all-knowing eyes on the

bartender.

There were too many people in the club. It had been a mistake to think she’d be able to

recognize the white wolf as a human in the flickering lights of a place filled with shifters
and other creatures.

“I’ve seen a lot of shifters in here. The one you seek is gone. You better go before you

find yourself in trouble.”

Jordan opened her mouth to question the woman, but a group of patrons asked for

drinks.

“Okay, Jordan. We heard that. Come out and let’s go. The longer you’re in there, the

more nervous it makes me,” Emma ordered.

“Too bad, I was really starting to like the whole growling atmosphere—” Jordan turned,

bumping into someone in the process. Someone way too close. She glanced up into angry
—oh boy—grey eyes.

“Aric, I—”
“Not a word.” The deathly growl made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
She glanced over her shoulder at the smiling bartender. The crowd parted as he

dragged her to the other side of the club. She bumped into a couple making out. Aric’s
hand tightened on her wrist. Her earpiece fell. Going back to get it was not even a
possibility in the sea of bodies.

People moved out of Aric’s way. She wondered how he did that. Hell, she’d had to

struggle to get to the bar. After a few steps, she heard some snarling and then he turned to
look at her. No wonder everyone was making a path for them. He appeared ready to bite
someone’s head off. It was debatable if it was hers or someone else’s.

“Aric!” She tugged on her hand, trying to get loose.
He pushed a door open, shoving them outside in the process. This wasn’t the way she’d

come in. The door he’d taken them though led into a dark alley. He let go of her hand and
turned to face her, his features tight with anger. She took quick steps back, until her back
was pressed on a metal gate.

Someone other than the sexy man she knew was staring back at her. This Aric was

angry. This Aric was dangerous. This Aric was damn hot.

“What the heck is your problem?” She complained. Oh hell. She knew what his

problem was, but she wouldn’t back down. So she’d gone into a club full of paranormals.
His brother’s club. Nothing happened.

His brows dipped low. Fur sprouted from the sides of his face. He fisted his hands and

stepped toward her. “My problem?”

She could hardly understand his words from how rough his voice sounded, but she

wasn’t scared of him. Maybe her heart raced. A little. Her hands might be somewhat
shaky. But she wasn’t scared. He took another step.

She shouldn’t like this aggressive Aric. It was wrong. Yet her pussy clenched at the

dangerous look in his eyes. “Yes. What is your problem?”

Another step and he was right in front of her. He gripped either side of the metal gate,

caging her head.

“My problem is that you, a human, came into a well-known shifter hangout without

back up.”

“I had—”
“Your human friends in the car do not count. Somehow Ellie’s conversation with one

of them about you looking for answers on who the white wolf was, led her to discuss you
being here.” He growled the words out. “Here. Alone. Defenseless.”

“I’m fine. It wasn’t a big deal. And I’m hardly defenseless. I’ve taken self-defense

classes, and I can kick ass.”

“You don’t seem to understand all that could have gone wrong.” He lowered his face to

inches from hers. “I could have lost you.”

Her heart tripped in her chest. “But I’m fine.”
“Any one of those shifters is ten times stronger than you, not to mention the other

paranormals in there. They could have broken you with the flick of a wrist. My brother
wasn’t there to offer his help. I wasn’t there.” His eyes glowed bright. He lifted a hand and
slid a finger down the side of her face. Clearly it was his favorite move to make, not that
she minded.

“I’m fine,” she whispered.
He held her entranced. His lips were so close. There was no willpower in her system

when it came to him. The sound of the music inside the building heightened her
awareness of her surroundings.

“I have been giving you time to come to terms with who you are.”
She huffed. There he went with the macho crap. “And who am I?”
He slid the finger over her bottom lip. The way he slipped it back and forth, so softly

and carefully, made her breath catch.

“You still don’t understand.” His gray eyes flashed with the wolf power. “You own my

heart. You're the most important person in my life.” Tenderness filled his gaze, followed
by unquestionable determination. “And I won't let anyone hurt you. That includes you. I
will do anything to protect you. Even if it means stopping you from putting yourself in
harm's way.”

He kissed her. Hard. There was no arguing with that kind of logic. After those words

she couldn't even remember what the argument had been about.

Soft rumbles sounded in his chest. The kiss turned wild. Tongues mated, hands groped,

and bodies pressed tight. He pushed her back against the metal until she stood flush
between his sexy muscles and the gate with nowhere to go.

She ran her hands down his chest, to the waist of his jeans, and tugged his zipper

down. His hard cock sprang forth. She wrapped her hand, well as much of her hand as she
could, around the thick pulsing shaft.

He snarled and lifted the hem of her dress.
Arousal shot through her veins and pooled at her core. Material ripped and he slipped

his fingers into her pussy.

“Oh god.”
“So wet.” He gripped her hair with one hand while fingering her pussy with the other.
Waves of heat built inside her at warp speed. He sucked on her tongue and bit her lip.

Her nipples ached. Her body grasped at his digits, sucking him deep. She continued
stroking his cock. Beads of moisture dripped from his slit and ran down the sides. She
used his own precum to lubricate and jerk his shaft.

“Hang on,” he ordered.
She lifted her hands behind her head and slipped her fingers into the open holes of the

metal gate. He hauled her up by the waist. She wrapped her legs around his hips and
welcomed his invasion. The head of his cock slipped into her in a deep penetrating drive.

“Yesss.”
“So tight,” he growled into her neck.
Electricity sparked between them, lighting embers of lust. He kissed her harsh, beating

pulse, licking from her collarbone down to the valley of her breasts. The thin material of
her dress stood in the way. He met her gaze and bit on the edge of the dress. She tried to

swallow past the dryness in her throat. Jesus H. Christ. What was this man doing to her?
His eyes glowed bright grey. Her pussy gripped at his cock while tension wound its way
into a tight knot inside her. He tugged the material down until her breasts were bared to
him.

“Beautiful” He groaned before latching on to her nipple. Stars exploded behind her lids.

He continued to thrust into her body with a single-minded focus. With a nip and a suck,
he moved on to her other nipple.

“Oh dear God, do that again.”
He rumbled over her chest, licking and lavishing her with sucks and bites. She

whimpered. The sound of voices from the mouth of the alley only served to enhance her
arousal. They could be found at any moment. His thrusts quickened.

Her lungs struggled to get air in. He licked his way back to her mouth to brand her with

his lips. An inferno built inside until she swore she was going to internally combust.

“You feel so fucking tight. So perfect around my cock.”
“God, that’s amazing.”
“Tell me you like what I’m doing.”
She groaned. “I love what you’re doing.”
“And I love the tight, sleek feel of your pussy on my dick.”
Tension grappled her muscles, her body, and her sex. She hung at the edge of a

precipice, ready to fall.

He grazed his teeth on her neck and bit down. Pleasure blasted through her in waves of

bliss. Her channel constricted tight around his cock. He growled into her sweaty shoulder
and came hard. His body held stiff while he pulsed and came inside her. They panted in
unison, trying to steady their ragged breathing and crazy heartbeats. He kissed her again.
This time there was no aggression, just tenderness.

She slipped back on to her feet, swaying slightly from the wobble in her knees. He’d

fucked her boneless. If that wasn’t some kind of gift she didn’t know what was. She fixed
her dress and watched him warily. Sex between them should come with a warning along
the lines of: Likely to make you get on your knees and thank your maker for his cock.

He pulled her into his arms. “Don’t do that again.”
His concern was new, nice, but unsettling. She needed to adjust to his possessive

attitude. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I wanted to see if I could figure out who that wolf
was.”

A slash of fear dashed through his eyes. “You have to stay safe. For me.” And then he

added softly. “Please.”

She wasn’t heartless. The man was being caring and concerned. “I promise to stay

safe.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he lifted a finger to stop her.
“No more coming here unless you have backup of the shifter kind.”
“Fine. Are you happy now?” She sure as hell wasn’t. She was sexually frustrated even

after being fucked into stupidity. She wanted to take him home, tie him to her bed, and
ride his cock like she was competing in a rodeo for best time.

She was going to have to give up her search for the white wolf. Aric’s request mattered

to her.

“You’re important to me.” His quiet words dug deep into her heart, flooding her with a

new kind of emotion she’d been afraid to let loose. Love.

Chapter Seven

Aric led Jordan back to the main street where her friends were parked. He watched Emma
and Nicole jump out of the car and embrace her in a group hug.

“Thank God!”
“We called Ellie, but she said Aric was already aware you were in there.” Emma glanced

from Jordan to Aric. Jordan’s hair was a mess, her makeup had run with the heat of their
mating, and she looked unsteady on her feet. Not to mention, she had red marks from his
kisses all over her neck.

“I’m fine.” She ran a hand over her hair. “I just want to go home.”
“We’ll––”
“No.” She turned to him. A small smile played over her lips. “Aric will take me home.”
She slipped her hand in his. The beast inside him calmed instantly. Jordan appeared

ready to understand his need for her safety. Screw holding hands. He put his arm around
her shoulders, hugging her to his side.

“Are…you…sure?” Nicole stared wide-eyed from one to the other.
“Positive.”
After waving her friends away, he led her to his truck. Once inside, he watched her

stare absently at the road.

“There are things about me you should know,” she started after he got on the main

street.

The way she said the words, with so much apprehension and nerves, made his animal

worried. He could scent her fear. But why? There was nothing she could tell him that
would make him feel any different for her.

“We don’t have to talk about it now.” He tried to make her more comfortable. She was

sitting stiff on the passenger seat, and it worried him.

“I know, but I want to.” She glanced at him with pain filled eyes, before she looked

away. “It might help you decide if this is what you really want.”

He almost put the car in park to shake her. She still didn’t understand that he’d wanted

this––her––for years. For much longer than he was willing to admit to any other person.

“Jordan––”
“My parents were drunks,” she rushed out. “Angry drunks.”
He stopped the truck. Anger started to rise at thoughts of what they might have done to

her.

“When they had me, they were having a dry spell. Until I was about four. Then

everything went down hill.” She twined her fingers together tight on her lap.

He swallowed hard, listening to her heartbeat increase in her chest with her

embarrassment. Sharp spikes of pain jammed his heart. He’d never realized how much
she’d suffered. How much she’d needed for someone to care for her.

“It was difficult to grow up with nothing. No love. Nobody who cared. In a household

where the money they got went to liquor. When I met Ellie…” She cleared her throat. Pain
drifted from her, filling the truck with her sorrow. She didn’t have to deal with telling her
story alone. He undid her belt and pulled her to his lap. The pain in his chest increased
with each thick swallow she took. She dropped her head on his shoulder and took a deep
breath. “Ellie became my salvation. I was a fat girl with parents who didn’t care, with old
clothes that didn’t fit, and I had a shit attitude. I hated everyone. I hated me. But I loved
Ellie.”

He hurt for her. No, he mourned for her. For the girl he remembered and the woman

who’d lived with that. He’d been so close and yet had distanced himself to allow her to
grow without realizing she needed people who cared. Guilt stabbed at his gut.

“Do you know why I love Ellie?”
He shook his head. He’d seen Ellie walk through their door one day with a quiet

thirteen-year-old friend, but he’d never known the back-story.

“I was being teased one day. I could have handled it. They weren’t saying anything I

wasn’t used to. Calling me names. Talking about my old hand-me-downs. I was getting
ready to break a nose or two. And that’s where Ellie came in.” Her voice started to wobble.
“I was used to dealing with that stuff alone, but Ellie came up beside me and asked if I
wanted to sit with her at lunch.” She sniffled. “The prettiest, most popular girl in school
became my friend instantly.”

Jesus. He’d need to buy his sister a serious gift for being so amazing. A knot formed in

his throat. He couldn’t say anything.

“But that’s not all. She didn’t just become my friend. She tried to protect me. Whenever

someone made an attempt to bully me, she jumped in to defend me. Ellie was the first
person that was truly on my side. And she never asked for anything in return.”

Pain and pleasure made holes in his heart. He was furious Jordan had suffered so

badly at the hands of other kids, but was happy Ellie had taken it upon herself to befriend
her. His sister was a natural born protector and he couldn’t be more proud of her.

“Then I met your parents and you and your brothers. And… I didn’t understand how

you could have such a loving family, but my parents didn’t even want to look at me.” She
laughed bitterly. “Not unless they needed some of my babysitting money. Or to disappear
on my sixteenth birthday, taking with them the money I’d saved for college.”

His chest tightened with rage. He was having a hard time reigning in the urge to snarl.
“How did you go to college if your parents stole your money and took off?”
He knew she’d attended alongside Ellie, but wouldn’t have imagined she’d gone

through so many hardships. Obviously Ellie hadn’t shared enough of Jordan with him.

She lifted her face to his. Surprise filled her gaze. “Your parents helped.”
“What? What do you mean my parents?”

Where the hell had he been that he didn’t know about this?
She straightened. “It’s true. After what happened with my parents, they showed up to

my house and promised to help me continue going to school.” She glanced down at her
lap before smiling softly. “They became my lifeline. They bought me food and encouraged
me to continue going to school. I felt wrong depending on them so much, so I worked two
jobs, but it was thanks to them I went to college.”

He had no idea. No one had ever said anything.
Her eyes widened. “You really didn’t know?”
He shook his head.
“I…I don’t know if I’m the person you should be with, Aric. I have a hard time trusting

people. Hell, I have a bit of an attitude if you haven’t noticed.” She laughed. “Your parents
and Ellie are the only ones who have been on my side before I met any of the other girls.
I’m broken.”

She wasn’t broken. She was scared.
Pain fisted around his heart in a vice grip. The last thing he’d ever want was to hurt

her. He turned to face her fully.

“I’ve wanted to be with you for years,” he admitted.
Doubt sparked in her eyes. He nodded. “It’s true. Ellie’s known for years that I wanted

you. She thought it was just lust at first, but recently when I admitted to her you were
more than someone to be with for a night, she warned me to not push you.”

“Push me?”
“Into a relationship unless you were ready.”
Her brows lifted. “Oh.”
“She’s always been very protective of you, and I didn’t realize why until now. Ellie loves

you like the sister she never had.”

She sniffled. “I love her so much. She’s more than family.”
“Jordan, I can’t promise you I’ll be anyone other than who I am. But I can’t fathom not

spending more time with you, helping our relationship grow.”

She bit her lip. She folded and unfolded her hands, agitated. “You really want to do

this? I should warn you I have a jealous streak.”

He grinned. “I do too.”
When she didn’t appear convinced, he tipped her head up. “I’m not perfect, far from it.

But what we have, this connection that’s deeper than I’ve ever felt for any other woman. I
want it to grow. Do you feel the link?”

She raised a hand and placed it over his heart. “I do.”
“Trust me. Give me a chance to prove to you we can make it work.”
“But…”
“No buts. Life is what we make of it. You made a decision at sixteen to not allow your

parents failures keep you from the life you wanted. Now you need to make a decision
again. Will you allow fear to hold you back from what’s right for you? For me? For us?”

She grinned. “I hold the key to everything, huh?”
“You may not think so, but you do.”
The smile dimmed on her lips. “What about your animal? Does he get a say in this?”

“Baby,” he let her see the wild side of his beast in his eyes, “my wolf claimed you as his

the moment he first saw you.”

Her nails curled on his T-shirt and she tugged him. It was a different kiss. One filled

with more emotion than he’d anticipated. Their tongues rubbed in a sexy dance that
turned his cock to steel.

She moaned. “I think I need therapy.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth and her jaw. “Why?”
“Well,” she panted, “every time I see that wild look on you, my panties get wet and I

want to rip your clothes off.”

Hell. If she felt that way, they may never leave the house again. Thinking of her sexy

body and slick pussy surrounding his cock made the animal inside him push at the skin.

“Let’s get you home,” he said and put the truck back in drive.
She slid a hand over his thigh and ran her nails over the bulge in his pants. He took a

quick glance at her. She licked her lips and grinned. “Let’s get me home and get me laid.”

That was an even better plan.

* * *

Jordan glanced at the speedometer on her car, but couldn’t figure out how the vehicle

kept slowing down without her pressing on the breaks. It got to the point the damn thing
stopped in the middle of the road.

“Are you kidding me?” She slammed her hands on the steering wheel. Thankfully she

wasn’t too far from her house to get there by foot. Aric was supposed to pick her up for
dinner. The last thing she wanted with their new relationship was to have him get to her
house before she did and realize how untidy she really was. While she wasn’t the most
organized person in the world, she didn’t want to scare the man with the reality of her
disorganized ways just yet.

She grabbed her dead cell phone and walked along the side of the deserted road.
“Nice time to wonder if living so far out town was a good idea,” she mumbled.
Fifteen minutes later, she reached her door. Throwing her bag on a sofa, she rushed

into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Soft tapping sounded from down the hall where
her bedroom was located. She put the glass of water down. She listened intently. The
sounds drew closer and closer until she was sure there was someone in her house. Her
attention snapped to searching the vicinity for a weapon. Someone had broken in and she
wasn’t taking it lightly.

Grabbing a cast iron frying pan and a butcher knife, she took soft steps around her

kitchen island, toward the hallway the noise was coming from. It was coming closer. A
sound from the front yard made her glance to the door.

Before she had a chance to react, a woman rushed out of her hallway.
“Who are you?” Jordan asked, gripping both the pan and knife in her fists.
The woman was petite, dark, with incredible green-gold eyes and short, curly hair.

Jordan recognized the distinct eye coloring from the white wolf that chased her.

“I think the better question is who you are. I came here to be mated to the Alpha’s first

born. But instead, I was snuffed… for a human.” Her soft voice dripped with
condescension.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The woman took steps toward her, lengthening her fingers into claws. Her features

turned feral, proof that the wolf was ready to attack.

“I was promised a future Alpha. And as an Alpha bitch, I get what I am promised.” She

ran toward Jordan with her claws extended. “Even if that means taking a little human out
of the way.”

Jordan dropped the knife on the ground and gripped the pan with both hands. The

woman ran toward her. She swung hard, hitting the woman on her wrist. Bones popped
on the female. She shred her clothing as she shifted. Jordan swung the pan again, but the
woman moved. A white wolf had taken place of the petite woman. Adrenaline rushed
through Jordan’s veins. The wolf was on the other side of her kitchen island.

Using the pan as a shield, Jordan walked around the island to face the wolf. The wolf

jumped faster than she expected, and was taken by surprise. The white struck her, digging
her claws into Jordan’s arm.

Jordan screamed. Anger burned in her gut. This stupid woman was attacking her for

her rights to Aric. As if any woman could tell an Alpha what to do.

She swung the pan and hit the white wolf on the side. “Think again, bitch. Aric picked

me.”

The wolf growled, salivating and showing large canines. Another swipe of the claws and

she got Jordan on her shoulder.

“Fucking bitch. The man doesn’t want you, go find someone who does,” Jordan

growled.

Blood dripped down her shoulder, soaking her white T-shirt until it clung to her body.

The animal came close again. She swung the pan with all her might. Her grip on the iron
was hard to keep with blood turning it slippery.

Jordan hissed at the burning running down her arm. Before she had a chance to take a

breath, the wolf jumped on the counter and then on to her. She fell backward on the
ground, lost her grip on the pan, and landed on her back with a groan. The wolf was right
over her, digging her paws into her shoulder.

She grabbed the wolf by the fur and yanked its head back as hard as possible to keep it

from biting her. She held the wolf back with her left hand tight on its fur, while feeling
toward her right for the pan. Sharp metal made contact with her hand. The knife. She
wrapped her fingers around the handle and gripped it tight.

Her hold on the fur slipped, and the animal reared back to open her jaw wide. Jordan

used that moment to drive the knife straight into the wolf’s neck. A loud yelp and the
animal hurled itself off her. She gasped, watching it struggle to remove the knife.

Jordan stood, wiped her bloody hands on her pants, and picked up the pan. She

marched toward the retreating animal. Loud noises took hold of her front yard, but she
was too busy with the wolf. She swung the pan on the wolf’s head and smashed it on the
side of its furry muzzle.

The noises in her yard turned louder. Jordan stared at the bloody wolf. The shape of

the female took hold with the knife lodged in one side and poking out the other side of
her neck. Blood oozed from the wound, creating a large puddle on her floor.

Her front door burst open. She watched Aric and Ellie run inside. They appeared to

have been in a fight. Only they weren’t bleeding like Jordan was.

“Are you okay?” Aric rushed to her side.
“Just peachy.” She swallowed against the bile trying to push up her throat. The longer

she stared at the woman on her kitchen floor, the more she wanted to throw up. Aric
helped her stand, both of them staring at the blonde’s body.

“I know that woman. She’s one of the daughters to an alpha in another region. But I

didn’t know her wolf was white. We didn’t really talk the night of the ceremony.”

“Jordan?” Ellie looked into her eyes, her brows dipping in a frown. “She’s in shock.”
“I am not.” But everything had started to feel surreal. Her body felt cold all of a sudden.

She’d swear she was watching things play out from a movie screen. “I’m just a little
shaken.”

She was more than a little shaken. Shudders racked her body until she dropped the pan

on the floor with a bang.

“I’ll take her to the shower, you clean up here,” Ellie ordered Aric.
Concern filled his gaze, turning the already nervous tension residing inside her into a

massive knot in her stomach.

“Jordan?” Aric’s deep voice soothed some of the anxiety she felt. “I’ll be right here.”
She nodded and let Ellie guide her to her bedroom. More voices sounded from inside

her house. She knew them all. Mason, Jake, and Nathan were there.

In a trance, she showered and allowed Ellie to dress her wounds.
“I’m sorry, Jordan. I’ll get one of the guys to bring you something more powerful. That

arm is going to start throbbing really bad soon. At least these painkillers have something
to help you rest for a little while.” She gave her some pills and winced. “These wounds will
take more time to heal on you now than they will once you and Aric mate.”

Her mind was a mess. Pain radiated outward from her wounds to her muscles. She

wouldn’t try to figure out what Ellie was talking about. Though she hated to admit it, even
to herself, she’d been scared that the animal would best her. That added a whole new level
of reality to her situation with Aric. What the hell was she doing with someone who had
been promised to someone else?

“Did you find out what the white wolf wanted?” Ellie asked.
She nodded. “Aric.”
“When we arrived there were a handful of them outside. They attacked, and we were

forced to fight. None retreated so we have some cleaning up to do in front of the house. I
wonder why she said she wanted Aric.”

Sand dunes formed in her throat, making her inability to swallow past the dryness even

more difficult. She licked her lips, but it did little to help. “She said she was invited here to
mate with him and I wasn’t going to stand in the way.”

“I highly doubt that. I know we’ve seen that woman at the scenting ceremony, but I

never saw her in her wolf form. You heard Aric. He recognized her human body, but he
didn’t talk to her. And I’m sure none of the others had either. It’s probably why we didn’t
know what white wolf you were talking about.”

Jordan winced at the pain growing by the second. The throbbing sharpened like steel

blades cutting into her flesh. “Was she telling the truth? She came here with the sole
intent to be his mate.”

Ellie turned her face away from Jordan “I…I don’t know that part. I know my parents

invited women for the guys to meet, but I wasn’t told any of them were already chosen as
mates.”

Had Aric lied to her? They’d started this tenuous relationship out of nowhere and she

wasn’t sure she wanted to see where things went if this was what awaited her.

“You should wait and speak with him. I’m sure it’s not what you’re thinking.”
She sat back on the bed, the pain in her arm increased. Tears filled her eyes. “I don’t

think I want to talk to him right now. Some woman came into my house to kill me. She
said I got in the way of what she was promised. How many others are going come with the
same claim?”

Fear for her heart and her already deep and muddled emotions made her bite her lip

against the sob working up her throat. Who was she kidding? Aric had told her to try, but
she already worried it would all go down hill.

“Jordan calm down. I know my brother. If he says he wants to be with you, then he

doesn’t want anyone else.” Ellie patted her hand. “Relax a little while I go check on the
guys.”

Her mind ran too fast for her to keep up. All she knew was that she’d given a lot of

thought to being with Aric. The past few weeks with him had opened doors to feelings
that scared her. And she didn’t like being scared.

Chapter Eight

Aric helped his brothers clean up the mess Jordan’s fight with the daughter to an Alpha
had left behind.

“This is going to bring repercussions,” Jake said, lugging the body of the naked woman

out of the house.

Maybe. Maybe not. Aric’s father was a powerful Alpha. That woman had made her bed

the moment she’d attacked their pack. Jordan was part of the Wolfe pack.

“The Alpha that female belonged to is friends with Rocco. Your mate murdered his first

born.”

“If he decides to bring us a war, we’ll handle it. But they know the rules when they

come into our land. We don’t allow anyone to hurt our family. Jordan is mine. She’s a
Wolfe and as such, she had the right to defend herself when attacked.”

Nathan started cleaning up the blood on the floor. “That’s true.”
“They should know better than to wage war. Their people were the ones to break our

rules. Alpha’s daughter or not. Our family comes first for us.”

Ellie strolled into the room. He scented pain coming from her.
“What’s wrong?” Nathan asked.
She glanced up. Concern filled her gaze. “She has a lot of deep cuts. I need one of you

to go get her something stronger. Go to our clinic. Bring a sedative and something to fight
infection.”

“I’ll go.” Mason volunteered and followed Jake out of the house. A moment later one of

their trucks left with the two brothers and two dead wolves.

Alarm rushed through his body. “Is there anything I can do to make her better, more

comfortable?”

“You heard her, Aric. She’s afraid you already promised yourself to a shifter.”
“I haven’t. I told her she’s the only one for me.”
Ellie’s lips tipped downward. “You’ll need to make her believe it.”
He hugged her to his side. “I’ll take care of her.”
After cleaning up the house to remove all traces of blood or evidence of a fight, he went

into the bedroom, where Ellie had fully wrapped Jordan’s arm and shoulder with
bandages. He sat next to her on the bed.

“Jordan?”
He hated waking her, but knew she needed the pills Ellie had them get for her. Ellie’s

training in nursing had come in handy for Jordan.

She opened hazy eyes and frowned.
“What are you doing here?” She winced in obvious discomfort and glanced away. “I

don’t know if this is going to work.”

He watched her grit her teeth. The pain had to be bad. He helped her take the pills and

spoke quickly before she fell asleep.

“It’s working, Jordan. Stop looking for a problem where there is none. I’m not going

anywhere. It’s you and me baby.”

She eyed him warily, but didn’t argue. Instead, she closed her eyes and shut him out.
He knew she needed him, so it was clear he had to stay there with her. Guilt that

someone they’d invited to the ceremony had hurt Jordan made him want to kill. His wolf
paced inside him, angry, concerned, and unwilling to let her go.

She slept for twenty hours before waking up to more pills and some light food.
“You don’t have to babysit me, you know.” She grumbled while she ate the sandwich

he’d made her.

“I do so have to babysit you.” He grinned. “You’re all that matters to me, and that

means until you’re healed of those cuts, I’m here to stay darling.”

“Wonderful,” she replied with more than a hint of sarcasm.
“Come on, Jordan. Can you honestly tell me you’re in the mood to get up from there

and go get some food?”

She chewed slowly before shaking her head. “No. I’m not in the mood for anything

other than chopping off my arm and possibly sleeping for a week.”

He chuckled. “Just chopping the arm off? Pain must not be so bad then. I’d have

thought it hurt to the point you may want to kill me.”

She growled, showing her perfectly straight teeth for him. “If I killed you, who would

get me the awesome drugs and yummy food?”

“That’s right. You have use for me.” He winked. The tightness in his chest loosened

some. He was having a hard time holding it together. Watching her sit there in pain was
tearing his heart into pieces. The animal inside hurt from being unable to help his mate.
All Aric wanted was to hold Jordan in his arms, hold her tight, and reassure himself and
his animal that she was fine.

“Don’t get cocky. Once I feel good, all bets are off.”

* * *

After a few days of taking care of Jordan, he was starting to see why she had warned

him off. She was incredibly disorganized, which was hell for someone like him. He had a
sharp mind and a great memory, but also liked to stay on top of things by writing them
down and keeping a clear work area.

At her insistence, he’d brought her laptop and the memory cards to her bed and

watched her take notes while she watched video after video of the scenting ceremony.

“You know, I’m going to have to go back there.” She bit her nail. Her focus was solely

on the screen and the notes littering the bed. He’d gotten her pads of paper and had even
offered to help take notes, but she said she had her own way of working. It was something
he’d have to get used to since this was the woman he wanted to be with.

“Do you want me to clean this up for you?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m good.” A perfectly arched, dark brow lifted and she

pointed a finger at him. “And don’t think I don’t hear you cleaning up all the time.”

He lifted his hands in surrender. “I have to prove I’m good to keep around.”
Every day that went by, he learned something new about her. Not just the big things,

like the fact she hated doing dishes to the point she’d order out just to not dirty plates or
pots.

“What are you smiling at?” She asked suspiciously. “If you say my love for some of the

stupid shows on TV I may hurt you.”

That was another thing, she was a fan of paranormal shows along with shows that

made fun of the silly things humans did when bored.

“No, though I have to admit some of those were pretty funny.”
She grinned. “See, I told you they would be. So what were you smiling at?”
“Laundry,” he said and heard her groan.
“Why would that make you smile?”
“I just can’t believe someone as beautiful, intelligent, and fantastic as you would prefer

to buy new clothes than to do laundry.” He chuckled. That had been a definite eye-opener.
His mate was far from perfect, and yet she still felt absolutely perfect for him.

He’d found out more important things about her than those silly superficial flaws. She

was caring enough to donate to an animal shelter. Not only did she give up her money,
but one weekend every month, she donated her time too.

“Hey, I had to have a flaw somewhere. Nobody’s perfect. I’m as close as you get, fur

ball. Besides, I’m not the one who has his own business but lives at home with mom just
because he loves how she cooks.”

“I’ve been cooking for you!” He tried to sound indignant, but failed miserably by

laughing. “And, you’ve had my mother’s food.”

She sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. You did the right thing. I’d still be living at home if my

mom cooked like that.”

He’d never tire of her wit.
“You know, I cook just as good as my mom.” He waggled his brows and leaned toward

her on the bed.

The days they’d spent together had given their relationship the ability to grow without

the added stress of dating. She was human after all, and he could not just mate her and
move in like most shifters did. Jordan needed to see the proof of how well things
progressed naturally with them.

“Oh.” She put the notepad she’d been writing on to the side and lifted one hand to

summon him closer with the crook of a finger.

He moved beside her, until they were only inches apart.
“That’s right. I’m a god in the kitchen.” Arousal flared in her eyes. “I’m a god in bed

too.”

She smiled. “I’m going to need proof of that. Think you can prove it?”
His cock went stiff at her throaty request.
“For you? Anything.”

“That’s what I like to hear, my sexy wolf.”
He lifted a hand to cup her jaw, slipped his hand into her loose hair, and pulled her

forward to mash their lips together.

She licked the seam of his mouth, sucked on his bottom lip, and drove her tongue in.

Before long, they were fully involved in removing clothing. He laid her back with care,
knowing she still had cuts that hadn’t healed.

His erection throbbed at the mewling sounds she made. He sucked her breasts, licking

and nipping her nipples before sliding his way between her thighs.

The scent of her honey called to him. She was slick and hot and so wet his mouth

watered. One swipe of his tongue on her clit and she was shaking. A dip of his digit into
her sex and she was moaning. Fucking her with his fingers and sucking her swollen
nubbin with his mouth brought the ultimate response. She gasped, gripped his hair in her
hands and rocked her pussy over his mouth.

“Oh God! Oh yes!”
He added a second digit into the mix while licking circles around her pleasure center.
“Dear God, that feels amazing.”
He growled into her sex. She spasmed and dug her nails into his scalp. Her muscles

tensed under his touch. He rubbed his pinky on her dripping channel, and then slid it into
her ass.

“Oh…my…God…”
He drove his digits in and out of her pussy and ass in tandem with the flicking of his

tongue over her clit.

Took her about thirty seconds to scream and for her pussy to grip and suck his fingers

with her orgasm. He continued to draw out her pleasure by slowly rubbing his digits in
her channel in the shape of a hook.

One full body shudder and she was still gasping for air. Her knees shook. She tugged

him up to her body, curling a leg around his ass.

“So, my sexy, inked wildman.” She licked his jaw and he slipped his cock into her wet

heat. “I’d tell you to fuck me already, but…” She flipped on the bed. He was on his back
and she straddled his thighs. “I think I’ll fuck you instead.”

This was another reason he couldn’t stand the thought of being away from her. She

was sexy as hell in bed. “Works for me.”

She caressed down his chest, flicking her nails on his nipples. “You have such a sexy

body.”

Passion and something else filled her gaze, something that made his stomach clench.
“Nothing compares to yours,” he whispered. Love filled his heart with tender thoughts

of making her happy. Not just love, but a deep sense of commitment to ensure Jordan’s
protection. His breaths pounded hard in his ears. He’d do whatever was necessary to keep
his mate safe.

She smiled the sexy little grin that made him feel like a teenager in lust. “I think I’ll

just lick my way down your body.”

“You better not. I don’t think I can control myself that long.” He said the words

roughly. His animal was pushing at the skin. He wanted inside her. Now.

Her soft laughter made the beast inside him calm down. His mate was happy.
“Alright. You’ve been a good nurse, and I guess I should be nice and repay all the taking

care of me you’ve been doing.” She gripped his cock in her hand.

He sucked a breath in. “If you think it’s necessary.” He choked out.
“Oh.” She placed the head of his cock at her entrance, met his gaze and licked her lips.

“I insist.”

She slammed down in one fell swoop. Her pussy tightened around him in a silken hold.

He groaned. He might die of pleasure, but what a way to go.

He gripped her hips and squeezed her ass. “Feel free to repay me this way for anything

I ever do for you in the future.”

She giggled and dropped again. And again. The heat built from the friction of their

mating. She rocked over him, wiggling her hips and jerking his cock with her tight sheath.

“Fuck!”
Her rhythm increased in tempo. He helped her ride him. She laid her palms flat on his

chest and thumbed his nipples. His cock was getting a serious sucking by her pussy.

She rocked harder, faster, faster, until she gasped and her body’s grip on his dick

tightened.

“Keep going baby.”
Her mouth dropped opened. She puffed in and out while gliding on his cock. He slipped

a hand between her legs, rubbing a finger over her tight little nubbin.

One choked moan and her body turned stiff. He pinched her clit and she groaned. Her

pussy rippled over his cock, sucking him deep with each contraction of her climax.

He lifted her by her waist and dropped her hard on his steely shaft while she was still

coming down from her high. Pleasure blasted down his spine. He jerked inside her body,
filling her with his seed.

She dropped on his chest. He stayed inside her, even after his dick went limp for all of

thirty seconds, before he went hard again. She hugged him tight while they caught their
breaths.

* * *

“Jordan!” Ellie snapped her fingers in front her face and took a sip of her mixed drink.

“Would you please stop daydreaming about my brother? It’s going to traumatize me to
keep scenting your arousal for him.”

Jordan laughed. “Sorry, but it’s his fault for being so damn fantastic in bed.”
“Oh, ew!” Ellie covered her ears. “I don’t want to hear it. Stop! Stop!”
Jordan chuckled and slipped a strand of hair behind her ear. “Alright, calm down.”
“Did you and Aric finally decide on a date for you to go from marked to mated?”
Jordan choked on the fruity cocktail. “What?”
She coughed through the liquor stinging the back of her throat. Her eyes watered. Did

she hear her say the ultimate wolf commitment word of mate? “What do you mean
marked and mated?”

Ellie stopped her hand mid air on her way to bring her drink to her lips and gawked.

“Are you serious?”

“I thought you said you didn’t get drunk like humans?” Jordan continued to cough into

a napkin. A waitress placed a glass of water in front of her with some napkins. “Right now
you sound pretty drunk to me.”

“I don’t get drunk. Stop acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m sure by

now you know about being marked. You and Aric have been glued at the hip, or better
said, the crotch,” she giggled, “for the past few weeks. At some point, he had to have
discussed your marking.”

“What marking?”
Surprise lit Ellie’s gaze. “He really didn’t tell you?”
Panic started to build inside her. Had Aric kept something important from her? “No.

Tell me what? Stop hedging and talk already. What is this about a mark and mating?”

She’d caught more than Jordan’s interest with those words. For as long as she’d been

friends with Ellie one of the things she’d learned about shifters was that they only mated
with a person they were willing to spend their life with. It was marriage, wolf-style.

Ellie put her drink on the napkin and licked her lips. She appeared unsure of what was

going on. “Jordan, Aric marked you.”

“I don’t remember any marks. And I’m pretty sure I’d know if he had.” She glanced

down at her body expecting some strange new symbol to appear out of nowhere on her
skin. Not that she could see through her dress, but she instinctively made a visual
assessment for anything strange. Nothing.

“Oh, you’re marked. I can still smell it. It’s waning, but it’s there.” Ellie lifted her brows

with a grin. “You’re a marked woman.”

Jordan laughed at Ellie’s reference to the Scarlet Letter. “Where in the world am I

marked?”

She sipped her Wild Paradise cocktail and lifted the tiny colorful umbrella stabbing a

cherry. “Somewhere behind your right shoulder is my guess.”

Her hand went to the back of her shoulder, feeling over her skin to encounter a small

bite scar. “That is my mark? He bit me during sex, big deal.”

“Yeah, that’s usually how it happens.” Ellie giggled. “Unless you’re in a scenting

ceremony, in which case it happens in the vicinity of a bunch of relatives.”

“Are you saying Kelly and Marco had sex in front of everyone?” She had to watch the

rest of those videos. None of the others had caught anything that X-rated.

“Not in front of everyone, but in the vicinity. Like you and my perverted brother,” she

mumbled.

“Did he tell you about that?”
“Didn’t have to.”
Jordan gasped. “Oh. Em. Gee! You knew!”

Chapter Nine

Ellie gulped her drink down.

“Did you tell him I was there?” She watched guilt creep over Ellie’s pale feature to turn

her face a dark crimson. “You sent him to me? Ellie Wolfe, you best start talking before I
kick your butt out of this place.”

“Alright.” She sighed. “I did send him, but only after he told me what his intentions

were. I don’t ever want anyone hurting you and that includes anyone in my family.”

She was confused as hell. “What were his intentions?”
“To take you for a mate.”
He’d said all that stuff about having a relationship, but she thought he meant in time.

Like at some point in the future after he got to be with her as a couple. Not right frickin’
now. It was one thing to date; this mate stuff was a whole different level of commitment.

“How could he want that type of relationship with me?”
Ellie motioned for the waitress to bring her another drink. She leaned forward, cupping

her cheek with her hand. “Here’s the thing. We have these wolves that are part of us. They
pick their mates based on some kind of blazing sexual attraction combined with the
perfect scent. That’s the best way I can describe it.” She smiled at the waitress and took a
sip of her glass. “If we’re lucky, the person our wolf wants is someone we can envision
wanting to be with forever.”

That only brought up more questions. “Do your people mate someone they don’t like?”
Ellie nodded. “Happens quite often. Chemistry of the sexual kind is one thing if you

have that spark that makes you both explosive in sex. It can lead to mating with people
that are completely wrong for each other in the heat of the moment.”

“So, Aric and I…”
Ellie’s smile made her eyes sparkle. “You’re meant to be. My brother has wanted you

for years.”

She slapped her on the arm. “Well, why the hell didn’t you say something before?”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “I do not make it my business to involve myself in any of my

brothers’ love lives, but he was really dragging ass. I gave him a little help. You can thank
me by naming your first born after me.”

She laughed. “You’re retarded and quite lucky I love you enough to not kick your ass

for keeping this from me.”

Ellie lifted her drink. “And you are welcome.”

Jordan grinned, but couldn’t stop the excitement buzzing inside her. It wasn’t the

liquor either. Aric had wanted her for longer than she’d realized. It made her feel mushy
inside. Maybe that was the liquor. Whatever. There was little doubt in her mind now that
the past few weeks had been the right way to approach things. She and Aric had been
spending a lot of time together, time which had helped them see each other in a new light.
He was more than just a sexy man now. He was a sweet, aggressive, and strong male she
had intense feelings for.

“Stop looking so sickeningly happy. It’s annoying.” Ellie laughed. “Between Aric

looking like he had his cake and ate it too, and you practically glowing, it’s making us girls
with no sex-life depressed.”

“Alright, I’m sorry.” Sympathy for Ellie’s current stress over Caleb tamped down the

laughter.

“It’s kind of late and the others aren’t here yet. Have they called you?”
Jordan groaned. “I left my phone plugged into the car charger.”
Ellie gasped. “What? I left mine in my bag with papers to grade.”
“Oh, damn.” They stood at the same time.
The waitress approached them with new drinks. “We’ll be right back,” Ellie handed the

woman a bill to cover the drinks they’d already had. “We forgot something in the car.
Hold our table; we’ll only be a minute.”

Making their way to the building entrance, they continued to chat. “I can’t wait to get

home now, and demand for Aric to do the whole mating thing.”

They stepped out into the warm night air and strolled to the darkened lot next to the

restaurant.

“You mean bite you while you’re having sex.”
She sighed. “Yeah.”
Their heels clicked on the pavement, resonating in the quiet evening. “Isn’t that what

you’ve been doing all these weeks?”

“Pretty much. But I’ll use any excuse to get him to do it again.”
Ellie laughed as they reached her energy saver and unlocked the door. They had opened

the doors, but Ellie suddenly stopped. She sniffed and growled.

“What—”
Four men jumped out of the darkness in front of them.
“Get inside and lock your door!”
Jordan didn’t question her friend. She rushed into the car and shut her door. Ellie

threw her the key and shut the driver side door, moving with increased speed.

“Ellie!”
The men rushed it. Windows broke before Jordan had a chance to think. She watched

in horror as Ellie attempted to shift, only to get hit by one of the men. Jordan’s attention
was diverted by a pair of hands yanking her from her seat by her hair.

She curled her hands around the metal pipe Ellie had left under the passenger seat.

The small metal was the only weapon she could grab before being pulled out of the
broken window.

The man flung her on the ground. She scraped her leg and hit the gravel with a thud.

Pain shot up her leg to her hip. Holding the bar in a death grip, she watched three of the
men attack Ellie at once. Ellie struggled to fight the men off, but they hit her repeatedly,
punching and kicking her. She snarled, attempting a shift again, but the blows kept
coming.

Concern for her friend made her forget about her attacker. The man grabbed her by the

front of her dress and slammed her over the hood of the car. The windshield broke under
her. She screamed. Everything shifted, spinning in circles. For a moment spots danced in
front of her eyes.

Her grip on the bar loosened for just a moment before she squeezed the metal in her

grasp. His eyes glowed bright gold. A combination of pain, anger, and fear for Ellie filled
her. She had to help her friend, but breathing alone hurt. He snarled and jumped on to
the hood of the car, landing with his legs to either side of her.

She swung the metal bar up hard slamming it against his groin. He howled in pain and

punched her in the face before jumping back. Something, which she knew had to be
blood, made a wet trail down her temple. She struggled to breathe. Goddamn she should
have had her car instead of depending on Ellie. At least she kept a shotgun in hers.

Ellie was bleeding from multiple scratches. She growled. Her beautiful white top was

drenched in blood and blood matted her blond hair. Using her claws as weapons, she tried
to fight off the three men. But they were smart. By attacking Ellie at the same time, she
couldn’t stop all of them. One of them ran his claws across her chest. Another grabbed her
by the hair. The third guy punched her in the stomach.

Jordan tried to get her legs to move, but the pain at her hip and head made it near

impossible. Struggling to slide off the hood of the car, she groaned. Then the man was
there again, digging his claws into her thighs and dragging her down the front of the car.
She gripped the bar and swung it hard to hit the man in the face. She split his cheek and
blood spurted out of his wound.

“I think I’m done playing with you now,” he snarled.
He grabbed her by her throat. Fight or flight kicked in. She struggled against the

forceful hold. Her mind whirled. She kicked, every move ratcheting the pain in her thigh.
Tears gathered in her eyes, turning her vision hazy. Her lungs burned. The bar fell from
her hands. She dug her nails into the hands squeezing at her throat.

“Jordan!” Ellie’s voice was panicked.
She gasped for air. The squeezing of her throat tightened. Jordan continued to slap and

scratch the giant cutting off her air supply. Sounds started to drift away. Darkness took
hold of the edges of her vision, closing in on her. Her chest felt ready to explode. Then
everything went dark.

Aric and his brothers decided to join the women for dinner. He’d already gotten the green
light from Jordan’s friends to pop in at the restaurant uninvited. They reached a deserted
parking lot, all of them excited at the prospect of a fun time. As they rounded a corner,
Aric’s gaze met a horrible sight. Ellie was being attacked by a group of men. Two of the
men took off at the sound of the approaching vehicle. The third one was slower to stop
punching at Ellie’s body on the ground. Another ran from the front of the car and caught

up after the others.

Fury bubbled up inside him. They jumped out of the truck. Aric’s wolf pushed at the

skin. The anger riding him was hard to contain the closer he got to his sister. His wolf
snarled, urging the shift to happen. Aric had to tamp down the urge to let the animal free.
They ran for Ellie. She struggled to stand. Jake and Nathan took off after the men.

“Jordan…” She whimpered, pointing toward the car.
Aric’s heart froze. He jerked in a circle until he saw Jordan’s body lying by the car’s

front bumper. Blood covered her arms. He ran to her in a blur, stomach tightening with
each breath he took.

“Jordan?” He could hardly say her name around the thick knot in his throat. She lay on

the ground, face down. Her back bled from multiple cuts. His hands shook as he carefully
turned her over. Fear almost held him immobile. He was terrified of how badly she’d been
injured. Her bloody face and bruised torso angered the wolf. A painful bone-deep howl
left Aric’s throat. His mate.

God, she looked to be at death’s door. She had to be okay. Their relationship had just

begun. It wouldn’t, couldn’t end this way. He wouldn’t allow it. He repeated the thought
in his mind, but it did nothing to freeze the fear spreading through his chest. Nor did it
diminish the anger and pain stabbing at his gut.

He listened to her lungs struggle to take wheezy breaths. With quick moves, he picked

her up in his arms. Once he had her securely in his grasp, he turned back to Mason, who
held a passed out, shifted Ellie in his own arms.

“She’s hurt badly.” Aric growled. Keeping the animal at bay took all his control.
“So is Ellie.” Mason’s face was set into worried lines.

* * *

They’d taken them to their pack clinic. Shifters didn’t suffer injuries like humans, so it

was deemed best by his father to have a place to take care of their kind. He’d held Jordan
in his arms the entire ride back. Even when they’d ordered him to put her in the gurney,
he’d held her hand. He didn’t want to be away from her for a single moment. But the staff
had been very clear about needing to see about her health before he could be with her
again.

Nerves strung tight, he paced the waiting area along with his father, mother, and

brothers. His wolf pushed at his skin in agitation. Aric knew how he felt. His own fear and
distress were taking over his mind. His thoughts all circled over how badly Jordan had
looked as he’d picked her bloody body up off the parking lot. He’d had a hard time
breathing through the need to see her whole with the smile lighting her eyes. Her pain
became his pain. He knew she’d suffered profusely, and inside, he felt as if he were being
stabbed repeatedly every second he remembered her injuries.

“Did you catch any of them?” His father asked, his voice a low growl. The beast was

riding him and the anger he displayed in his features only urged the animal to want out.

“No,” Jake replied, gripping the back of a waiting room chair.
Nathan jumped in. “We chased them, but we didn’t want to be gone long in case issues

arose and they needed us.”

Aric’s father nodded. “I understand. There could have been others.”

“We didn’t want to take the chance with Jordan and Ellie’s other friends set to arrive at

any moment, and both of them badly injured.”

“Did you get a hold of the other girls?” His mother asked, leaning into her husband.

Her eyes sparkled a bright gold. She was angry and sad. As if seeing it in her face wasn’t
enough, Aric could smell the fear and pain radiating from her.

“I did,” Mason answered. “They were stuck in traffic, but wanted to come here.”
“Son––”
“I understand, Dad. I told them we’d call them as soon as we got word, but it was best if

they went home.”

“It’s not that we don’t want them here,” his mother added. “But we know they’ll feel

better being here once we know the extent of their injuries and what we are looking at for
an outcome.”

All Aric kept visualizing was Jordan’s bloody face, the shallow breaths she took, and

the cuts and bruises she had all over. Fury had taken hold. He was having a hard time
thinking clearly. He wanted to kill.

He glanced up. His father was watching him intently. “You’ll get your chance at finding

who did this, son.”

Aric turned at the sound of footsteps. A short, older man with greying hair, whom he’d

known all his life as Uncle William entered the waiting area. His father’s right hand man
went straight to the Alpha.

“Ellie is stable. She’s going to need hours to recover, maybe tomorrow, or possibly

longer, but she’ll be fine.”

His mother buried her face into his father’s neck. She sobbed silently while he held

her.

“And Jordan?” His father asked.
“She’d going to be more difficult. She’d not only had a bad concussion, but the number

of wounds and cuts, we had to do some blood transfusion.”

Aric swallowed down the acrid taste of fear, willing the man with his mind to say

Jordan would be fine. “Will she be okay?” He choked out.

Uncle William smiled. “I think so. Due to her brain trauma, we had to put her in an

induced coma.”

“Oh my God.” His mother sobbed louder.
William gripped Aric’s shoulder. It took him a moment to realize he was growling. “I’m

sorry. As soon as the swelling in her brain decreases, we’ll take her out of the coma and
see how she reacts.”

Intense throbbing took hold of his chest. He couldn’t breathe. Jordan, his sexy, sassy,

Jordan, was in a coma, in pain, and he didn’t know what to do to help. He didn’t now who
did it. And that person was still out there.

“When you were chasing the attackers, did any of the scent smell familiar?” His

father’s voice pulled him out of the dark hole he was mentally digging.

“No. I know that we’ve had an influx of rogues and wolves in the area, which could

make this an attack against humans, or something else.”

Aric’s wolf snarled inside. The beast wanted loose, to bite, to hunt, and to kill those

who had hurt his mate.

The pain in his chest expanded with every thought of Jordan. Thinking of her beautiful

smile and sexy come-hither eyes made sharp pain shoot to his heart. Memories of her soft
husky voice jerked the wolf inside into an almost feral distress.

He dropped onto a black leather chair and covered his face with his hands. There was

no way he could go on if she didn’t return from that coma. He loved her. The revelation
felt more like tearing a hole into his heart. One woman. She was it. And now she was in a
bed, tubes inside her nose and mouth, fighting to survive.

“I need to do something,” he growled.
A soft hand caressed the back of his head. “Baby, she’ll be fine.”
The conviction in his mother’s voice made some of the pressure inside his heart lessen.

He raised his face from his hands and turned to her.

“She will be fine.”
“I––”
“Listen to me very carefully, Aric. You’ve been given a gift. A mate. One you love deeply

from the look in your eyes. And you can’t let doubt enter your mind now. You must
believe it with every fiber of your being that things will be okay. She will be fine. Jordan is
a fighter. You know it. We know.”

He nodded. It was one of the things he loved about her. She didn’t cry or wait on

someone to help her, she tried to save herself. He knew she’d make a fantastic leader
when his time came.

“Jordan needs time. I suggest we talk about how we can help her while she’s laying

prone in this place,” his mom said.

“What do you suggest?” He had lost all track of everything other than Jordan.
“I will go to her house and ensure it’s clean, tidy, and any plants are taken care of.”
He swallowed hard. “That’s not necessary, I can do it.”
“No, you can’t. You’ll be here. You know that your wolf won’t go more than a few

hundred yards away from the mate he needs to protect.”

She was right. Even as they spoke, he had the urge to rush the private room Jordan was

in and watch everything being done to her.

His father took a seat across from him. “We’ll send a group of enforcers to search them

out.”

His brothers nodded.
“I hope when Ellie wakes she can give us some kind of lead on the attackers and if they

said anything about why they targeted them.”

Aric pinched the bridge of his nose and tried not to think of the finger prints he’d seen

on Jordan’s neck. Two large handprints had covered her throat from the attempt at
strangling her.

“We’ll need to give Caleb a call.” His mother rubbed her cheek on his side. “He’ll want

to know about Ellie.”

“I already did. He’s on his way.” Nathan popped a can of soda from a table in the

waiting area. He filled a glass with ice and brought the soda-filled glass to his mother.

She smiled and took the glass. His mother didn’t drink soda. But she’d always been

careful to not hurt their feelings, so she placed the glass on a table by her chair.

“This is the third time something happened to Jordan. But we took care of the white

wolves.”

“Yes, but what if this wasn’t the whites? There are rogues in the area. Most of them

packless and uncaring of hurting humans.”

Jake drank from his own soda can. “But Ellie isn’t a human.”
“No, but some of them see it as some kind of traitorous act for shifters and humans to

mingle. Apparently, they’re supposed to be lower in the food chain than we are.”

“There are shifters that actually think that way?” Nathan asked with disgust, taking a

seat next to Mason.

“More than you know,” his mother answered.
“And in our pack?” Mason asked the question. “Aric has already declared his intent to

mate with a human. Will it cause any kind of problem amongst our people?”

“Not while I’m Alpha.” Their father stated in a rough commanding voice. He fisted his

hands. “This is my pack. Anyone with a problem can take it up with me.”

Although older, his father still had the strength, stamina, and viciousness required to

lead the pack. There was no doubt he was the top wolf. And while Aric, Mason, Nathan
and Jake had all gotten the Alpha from him, they were in no rush to take over.

“They won’t. Anyone with an issue will have to go through our family.” His mother’s

voice was soft but deadly. He knew the tone. Her wolf was ready to rush out and defend
her cubs.

But all Aric could think of was how Jordan needed to get better so they could finally

mate. After these scares against her, he wasn’t taking any chances. He knew once they
mated, she’d become stronger. Though her body may not accept the change to their kind,
she would be more than just a weak human.

He spent the next two days rotating between time spent in Ellie’s room and the rest in

Jordan’s. If she wasn’t taking care of Jordan’s home, his mother was there with him.

“She’s holding steady, son.” She patted his shoulder.
Returning from Jordan’s room, she joined him next to Ellie’s bed. She’d shifted into

her human shape the day before, which made her injuries take longer to heal. But they
hadn’t been able to talk her into shifting. In her unconscious human state, they couldn’t
reach her. Caleb had shown up. Aric had seen the pain in his friend’s eyes. Then he’d seen
the fury. He’d stayed for long hours before he’d been called away due to issues in his
pack.

Aric was about to say something, but stopped. Ellie’s eyes fluttered open. They moved

closer to the bed.

She cleared her throat. “Jordan?”
“She’s in a coma.”
Her lip trembled. Pain and fear seeped from her pores. “I’m sorry.” Tears dripped down

the corners of her eyes. “I couldn’t protect her.”

“Stop it, little pup. You had your hands full.” He pushed her blonde hair back away

from her face. Gone were the bruises and cuts. All she had left were internal injuries,
which took longer to heal.

His mother grasped her hand on the other side of the bed. “How do you feel?”
“Some pain inside, but otherwise okay.”
Aric sighed in relief. He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Did you recognize

any of the men who attacked you?”

She shook her head and winced. “No. I’ve never seen them before.”
William showed up at that moment, followed by a young nurse. “I see you’re finally

awake.”

“How long did it take me to heal?” Ellie glanced around the bed. She pressed a button

on the remote by her hand and lifted to a sitting position.

“Three days. You would have healed sooner if not for the fact you shifted and that

slows down the progress.”

Ellie rubbed a shaky hand over her side and winced.
“Do you feel a lot of pain still?” William asked. “Might be best for you to shift for a few

hours now that you can hold it.”

She nodded.
Aric headed for the door. “While you rest, I’m going to check on Jordan.”
“I’ll come with you.” William followed behind him. “We checked her new scan and the

swelling is gone. We can pull her out of the coma and see if we can wake her up.”

Aric entered Jordan’s room. The bruising on her face and body had been changing

colors and was currently a brownish yellow.

“What about her other injuries?”
William checked her chart. “There’s no easy cure for a human.” He glanced at Aric with

a frown. “She just needs time.”

It was two more days before Jordan’s eyes finally opened. By then Ellie was back to

normal. Her wounds had healed. Aric sat at a corner of the room while Ellie and Emma
spoke.

“I thought Nic and Karla would have joined us,” Emma said while holding Jordan’s

hand in hers.

“No, they were here yesterday and had an after school program to attend.”
Emma slapped her forehead. “That’s right. Thankfully I backed out, or else I’d have to

have been there too.”

Jordan groaned. Everyone stopped and glanced at the bed. Her face was creased in

pain.

Aric rushed to her side, gripping her right hand in his. “Jordan?”
She blinked several times before he saw her focus on him. Pain dulled her eyes.
“Ellie?”
“I’m right here, love.” Ellie’s voice was thick with tears.
Jordan licked her lips and cleared her throat. “I’ve seen the guy that hit you before.”
This was unbelievable. It was exactly what Aric and his brothers had been trying to find

out.

He sat on the edge of the bed and cupped her jaw. “Who was it, sweetheart?”
She leaned into his touch. His heart was heavy with the knowledge she was in pain and

there was little he could do.

Jordan let go of his hand and lifted her hand to rub her fingers over his overgrown

beard. Her touch sent peace through the beast that had been pacing since he’d found her
unconscious.

“It was one of the men that came to your house the day I was chased by the white

wolves. One of the guys I saw out the window that arrived with Caleb. The one with the
blond hair.”

Aric lost it.

Chapter Ten

He could tell Jordan was in pain, and it only added to the fuel sparking the anger inside
him. There was no stopping the storm of rage pumping through his veins. A frenzy of
every possible violent thought rushed his head. Revenge filled his mind. For Ellie. For
Jordan. For daring to touch someone in his family and think there’d be no repercussions.
At first, he’d been surprised that one of Caleb’s men had dared cross the line and hurt one
of the Wolfe pack, but with the chaos in the neighboring pack he shouldn’t be surprised.

Fur pushed at his skin. The wolf wanted out.
Ellie rushed by his side. “Aric, you need to calm the wolf.”
“One of Caleb’s men was in on this,” he ground out, his voice so rough it sounded like

churned gravel. “I’m going to find them.”

Jordan winced. He scented her concern before she spoke. “You can’t go alone. There

were four of them.”

At that moment, his brothers rushed into the room. Mason, Nathan, and Jake marched

up to the bed, their gazes locked on him. “He won’t be alone. We’re going with him.”

Aric turned to Jordan. He wanted to touch her face and hold her, but his fingers had

turned into claws, and he wouldn’t hurt her. She grabbed the front of his T-shirt and
pulled him toward her.

Their faces mere inches from each other; she locked her gaze with his. “You better be

careful, or these guys you’re going to see will be the least of your worries.”

He not only saw the fear in her eyes, but he scented it hovering at her pores. It made

him want to reassure her. “I look forward to anything and everything you want to do to
me after I get rid of this threat.”

She kissed him. It was a soft brush of her lips that had both man and animal rejoicing

in her touch, in knowing she would be fine. His gut clenched and he inhaled her scent
deep.

“I need you to be careful.” She whispered the words and pulled back, her lip trembling.
Seeing her concern in such clear display only added to his need to protect her. “I will

be.” He stood to go. Only one thought filled his mind. “Let’s go hunting.”

Jordan watched the men, including the man she loved, march purposely out of her room.
She turned to Ellie, who appeared to have lost all color in her face, and studied her
closely. “How are you feeling? The last time I saw you four guys were kicking our asses.”

Emma snorted. “I highly doubt they left the attack unscratched.”
“I did see Jordan swinging that steel bar around at one guy.” Ellie jumped in.
“And this is why I like to keep something to defend myself within my vehicle. Do you

now understand where I’m coming from? Shit happens, and we need a quick weapon,
even a steel bar can help.” She pressed a button. The bed lifted her into a sitting position.

“Hey, I always carry around something to defend myself.” Emma shrugged. “I grew up

in the ghetto with a paranoid family. You never walked around a bad neighborhood with
no way to defend yourself. Especially if you’re a girl.”

Ellie leaned back on her seat, dropping her had on the back cushion. “I’ve never had to

fight one much less three shifters at one time. With an Alpha family, it’s a given they will
hurt you if you touch one of theirs. So this was unexpected and it proves that I need
better training.”

“Ellie nobody could have fought three full grown big-ass shifters and lived to tell the

story.” Jordan reached for a glass of water, but Emma slapped her hand away and
proceeded to put ice in the cup before passing it back to her. “Besides, you were doing
some serious badass kick fighting with wolf twist moves.”

“What happens now?” Emma asked the question on Jordan’s mind.
“Now the men will go searching for the attackers.” Barbara Wolfe walked into the

room. She stopped beside the bed and hugged Jordan. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got my butt kicked by a big shifter with a bad attitude.”
Barbara laughed. “This is why I like you. I never know what you’re going to say.”
“Yeah, well that is usually a bad thing.” Emma chuckled. “Gets her into trouble all the

time.”

Ellie grinned and moved over to give her mother space on the sofa. “Did anyone else go

with them?”

“Once your father heard, he sent some of the enforcers with them. There will be no

catching my boys off guard.”

Jordan’s sides hurt, but she was too interested in what was being said.
“I may be the only person that doesn’t understand what’s going on with Caleb’s pack.”

Emma said, glancing from Ellie to Barbara.

“It started some years back. Caleb was a teen. He left the pack to spend time with his

sick mother. She and his father had problems and she’d moved away. His father died
unexpectedly, so his uncle Rocco took over the pack.”

Emma’s brows puckered. “Doesn’t whoever want to take over have to fight any others

that want to lead?”

“Caleb’s father, like Ellie’s father, comes from a long line of strong Alphas. When his

brother decided he would take over, nobody fought him that right.”

“What happened with Caleb?” Jordan asked, watching a nurse inject something into

her IV. The effect was instant. The pain slowly dissipated.

“Caleb returned some years later, ready to take over, but with his father dead and

Rocco as Alpha, he wasn’t going to fight him for the right. Until now.”

Jordan yawned. “What happened to get things this crazy?”
“Rocco started acting erratic. Giving young girls to his enforcers even. Girls that

refused to mate. Some of the women have disappeared, and Caleb refuses to let things get
worse.”

Ellie stood and sat beside Jordan on the bed, patting her hand. “So does what happened

mean that Caleb has traitors in his own little group?”

That was what Jordan wanted to know as well.
Barbara nodded. “Seems like it. Now he’ll need to step up and decide how to proceed.

Whoever helped attack Ellie and Jordan is probably giving Rocco all the details of Caleb’s
plans.”

“Sounds like what he needs to do is clean house.” Emma sat at the foot Jordan’s bed,

rubbing her feet over the blankets.

Barbara frowned. “Clean house?”
“Yeah. It’s what we say in my family when you need to get rid of whatever is messing

you up. You need to clean house or in his case clean his pack of the rats that are only
there to destroy things.”

Barbara grinned. “Caleb’s pack can certainly do with some internal cleaning.”
“Alright, I should go.” Emma stood. “I need to go grade papers and homework for

tomorrow.”

Emma kissed Jordan on the forehead. “Glad to see you’re doing better. Now hurry up

and get back on your feet. Your students were split between our classes and all they ask
for is you. In fact,” She dug through her handbag and pulled out a big card made out of
construction paper, “this is for you.”

“I’ll walk you down to your car.” Ellie followed her to the door.
Jordan was getting sleepy from the painkillers. She watched Ellie and Emma walk out

before turning to the card in her hands. A giant yellow sheet of construction paper had
been folded in half. The front of the card displayed a bunch of yellow posies and a bear
with a get-well sign. Inside the card, all her students had written little messages about
how much they missed her and how they hoped she’d be back soon.

She didn’t realize she was crying until Barbara sat beside her and handed her a tissue.
“I’m sorry,” Jordan whispered, choking on the tears. Looking at that card, she realized

what a close call she’d had.

“It’s alright dear. Those children clearly love their teacher.”
She covered her face with her hands, placing the tissue directly over her eyes. Barbara

hugged her, and this was one of those moments where she was once again thankful that
Ellie and her parents had been in her life.

“I feel so stupid. I’m getting upset thinking of what would have happened to Aric if I…

If I hadn’t woken up again.”

Barbara glanced away from her. “My son would have experienced your loss very

deeply.”

Jordan frowned at the way she said the words, almost as if it were too painful to

consider. “How deeply? I mean he would have been sad, but he would’ve moved on
eventually, right?”

Barbara smiled sadly. “No. You’re his mate. It would be devastating for him to lose you.

I don’t know how much you know about mates, but it would take him years, maybe even

his entire lifetime to get over losing you. It’s why protecting our mates, our families, is so
important to us. The loss of one or both can kill us.”

If that were true, that would explain his anger the night he found her in the shifter club

alone. Barbara was right. Anything could happen to her, and he’d be left to deal with it
alone.

Something inside her cracked. She couldn’t imagine her life without Aric, and she

wasn’t a shifter. If he felt half as strongly for her as she did for him, then she knew what
she had to do.

“I can’t put him through that kind of pain. I love him.”
“And he loves you. It’s why he’s out hunting. He needs to get rid of any threat against

you. Our family is all that matters to our kind.”

For a person who hadn’t really known what family was first hand, Jordan began to

understand that she had been lucky to be taken in by them. “Why did you and your
husband help me after my parents left?”

Barbara lips tilted up slowly. “So you finally ask. I didn’t think you ever would, seeing

as you’ve been like another daughter to us for so many years.”

“Tell me, please.” Jordan fought the nerves twisting knots in her stomach. She hated

thinking of those years, but they’d never hesitated to help her.

“When you were a tiny thirteen-year-old with her first crush on my son.” Barbara

laughed. “I see you remember those days.”

“Well, in my defense, he was the cutest eighteen-year-old ever. And way too old for me,

but still.” She had forgotten the fact the shifters scented everything. Jesus Christ. How
often had she fantasized about Aric in front of his mother?

“He most certainly was. All my boys were,” Barbara said with pride.
Jordan giggled. “It’s why they’re the sexy four.”
Barbara’s eyes went wide and then she burst into laughter. “Oh, don’t let them hear

you call them that or their heads won’t fit through my house door.”

“We only call them that in our man-bashing sessions.” Jordan laughed and then

winced at the discomfort she felt. “Only our man-bashing sessions usually end up with us
talking about how cute they all are.”

“I think I should come join in one of these sessions. They sound fun.”
“You’re definitely welcomed to. They are tons of fun, and there’s wine.” Jordan added

as if she needed an incentive.

Barbara chortled. “As I was saying, you saw Aric and he saw you. That was it.”
“What do you mean that was it?” What did she miss out of the first time she met him?
“You were too busy being stressed over the stuff at home, so you didn’t see his instant

need to protect you. The scent of a mate is recognized at the first time we see them. It
doesn’t matter how old you are, it doesn’t matter if you’re separated for years, or that he’s
your best friend’s brother. All that matters is you’ll eventually end up together, which you
did.”

“You mean the first time I saw him, he…liked me?” She’d been an overweight teen with

glasses, a bad attitude and some serious issues at home.

“Honey, he was never the same again. My son went from being this carefree teen who

chased girls in the pack, to hanging on to every word Ellie said about her friend.”

Wow. She never would’ve guessed that her own crush was returned. Aric was older, so

she never considered he’d see her as anything other than a pesky young girl. She had to
stop kidding herself about him. She was in love with him. There were no longer any
thoughts of being away from him. That meant she needed to start focusing on one
hundred percent commitment to their happiness. Hell, she was officially in a committed
relationship with the man of her dreams, but instead of nerves all she felt was joy.

Aric and his brothers didn’t warn Caleb of the person in his group. They needed to keep
the man from running. Catching them unawares was the best way to get their hands on
the traitor. Fury rolled around his gut, firing his need for revenge on the person who hurt
his mate and sister.

Caleb’s message indicated they’d be at his bar later. Wolfe’s Den was filled with males

and females from his and Caleb’s packs. His brothers took seats at multiple entryways to
wait.

The group arrived shortly after them with Caleb leading the way. His short brown hair

hung in disarray. He took that moment to slide his fingers through, mussing it up some
more. Aric glanced at the others following Caleb, until his gaze zeroed in on one man.
Eddie. The only blond in Caleb’s small group of back-up, strolling in without a care in the
world. Cocky. It would cost him his life. Aric’s tenuous hold on his animal started
slipping. Fur pushed under his skin. His fingers burned with the shift into claws. His face
heated as he fought the bones from popping.

He glanced back at Caleb. No words were needed. His friend had seen it in his eyes. He

whirled fast, grabbing Eddie by the throat. All conversation halted.

“What did you do?” The deathly growl echoed inside the bar.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Guilt was written all over Eddie’s face. The

bitter scent of his lies and sharp fear shot out of his pores to tell the truth he denied. “Let
me go man.”

The wolf in Eddie turned his voice rough. Caleb threw him across the room. He flew to

the other side of the bar, hit his back on a wall, and landed on a table. Glass shattered
under him.

A circle of shifters surrounded Eddie, Caleb, and Aric. Jake, Nathan, and Mason stood

by the corners nearest the doors in case Eddie tried to escape. Eddie stood.

“I’ve done nothing.”
Caleb shoved tables out of his way. “I will ask you one more time, Eddie. What did you

do?”

“Nothing!” He growled. His features turned feral. His eyes glowed with his animal. Fur

sprouted on his arms and face. Fingers turned to claws.

“Liar!” Aric couldn’t take it any longer. He jumped Eddie. The other man was taken by

surprise while his attention was solely on Caleb. Aric landed on Eddie. He slashed his
claws over his face, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Eddie fought Aric’s hold on him,
shoving him to get him off.

Eddie got back on his feet, rushing to the center of the circle to get away.

“He hurt Ellie!” Aric bellowed, signing Eddie’s death sentence. “And he’ll tell me who

hurt Jordan before he dies.”

Caleb’s roar was fierce. Like Aric, he controlled his beast without problems most times.

But being faced with a person who hurt the one he loved broke his control on the beast.

“You. Hurt. Ellie.” The need for vengeance was clear in Caleb’s face.
“I didn’t know she was yours, man.” Blood dripped down Eddie’s face. “Your uncle—”
Caleb shifted. The big grey wolf didn’t wait. Eddie shifted as well. There would be no

more talking. Aric let his animal free. They continued their argument through their
animal links.

“Where are the others?” Aric asked the other wolf.
“Fuck you,” Eddie growled, trying to avoid Caleb’s sharp canines. The scent of his anger

and fear filled the bar. Pack members continued to watch, all the while staying out of
their way. This was Aric’s domain and he ruled. No one would aid Eddie.

He ran from Caleb, but ended up within Aric’s reach. He pounced, jaws open, on the

brown. Another table broke in their scuffle. Eddie whimpered and snarled. Aric’s wolf
growled, ready to kill off the animal that’d taken part in hurting his mate and hurting his
sister.

Eddie whimpered as Aric bit down hard on his hind leg, breaking bones. Eddie clawed

at Aric’s side, but Aric moved swiftly out of reach.

Eddie struggled on to his feet, still attempting to fight the two more powerful wolves

off.

“Did my Rocco send you? Are the others part of his team?”
Eddie laughed through their animal connection. Blood spurted from his muzzle. “Your

uncle is going to kill you.”

“Not if I kill him first.” Caleb circled closer to Eddie.
Aric watched Eddie try to limp on his working legs.
“He knows you’re coming. He’s waiting for you.” Eddie tried to move toward one of the

entrances where Nathan stood guard.

There would be no getting away. Caleb dug his claws deep into Eddie’s side. Eddie

snarled at the pain being inflicted. He attempted to shake Caleb off him. That didn’t work,
so he clawed at Caleb’s side. The quick move was enough to get him off and allow Eddie a
small reprieve.

Eddie glanced his way. “It’s only a matter of time before your mate and your sister are

dead. He’s coming for your family next.”

Everything turned into a blur. One moment he stood there, watching Eddie paw away

from Caleb, and the next he was biting down Eddie’s neck until he broke every bone his
jaw could reach. Eddie’s struggles were nothing compared to Aric’s wolf’s fury.

Eddie had threatened his family. There would be no mercy. He continued to bite down

on the other wolf until he stopped moving completely. Anger still burned his gut. He
wished he could get rid of him all over again. Though he knew this was the end of Eddie,
he knew a new threat would rise unless Caleb took charge of his pack.

Aric and Caleb left the body to be cleaned up by other members of his pack while they

went to the back to clean themselves up. They returned moments later in clean clothes,

blood-free.

Sitting in a booth, he watched Caleb scrub his hands over his bristly face. “I’m so

sorry.”

Guilt. He understood why Caleb felt that way. Lately he’d felt guilt every time he saw

the bruises on Jordan’s face and neck and realized that due to her involvement with him,
she’d been placed in constant danger.

“They’re both alive and Jordan will be fine in no time.” He could say that with certainty

now that he’d seen her wake up.

“God damn it!” Caleb slammed his hands on the wooden table. “I should have known

he’d have someone in my team reporting everything back to him.”

“You couldn’t have known Eddie would turn out to be a rat.” He’d known Eddie for

years and the last thing he would have expected was for him to do this to Caleb. Always
claiming loyalty to him, it had taken Aric by surprise for Jordan to say he’d hurt Ellie.

“What are you going to do about Rocco?” Mason asked joining them at the table.
“I’m taking him down.” He picked up the sweaty beer bottle and took a long gulp.
“Caleb, you know that by hurting my mate and sister, he’s signed his death sentence.”

Not only would Aric not allow anyone to threaten his family and neither would his
brothers or his father.

Caleb glanced at him, his eyes filled with determination. “I need you to give me time to

take care of this myself.”

“We can’t allow Rocco to continue leading a pack. He’s putting my family in danger.”
“I know that. I just need some time.”
Aric wanted to argue, but knew that if Caleb was to take control of his pack again, he’d

need to be the one to take down Rocco. If Aric and his family took that from him, Caleb
would have a harder time getting the respect of his pack.

“How’s Ellie?”
He saw how difficult it was for Caleb to ask about her. Hell, they’d had this almost

relationship going for years, neither of them willing to admit their feelings. And with
Caleb’s pack problem, neither was willing to push the other to commit.

“She’s safe. We have her protected.” Aric knew that’s what Caleb really wanted to

know.

He gave a grim nod, sliding his fingers through his mussed up hair. “And your mate?”
“Jordan woke today. She’s the reason we know about Eddie. She recognized him from

the day you came to my house.”

“I’m sorry I brought him near her.”
Aric knew how Caleb felt. The wolf was angry and guilt-ridden for not realizing sooner

that his supposed friend was a snitch.

“Don’t worry about it. Focus on what you need to do next.”
Caleb growled. “I have to catch Rocco off-guard. And now that I see Eddie had been on

his side, he’s probably aware of my whole plan. I’ll need to think of something else.”

His friend looked haggard and tired. Aric knew he wasn’t the only one who saw it.
“I think you need some extra hands to help you get on with ridding the Rahound pack

of Rocco.” Jake studied Caleb with concern.

Caleb smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m a little short on enforcers.”
“It’s all good. I think I can sacrifice some of my time away from the ladies to give you a

hand.” Jake sighed.

Caleb lifted a brow. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I think that’s a great idea.” Nathan busted into the conversation. “I’ve got some time

on my hands too. You need back-up man.”

Aric watched Caleb for a long moment. “This isn’t about taking your right to fight away,

but about ensuring you get the chance to do it.”

He ground his teeth as if ready to argue the point. “I’ll take your help, but I’m taking

Rocco down. One way or another, he’s a dead man.”

Chapter Eleven

Jordan sighed as Aric’s truck pulled into her driveway. After so many days at the clinic,
she was home.

“Don’t move.” Aric ordered, rushing out of the truck and heading for Jordan’s door.
“Come on, Aric. I can walk. You really need to stop treating me like an invalid.” But she

sat there, waiting for him to open her door. Once he did, she curled her arms around his
neck and let him carry her into the house. No man and ever treated her with kid gloves
before. It was new and interesting, and made her feel special in more ways than one.
She’d come to realize in her time at the hospital that Aric and his family were protectors.
She couldn’t speak for all shifters, but the Wolfes needed to ensure their loved ones were
taken care of. Lucky for her she happened to be one of them.

“I prefer it if you did as little as possible while you’re still healing.” He trudged through

the house, shut the door with his foot, and continued to the living room.

Jordan grinned, running her hands over the shaggy hair at the back of his neck. “As

little as possible?”

He stopped. His eyes brightened with desire. That look he gave her, hungry and wild,

made her body sizzle. “I can think of a few things you can do without overexerting
yourself.”

He sat on her favorite chair and placed her over his lap. His rock hard cock poked her

ass and flared her lust to life.

Her wiggle had him groaning. “Jordan…”
She ignored his soft warning and kissed him instead, rocking her hips over his dick.

They were deep into their kiss. Her hands strayed over his shoulders, gripping and
squeezing his muscled arms. And then he was tearing his lips from her, jumping to his
feet with her in his arms.

He growled. “What the fuck––?”
“What is it?” She squealed in his hold.
“The chair moved.”
Mind still cloudy with need, she didn’t understand what he was talking about. “What?”
He put her on her feet and placed his hand over the seat cushion of the black leather

chair. “It started moving under me.”

She blinked. And laughed. And laughed some more. She continued laughing until her

stomach hurt from the look on his face.

He frowned. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just...” She burst into laughter again. “It’s a massage chair.”
“Well, your massage chair was groping me.” His attempt at indignant failed with his

smile.

She grinned and rubbed her body boldly over his. “The chair isn’t the only one.”
“Then I suggest we go somewhere the furniture won’t try to take part in whatever we’re

doing.”

She giggled and let him lead her toward the bedroom. They’d taken two steps through

the door when he turned on her, locking their lips together and once again carrying her to
the bed. She yanked on his T-shirt, tugging the material over his broad shoulders and
head before moving to his jeans.

“Jesus, Jordan. Give me a second.”
She licked his nipple and heard his sharp inhale. “How long was I in the hospital?”
He groaned, sliding his fingers into her hair, pulling her head back off his chest. “A

little over two weeks.”

The zipper hissed on its way down. She met his gaze. Wild passion filled his eyes.
“I missed you. I was scared I wouldn’t see you again with every punch that guy threw at

me. I don’t ever want us to be separated again.” She took a deep breath and blurted out
her feelings. “I love you.”

Her words had an incredible effect. He tore the rest of his and her clothes off so fast all

she heard was material ripping. Then he was on her, kissing her hard, branding her with
the sexy mouth she loved. He pushed her back on the bed, caressing every inch of her
body with his rough calloused hands. Every touch was bliss. Every kiss pushed her
temperature higher, soaring into new heights. He cupped her face and allowed her to see
the same things she felt mirrored in his eyes.

“I love you too.”
To hear him say the words made her heart flip. Emotion clogged her throat. She threw

her arms around him and kissed his neck. She inhaled the scent of her man and the
passion burning between them.

“Bite me, Aric,” she whispered.
He kissed her. “You’re sure about this? Your body won’t be the same. Even if it doesn’t

accept the change for you to be one of my kind, you won’t be the same.”

She smiled and slid a finger over his lips. “I’ll never be the same anyway. I’m yours

now and always will be.”

He growled and dropped to seal their lips together. She widened her thighs to allow

him easy entrance into her body. She’d never considered herself easy, but for Aric, she’d
probably strip in the middle of the street if it got her some growling during sex.

Her enthusiasm was short lived. He didn’t enter her, which only turned the heat up in

her blood. Instead he kissed her neck. Then he slowly licked his way down her chest,
circling first one nipple, nipping the little bud with his teeth and sucking so hard her
pussy quivered. Then he moved on to the other and did the same, until she was writhing
under him and whimpering for more.

“Aric.” She gripped his hair in her fists, squeezing and loosening her hold depending on

how his lips moved over her.

He growled into her belly, licking his way around the indentation of her belly button.

Her sex grasped at nothing. She needed him inside or she’d lose her mind.

He chuckled, and she realized she’d said it out loud.
“Hurry up already. I’m dying here.”
He glanced up from between her legs. Her breath reeled. Sandpaper clung to the inside

of her throat. He inhaled and licked his lips, and she almost came.

“Jordan?”
“Hmm?” She knew she couldn’t speak past the knot in her throat. His look was so hot

and possessive she felt melted on to the bed.

“I love how you smell.” He licked a cool, wet, trail from clit to slit. “But I can’t get

enough of how you taste.”

Her body wound into a ball of tension with the feel of his tongue swiping at her

entrance. She moaned, she screamed, and she ordered him to make her come.

He slid two fingers on either side of her clit, massaging her with the digits. Her pussy

throbbed, her nipples ached, and her need to feel him inside her grew some more. The
two fingers speared her sex and curved to massage her upper walls and G-spot. It felt like
thirty seconds passed before her knees were shaking. Tighter and tighter, her body
wound. She sucked air into her deprived lungs and moaned. He flicked his tongue into a
quick motion that made her see stars. One gasp, two gasps, and her whole world exploded.

She half-lifted off the bed and slammed back down. Shudders racked her body. Wave

after wave of pleasure filled each of her brain cells. She stopped jerking long moments
later. Orgasms were never that powerful for her, but with Aric she found herself shaking
and turned into a mass of nerves.

A lone thought filled her mind: Pleasing him. She lifted to her knees and grasped his

cock.

“That should wait.” He groaned.
She moved into a position where her shoulder brushed his thigh and lowered her head

to lick the beads of moisture dripping from his slit. She sucked his cock into her mouth,
twirling her tongue a full circle over the head.

After a few slow sucks, she pumped his shaft in her hand. The combination of saliva

and precum allowed for easy gliding between her fingers.

“That…feels…amazing.”
She grinned and sucked him into her mouth fully, relaxing the back of her throat to

allow him a deeper slide.

“Fuck!”
She whimpered with his cock in her mouth. His hand slid down between her ass

cheeks, trailing down to her entrance.

“Yes. You’re so wet.” His voice had gotten that rough timbre, the same one that made

her nipples go tight. She increased the pressure on her grip and hollowed her cheeks to
massage him with her tongue and cheeks.

Fire lanced her pussy. He fucked her with his fingers and turned her arousal into

desperation. Her bobbing increased in speed. Faster and faster until his cock was hot steel

in her mouth.

He circled a finger on her asshole, slowly dipping inside. She relaxed into his touch all

the while jerking him with her hand and sucking his cock deep into her mouth.

“That’s it, baby. Suck my finger into your ass.”
Her body throbbed. She needed to come. He pumped his finger in and out of her ass

before adding another. Then another. He fucked her with three digits, stretching her hole.
She groaned and slid his cock out of her mouth.

“Fuck me, please. In my ass, in my pussy, I don’t care, just do me!”
“Oh, I will be fucking your tight little ass, but first, let’s make you my mate.” His voice

was so deep and rough she shivered. “Get on your knees and lean forward on the bed.”

She didn’t know she had it in her to move so fast. Then again, promises of orgasm

would get him anything. She flipped over to her stomach, lifted her ass high in the air and
waited. Within seconds, the broad head of his dick was slipping past her entrance and
filling her. Nerve endings stretched so taut she swore something inside her was going to
snap at any moment. He propelled back and slammed back in with a groan. She
whimpered and gripped the sheets in her fists.

“God, yes!”
Heat spread through her pussy, travelled up her body and licked at her veins. The

continuous skin slapping drove up the bar on her pleasure.

He dropped on all fours, caging her with his body. Passions thickened between them

like a warm blanket of need. With each powerful thrust her body slipped closer to the
edge of the cliff she knew so well, the one that would bring her limitless pleasure.

His breaths puffed by her ear. Each one a soft growl that made her bones melt and her

pussy flutter around his cock. Her nipples grazed the bedding with each fast glide of his
body into hers.

“Jordan,” he growled by her neck, “you’re mine.” He twisted his hips and his cock

slammed into different pleasure cells. “Do you understand me?”

“Yesss.”
“Only mine.”
She moaned at his possessive tone. Her orgasm took her by surprise. The knot inside

her snapped. A tidal wave of pleasure coursed through her body at the speed of a derailed
train. He struck then, biting deep into her shoulder. The sharp pain only intensified her
pleasure. She screamed. Later on, she’d swear his cock grew inside her pussy before he
tensed at her back. Another wave of bliss shot down her veins. A breath later he was
jerking into her, filling her with his cum.

Her lungs constricted. Hell, her entire body shook as mini after shocks took hold. He

sucked, kissed, and licked her shoulder. Each swipe of his tongue felt like a silken caress.

“Oh, my God.”
He dropped beside her on the bed, only to pull her into his sweaty embrace.
“Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” She glanced up into his worried gaze. “Why didn’t anyone tell me that

mating meant I’d get the most amazing sex of my life?”

He lifted his brows. “Would it have made a difference for you?”

“Hell yes! I would’ve let you do this to me years ago if that was the case.” She snuggled

into his muscled body and ran her hand up and down his chest.

He chuckled. “So you mean you only want me for my body?”
“Oh no! I want you for your body and sex.” She grinned.
She slid up his body, brought her face close to his and gave him a kiss. Then she

dropped her head into the curve of his shoulder. A strange happiness curled into her heart
and bloomed with every breath. She had a mate now. She wasn’t alone anymore. She was
now truly part of a family that cared for her. Tears gathered in her eyes. She needed to
think positive and allow this feeling of belonging to settle. She’d felt so unwanted for so
long. So alone. Accepting this new reality of a loving man and family would take time. But
she could honestly admit she was looking forward to it.

“You’ll never be alone again, my love,” Aric promised with soft kisses into her hair.
The tears fell. She didn’t know what to say. Thank you seemed so inappropriate but it

was what her heart was feeling. Thankful.

She said the first thing that came to her. “I got your back too, my sexy fur ball.”
Aric chuckled. The sounds of his laughter lulled her into a peaceful sleep.

Jordan woke to soft kisses running down her back. Her pussy became wet in a heartbeat.
She was never going to get out of bed if things went on this way. Fuzziness ran out of the
window the moment he got to her ass.

“What are you doing?” She mumbled half-asleep.
He slipped a finger between her wet folds. “Fuck, baby. You’re always wet for me.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she moaned.
He licked around her asshole, swiping his tongue in circles. She wiggled in his grasp

and snapped her eyes open. She pushed back into his mouth, loving the feel of his tongue
over her dark entrance.

He finger fucked her pussy while licking circles on her ass.
“Aric? What are you––”
“I promised you some action back here, remember? I can’t wait to fuck you again.”
She jerked her head up on the bed and glanced over her shoulder. It wasn’t that she

didn’t want to try that with him. But they just needed one more thing before he could go
there.

“Hang on,” she said and reached for her bedside drawer. Shoving her hand blindly into

it, she reached around until she bypassed the large number of sex toys, which he’d
probably ask about later, to grasp a bottle. Bingo.

She tapped his head and passed him the bottle of lubricant. “If that’s the case, I think

you’re gonna need this.”

Then she went back into the drawer and pulled out a small clit stimulator in the shape

of an egg. “And I’m going to need this.”

He got on his knees behind her. She watched him grease his cock and jerk it at the

same time. Her throat went dry. Watching him was better than any porn she’d ever seen.

“Like what you see?”
She nodded and licked her lips.

He dropped some of the liquid on her asshole and proceeded to rub it in and around

her anal entrance. She turned the egg on vibrate and slid it down until she was rubbing it
over her clit. She shuddered with the toy on her clit and his fingers thrusting in and out of
her ass.

Before long her body was winding with the feel of the vibration on her clit.
“Relax for me, baby.”
She allowed her body to soften at the invasion of his cock pushing its way into her ass.

The stinging wasn’t new. She’d tried this with toys before.

“Are you okay?” There was concern in his voice.
“I’m good. I mean,” she panted, “I’m great. Keep going.” She pushed back and he

slipped all the way into her on tight thrust.

“Holy fuck!” He groaned. “You feel unbelievable.”
He slowly pulled back and slammed into her.
She moaned and increased the speed on the egg. Her ass tightened around him

involuntarily.

“God, Jordan…”
She wiggled to get him to move. He slipped back and drove in. Harder. Faster. In

quicker succession. Her clit twitched at the vibration of the egg.

“Oh my…oh God.” Her hand shook as her body went taut. She pulled the egg away and

brought it back to the super sensitive skin she was rubbing it on. His drives grew in force.
She turned the egg to a higher speed.

He cursed. She held the egg right on her clit and the quick unraveling in her pussy had

her shuddering and gasping for air. Her climax rushed her. It was so intense she was left
breathless and shaking. Her ass squeezed at his cock hard. He came in short jerks into her
ass. She tried to catch her breath but her lungs were still shuddering from how hard she’d
come.

She dropped the egg and sunk to the bed. Aric bounced off the bed. She was too

liquefied to wonder where he’d gone. Moments later, he was wiping her ass with a wet
wash cloth. Afterwards he got back into bed and held her in his arms.

“You know, if you make my brain turn to mush and my legs to jelly every time we have

sex, I may have to tie you to this bed and never let you go.”

He laughed. “Baby, you won’t need to tie me. I’m always going to be here willingly.

Jordan, I have a question for you.” He sounded so insecure she had to glance at his face.

“What’s wrong?”
“I…” He lifted to a sitting position and took her with him. He cupped her face in his

hands. “I love you.”

She smiled. “I love you too.”
“I don’t ever want us to be apart.”
“We won’t be.” She tried to calm whatever it was that was bothering him.
“Okay then. So you’ll do it?”
She raised her brows. Clearly she missed something in there somewhere. “Do what?”
“Will you marry me?” He picked up a box he’d set next to him on the bed and opened it

to show off a beautiful and unique diamond ring.

She sighed. There were no longer nerves, only absolute happiness. The man she loved,

the family she’d come to love, all loved her back. Unconditionally. That was the best
feeling in the world.

“You’re the only woman I have ever envisioned spending my life with.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Aric was her one. He’d been her one at thirteen and he’d

never stop being her one true love. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

She let him put the ring on her finger and snuggled into him on the bed. She should

probably wait a few minutes before licking her way down his body like she was
visualizing. He was being so romantic and here she wanted to get him inside her again.
She was so perverted. And she couldn’t find it in her to feel even a little bad about it.

Chapter Twelve

“Congratulations!” Ellie rushed inside and enveloped Jordan in a tight hug.

“What did we miss?” Emma was followed into the house by Karla and Nicole. Ellie

yanked her hand in front of her and displayed it for the other women to see Jordan’s
engagement ring.

Everyone spoke at the same time. Jordan swore she was hugged more than a stuffed

animal is by a child. Let’s not forget to add deaf to the list. She winced every time they
screamed in excitement.

“Calm down already. I didn’t get married…yet.”
The squealing started anew. She laughed and let them gush over her ring and how

beautiful it was. Two little wolves meeting at the nose with a solitaire diamond between
their muzzles. It was a very creative ring. One of the little wolves had yellow stones for
eyes, while the other had grey stones. Aric had gone above and beyond to create
something uniquely theirs.

Once they finally calmed, they noticed her surprise.
“Is my mother here?” Ellie asked, sniffing and heading for the kitchen.
“Oh my God, she has to be because that smells divine.” Emma gave a cheeky grin. “No

offense, Jordan. You cook really well, but Mrs. Wolfe has magic hands when it comes to
delicious food.”

Jordan folded her hands over her chest. “I’m going to remember that the next time you

want empanadas.”

“Oooh! You’re in trouble, Emma. I love your empanadas, Jordan.”
“What did you do to your hair?” Jordan frowned. She hadn’t seen Nic since she’d been

at the hospital, and now that she inhaled, there was a particular scent on her. Heck, all
her friends smelled…different.

“She got highlights.” Karla grinned, tugging on one of Nic’s long honey-toned curls. Nic

slapped her hand away.

“I needed a change.”
The ability to read her friends through her senses was fascinating for Jordan. She could

hear the insecurity in Nicole’s voice. She scented Karla and Emma’s concern for their
friends.

Not that it was Jordan’s business, since they all knew she was nosy as hell, but she felt

the need to calm the insecurity filling her friends.

“So, did you girls know that Jake and Nathan are helping Caleb get his pack back?”
Karla lifted a brow. “Those two are finally doing something helpful? That’s hard to

believe.”

Nic’s features went serious. “Tell me about it. Usually they’re too busy chasing skirts.”
Jordan had a hard time not smiling. They were saying one thing, but she could sense

their excitement at her news. She wondered if all humans mated to shifters felt so much
more after the bite. Aric had mentioned she would change, but this was strange even for
her.

Nicole walked past her down the hallway, until she was out of view. Nic’s voice floated

from the kitchen, where she actively begged Barbara for some food. She said Karla and
Emma had starved her all day.

Emma walked past her to the living area. Her scent was stronger than the others. Ellie

stopped beside her. She opened her mouth, but was cut off before she said anything.

“Don’t mention the scent.”
“What? Why? What is it?” She whispered the words in the same soft voice Ellie had

used.

Ellie grinned. Her eyes had gone a deep shade of blue Jordan loved. It only got that

dark whenever she was happy. “You’ll see in time, but it’s best to not say anything for
now.”

Barbara stepped out of the kitchen with a large platter of food, followed by Karla with

another tray of food they placed on the dining room table. Aric’s mom had been there for
her more than Jordan could have ever expected. She’d spent days at the hospital with her
and the day Aric finally brought her home, she’d stopped by daily to ensure she wasn’t
over doing things. Even knowing her son was obsessive in his need to watch over her,
Barbara hadn’t cared. She’d brought food and kept her company the times he needed to go
to the bar.

Jordan would be going back to school soon, but she was definitely enjoying her sick

time.

“So what do we owe all this yummy food to?” Karla sat on the dining room table,

joining the others as they made their way there.

“Well,” Barbara smiled. Her blue eyes were so much like Ellie’s, only filled with a

wealth of knowledge. “I’m going to let poor Jordan have her life back, now that she’s
feeling better. So I figured this was a nice way to stop harassing her with endless amounts
of food.”

Jordan laughed at the shock in her friends’ faces. “I don’t mind you being here at all,

Barbara. And I mind your food even less.”

“You know,” Nicole chewed and swallowed a piece of meat before continuing. “If you

want to come over to my house and harass me with endless amounts of food I think I can
learn to tolerate that.”

Barbara’s eyes twinkled with delight. “You’ll get your turn, Nicole, but now I have

something more fun in mind.”

Jordan frowned. Some kind of communication was going on that she wasn’t aware of

between Ellie and her mom.

“Let’s talk about my sons.” Barbara glanced around the table at each of the girls. More

than one glanced down at her plate while fidgeting. A smile split her lips. At least Jordan
was no longer the one under the gun.

Ellie smirked. “Why did everyone go quiet?”
“Ellie!” Karla’s face was a dark crimson under her tanned skin. “That’s your mom. We

can’t trash talk the sexy four to her.”

Barbara laughed. “Yes, you can. I know my boys. They’re bossy, annoying, and quite

good looking, right?”

All the women nodded in unison.
“Let’s start with you, Emma.”
Emma’s deer caught in the headlights made Jordan choke on her drink.
“M-me?”
“I think you want to tell me why Mason is an overbearing, macho, pig.” She turned to

Ellie. “That’s what I heard her call him last time they crossed paths at the hospital, right?”

Ellie chortled. “That’s what she called him, Mom.”
Things were about to get interesting.

* * *

Jordan’s phone rang as she walked out of her house. It was Emma. She flinched.

Emma was in wedding planner mode and she really didn’t want to discuss the difference
between light blue, sky blue, ocean blue, pastel blue, and baby blue. All Jordan had
requested was for the color blue to be used.

Dammit! She could really do with some stress relief, but Aric had gone to Wolfe’s Den

to meet up with Caleb. The past few days she’d felt a bit more aggressive than usual, and
her horny level had gone from pervert to nympho status. Her body throbbed with just the
feel of the material from her clothes. If she didn’t know better she’d swear someone
drugged her. She’d brought it up to Aric. He’d shrugged it off and said he’d take her
aggressive side any time.

“Hi, Emma.” She carried her camera to her vehicle as she spoke.
“Hey! What are you up to?”
“I’m going to the clearing to take some photos. I decided I want to add them into the

book for visual reference purposes. Plus, I want to go remember the feel of the place so I
can describe it better. It’s been so long since the ceremony my mind is a little hazy.”

“Oh that sounds great. Want some company?”
“Sure, why not? Meet me at the same spot we parked last time.”
She shut the phone only to growl the next time it rang a second later. Aric.
“Hi there, handsome.”
“Hello, beautiful.” Jesus. He spoke and her nipples stood to attention. One thing was

for sure, she’d never be able to take his calls in the classroom. Her students were much
too observant. “What are you up to? I can’t wait to see you.”

Her pussy went slick at the images her mind conjured up. Sick, sick Jordan. “I’m going

to the clearing to take some photos. I’ll be back in no time.”

“I don’t like the idea of you up there alone.”
She grinned. “I won’t be alone. Emma is coming with me.”

“Not good enough.”
“Too bad. You’re busy and I’m going.”
He sighed. “I’ll meet you up there in half an hour to forty-five minutes.”
She lived about ten minutes from the place. “You got it.”
“Jordan?”
“Yes?”
“Call me if anything seems strange.”
“Relax, sexy man. You sound so uptight. I’ll have to give you one of my special

massages later,” she lowered her voice. “The ones that involve my mouth on your hard c
—”

“I’ll be there soon!”
She giggled at the roughness she heard in his voice. Good. Now she wasn’t the only one

walking around horny as hell all the time.

Jordan and Emma met up at the same location they’d parked the night of the scenting

ritual. It felt like a lifetime had passed since that night at the beginning of summer.

They reached the spot high on the hill where they could glance down and take clear

shots. Emma cursed and turned to her.

“I forgot my shotgun.”
“Emma! We walked like ten minutes to get up here.”
“It was not ten minutes. We’re up here alone and you don’t want me to get my shotgun

after all the bullshit you’ve been through? Take some pictures. I’ll be right back.”

“Grab mine too while you’re there.” She threw Emma her car keys.
Emma laughed as she walked away. Jordan glanced down at the clearing, raised her

camera to her face, and started taking photos. Her mind wandered back to the events of
that night. Of the brown wolf that had tried to attack her. Aric said he was just a young
wolf looking to get better acquainted with her but he turned aggressive due to the pull of
the moon.

She continued taking pictures of the trees, the area where the lanterns had hung. And

then her attention was caught by two men and a woman walking into the open space. The
woman was young, wearing a mini skirt with a cropped top. She used the zoom feature to
take in the girl’s face. Heavy make-up caked over the youthful features.

The men circled the girl. Jordan’s heartbeat increased until she thought the men would

jump the girl. Their faces were serious, wild. Both had glowing brown eyes. Shifters.

She swallowed and watched the men grope the woman. One of them yanked at her

clothes, but she didn’t fight it. Jordan watched the material tear off the woman’s body.
She kissed one man, rubbing his bald head with enthusiasm. The other man slid his
hands down her backside, squeezing the woman’s ass. It became clear to Jordan that they
were planning on having sex. She glanced away, trying not to gawk as the men shoved
their pants down to release their hard cocks. Holy shit. She needed to do something,
something like get the hell out of there and stop intruding on that threesome’s private
time.

But she stood transfixed watching the woman give one man oral sex while the other

one fucked her from behind. And then the man fucking her grabbed the woman by the

hair, jerking her head back. Jordan winced. Damn that looked painful.

She wasn’t even attempting to not watch anymore. The man getting oral sex roared and

thrust his cock deep down the woman’s throat. The woman continued to suck the man’s
limp cock until he was hard once again. Then they switched places and she was being
fucked by him and giving the second guy oral sex. She glanced down at the camera in her
hands. Where the hell was Emma?

Something made her jerk her gaze back to the sex scene at the clearing. One guy was

still fucking the woman while the other pulled his cock out of her mouth. The men stared
at each other.

Jordan stood frozen as one man’s hands turned into claws and he buried them into the

woman’s back. A blood curling scream filled the forest. The painful sound reached up to
where Jordan stood. The man in front of the woman swiped claws across her neck, tearing
her throat wide open.

She’d seen enough. She grabbed her camera and took photos of the scene. They

continued to tear into the woman’s lifeless body. She gasped at the viciousness in both of
the men’s faces. One of them looked up then, glancing right at the spot she stood.

He growled. She ran. Her mind went into a panic. Anger for what they’d done to that

woman blossomed inside her, until she could hardly see in front of her. Growls sounded
from right behind her.

She continued to run, until her lungs felt ready to burst. Something tackled her to the

ground. Pain shot up her side as she hit the forest floor hard.

The baldheaded man grabbed her by her neck, tugged her to her feet and sniffed.

“Pack.”

She didn’t know what he was talking about, but she continued to struggle against him

as he shoved her to the clearing.

The other man was still there, as was the dead naked woman.
“Look what I found.”
The other guy sniffed and growled from the distance. “Wolfe pack.”
Hate dripped from his voice with the word. What the heck did he smell? She was far

enough from him he shouldn’t smell anything. He narrowed his eyes and moved toward
her. Fear worked its way into her system, flooding her body with adrenaline. Protecting
herself became her sole focus.

A shot rang out. The man moving toward Jordan swayed in his feet. A bullet hole

appeared on his shoulder, dripping blood.

Her gaze shot up to spot Emma, shotgun in hand, getting ready to shoot again.
Bald guy gripped her hair and shoved her. She ran to the middle of the clearing, away

from both men, tripped on a rock and fell, landing on her hands and knees. Another shot
and this time Emma hit bald guy. Shot number three got the other guy again. He was
getting closer to her. Fire took hold of her body. She dropped to the ground in pain. Her
muscles felt stretched taut. The gunshots sounded far away while her mind focused solely
on the pain in her body. She opened her eyes, but everything was distorted and shut them
again.

The pain she was going through inside was worse than anything she’d ever

experienced. She saw the beast then; a large black wolf with glowing amber eyes. The
animal was ready to attack. Then her bones popped, broke and reattached. She’d never
experienced so much pain come and go so fast.

The minute she opened her eyes again, she was on all fours. Gunshots continued to

ring out. She glanced up. Emma dropped one shotgun by her feet and picked up the other.
The two men were bleeding profusely, but continued to make their way toward her.

A new wild rage took hold of Jordan. She didn’t have time to digest the fact she was no

longer a human. Nor did she get a chance to grapple over her animal status and what that
meant for her future. And she definitely didn’t get a chance to worry over how much that
shit would hurt the next time she shifted. Instead, she ran for the bald guy. Focused on
his bleeding shoulder, she jumped and tackled the big man to the ground. He hit her on
the side. More shots rang out. The anger inside her urged her to attack the man with her
claws and canines. She was no longer in control. She felt the strength of the beast take
hold. Her attack on the man didn’t stop. The man fought her, punching her every chance
he got. But the animal inside her wasn’t deterred. She took deep grueling bites of the
guy’s shoulder and arms.

An angry growl sounded, and she was shoved off the man. Her attention was diverted

by the other man fighting off a large black and white wolf. Aric. He bit down hard on the
guy’s neck, crushing bones and tearing through the guy’s throat. Then he moved to the
man who’d hit her. The attack was quick with the other man panting from all the injuries
he’d suffered from her animal.

Two dead bodies later and she stared down at her paws, unsure how to go back to being

human.

“Tell your wolf you’re in control. Order her back.” Aric’s voice flitted through her

mind.

She visualized the angry animal from before and ordered it back. Once again her

muscles did the stretching and reshaping that hurt like a bitch for all of a minute before
stopping altogether.

Blinking her eyes open to the bloody ground, she glanced up. Aric helped her to her

feet. His jaw was clenched tight. She gasped at the suppressed fury radiating off him.

“Aric?” She was practically running into the forest being dragged by him. “Aric!”

Chapter Thirteen

He stopped suddenly. Her breath caught in her throat. Instinct told her to move, to step
back and away. But she didn’t, she stood her ground. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
He grabbed her face with his hands and shoved his tongue into mouth. There was no
holding back. His wild passion only served to unleash the one inside her. Her mind spun
and her body throbbed with anticipation. She ran her tongue over his lips and down to his
neck. He growled, gripped her hips, and pushed her back into a tree. She curled her legs
around his waist, depending on him to keep her from falling. Their gazes met and sparks
flew.

“Need you.” Even though she could hardly understand the words, she could read the

need in his eyes. The feral hunger for her. One hard thrust and he was inside her. “Almost
lost you.” She moaned. He pulled back and drove deep into her again. “Could have lost
you.”

She clung to him. Her pussy gripped at his cock, desperate for him to put out the fire in

her core. She ignored the tree bark rubbing her back. Her sole focus became the slide of
his cock in and out of her pussy. With each thrust, his chest rubbed her nipples in a
friction that turned her mind to mush.

“You won’t lose me.” She moaned and licked his neck while he continued to fuck her

roughly. “I’m yours.”

The taste of him on her tongue was divine. He tasted of salt, man, and sex. Her

breathing turned choppy. Tension gathered inside her at breakneck speed. He pounded
her with his cock, adding kindling to her fire. His lips grazed her throat and licked. She bit
down on his shoulder. He did the same. The world spun on its axis and pleasure blasted
through her veins.

She held on as his cock grew inside her and filled her with his cum. His rumble on her

flesh made her body shudder.

Her legs shook as her feet touched the ground. Possession filled his gaze. “I love you.”
She swallowed against the thickness in her throat. “I love you too.”
He brought his face closer to hers again, brushing his lips over hers in a soft kiss. “I

won’t let anyone hurt you. Ever again.”

His vow, made with so much assurance, made her stomach twist. He was all she’d ever

need. She knew that now. “I know.”

* * *

“Why is it that you always have to mess up a good thing?” Emma hissed at Mason.
He grinned unabashedly. “I’m just pointing out that you like getting your friends in

trouble. Poor girls have gotten almost arrested or in some kind of trouble more than once
thanks to you.”

Emma glared at Mason.
Jordan wouldn’t interfere. She realized the scent Emma carried around was Mason.

That meant she needed to mind her own damn business and let those two work their own
stuff out.

“Seriously? Women should be at home raising kids? That’s the best you can come up

with!” Nicole appeared ready to throttle Jake.

He in turn smiled in delight. “Mates are meant to be home taking care of the cubs.”
Jordan got ready to warn Jake to watch his tongue but she sniffed. Sure enough, Nicole

also scented of Jake.

What the hell was going on?
She continued toward the kitchen of the Wolfe’s house. She heard Karla and Nathan.
“No.”
“You know you want to,” Nathan taunted.
“Are you insane? What in the world makes you think I’ll get a tattoo with your name

on it?” Karla hissed.

And there went that couple, Jordan thought as she passed them by on her way to the

kitchen. The scent once again letting her know that no matter what her friends said, there
was a deeper connection between them and Aric’s brothers.

She reached the backyard and inhaled. The strong and pure scent of nature took time

to get used to. It was weird to smell so much grass.

She brought the dessert tray outside to place it on the picnic table where Barbara and

Tristan were arranging the barbeque. About to go around the side of the house to the
table, she stopped at the sound of the words being exchanged.

“Quit complaining, Wolfe. Things worked out,” Barbara said.
“You need to stop meddling in our sons’ lives.” Tristan admonished his wife.
Jordan peeked around the side of the house and watched the couple embrace.
“You make it sound like I did something wrong.” Barbara curled her arms around her

husband’s neck.

“Never, love, but you know they’re grown and can get their mates on their own.”
Aric slipped his arms around Jordan’s waist and rubbed his cock on her ass. She

wanted to drop the cookies and turn around, but she was much more interested in the
conversation between his parents.

“They could get their mates if they weren’t so slow. Where do they get that from?

Neither of us have ever been that way.”

“That’s true. I had you in my bed the first night I saw you.”
Barbara scoffed. “I think you mean I had you in my bed.”
Tristan chuckled. “Who cares? The outcome was what we both wanted.”
She smiled. “But back to Aric. All I did was help him out a little.”
“There was no need to invite those women. The only woman he wanted was right

here.”

“It made him move, didn’t it?”
Aric’s arms tensed around her waist. He took the cookie tray from her hands and they

continued to the table his parents stood chatting.

“Mom? Dad? What exactly did you do to help me out?” Aric asked as he placed the tray

on the table.

Jordan watched Barbara smile and wink at her. “I only invited those women for you to

choose from.”

Aric frowned. “But you just said you knew I wouldn’t want them, that I only wanted

Jordan. So did you invite those women for me to choose one of them, or to push me into
mating Jordan?”

His mother’s gave a slick smile. “Who cares? The outcome is what you wanted.”
Tristan laughed. Barbara pulled her husband along and made her way to the back

entrance of the house.

Jordan grinned at how happy his parents still were even after over thirty years of

marriage.

“Let’s go.” Aric’s eyes glowed the bright grey of his wolf.
“Where?”
“Run with me, baby.”
“Now?” She squealed, glancing at the house. “Are you sure we’re safe to be out there?”
“Yes. Those wolves that killed that girl were rogues, not part of any pack. They’re

lawless and dangerous. My father put one of his enforcers to handle the case with the
sheriff. She was human. It doesn’t stop here.”

She frowned. “Will the shifters get into trouble for that?”
“Not our pack. We protect humans. We have people in the department. They’ll smooth

things over.” His lips tilted into a sexy grin. “Come on, I’ll protect you.”

“I know you will, but what if there are other people out there.” She motioned to the

woods, still concerned that other rogues would be in the vicinity.

“This is private property. Our property. The only people in the area are part of our pack,

and they don’t trespass.” He tugged her toward the trees.

She glanced around the forest, looking for people. “What about Caleb and his uncle?

What happens with that?” She let him lead her further.

“That’s not over yet. Caleb has been given some time to deal with his uncle Rocco and

take the control of his pack back. He needs to move. Rocco is known to hire rogues for his
dirty deeds. Caleb has to take over.”

“And if he doesn’t?” She worried for Ellie. Now that she was happy, she wanted all her

friends happy too.

He led her into the thick of the forest, where the sun had to fight to peek in through

the branches. “We’ll step in. We don’t want to, which is why we’ve given him time.”

She gnawed at her lip. Her heart constricted for Ellie. Jordan knew things with Caleb’s

pack were far from over.

He stopped short, turned, and cupped her face. “I want you.”
That’s all she needed to hear. All thoughts of the danger and negativity rushed out of

her mind. She’d always want him and she was glad that he felt the same need for her. Fur
pushed at her skin and she knew her own wolf wanted free.

The End

~ Keep reading for a bonus short ~

Milly Taiden writing as

April Angel

A Hero Scarred

Chapter One

Jessica Tavarez stared at her wine glass. If only it could solve all her problems. It didn’t
even distract her enough to make her forget the hell she’d been living.

“Come on, Jessie. A getaway will be fun for you.” Kayla watched her from her seat on

the other side of Jessie’s living room.

“I have to admit that she’s right.” Larissa nodded. “You need a vacation. And a nap.

You’re cranky as hell.”

Jessie glared at her friends. “I’m not cranky. I’m just tired of the bullshit. I can’t

believe I’m done with Dan. It feels like some other shit is gonna pop up at any moment.”

Larissa twisted a long, brown curl through her fingers. “Are there any other

outstanding or pending items on the case?”

“No.”
“And all property is coming back to you.”
“Yeah.”
“So you’re done.” Larissa grinned. “I know with this hell you’ve been going through it

feels like it’s too good to be true, but all evil, rotten things must come to an end.”

Maybe for others. It felt like she’d been dealing with this divorce way too long. “He has

to move out of my house, and then it will sink in.”

“Yeah and then you won’t have to live in a rental when you own your own damn

house.” Kayla tipped her wineglass and gulped down the rest of her drink.

Rissa nodded. “Now back to Kayla’s idea of a vacation.”
Jessie sighed. “I told you all I’m too busy.”
Kayla raised her brows. “You work with me. I already had some days scheduled for the

new house. Come down with me again. We’ve been at the hospital a lot lately and I think
you really need a break. Seeing patients day in and day out takes a toll on me as their
therapist, I know it takes one on you as a volunteer.”

“The psychologist has spoken.” Rissa said.
“Fine. But no hooking me up.”
Kayla’s eyes went wide. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Rissa burst into giggles. “Oh, yes you do!”
“Kayla, please,” Jessie groaned. “I am not looking to get married when I just got rid of

the slug I was with.”

Kayla had been actively hooking up all her friends on blind dates—or trying to anyway.

Whether they wanted to or not didn’t seem important to their bossy friend.

She watched Kayla refill her wineglass. “Who said anything about marriage? It took me

and Ryan almost two years before we went that far. But meeting a nice guy never killed
anybody.”

“Maybe not other women, but it’s likely to send Jessie into cardiac arrest.” Larissa

snickered.

“You’re looking to get your ass kicked, Rissa.” Jessie didn’t care if Larissa was her

sister. She’d still smack her upside the head when necessary. Being oldest had its perks.

“I’ll come down to your house for a few days.” She gave in. Her system had taken a
beating with the stress of her divorce and she loved Isla Dorada. “But no set ups.”

Kayla glanced down at the finger food Larissa had brought with the wine. She took her

time picking a small beef patty before glancing up. Her smile was pure innocence. “I
understand.”

That angelic grin put Jessie on defcon-five alert. “You do?”
She nodded. “I understand you don’t want the chance to meet a nice guy who may turn

out to be a great person.”

“Kayla—”
“Matt is a sweetheart,” she added in a rush. “He’s nothing like your ex. But I get it. You

aren’t ready.”

Larissa stared at Kayla, her glass midway to her lips. She studied Kayla with surprise.

“Really?”

“Oh yes.” Kayla nodded. “I’ve been there. I know what that’s like.”
Guilt assailed Jessie. She wasn’t trying to be mean to her friend. Kayla only wanted to

see her happy. “I know you know, K. I just… I don’t think I can handle that right now.”

“I don’t know why you have to see everything as getting set up for marriage,” Rissa

threw in. “We meet people all the time. Maybe that’s what you need. New people that will
bring some happiness or even a breath of fresh air into your life.”

“It’s not that simple.” Not anymore. She didn’t trust men not to screw her. Emotionally

or financially.

“You’re thinking too much.” Kayla leaned into the sky blue, plush sofa and sighed.
“I always think too much,” Jessie agreed.
“Come down to the house. We’ll have a few quiet days in the sun and on the beach.”
It sounded so good. Incredible, in fact, but the over thinker inside continued to

hesitate. Jessie scrunched her face. “Won’t I interfere with your time alone with Ryan?”

Kayla grinned. “Nah. We’re good.”
“Well…”
Rissa threw a balled napkin at her face. “Just go already. Dios. You’re going to make me

paranoid.”

She laughed. Her sister was a free spirit. As far from paranoid as one could get. It drove

Jessie insane most of the time. Where Jessie needed to plan and organize ahead of time,
Rissa would rather do spontaneous things. Nothing got to her. Nothing worried her. Hell.
Her whole relaxed personality stressed Jessie most days.

“Why don’t you come with me?”
Rissa grinned, her dark eyes twinkling. “I plan on coming down there in a few months.

Right now things are too busy at the shelter.”

She nodded. Rissa’s work at the abused women’s shelter was never over. She’d rather

not take a break than leave someone who needed her help.

“It’s settled then.” Kayla piped in.
“I guess. But I have to go through my schedule and ensure somebody can cover me for

the time I’m away. Make sure all your appointments have been taken care of and then we
can go.”

“This is why I love you,” Kayla sassed. “You never leave anything up to chance.”
“I’m your office manager. Besides, you’re way too busy to be left to take care of your

office stuff,” Jessie said. “And in case you didn’t notice I’m the best at my job. And you
know it.”

“True. This is why I want to find the perfect man for you.”
“Kayla!”
Rissa chuckled. “She’s not going to stop.”
Jessie threw the same balled napkin to Kayla, who was smiling into her wine. “I know.

She’s incorrigible.”

“That I am.” Kayla winked. “I won’t stop until you find the right man for you.”
“Oh, brother.”
Rissa turned to her. “Well. I think your trip should be fun. Dodging all kinds of single

men through the beach.” She giggled. “I hope they don’t try to hit on you while nude
sunbathing. That would be epic.”

Yeah. An epic fail. She could only hope Kayla didn’t set her up with a bunch of guys.

She was starting to act like her mom playing cupid. It was okay when it was directed at
others. But when Kayla focused her efforts on Jessie, it wasn’t much fun.

Chapter Two

“Tell me this is a joke?” Matt groaned. He ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the
strands. Frustration ate at his stomach.

“Matthew Payne! Quit being so dramatic.” Kayla giggled. “This isn’t a joke.”
Why did all women think that just because they were happily married he needed to be

in the same situation? Kayla was such a sweetheart. He hated to be rude to her, but
Ryan’s wife was getting way too involved in this setting up all Ryan’s friends project.

“Kayla…” He didn’t know how to explain to her that he didn’t want to date. There was a

reason he didn’t date. His issues went beyond normal PTSD.

“Oh, shush.” She pouted, her eyes sparkling with laughter. “I happen to know this

woman is very nice.”

He snorted. Yeah, they were all nice. Until they got to talking to him, that is. Then it

was “oh you poor thing” or “they have surgery for that.” Like that’s what he wanted to
hear on a date. Those kinds of comments were what kept his ass out of the dating zone.

“Matt, she’s not gonna let it go.” Ryan grimaced as he took a seat next to his wife. He

stretched the leg with the prosthetic out in front of him. “You may as well say yes.”

Kayla moved a hand to his knee, massaging Ryan’s leg without even realizing it. Her

impish smile grew wide. “Come on, Matthew. Don’t be such a baby.”

A cool afternoon breeze swept over the backyard. Two years ago, Ryan and Kayla had

been set up on a blind date; the last date either had gone on. That one night had turned
into a strong long-term relationship that led to marriage a few months back.

“Hey, I’m not a baby.” Well, not quite. Though his mother and sisters loved calling him

spoiled. He knew he wasn’t. He was just tired. There was no blaming him either. He was
tired of everyone feeling sorry for him. All the fucking time. Like he wasn’t the same
person from before—before his life had turned to shit.

“What do you say, pretty boy?” Ryan used the nickname he’d been given years ago

when he’d joined the special ops team.

Pretty boy. There lay his problem. His stomach tightened. If only he could erase that

name out of his existence. Maybe then he’d stop feeling so goddamned insecure. He
watched the other couple. They were so in tune with each other. So real. If, and that was a
very big if, he were going to start a relationship with a woman, that’s what he wanted.

Kayla knew exactly how to deal with his friend and former team member. She hadn’t

cared that he was missing a limb. Knew that the real man inside was whole. But Matt
didn’t seem to be able to find women like that. Most of them were so stuck on his face
and how “pretty” he was. Once they realized what he’d been through in Afghanistan, they
couldn’t seem to find what to say. Which in turn led him into the shit-this-is-
uncomfortable zone.

“I don’t do blind dates, Kayla.” He sipped the iced tea, listening to the sounds of the

waves crashing over rocks. Kayla’s parents had gifted her with a house on the other side
of their private island retreat as a wedding gift. A few of their friends had already visited
the island, but this was Matt’s first time.

“I didn’t either.” Ryan chuckled. “I won’t lie to you. I’m damn glad I allowed Cal to talk

me into it. But don’t tell him that.”

“Listen, guys. You’re probably one of the few successful blind dates in history.” Regular

dates spelled disaster for him. He couldn’t imagine how a blind one would turn out. “I
mean, how often does one find someone who isn’t all kinds of strange on a blind date?”
He leaned back on the wicker sofa and glanced up at the clear sky, sighing. Not a single
cloud marred the blue expanse above. It was like looking at a painting. He inhaled the
sweet scents of wild flowers and salty breeze.

“Oh. My. God,” Kayla squeaked.
He glanced down from the sky at her. She had folded her arms over her chest. Uh-oh.

“What?”

“You have turned into a cat.”
“Say what?” He shot up in his seat.
“I said,” she repeated slowly, meeting his gaze with a raised brow. “That you are a cat.

And here I was telling my friend that you were this big badass that went to war and can
probably kill people with a stern look.”

He grinned. “I am badass.”
She made a face. “All I see sitting there whining is a pussy.”
Ryan choked on his laughter. “Honey, take it easy on him. He’s not as strong as me.”
Matt’s pride dictated he stand up for himself. Argue that he was stronger than most.

Demanded for them to acknowledge his internal strength. He’d suffered through months
of rehab and surgeries, and he hadn’t sunk into drinking himself to death. Though he’d
been tempted. He’d prevailed. Fought out of the slump and knew how to keep out of that
dark spot on most days. But he couldn’t. Because while he liked to believe he was strong
physically, he doubted the truth of that statement when it came to being out in society.

“Look, you two. I’m not falling for your little good cop, bad cop routine.”
Kayla pouted. “Fine. I guess I’ll just butt out.”
“Thank you.” He sighed and leaned his head back.
“You can continue to live all alone. Not like I care.”
Oh, brother. He wasn’t off the hook.
“It’s not like I was going to hook you up with some weird old woman with a billion

cats.”

He frowned, wondering where that had come from. “You weren’t?”
A deep shade of red covered her pretty tanned face. “No. Jessie only has one cat. And

she’s young.”

Yeah. She wasn’t gonna give up any time soon. “Not happening.”
“Let it go, love.” Ryan kissed her temple. He hugged her into his side, stroking his hand

up and down her arm.

She shifted. Their gazes locked. The couple stared at each other for a moment. A slow

smile spread over her lips. “Okay.”

Thank. You. Ryan. She’d probably bring it up again, but he at least had a few hours free

of blind-date talk.

“Dinner tonight will be on the patio.” She grinned, back to her happy newly-wed state.

“Ryan and I are going to visit my parents for a bit. They might be joining us for dinner.
You don’t mind, do you?”

“No.” But it meant he’d need to dress up instead of showing up in a pair of shorts and

T-shirt. “I keep telling you I can entertain myself. Just tell me what time you want me
ready.”

“Hmm. I’d say some time around six. We should be back by then.”
Great. That meant he could hit the waves with nobody around to see him. To see his

body. What a relief. For once he’d be able to do something without worrying about
people’s reactions to how he looked without his shirt on.

Chapter Three

Jessie glanced around her childhood friend’s new beach house. Kayla arranged for her to
be picked up at the new helipad on the other side of the island. With the hectic schedule
Kayla kept, she really needed it. She was scared Kayla had gone ahead and gotten a slew of
single friends to hook her up with, even after she’d specifically asked her not to. Not that
that had ever done any good with Kayla. Jessie’d been working alongside her for years and
knew very well that her friend was a very hardheaded woman. Not to mention, Kayla was
on a major happiness high and wanted everyone to be on that level with her.

Jessie sighed. She rolled her luggage to the same room she’d used the last time she’d

visited, when she and Kayla had helped decorate the place. This wasn’t her first visit to
the beach house, so she was familiar with the layout.

Bright sunlight streamed through the open windows. Sea air drifted into the house,

calming her jumbled nerves. Boy did she need this getaway. Her very long divorce battle,
which had been dragging for two years, was finally over. Her ex-husband had tried to take
her to the cleaners. She pursed her lips as she reached her room and rolled the navy
luggage to the bed.

“Asshole.”
Some men really were jerks. Big ones. He’d thought to keep the money her parents had

worked hard to leave for her. A one-year marriage filled with lies, cheating, and deception
had turned into a nightmare divorce that lasted twice as long as the marriage had. If
someone would have told her she’d feel this drained after getting that leech out of her
life, she wouldn’t have believed them. She curled her fingers into fists. Then she took a
deep breath. Let it out slowly. Relaxed. There had been too much craziness going on in
her life. She was finally free.

She strolled around the bed to her room’s balcony. The view was captivating. Palm

trees lined the beach area. White sand and clear blue water waited just some yards away.
That’s what she needed. A nice walk on the beach. To feel the sun on her face. The warm
water on her feet. Hell. She needed to remember how to relax. It’d been too long since the
last time. But now that she was free of Dan and his thieving ways, she could concentrate
on having a life again.

Birds chirped outside. Their sounds beckoned her to the outdoors. She glanced down at

her tank top and shorts. Changing was probably a good idea. A soft breeze rustled the
trees and brought in more of the salty sea air. The scent of the ocean was too powerful to
ignore. She headed back out the door.

Yellow flowers, in multiple shades surrounded the island. It was why they called it Isla

Dorada, or Golden Island. Her mind wandered to the sound of the waves crashing. Sand
started to gather in her sandals. She stopped by a palm tree to slip them off. When she
glanced up, she stood rooted to the spot.

A man was by the beach. Though she knew Ryan and Kayla had other friends they’d

invited constantly, she was under the impression she was the only one there this time.

She couldn’t see his face. His back was to her where he sat on the sand. After a

moment he stood. He tugged off his white T-shirt. She gasped. He was scarred. So many
scars. Her nails dug into the palm tree. She wanted to reach out and offer some comfort.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen that many before. It was that she was caught off guard.
Then she remembered the first rule of her job. No pity.

He turned sideways to glance up the beach. She caught his profile. Whoa. Forget the

scars. The guy was hot. Her gaze did a swift sweep down his body. He had brown, short,
spiky hair. Clearly he was one of Ryan’s friends. Jessie knew all of Kayla’s friends, and
she would not have forgotten him. He had a body toned with muscles. He was pale
though. Probably didn’t get out into the sun often. The front side of his body was scarred
too. That didn’t take away from how good he looked overall. Besides, she had scars too.
Only hers were internal.

He had flat, washboard abs. And—oh, dear God—muscular legs and arms. Her throat

went dry. She wanted to run her fingers down his abs. Her brain short-circuited thinking
of what it would feel like to have his stomach muscles tightening under her palm. Oh
lord. This was one of Ryan’s friends, not some guy looking to get felt on by a woman who
had been too stressed to have sex in so many months she couldn’t remember. Her toy
drawer hadn’t been used in so long she was afraid the vibrators wouldn’t work anymore.
That was the reason she’d brought some with her. To try to really relax.

The sexy man ran for the water. He did a single dive. Perfect. So he was also a

swimmer. Carajo! She watched the water for long seconds. Panic started to build inside.
Where was he? What if—? He surfaced further out in the ocean. She bit her lip, looking at
the clear blue water with concern. If something happened, she wouldn’t be able help him.
She couldn’t swim. Kayla and Rissa had taken her to classes, but she was just too afraid.
There was too much damn water surrounding her. The waves overwhelmed her and
freaked her out.

He continued swimming, and the fear inside slowly dissipated. She took a glance up at

the beach. Even if she was tempted, she wasn’t going to stand there and watch the guy do
laps. That was stupid. And very stalker-ish. The leather straps from her sandals bit into
her palms, deciding for her. She made her way through the trees, up the beach.

* * *

The sun had started to set when she reached the house. Martha, Kayla and Ryan’s

housekeeper, stood at the entrance waiting for her.

“Hi, Martha. I didn’t see you when I first got here.” She embraced the elderly woman in

a hug. She’d always been nice to her.

“I was at the other house getting some things for dinner.”
She raised her brows. “Oh? Is dinner something special tonight?”
“But of course, niña.” Martha patted Jessie’s cheek. She loved calling Jessie and Rissa

children. Not that she referred to Kayla any different. “Dinner is very special tonight.
Ryan and Kayla have asked for you to please join them at the patio at six.”

Shit. She glanced down at her watch. Time had slipped past her. She’d been out for so

long. Now she only had a half hour to shower and dress.

“Okay.” She rushed past Martha. “I’ll be there.”
She dashed to her room. It was fine. Really. She worked well under a deadline. Usually

she had more than thirty minutes, but she’d make it happen. Her gaze darted around the
room until it landed on the suitcase. Two seconds later, the navy suitcase lay in the
middle of the king-size bed. She rummaged through, trying to decide what to wear. A
sparkly, purple strapless dress caught her attention. How had that gotten in there? She
could swear she’d left it behind. The more she stared at it, the more she wanted to wear it.
The soft cotton material would be perfect for the hot weather. And the style was flattering
for her curvy body.

Not normally a fan of dresses, because they tended to make her look bigger than she

already was, she stayed away from them. The purple dress had been an impulse buy when
Rissa had talked her into going shopping. After a bunch of disappointments with clothes
that were supposed to be her size but for some reason she couldn’t fit into them, she’d
found that dress. The fit had been so flattering. For once she didn’t feel like a cow.

Once she’d taken the world’s fastest shower, she shimmied into the dress and slipped

her feet into some sandals. She’d just reached the door before she ran back and grabbed
her perfume off her dresser and sprayed it a few times on her wrists and neck. Now she
could go.

Lanterns surrounded the gazebo in the patio where dinner was being served. Wow.

Martha had gone all out. A soft gold tablecloth covered the table with a large pitcher filled
with multicolored flowers in the center. The setting caught her attention. She frowned. It
was set for two.

Nervous energy prickled over her skin. Please no. Don’t let Kayla have done it to her.
Steps sounded behind her. She turned. Oh good lord.
“Sorry I’m late…” He trailed off once he got a good look at her face.
She gulped. “Hi.”
Holy hotness on a stick. If he’d looked good before, then he was sinful now. He wore

black slacks with a button down white Guayabera type short-sleeve shirt. She did a
double-take to his face. He’d looked so pale before, but apparently his time in the water
had given him some instant color. His face was golden. So were his arms.

“Hello.”
His gaze slid down her body in a slow caress. Then he met her gaze. The spark of

interest in his eyes turned her from tongue-tied to dry-mouthed.

“I-I’m Jessie. I mean,” She cleared her throat, “I’m Jessica Tavarez.” She cleared her

throat. What she really wanted to do was fan her face.

“Hi Jessie, I’m Matt. Short for Matthew Payne.” He offered a hand.
She stared at his hand for a long moment before realizing he was trying to be polite and

shake hers. Dios mio. If she stayed out there any longer, he’d think she was socially inept.
Their fingers touched. Hot sparks shot up her hand and through her body.

“It’s nice to meet you, Matthew.”
“Normally I wouldn’t say this, but I don’t think I’m so angry with Kayla’s matchmaking

right now.”

Neither was she. “She set us up, huh?”
He grinned. Her world tilted. That smile turned his rugged features into wet-dream

gorgeous. Maybe she should go. A guy that good looking had to have a ton of women

throwing themselves at him. The last thing she wanted was to turn into some guy’s notch
on the bedpost.

“She did. I had a feeling she’d given in too easily.”
“Yeah, me too.” She chuckled nervously. Taking a step toward the table, she stopped,

turned back to him, and spoke, “Please don’t feel you need to stay here with me. I’m sure
you weren’t looking forward to being forced to eat with some person you don’t know.”

Matt’s stomach clenched. The voluptuous beauty was giving him a way out. He didn’t
have to sit there and have an awkward dinner with her because Kayla had a one-track
mind. There was no need to go through all the bullshit talk his dates had been filled with
in the past. He could go. But his feet stayed rooted to the stone steps. And as if they had a
mind of their own, they moved him toward the table.

“No sense in wasting perfectly good food.” He heard himself say.
Her eyes widened. A sexy come-hither smile spread over her full lips. “I think you’re

right. We might as well eat.”

Thank God for food. Martha chose that moment to show up followed by a man he’d

never seen in his days on the island.

“This is Carlos. He’s going to be serving you dinner.” She elbowed the young man in

the side. Carlos rushed to place a bread basket in the center of the table.

He glanced at Jessie. She cleared her throat, still smiling. He covered his chuckle with a

cough.

“You two eat. Enjoy. I know what my little Kayla is trying to do. I’m not saying she is

right, but it’s not my food’s fault. No reason to starve yourselves.” She winked. “Have
fun.”

Chapter Four

He watched Martha leave then turned to Jessie. Her hands were curled into fists. She was
obviously nervous. Instinct drove him to move. Light from the candles caught on her dark
curls making each of her strands shimmer. He stopped himself from digging his fingers
into her hair, to feel how soft it was, to see her moan as he caressed her scalp. Shit. He
really needed to cut that out. Stopping beside her, he pulled the chair out for her to sit.
Sparkly white teeth made an appearance with her wide smile. Her brown eyes reminded
him of the smoothest milk chocolate.

“Thank you,” she said in a soft whisper. Her voice slipped down his cock in a light

caress.

He took his seat across from her. Wow. She was so beautiful. Those pouty, shimmery

lips and that thick, dark hair combined with her wide, brown eyes and he was hard as a
rock. Then he remembered. The scars. He wouldn’t take her up to his room and slide the
clingy dress off her body as he kissed his way down. He wasn’t ready to see the pity in her
beautiful eyes. And if he couldn’t have her tonight, he needed a drink.

“Champagne?” Carlos returned with an open bottle at that moment.
“Yes, please.”
Once both glassed had been filled, Matt smiled at Jessie’s attempt to look everywhere

but at him. A second later she gave up. Their gazes met. Carlos left them alone again. The
leaves on the nearby palm trees rustled against the wind. He smiled. She licked her lips
and once again his thoughts dropped down to the gutter.

“Let’s toast.” He lifted his flute up toward her.
“Sounds like a good idea.” She followed suit with her own.
“What would you like to drink to?” He asked, hoping to learn something about her.
“How about to fresh beginnings?”
“Perfect.” It was as if she’d read his mind. They clinked glasses and he sipped on the

fuzzy liquor while he watched her.

He needed a fresh start with a woman that might not see him like a broken piece of

furniture. Yes, he had scars, scars he wasn’t going to get rid of to make someone else
happy. Those scars were part of him. Of the experience he’d lived during a very ugly war.
He hadn’t fully adjusted to them, but whatever woman he ended up with would need to
understand that he and the scars were one.

“So what do you do?” He asked, interested to hear more words come out of those sinful

lips.

He bit back a groan when her tongue made an appearance, all pink and wet, sliding

over her bottom lip. Arousal sparkled in her brown eyes. They way she licked her lip and
glanced at his mouth brought vivid images of some of the things he’d have her do with
that tongue. And those images would be used later for some self-pleasure.

“I work with Kayla. I’m her office manager. I also volunteer at the hospital where she

treats children. What do you do?”

That was the problem about asking about someone, they ended up asking you things

too.

“Ryan and I were in the same unit. Some of us returned together, after a bomb attack.”
Why did he say that? Was he intentionally trying to push her away, to shock her with

his life?

She leaned forward. Both hands dropped to her lap. “That’s terrible. What types of

injuries did you suffer?”

Her low fuck-me voice played havoc with his mind. Multiple visuals of her begging him

to do her racked his brain. He gulped down the champagne and was given a reprieve from
answering when Carlos returned with their salad.

A gust of wind played with her curls, bouncing them over her shoulders. Her eyes lifted

from her food to pin him with a sensual stare. “Tell me.”

His breath caught in his chest. “I suffered burns on my torso.”
She nodded, but said nothing. Then, much to his amazement, she stabbed her salad

with her fork and started to eat. It wasn’t what he’d been expecting. Where was the pity?
The sad eyes and trembling lip? Or the let me see questions? Followed by the “oh God,
that looks awful” remarks.

“The burns were bad,” he added.
She glanced to the side where Carlos returned to refill their champagne. “I’m sure they

were.”

And back to the food. What the heck? Confusion filled him. So he tried again. “Most

people pity me, but I can’t stand that.”

“Pity sucks.” She continued eating. “Do you still work for the same group?”
“No. I was honorably discharged,” he answered, but his real interest lay in why she

didn’t ask more about his injuries.

“If you’re no longer in that team, what are you doing now?” She pushed the salad plate

away and took a deep breath. Her full breasts pushed up again the neckline of her
strapless dress. He swallowed down the groan rushing up his windpipe. Hell, he almost
swallowed his damn tongue to keep from drooling at the sight.

“I recently joined my good friend’s security team. Got my first job lined up in New

York.” He smiled at the way she caressed the petals of the flowers on the table.

Her head snapped up. “I live in New York.”
Things just got better and better. “I have to ask. Curiosity is killing me. Why haven’t

you asked more questions about my scars?”

She shrugged those gorgeous tanned shoulders. “Any type of scar leave a trail of pain

behind. We never forget what hurt us. They’re an endless reminder of an experience so
significant that they never go away.” She pinned him with her gaze. “Some people wear
them on their bodies, while others carry them on the inside, but it doesn’t change the fact
that once we get them, they’ll always be a part of us.” After a slow sip of her champagne,
she sighed softly. “I only want to know what you want to tell me, Matt.”

Wow. Those words—her words—described his feelings perfectly. It was eerie. Almost

like she knew how it felt first hand, which brought up more questions. “What happened
to make you feel that way?”

Carlos retrieved the salad plates. Grilled fish, wild rice, and an assortment of vegetables

followed.

“This looks fabulous.” She dazzled both men with her smile.
His mind ordered him to find out more about her. All about her. Had she lived through

pain like him? Anything was possible. If Jessie related, even if by a small degree, to his
pain, he knew she was special. “Do you have scars, Jessie?”

Another of those smoldering looks travelled from her to his side of the table. “Yes. I

was married once. It was a short marriage, filled with too many issues.” She laughed a
soft but dry sound. “The marriage wasn’t the worst part. The divorce was.”

He blinked at the change in her tone. Sorrow etched all over her features, but then she

took a deep breath and it disappeared. The pain tugged at his heart. He knew pain. And
she did too.

“Sometimes we learn from our mistakes.”
“Yes. Sometimes we do.”
Carlos returned with dessert. He placed her flan on the table with a flourish.
“Ooooh. I love flan!” She licked her lips while staring at the dessert.
“I do too,” he agreed. Another thing they had in common. He bet he’d find more by the

end of the night. Maybe, just maybe, he’d give into the temptation and kiss her.

Those few moments lightened the mood considerably.
“So who did you piss off to get set up?” She winked.
Wait a second. She winked at him. That had to be one of the sexiest winks he’d ever

seen.

“Nobody. Kayla’s been in a matchmaking mood ever since she and Ryan got married.

It’s like all of a sudden everyone must get married too.” He chuckled, watching her dig her
spoon into her dessert.

She visibly winced. “I know what you mean.”
“Aren’t you interested in finding love?” The question popped out of his mouth before

he had a chance to stop it. Love? What the fuck was wrong with him? He’d just met a
woman who’d been in a bad marriage and he was talking love. Dumbass. Plus what he
really wanted was to get her out of that dress. He could think of at least a dozen ways to
spend the night with her without showing his own body. It’d take some maneuvering, but
he could work it.

With her gaze stuck on his, she sucked on the caramel covered spoon. Wild fire lust

spread down to his cock. Need burned in his veins, driving the urge to strip her bare and
lick her entire body.

“How about a walk on the beach?” She suggested, not answering his last question.

Chapter Five

Jessie’s pulse raced. Before she got a chance to stand, Matt came around the table to help
her up. Passion filled his gaze. Hungry. Needy. He grabbed hold of her hand in his larger
one. The feel of his warm skin on hers drove her hormones into a frenzy.

She stopped.
“Shoes.” She pointed down to their feet. With both their shoes in their hands, they

headed for the beach.

Nerves twined in her belly, curling into thick knots around her stomach. He seemed

like a nice guy. One she’d love to get to know better on an intimate level if it weren’t for
the negative experience she carried around with her.

“Is this your first set-up?” His deep voice melted through her pores, slowly making its

way to her pussy to turn her slick.

“Yes.” She hadn’t been with a man in months. The stress of her divorce was enough to

leave a bad taste in her mouth when any man approached her. Now she felt her hormones
waking up. And taking great big notice of Matt.

Big. Oh, yes.
Sexy. Hell to the yeah.
Making her panties wet. Without a doubt.
This was Kayla’s attempt at setting them up. Matt was clearly uncomfortable with

being on a date, and she definitely wasn’t looking for a relationship. No way. No how. But
maybe they could still have fun. There wasn’t a rule that said they couldn’t enjoy each
other’s company.

Salty breeze floated over her skin. His arm brushed her shoulder and his grip on her

hand tightened, making her even more aware of how close he was. Warm water washed
by their feet. With each step they took, her feet sank into the soft sand, spreading through
her toes in a grainy massage.

“Matt.” She stopped and turned to stand in front of him. Those piercing eyes of his

melted more of her resistance.

“Yes?” He continued holding her hand, but raised his other one to cup her cheek.
Lord have mercy.
“I…” Want a kiss. Right now please. “Had a great time at dinner.”
His gaze dropped down to her lips, lips she licked that very moment. Then, in a slow

motion move worthy of any romantic movie, he lowered his head, brought his lips down
to hers, and kissed her.

Oh, what a kiss. His firm lips brushed tentatively over hers at first, tempting her to

open up and let him in. She sighed, pushing out a little moan. That’s all it took. Soft went
out the window. Mouths pasted together. Tongues tangled in frenzied caresses so hot it
felt like he’d branded her.

The hand holding hers let go and pulled her into his warm muscular body. She crawled

her fingers up his torso. Giddiness filled her. She’d finally gotten her hands on his
gorgeous body. Tight muscles shifted under her palms, adding a new rush of arousal to

her already heated core. He tugged her closer, rubbing his steel hard erection on her belly.
Her pussy quivered in need.

She broke away from the kiss, panting. “God. I—”
The look he gave her said it all. Him. Her. Really hot sex.
“I want you, Jessie. I haven’t been with anyone in a while.” He licked those sexy lips

that had just seconds before been devouring hers.

“I haven’t either.” Need turned her voice husky. Their gazes locked and temptation

didn’t just knock at her door, no. It broke it down and said “I’m here.”

He rocked his cock over her belly. Arousal sent electric shocks down to her clit, making

it twitch. “I want to spend more time with you.”

Two seconds. That’s all it took for her to decide she wanted the same thing too. “Let’s

go to my room.”

Once the words were out, she wanted to drag him to her room and strip him.
“Are you sure?” He squeezed her ass over the soft material of her dress.
If she thought any more about him fucking her, she’d burn out all her brain cells. “I’m

positive.”

Several steps and they stopped by a palm tree. Then another clash of lips hurled her

temperature out of orbit. His tongue rubbed sensually against hers, claiming every crevice
in her mouth, owning her lips. A soft whimper sounded in the back of her throat. She
gripped his shirt in her hands, tugging at the material. It had to come off as soon as
possible or she’d tear it off. He tore away from her, clenched his teeth together, and
groaned.

“Tell me you want this now or we’ll stop.”
Stop? Was he crazy? There’d be no stopping. There would be coming for both of them

if she had anything to do with it. She breathed hard, trying to drive air into her lungs.

“I want—I want you.” She drove her hands into his short hair, tugged his head down,

and shoved her tongue into his mouth. Fuck waiting for the bedroom. With her fingers
curled tight on his strands, she ran her nails across his scalp in a rough caress that was
very unlike her.

“Fuck!” He sucked her neck. Her pulse beat erratically with each lick he did on her

skin. Farther down, he swept his tongue over the top of her breasts.

“Oh yesss,” she moaned, leaning her head back on the tree.
One tug, and the dress was down to her waist, her breasts bared. The man was a genius.

He worked triple shift, sucking one nipple into his mouth. He squeezed his calloused
fingers. It didn’t stop there. His second hand lifted the hem of her dress and went straight
for her panties. Instinctively, she widened her legs, making room for whatever he had
planned.

She moaned. The hand in her crotch pushed the panties aside and rubbed right at her

clit. A bone-deep shudder racked her spine.

Matt released her nipple from the prison of his lips. The cool air scrunched up the little

bud tighter. “Jessie, God. Look how beautiful you are. And so responsive.”

Not even in her wildest dreams would she have come up with this. He rubbed up and

down her clit. Lightly. Slowly winding the wheel of desire at her core. The tree’s rough

bark rubbed against her back, a reminder they were still outside in view of anyone who
happened by.

Lick. Suck. Bite. Moan. She groaned with each pleasurable nibble. Her hips rocked on

his fingers, hoping to increase the friction on her clit. Then he added to her torture by
slipping one digit into her pussy.

“So wet.”
She ran her hands down to his shoulders and held on.
“Matt, please.”
He glanced up from her wet nipple and met her gaze. The lines of his face were tight

with need. Hunger. Passion. It was clear to see.

She gasped. He dropped down to his knees and dove under her skirt. He tugged on her

panties. The material ripped and slid off. Digging her nails on the tree at her back, she
widened her legs and waited. His hot breath floated over her pussy lips. Then he rubbed
his mouth over her slick sex.

“Oh, Matt.”
One lick. Then another. Breaths pounded hard in her chest. He flicked his tongue

mercilessly over her clit. Her belly quivered as he did long, wet, licks through her folds.
Stars burst behind her lids, covering the field of her vision in white sparkles.

He thrust his tongue into her channel. Lick. Suck. Fuck. Her body burned.

Goosebumps broke over her skin with each swipe of his tongue on her sensitive flesh. His
fingers bit into her ass. Cheeks squeezed tight, he focused on her clit.

Ragged breaths rushed out in a panted wheeze. “Oh my God…”
Another suck. The ball of tension tightened some more. Another flick. She stood at the

edge of a precipice, ready to fall into the waves of pleasure. His teeth grazed her nub in a
nibble that broke through the tension and shoved her into a tidal wave of bliss.

She bit her lip hard to hold back the scream pushing up her throat. Her legs shook and

almost gave under her had it not been for his tight grip. Molten fire heated her veins and
travelled through her body in a slow river of joy.

He pulled away from under her skirt to stand before her. That’s when she attacked. She

threw herself in his arms, molded their lips together, and kissed him.

Harsh.
Demanding.
Aggressive.
Completely unlike her and yet incredibly liberating. He groaned into their kiss. Her

hand shot down to his pants. Unzip. His hard, long, cock sprang free. Another moan from
him and she pulled back to jerk him in her hand while staring at him.

“Tell me to put your nice long cock in my mouth.”
“Fuck, Jessie.”
“Tell me to suck it and I will.” She squeezed at his pulsing member. Then she rubbed

her palm over his slit and coated it with his precum. She used it to lubricate her hand and
jerk him in her grip.

His bright hungry gaze held her immobile. Her body still burned with her need to get

fucked. She wanted his cock inside her.

“Wrap those gorgeous lips around my dick and suck.”
Yes. “With pleasure.”
She lowered to her knees. His smooth, hard, length beckoned her to taste. One final

glance up caught him watching her.

Intense.
She leaned forward, not once taking her gaze from his, rubbed the head of his cock over

her lips, and then pulled back. His jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Her mouth dropped
down to his balls, sucking them into her mouth at the same time she jerked him.

“Christ!”
Her enthusiasm grew. Trailing a long, wet, lick up his stiff length, she reached the

crown of his cock and flicked her tongue in a lazy circle over it.

“Yes, baby. Put my cock in your mouth.” He moaned.
That’s exactly what she did. Widened her lips around his dick and licked him as he

thrust down her throat. She propelled back and then sucked him further into her mouth.
Her saliva slickened his length, allowing for ease of penetration. Her pussy juices dripped
down her legs. She squirmed, but continued bopping her head on his cock. She suctioned
her cheeks tight and felt his fingers grip her hair. His hips thrust into her mouth. Not
hard, but with enough force she knew he had a difficult time holding himself still. She
jerked and sucked him repeatedly. Faster and faster until all she heard was his hard
breathing.

“Stop.” He tugged at her hair, pulling her off his cock.
Grasping her by the shoulders, he helped her back to her feet. Passion burned bright

between them. She wanted more.

What sounded like plastic caught her attention. She glanced down as he dug into his

pocket and pulled out a condom. She tried to take it off him.

“Let me.”
“Later,” he replied.
He tore at the wrapper and slid the rubber over his cock. Her heart beat so loud in her

head she had a hard time listening to anything else. They kissed again, bodies flushed
tight.

Anticipation ate at her nerve endings. She needed him. Needed more of his drugging

touches.

Before she realized it, he lowered to sit on the sand and pulled her down to straddle

him, his very erect cock pointing up and ready for her.

“Ride me.”
Absolutely. She dropped down, placed a leg over his, and gripped his shaft in her hand.

He bit his fingers into her hips, helping her with her descent. His cock stretched her pussy
muscles taut. So good. She continued her way down in one quick drive, until she sat there
impaled by him.

They both groaned.
She lifted, dropped, and then rocked her hips in a quick shimmy. The move rubbed his

dick inside her pussy in an amazing friction.

“Oh God!” She gasped. Her moves increased in speed. His fingers dug deep into her

hips, urging her up and down his length. Her back arched, pushing her breasts out toward
his face. He sucked a nipple into his mouth, tugging hard at the little bud. So hard it felt
as though her pussy was on fire and the suck had reached her clit. He bit her tit, let it go
with a pop, and sucked her other large breast into his mouth.

“Matt!” She squeaked. Her body stiffened. He increased the speed. She slowed down,

waiting for the tension to snap. He dropped her hard over his dick. Each lift and drop
tightened the knot in her womb farther and farther. But it didn’t break. He reached
between her pussy lips and pinched at her clit.

The world exploded. Sight, sound, and light swirled into a mess. Her body shook as

tremor after tremor racked her. Matt stiffened under her. He bit hard on her nipple,
sending shock waves through her body. His cock pulsed in her pussy. For a moment
neither moved, slowly coming down from their pleasure high.

Passion cleared the haze in her eyes. Matt’s eyes sparkled. He gripped her hair and

tugged her head closer. Lips met. Soft. Sensual. His hands caressed her breasts and fixed
the top of her dress.

When they broke off, he met her gaze with a smile. “Let’s go to my room.”
Um, okay. If it got her more mind-melting sex, she’d go to the deep ends of the ocean

and fight a shark if necessary.

Chapter Seven

Matt helped Jessie back to her feet. Her chest and face glowed with perspiration.
Beautiful. She breathed in hurried little puffs. Passion burned in his veins with his new
need to taste her again. Touch her. Take her.

He hugged her to his side as they headed back to the house. Much to his surprise, they

didn’t encounter a single person on their way. It was as if they were completely alone.
Jessie’s hand trailed under his shirt. He moved away, grasping her hand in his.

The look on her face, filled with need and hunger, shook off the insecurity of taking her

to his room. Desperation took control of him. Of his action. Of his mind.

A new force hauled him through his door. She stopped in the middle of the room and

turned to face him with her gorgeous eyes speaking for her. They taunted him to hurry
up.

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “I am not going to ask you to show me

your scars.” Oxygen froze in his lungs. “But if you choose to, understand there is nothing
that will change how much I want you.”

Maybe. The darkness that tried to consume him into the world of self-doubt made its

presence known. Or she could give him one of those looks that reached down to his gut
and made him feel all kinds of inadequate. Like the nurses had done. Like his ex-
girlfriend had. He was no longer that good looking guy that chatted up the ladies. Or the
one who’d joined Ryan’s unit. No. She was looking at a show of his former self.

He took a step toward her. God she was so beautiful. Her eyes shone with

understanding, and it almost made him rethink things. Almost.

“I know what pain is like, Matt,” she whispered.
“Not my pain.” Fear for her to see what he’d turned into made him lash out. “People

say they understand, but they don’t. Nobody does. You return a ghost of a person. It’s easy
to say things, but when you live hell day in and day out, it messes with your soul. To be so
drastically changed that you’re not you anymore? How do you think that feels?”

She reeled back as if slapped, but continued to meet his gaze. “Probably as bad as it

feels to trust someone and find out that they broke your trust, they killed any affection,
and to top it off, they wanted to see you destroyed.”

“I’m not the man I used to be.” He forced out. His chest ached with a burning he’d

never felt before. He knew that he was slowly killing their evening with his words, but he
couldn’t seem to stop.

“I’m not the person I was three years ago.” She sat down on the trunk in front of his

bed, hands folded in a tight grip. “I have a hard time seeing any good in men lately.”

She pressed her lips together before glancing up at him. “I didn’t want to come here. I

knew there was a possibility I’d meet a nice guy. But I didn’t want to take that chance.
You asked me earlier if I wanted to find love. My past experience tells me that if love
hurts you to the point it almost destroys you then no, I don’t want that love.”

Sadness filled his chest. For her. For him. For the things they were both scared of in

other people.

“Love isn’t like that. Haven’t you seen Kayla and Ryan? There are no lies or deceptions,

just an honest need to make each other happy. Without asking for anything in return.”

She glanced down at her hands. “I’ve never experienced that before. So it’s a little hard

for me to believe I ever will. Especially with my track record.”

It was then he fully realized Jessie had scars too. Probably bigger ones than him. Yet

Jessie sat there, all sad and alone. It cracked something inside him. He liked her. She was
beautiful, and the things she’d said so far made her one of the few people who came close
to knowing how he felt without the experience.

He got on his knees in front of her and took her hands in his. It was stupid, but he

wanted to tell her to trust him. That he wouldn’t do those things to her.

“Stay here.” He heard himself say.
She cocked her head, staring at him. “I don’t know. You and I. This is only going to lead

to someone getting hurt.”

Yeah, and it looked to him like it would be him. His heart already beat harder when she

smiled and his stomach twisted at her sad look. Maybe he hadn’t wanted a relationship
before. But that was before Jessie. Before he saw that there was a nice woman who’d been
hurt by lies that also needed tender care.

He didn’t get a chance to say anything else. She leaned forward and kissed his lips. Just

a flutter of a kiss and pulled back.

“Matt, you’re beautiful.” Her lips tipped up in a small grin. “Not because of your eyes,

or your hair, or that hard body I know lives under your clothes. No. You’re strong, a hero.
You fought for our people and came back. You left it all behind to protect our country. All
that, with the possibility that you might be giving up your life.”

He swallowed hard the knot in his throat. He’d never thought of what he’d done in that

way. Just knew he wanted to help keep his friends and family safe.

“I’m no hero.”
Her small hand caressed his bristly cheek. “You are. You’re a hero scarred. But until

you start to realize not everyone will pity you, you’re never going to move on.”

A sick sensation took over at the pit of his stomach. Should he show her his scars?

Would that finally prove that she was different? Bile hit the back of his throat as he
fought the sickness in his stomach.

“I’m sorry, Jessie.” He saw a flash of pain flicker through her eyes.
“It’s fine. I should go.” She stood and marched past him. At the door, she stopped and

said, “Thank you for a really great evening.”

Curling his hands into fists, he watched her go. He couldn’t give her what she wanted.

From the moment he’d returned changed—from the inside out, he knew that learning to
open up would be hard. War alone was tough. The things he’d seen still gave him
nightmares, but his scars weren’t a sideshow.

A few hours later, he was still sitting on his bed, thinking. Jessie. They were both so
scarred. Could anything work between them? His mind ran her words in circles, over and
over again. Dawn fast approached when someone knocked on his door.

Jessie.

He jumped off the bed and flung it open. Ryan. His friend’s deep set frown worried

him.

“What’s wrong?”
“I think we should talk,” he said. “Want to go down by the beach?”
“Sure.” It wasn’t like he’d get any sleep. Not when all he’d been thinking about was

Jessie. Jessie’s lips. Jessie sucking his cock. Jessie moaning as she rode him.

The sun had started to peek up as they reached the beach. He and Ryan sat down by the

water, letting it wet their feet as the tide came in.

“What’s going on?”
“Look, I know what Kayla did wasn’t the best way to go about things, and for that I’m

sorry. She really thought you and Jessie would hit it off being that you’ve had difficult
times lately.”

He nodded. Kayla had been right. “It’s okay. Don’t even worry about it. We had a nice

dinner.”

“That’s the thing.” Ryan turned to him. “Jessie waited up for us last night. She seemed

down and asked Kayla to arrange for someone to take her home.”

“What?”
Pulsing pain beat at his chest. He’d done that. Pushed her away with his need to hide

himself.

“She said she didn’t want to interrupt our other guests and would return another time.”

Ryan’s gaze never wavered from his face. “I just wanted to let you know. She looked kind
of sad.”

“She wanted to see my scars.” He gulped at the sick sensation curling around his vocal

cords.

“So? Why didn’t you show them to her? She sees scars all the time.”
“What?” His surprise sounded in his question.
Ryan shook his head. His lips pressed into a tight line. “She works with Kayla. They’ve

been working with deformed and severely scarred children. Plus, she volunteers in the
burn unit. She’s probably seen worse scars than the ones you have.”

“I-I couldn’t show them to her.”
Ryan’s shoulders drooped. “Why?”
“You know how hard it is to see that sympathy and pity in people’s faces. It only serves

to remind us of our flaws.”

“She’s not like that. Jessie’s husband was an asshole who took her for a ride and then

tried to leave her with nothing. Took her two years to get rid of the bastard. This was her
first time meeting someone new.”

Acid burned in Matt’s stomach. She’d seemed so sad with some of the things she’d

said. “She said some things that made me question if she knew what it was like to be hurt
like we are.”

Ryan picked up a seashell and started flipping it between his fingers. “She knows all

right. Her ex cheated, took some of the money her parents left her, and when she fought
back, he put his hands on her. So yeah, she knows.”

“I feel like such a dick.” He ran his fingers through his hair, gripping the short strands.

Frustration and stupidity beat at his insides. He’d felt so insecure, so hurt, that he swore
she couldn’t understand. Dumbass. Someone as sweet as her shouldn’t have been hurt at
all.

Ryan sighed. “It happens to all of us man. I almost lost Kayla from my own insecure

thoughts.” He pinned him with a serious look. “Don’t do the same. Jessie’s a wonderful
person. I’m not telling you to go ask for her hand in marriage. The poor woman has had
enough negativity with that to be a skeptic for life, but if you like her to the point you feel
comfortable with her, talk to her. When you meet a person who understands some of the
fear and pain you’ve been through, get to know her better. She may just be the one who’ll
make you feel whole again.”

Air froze in his chest. That’s what he’d been feeling the hours he’d spoken to Jessie. A

bit more like the man he’d used to be. He’d felt…whole. Urgency grew wings in his heart.
He had to find her. Talk to her.

“I need to see her.”
Ryan smiled. “The chopper’s waiting for you.”

Chapter Eight

Jessie sat on her living room sofa, staring at the latest set of documents she’d come home
to. Another legal battle. This time over her father’s antique car. Her lawyer had already
said it wasn’t even worth her time to worry, but he wanted to keep her abreast of what her
ex-husband was up to.

“I knew it was too good to be true.” She sighed, exhausted.
Uncurling her feet from under her, she stood to go run a shower. She’d shut off most of

the lights in the living room, leaving a single lamp beside the sofa lighting the space. Her
mind drifted back to Matt. Scarred Matt. She wished she could have helped him see that
those scars didn’t make the man, that the man he was inside mattered more.

Kayla had tried to get her to stay. Jessie felt bad, but if she stayed, she’d seek out Matt

and he was too scared to see beyond his scars to open himself up. Then again, so was she.

Her doorbell rang. Hopefully it wasn’t Rissa coming to tell her how she needed to cut

her shit and finish her vacation. She really could do without having the “you’re stressed
out” talk. Her throat closed up when she saw him standing there.

“Matt?”
He held a bouquet of yellow roses toward her. Anxiety filled his gaze.
She took them out of his hands and studied his tense stance.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted out.
“Um, do you want to come in?” Heartbeats pounded so hard in her chest she felt

lightheaded.

He strode into her apartment, filling up her living room with the scent of his fresh

cologne. Her mouth watered as she took in the way his jeans fit his ass. Hot damn. The
leather jacket and black T-shirt reminded her of a biker badass.

She cleared her throat, placed the flowers over the coffee table, and studied him. “What

are you sorry about?”

“I was stupid.” He gulped, curling his hands into fists. “I didn’t want to see pity in your

face when you saw my scars. I’ve been so self-involved in my own world of keeping others
from feeling sorry for me, that I didn’t stop to think maybe you wouldn’t.”

She took a tentative step toward him. “I would never feel sorry for you. You have scars.

We all have them.”

With a shaky breath, she lifted some of her tank top to reveal her side. Large scars

lined the area down from her ribcage to her hip.

He frowned as he stared at the jagged lines. “What happened to you?”
“When I was a little girl, we visited some family in the country. The boys were all

climbing this thick, tall, tree.” She dropped her tank back into place and took another step,
until she stood before him, watching him as she spoke. “My little sister, Rissa, asked me if
I could do it.”

His gorgeous eyes never wavered from her face. Interest brightened the blue depths.

She snorted. “It was the big sister challenge. I got to the top without a problem.” She
licked her lips, lifted a hand to his chest and placed it over his heart. “But on my way

down, I slipped and landed on a broken bottle.”

His eyes went wide. “Christ!”
“It embedded into my side.” The tripping of his heart under her palm felt soothing,

intoxicating. “My dad took me to the hospital and said ‘You’ll be scarred, but that scar
means you dealt with something and became strong because you survived it.’’’

She watched the emotions play out in his eyes. Fear. Concern. Hope. “I don’t need to

see your scars to know you’re a survivor.” She glanced at his mouth and was tempted to
kiss him. “But you shouldn’t hide behind them.”

Slowly, she slid her hands down to the edge of his T-shirt and under to feel his

stomach.

He cupped her face in his hands and he kissed her, a powerful, emotional kiss that

crushed her insecurities and flooded her with hope. He curled his tongue around hers,
driving her arousal higher. Passion burnt in her core. Her pussy slickened with need. He
pulled away from her, eyes glittering with desire.

She panted breaths into her lungs, watching him remove his jacket. Oh boy. He

grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and started to pull it up.

“Let me,” she said, taking hold of the material.
She drew the cotton up and over his head until he was only wearing those ass-hugging

jeans she wanted to tear off.

His hands clenched at his sides. That wouldn’t do. Locking her gaze with his, she

leaned into him and kissed his stomach. His abs quivered under her lips. She kissed him
repeatedly, working her way up his torso. Her mind wandered below the belt and she
undid his jeans as her lips reached his nipple. His hot, hard, cock sprang forth.

“Jessie…”
She glanced up into his eyes darkened with arousal. “Matt, I want you. I don’t just

mean want.” She hoped her honesty would clear some of the doubt in his eyes. “My body
melts to a puddle of hormones for you. Scars or not, your body turns me on. Your face is
gorgeous, but the rest of you is hot enough to destroy all my brain cells. You make me feel
amazing, and I want to do the same for you.”

A smile tipped up his lips. “You are.” He kissed her again, running his lips up her cheek

to her ear. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

His deep voice made goose bumps spread over her skin. “Hmm?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He stared deep into her eyes. “You are a beautiful woman

inside and out, and I want to spend more time with you. I know you’ve had that awful
experience with your previous marriage.”

She glanced away, but slowly turned back to him. “Our time at the island taught me

something.” She swallowed at the fear trying to worm its way into her chest. “You’re not
like my ex, and I need to stop thinking all men are.”

“I don’t ever want to hurt you.”
Her heart flipped. Joy seeped through her pores and settled in her chest, warming the

emotions she’d frozen long ago. “I know.”

“But I don’t want to let you go.”
She smiled. Happiness burst through her fear and kicked it to the curb. “So what do

you want?”

“I want us to go back to the island and finish that vacation. I want to spend more days

watching the sunset together.”

“I think that’s a very good idea.”
His gaze bore into hers. “No pressure. I just want you. Time with you.”
“That’s an offer I can accept.” She smiled and stroked his cock with her hand.
“Perfect. Now let’s see about your clothes.” His flirty grin melted her heart.
“I have one request.” She leaned forward and flicked her tongue over his nipple,

enjoying his sharp intake of air. “Fuck me. I really want us to do it again. A lot of times.”

In a movement so fast she didn’t get a chance to react, he picked her up in his arms and

held her. She curled her arms around his neck. “Matt, I’m big, put me down.”

“Nah, you’re all sexy curves, and I love it.”
The big, handsome jerk was gonna get a hernia. She felt him toe off his shoes and kick

his jeans to the side.

“Which way to your room?” He kissed her shoulder.
She turned her head to the side to give him better access and pointed down the hall.

“First door to your left.”

“I know we can make this work.” He gave her the “I’m going to fuck you brain dead”

smile. Her pussy fluttered, desperate for him to fill her.

“I think so too.” She laughed. “Now let’s go see about getting me naked and laid.”

The End

~ About the Author ~

Want to know about me? Milly Taiden (aka April Angel) was born in the prettiest part of
the Caribbean known as the Dominican Republic. She grew up between New York, Florida
and Massachusetts. Currently, she resides in New York City with her husband, bossy
young son and their little dog Speedy.

She’s addicted to shopping for shoes, chocolate (but who isn’t?) and Dunkin’ Donuts

coffee.

A bookworm when she can get her hands on a good story, she loves reading romance,

thrillers and suspense.

Find out more about Milly Taiden here:
Email: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.millytaiden.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/millytaidenpage
Facebook Friend Page: http://www.facebook.com/milly.taiden
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/millytaiden

~ Look for these titles from Milly Taiden ~

Now Available

Scent of a Mate Sassy Mates Book One

Wolf Fever Alpha Project Book One

Wolf Protector Federal Paranormal Unit Book One

Sharp Change Black Meadows Pack Book One

Caged Heat Black Meadows Pack Book Two

“Mate Event” Halloween Heat III

Fate’s Wish

Wynter’s Captive

Coming Soon

Dangerous Protector Federal Paranormal Unit Book 2

Caught by the Alpha

As April Angel

A Hero Scarred

Stranded Temptation

Party Crasher

A Hero’s Pride

The Sizzling Encounters Series

Mr. Buff

Wicked Valentine

Lucky Break

Coming Soon

An Unexpected Chance

A Hero’s Surrender