An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
www.ellorascave.com
A Wolf at Her Door
ISBN 9781419918070
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
A Wolf at Her Door Copyright © 2008 Kate Willoughby
Edited by Sue-Ellen Gower.
Photography and cover art by Les Byerley.
Electronic book Publication September 2008
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales
is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
A
W
OLF AT
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Kate Willoughby
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the
following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Band-Aid: Johnson & Johnson
Dungeon and Dragons: Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
ESPN: ESPN, Inc.
James Bond: Danjaq S.A. Corporation
Jimmy Choo: J. Choo Limited Limited
Juicy Fruit: Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
Milk-Bone: Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.
Milk Duds: D. L. Clark Company; The
Oreo Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.
Styrofoam: Dow Chemical Company
Tinkerbell: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
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World Poker Tour: WPT Enterprises, Inc.
Ziploc: S. C. Johnson Home Storage, Inc.
A Wolf at Her Door
Chapter One
“It’s only for twenty-four hours.”
Universal Wish Fairy Davina Traherne glanced at the wolf sitting on his haunches
in front of her. She, the wolf, and Laszlo Urbanek, the cross-agency arbitrator, were
meeting in a conference room down the hall from her office.
The wolf hopped down from the oversized chair he’d been sitting in and began
pacing, his tail slashing back and forth, his paws making no noise on the plush carpet.
On the large wall monitor was a close-up photograph of a woman’s face. She had thick,
mahogany hair and arresting brown eyes.
“You have to admit, she’s pretty,” Davina said to him. “That should help.”
The wolf stopped and looked at her a moment, shook his head, and then resumed
pacing.
“Come on, Adam. I thought this would be a slam-dunk. All she wants is one hot
night with a werewolf. Just think about it. For once you won’t have to angst over
whether to tell her you’re a shapeshifter or not.”
Adam made rough growling noise.
“And who doesn’t want some nice, no-strings-attached sex? Huh?”
Now, Laszlo snorted. “No strings attached? Oh, that’s rich, Davina. You Federation
people are all about Happily Ever After. You know it and we know it.”
Adam did his wolfish version of a laugh.
Davina crossed her arms. “And here I thought you were a professional, Laszlo. The
Copenhagen Convention clearly established that we can no longer influence human
emotions, even if—”
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Kate Willoughby
“Yadda yadda yadda,” Laszlo said, working his hand like he was making a sock
puppet talk. “Don’t bother quoting the Cinderella Accords to me. I know them by heart,
too. Besides,” he said, slanting a look at her, “I hear you got your hand slapped a little
while ago for a major violation.”
Adam stopped his pacing to glance up at her and she shrugged. “It wasn’t all that
major, and besides, that’s in the past. We’re talking about the future. Adam’s future.”
“Which, to reiterate, will not end in marriage. Nothing personal against this Paige
person, but my client feels strongly about this.”
“But love—”
“Isn’t something Adam is looking for here, not with this human woman. If she was
a shapeshifter, that would be one thing, but she’s not. So we want a clause stipulating
that this is a temporal wish, twenty-four hours only. After that, you’re out of the
picture, Davina. No fairy mumbo-jumbo to push them down the aisle.”
Davina wrinkled her nose.
“No matter how good their numbers look,” Laszlo added.
“You’re killing me, Laszlo. Don’t you have one romantic bone in your body?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Laszlo said a little stiffly. “My incus is romantic.”
“Your…?” Davina blinked. “Your incus?”
“It’s a very small bone in my ear.”
“You’re making that up.”
“Am not.”
Adam yipped sharply and Laszlo sighed.
“Let’s stick to the subject,” the arbitrator said. “Twenty-four hours. No meddling.
No HEA.”
“If an HEA develops with Adam and Paige, it will not be due to me. Because if I do
my job correctly, I’ll have you know, there is no meddling required. Love will find a
way. It’s the ultimate force in the universe.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
The fairy stared at Laszlo as if daring him to challenge that statement, but he said
nothing. So, softening, she turned to Adam. “So what do you say, Adam? One sultry
night of sex and a free trip to Monterey, California.”
Laszlo laughed. “Oh, be still my heart. Exotic Monterey. Why don’t you make it
Paris or Jamaica or someplace interesting? All there is to see in Monterey are those
overhyped sea otters.”
“That’s not true,” Davina protested weakly.
“Okay,” Laszlo said, “Sea otters and kelp.”
“Now hold on,” Davina said, “I happen to know that the monarch butterflies
migrate there every year around this time. Think of the photographs you could take,
Adam.” Davina leaned forward. “Come on, it’s one night. I’ll owe you.”
Adam came to stand in front of Davina, gazing silently at her with his arctic blue
eyes. He glanced again at the woman’s face and then, with a soft huff, nodded his head.
* * * * *
Three weeks later, Paige Mahoney paced in her room at the beautiful Hearthstone
Inn, with its picture-perfect front garden, classic Victorian architecture, and cobbled
walkway. She should have been making the rounds of the hotel and grounds with her
three-star checklist, or at the very least, unpacking. But she was in no mood to work at
all or bask in the charm of her surroundings. Not even the contents of the honor bar
were consoling her. She had a blind date in little less than an hour. But this was no
ordinary blind date. No.
Paige had a blind date with an alleged wolf man.
She massaged her temples and laughed. It had all started a little over a year ago on
a weekend cruise with her two friends, Mariah and Livvy. They had all bought woven
bracelets from a street vendor in Cabo and made wishes on them because of the legend
that said when the bracelets fell off naturally, their wishes would come true.
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Kate Willoughby
The three of them got pretty drunk that night and their wishes had gotten raunchy.
Paige, a voracious reader, had been caught up in a series of werewolf romances at the
time, hence, her wish to spend the night with a hot, alpha male shapeshifter, the kind
that didn’t go into a killing frenzy during the full moon, a la American Werewolf in
London, but just changed forms. Mariah and Livvy had, of course, wanted details, so
whipping out her book, Paige had turned to some of the juicier parts and paraphrased
several erotic scenarios. After Mariah’s rather tame wish to meet up again with a guy
from her past, Paige’s naughty list had cracked them all up.
Yet, Mariah’s wish had miraculously come true just a few months ago. Excited for
their friend, Paige and Livvy had pumped her for details, but Mariah had said little
about the chance reunion between her and Tucker. All three joked that it must have
been the bracelet, but Mariah’s laughter had been restrained and when Paige’s bracelet
came off and Davina, the wish fairy, started explaining things, she understood why.
Paige examined her perfect fingernails carefully. Davina had granted her a Good
Faith Wish to prove her powers were real. Having been at a wedding at the time and
embarrassed as usual about the state of her nails, she’d wished for fingernails that never
needed a manicure. Davina had taken care of that in less than an instant. It had been
three weeks since then, and still no chips, no nicks, no splits. She found it difficult to
argue with such strong evidence.
But werewolves? Paige shook her head as she freshened up. Nice nails or not, she
couldn’t suspend her disbelief quite that far. As much as she relished the idea of
making it with a literal alpha male, she wondered what he was going to look like.
Davina had emailed her a photo, but it was of a wolf, not a man.
Yeah, that fairy was a barrel of laughs.
Unfortunately left to her own imagination, Paige pictured a rough, mountain man
with a hairy back and dog breath. With that image in mind, she decided against
changing clothes. Her jeans, turtleneck, and shearling jacket were good enough for
coffee at a nearby bakery. According to the terms and conditions pamphlet that Davina
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A Wolf at Her Door
had given her, Paige wasn’t obligated to go through with the wish. So if this man
resembled Old Yeller in any way, shape or form, she was washing her hands of the
whole thing.
* * * * *
Adam Jaeger waited patiently outside Crazy Grandma’s Coffeehouse, enjoying the
warmth of the afternoon sun on his face. Davina had been right. Monterey and the
adjacent town of Pacific Grove were rife with opportunity for a nature photographer
like himself. He’d arrived yesterday and already filled a memory card with shots of the
bay and the area’s favorite sea mammal, the otters. The Monarch butterflies would
supply even more amazing—
His nostrils flared as the breeze brought him a distinct scent, one that caught his
immediate attention. Above the brine, the coffee and pastries, the exhaust from the cars,
and dozens of other smells, he detected a tantalizing, feminine perfume. It put his body
on alert, like he’d gone from a personal DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 4, or maybe even 3.5.
Looking upwind, he spotted the woman, Paige, walking toward him. He
recognized her from her picture. Seeing her in person now, he saw she was very petite,
probably no more than five-three. Her straight dark brown hair was thick, but hung
only to her jawline. She didn’t swing her hips when she walked, didn’t conduct herself
as if she was remotely aware of her femininity. However, even so, he couldn’t take his
eyes off her. Nor could he stop himself from inhaling again, hoping for another dose of
her intoxicating scent. When it filled his nose, images of her succumbing to him in bed
cascaded through his mind. She was on her knees, facing away, legs parted to expose
her pale pink pussy, wet, glistening. With her aroma fresh in his nostrils, he easily
imagined her taste as he explored those glossy folds, his hands kneading her ass cheeks,
his thumbs spreading her lips. In his mind, she was vocal, not porn-star vocal, but
expressive enough to add a sultry soundtrack to their escapades, to let him know she
was enjoying herself.
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When she came on his face, he would relish every moment—the wet pulses, the
arch of her back, her throaty cry of passion. Then, he’d take his place behind her, one
hand on her shoulder, the other on her hip, and shove himself inside. He’d fuck her
hard from behind, his cock invading her over and over, driving her to orgasm again
before he came himself like a goddamned geyser.
The cry of a seagull jolted him out of his fantasy, and he realized Paige was peering
up at him quizzically. Despite the October chill, he took off his coat and draped it over
his arm in an effort to hide his hard-on.
“Pardon me, are you Adam?” she asked.
Damn, she had a sexy voice, husky, like a smoker, but her scent held not a whiff of
cigarette smoke.
“Yes,” he said with a smile. “And you’re Paige. Davina showed me your picture.”
Her own smile was reserved as she glanced at his outstretched hand. “I’m sorry. It
said in the pamphlet that my wish would start from the moment we touched…”
“I understand,” he said, opening the door for her. “Why don’t we go inside and
talk.”
The café was small, intimate and cheerful. Patrons could sit in cushy armchairs in
one nook or at the numerous white wrought iron tables and chairs. Some light R&B
played in the background and the place was filled with a variety of vibrant plants. After
ordering drinks and pastries, he and Paige sat in a secluded corner.
“So, I probably don’t have to tell you how weird this is for me,” Paige said, stirring
some sweetener into her coffee. “You know, I stopped believing in magic around the
time I caught my dad playing tooth fairy.”
“That’s to be expected,” he said. “We go to great lengths to keep our existence a
secret from the general public.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
“Actually, I was talking about the wish thing, but now that you mention it…” She
glanced at him, skepticism lurking in her eyes. “I’m having a little trouble buying the
whole wolf thing. No offense.”
He raised his eyebrows, feeling disgruntled. Although intellectually he realized the
existence of shapeshifters was a lot for a human to swallow, viscerally he objected to
being so categorically mistrusted.
Paige pulled a paper from her jacket pocket and showed it to him. “I mean, Davina
emailed me this picture of you—as a wolf—but come on. ‘Self-Portrait’?”
Adam shrugged. Of all the images of his that had been made into art prints, “Self-
Portrait” had sold the most and pushed his income into another tax bracket. Of course,
the general public had no idea that it truly was a self-portrait, but clearly something of
his human self had come through when he’d looked into the camera that day.
“Technically, my assistant clicked the shutter, but I set up the shot ahead of time.”
She gave him a deadpan look as she held the picture in front of her, her eyes
flicking back and forth between the photo and his face. After a moment, she shrugged.
“Well, your hair is sort of like the wolf’s fur, and…” She leaned forward. “Your eyes are
the same color, but…” She shrugged again. “I don’t know. I’m going to have to see
more definitive proof than this.”
“Definitive…?” Adam cleared his throat, still perturbed that she was doubting his
word. He felt a little like he was on trial. “Let me get this straight. You want me to prove
to you I’m a shifter?”
Paige wrinkled her pixie nose at him. “Don’t get all huffy. I don’t mean like whip
out your werewolf credentials or anything. It’s not like I expect you to have a ‘license to
shift’ in your wallet.”
“‘License to shift’. Funny,” he said. “Unfortunately, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t
prove anything to you until next week.”
Paige snorted. “That’s convenient. What’s next week? Oh, wait. I know. The full
moon, right?”
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“As a matter of fact, yes,” he said, crossing his arms.
Paige propped an elbow on the table and pinched the bridge of her pert little nose.
“This is so Twilight Zone, I can’t even tell you.”
Adam pushed his coffee cup away, irritated with her flip skepticism. After all, he
was here to do her a favor. He was supposed to be her wish come true, damn it.
“This isn’t exactly a run-of-the-mill occurrence for me either,” he said. “Look at it
from my side. I’m happily minding my own business when Davina contacts me offering
up a hot night with a woman who wants to make it with a shifter so bad, she’s made up
a detailed list of scenarios—”
Paige’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God, not so loud!” she hissed. Her face had
flushed bright red and she glanced around them to make sure no one was within
hearing distance.
Adam sat up slightly as he detected a new aroma. Although Paige seemed
mortified that he was aware of her private, intimate desires, apparently she was also
more than amenable to fulfilling them with him. He could smell her arousal and it
stirred up his blood again. His cock pulsed with need and again images of her naked
and under him flashed in his mind. At that moment and against his better judgment, he
decided to pursue Paige actively. Up until now he’d been content to let her make her
own decision, but he’d changed his mind. Right now he definitely wanted to spend
twenty-four hours exploring every sexual fantasy this woman had.
Lowering his voice, he said, “Davina even showed me video of you and your
friends when you made your wishes.”
“Oh my God,” she said again, closing her eyes, “This is a complete and utter
nightmare. You know, thanks for meeting with me, Mr. Wolfman, but I think we should
forget this ever happened.”
She pulled a wallet out of her purse and tried to plop a five down on the table.
“Wait a second, wait a second,” he said, laying a hand over hers.
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A Wolf at Her Door
She gasped. “Damn it! I told you not to touch me. Now the countdown’s started.”
“But if you’re forgetting the whole thing, the countdown doesn’t matter. Did you
change your mind?”
“No. Yes! Shit. I don’t know. I don’t know!”
“Okay, shhh,” he said, stroking her skin with his thumb. “Look, don’t worry about
the countdown. We start the clock when we want to, not according to Fairy Time. I’m
the one fulfilling the wish and if this thing goes down, I’ll make sure you get your full
twenty-four hours.”
She frowned at him, but didn’t withdraw her hand. In fact, as he continued to
stroke her, the stronger and sharper her scent became. Blood flowed into his cock as her
dark eyes caught his gaze.
“What’s going on here?” she asked, a frown still creasing her forehead. “Do you feel
that? Is that the magic? I…suddenly, I’m all…” She took a deep breath and let it out
slowly.
“Hot?”
She nodded, her cheeks flushing. Adam inhaled deeply of her again, and his cock
fully hardened in the space of a few heartbeats.
“Yeah, I feel it, all right, but it’s not Davina’s magic.” He turned her hand over and
rubbed small circles into her palm. “That’s good old-fashioned sexual attraction, Paige.
Man-woman stuff, no fairy dust required.”
She swallowed visibly. “Are you sure? Because I have never ever felt like this
before.”
Adam couldn’t stop the smile from curving his lips. “Honestly? Me either. Not even
when I was a horny sixteen-year-old. But…”
“But what?” she asked, breathlessly.
He stood up, gently pulling Paige to her feet too. God, she was a tiny thing. She
only came up to his shoulder.
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Kate Willoughby
“Think about it, nuk-nuk. This is from just holding hands…”
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A Wolf at Her Door
Chapter Two
Paige shivered as Adam leaned down and whispered her ear. “I want you, Paige,
but I understand if you want to forget about this. Just say the word and I’ll leave you
alone. All I ask is that you do me one favor.”
“What?” His warm breath caressed her neck and she wanted him to press his lips to
her skin.
“After I walk out of here, I’ll be taking a very cold dip in the bay, so please call the
paramedics before I die of hypothermia.”
She laughed.
Adam smiled. “You have a nice laugh.”
He stroked her jaw with his thumb and she felt it right between her legs. She was
more turned on than she’d ever been in her entire life. Her panties were soaked. Her
nipples ached. She had the most outrageous desire to put her hand on him and rub his
erection, right in the middle of the cafe!
Was this fairy magic? Or was it just chemistry, as he’d suggested?
Impulsively, she decided she didn’t much care. Contrary to her fears, Adam was
not a clear descendant of Sasquatch. As far as she could tell, there was no downside to
having hot, sweaty, animal—ha!—sex with him. Glancing again at the wolf photo, she
remembered the animal part had yet to be proven, but that didn’t really matter either.
The point was, they’d screw their brains out for a day, and afterward, Adam would go
his way and she’d go hers. Adios, amigo, it was nice doin’ ya.
She must have stayed silent too long because Adam stepped back and nodded his
head at her.
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“All right then,” he said, pushing his chair in. “Water’s probably about fifty
degrees, so I figure I’ll be okay for a good fifteen—”
“Your place or mine?” The words were out of Paige’s mouth before she could stop
them, but Adam gave her a slow smile that made her pulse quicken.
Ten minutes later they were crossing the lobby of Hearthstone Inn, hand in hand,
their pace fairly quick. Paige nodded a greeting to Marissa the bubbly proprietor as they
passed.
“Complimentary wine and cheese at four, Ms. Mahoney,” Marissa said with a
bright smile.
“Oh, I remember, Marissa. Thank you. “
“Will we see you there?”
Adam coughed a comment into his hand, “Fat chance.”
“Pardon me?” Marissa asked.
Scolding him with her eyes, Paige herded Adam toward the stairwell. “Maybe
tomorrow,” she called to Marissa over her shoulder.
They arrived at her second-floor room lickety-split. “You’re terrible,” she said as
she unlocked the door.
“It’s three-thirty,” he said, following her inside and closing the door behind him. “If
we’re done in time to clink glasses with the other guests, then I have no business calling
myself a man.”
“But I thought that was the point. You aren’t a man.”
He tossed his coat on a chair. “That’s right. I’m half-man,” he said, walking toward
her. “But that also makes me half-animal. Think you can handle it?”
Paige took off her own jacket and glanced at him over her shoulder. “If I can’t, I
have no business calling myself a woman.”
Adam smiled and went to work on the buttons of his shirt, and Paige watched,
hoping he had a good body. Davina had told her he was a nature photographer. Paige
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A Wolf at Her Door
now imagined him hiking, rock climbing, heck, even paragliding to remote locations,
and for some reason in all of these scenarios, he was shirtless and sweaty.
Moments later he was shirtless.
Holy crap.
Paige tried not to stare openmouthed. The man had a killer upper body. His arms
looked strong enough to bench press the dresser, and contrary to her visions of a
Neanderthal pelt, he had only a smattering of hair on his chest and abdomen, tapering
to a trail that disappeared under the waistband of his jeans. Yum.
Her heart beat faster as he took her by the shoulders, bent his head and kissed her.
His lips were surprisingly soft, yet his kiss wasn’t tentative at all. He took her mouth
firmly. One hand clasped the back of her neck, the other splayed over her lower back.
Paige had never kissed a man within a half hour of meeting him. Amazed at how
natural it felt to be in his embrace, she leaned into him and told herself it was the magic.
It had to be the magic.
Adam kissed his way to her ear, sucked the lobe between his lips and nipped it
before returning to her mouth again. Paige shuddered as he slid his tongue inside. He
was holding her so tightly, she barely touched the floor with her toes. She held onto his
shoulders and lost herself in his kiss, breathing rapidly as their tongues slid against
each other.
“You smell incredible,” he said, pulling back, setting her more solidly on the floor.
“It’s driving me crazy.”
“Sensitive nose?” she asked with an arched brow.
A corner of his mouth lifted. “You could say that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, then, what exactly do you smell?”
“Is this a test?”
“You could say that,” she said, tossing his words back at him.
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Kate Willoughby
He chuckled. “All right,” he said, looking around the room. He spotted her suitcase
on a folding rack and walked over to it. “Here’s the deal. I’m going to tell you what’s in
your suitcase.”
“Just from smelling it?”
“Yes. And for every item I get right, you take off a piece of clothing.”
“And if you’re wrong, you take something off.”
“Sounds fair,” he said.
Resting his elbows on his knees, he crouched in front of her suitcase and sniffed. He
looked so damn serious Paige couldn’t help but giggle. When he glowered at her, she
quickly schooled her face into a more sober expression.
“Swear to God, Davina owes me big time,” he muttered, taking another big whiff.
“All right, smells like something plastic in there. Probably Ziploc bags.”
“Okay, point for you,” she said, toeing off a shoe. “But that could be a lucky guess.”
“You also have some cinnamon toothpaste in there and a bunch of food. Honey-
roasted peanuts, Oreos, potato chips, and…some kind of rye cracker.”
Raising her brows, she admitted, “Whoa. That’s not just luck.” Somewhat
impressed, she took off her remaining shoe, then her socks.
Adam watched with interest as she slowly shimmied out of her jeans. Thank God
she was wearing some halfway decent undies, turquoise French cut. When she looked
up from folding her jeans she found him standing next to her. Her heart rate quickened.
“Nice,” he said, tracing his thumbs along the lacy waistband.
Paige felt a pulse of heat between her legs as he slid those thumbs under the elastic
to brush against her soft curls. Finally giving in to the impulse she’d had in the cafe, she
reached out and touched his impressive erection.
“Very nice,” she whispered, rubbing it.
Adam’s gaze locked onto hers and he covered her hand with his own, pressing it
harder against him. He was so hot, so hard, even through the denim. Paige moaned as
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A Wolf at Her Door
he slid his hand again into her underwear, delving down between her soft lips to find
her sex.
“Damn, Paige, you’re soaked.”
He withdrew his hand and brought his fingers to his nose. Closing his eyes, he
inhaled. “Oh, fuck.” He took in another ragged breath through his nose. “I want you
naked. Now.”
“But my suitca—”
Ripping the buttons open on his jeans, he said, “You’ve got shoes in there that you
wore to the beach.” He shoved his pants and briefs down and kicked them aside. His
cock sprang out, curving upward like a scimitar. “There’s some Juicy Fruit gum stuck in
the tread and you used grapefruit vanilla lotion on your fucking feet. I win. Now,
strip.”
With lust burning in his arctic eyes, he waited for her to comply. Gulping hard, she
pulled off her turtleneck and as usual, she experienced a moment of anxiety when she
removed her padded bra. Her breasts were very small and she always felt self-
conscious when a man saw them for the first time, but the hungry look on Adam’s face
put her fears to rest.
Swiftly, he bent low and captured a breast in his mouth. She sucked in a sharp
breath as he flicked her nipple with his tongue. Heat flared between her legs, growing
even hotter when he moved his lips to the other one. Shamelessly, she thrust herself
more fully into his mouth, and he reacted instantly, opening wider, almost sucking her
whole breast inside.
“Oh God,” she gasped.
Adam’s urgency excited her. She’d never driven a man to this level of desperation
before. In her line of work, rating hotels for the auto club, she had plenty of opportunity
to fool around, but in her experience, men usually viewed her as cute ‘n sexy, like a doll
come to life. She inspired indulgent smiles, gentleness, consideration. That was all well
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Kate Willoughby
and good. Nothing wrong with being treated nicely in bed, of course. But deep down
she craved more. She sensed Adam was the man who could give it to her.
Releasing her breast with a smacking sound, he raised his head. “On your back,
Paige.”
He grabbed her by the waist and tossed her onto the bed.
With a laughing gasp, she bounced, nearly smacking her head on the headboard.
“Oh my God, are you strong!”
“And you’re incredibly light and tiny.”
After snaking a condom from his pants pocket and putting it on the nightstand, he
joined her on the mattress, pushing her knees apart so he could take up residence
between.
“You’re even prettier here,” he said, threading his fingers through the hair on her
mound. He pressed the heel of his hand against her clit and she bit her lip at the throb
of sensation and how the blood in her veins felt like melted caramel.
Looking down, he continued caressing her. “Yeah, that’s good,” he said roughly.
“Do me a favor. Play with your nipples.”
Paige slid her hands upward, cupping her small breasts, then pinching and rolling
the rosy tips as he pleasured her with his hand.
“Yeah, yeah, like that,” he groaned.
His fingers went on an exploratory journey, stroking her glossy folds, teasing her
with featherlight touches.
“Are you tiny here too?” he asked.
She hooked her foot behind his back and tried to pull him closer. “You’ll have to be
the judge of that.”
With a sinful smile, he probed her with a finger, just an inch or so in and then back
out. He watched her face as he did it again, slower, maddeningly slower.
“You’re snug, all right. Wet too. Super slick.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
Moving up over her, he pushed in deeper, rotating his arm so that he could locate
her G-spot. Paige gasped as he found it and rubbed. He swallowed a moan with his
mouth as he kissed her again, deeply, thoroughly. His lips caressed hers, his tongue
thrusting slowly in and out of her mouth in time with his finger.
“That’s it,” he said against her lips. “Feel that. Is that good?”
“Yes,” she gasped. “Keep going.”
He responded by sliding another finger in. Pleasure built inside her. It wasn’t long
before she was writhing under him, shamelessly thrusting her hips against his hand,
but before she could reach her peak, he stopped. When he withdrew his fingers, she
couldn’t suppress a whimper of disappointment, bringing a half-smile to his lips as he
got a condom and rolled it on.
When he returned, he gathered her in his arms and claimed her mouth again. God,
he was good at that. The kiss started out soft and leisurely but gradually built in
intensity as his hands roamed over her skin, sending warmth over her entire body.
Eventually, one hand settled behind her neck, the other on her breast. Paige gave herself
up to him, tangling her legs with his, loving the feel of his hot cock against her thigh
and how he was tweaking her nipple over and over. Their breathing grew more and
more rapid, echoing in the quiet room.
Paige tried to hurry things along by pulling on his hip, but he smiled against her
mouth.
“Still worried about the countdown?” he asked, pinching her nipple and making
her gasp.
“No, just, you know, ready,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat up a little.
He slid a hand down and she parted her legs, eager for his touch. Again, he
caressed her, circling her clit maddeningly, spreading her moisture around and
watching her face the entire time.
“Very ready,” he agreed. “How does a dozen or so orgasms sound?”
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Kate Willoughby
“It sounds like you’re pretty sure of yourself. Are you so sure you can deliver?” she
teased.
Instead of amusement, Paige saw the glitter of challenge in his eyes.
“You know, this is beginning to be a habit, you doubting me. I am a shifter, Paige.
Three weeks from today, I’ll be that wolf you saw in the picture, four legs, a furry pelt,
and everything. But right now, and more importantly,” he said with a hard edge to his
jaw, “I’m going to make you come. I’m going to make you come a lot.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
Chapter Three
Something inside Paige leaped in excitement as he moved between her thighs.
Raising herself on her elbows, she watched as he slid down her body, lower and lower
until she felt his tongue. Warm and wet, it glided over her lips softly then opened them
with excruciating deliberation.
“Incredible,” he mumbled. He inhaled deeply and groaned. “Fucking incredible.”
Paige had to agree as he placed one hand on her stomach and slowly licked her. If
she’d had doubts about his prowess before, they were swiftly laid to rest. He seemed to
sense what she wanted without any guidance from her. No nudge on the head or shift
of the hips necessary. She didn’t need to say a word. She wondered crazily if the
werewolf romance novels she’d read had their roots in truth. Maybe he did have a
telepathic connection with her, something that allowed him to read her as easily as he
would a newspaper.
And maybe she should forget about that for now and just enjoy, because Adam was
licking her in the most delicious way, over and over, lifting her up, up, up. She hovered
on the edge for a long moment, reaching, wanting, until she felt a strong pull on her clit.
With just the right amount of suction, he delivered on his promise.
She came.
Grabbing his head and arching toward his mouth, she cried out as the orgasm
crashed over her. He continued tonguing her for a few more moments, groaning
himself. Then, with both of them breathing hard, he moved up into place. He’d seemed
tall when he stood next to her, but now, looming above her, the difference in their sizes
hit home. She felt caged by his arms and big body and it thrilled her. She reached up
and cupped his face, feeling the roughness of his afternoon beard, loving the intense
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Kate Willoughby
expression in his amazing eyes. She’d never seen eyes like his before, a piercing glacier
blue with shards of silver.
Except in that photograph of wolf, a voice in her head whispered.
Adam nudged his cock against her entrance and Paige braced herself for the
pleasure, but it didn’t come right away.
“Tight fit,” he said, trying to ease in. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”
“No, I’m fine, really. I can take you.”
Wrapping her legs around him, she lifted her hips and he pushed again. So soon
after coming, she was already halfway to her next orgasm. She needed him to really
pound her, but he was resisting.
With a dubious look on his face, Adam pressed further in. Like a centimeter. As if
she was a virgin he was deflowering.
“Shit, you’re tight. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I swear I’m not going to break. Trust me.”
He studied her face for a moment, but eventually did as she asked and pressed
forward, steadily filling her until he was all the way in.
“Yes, God, yes, that’s good.” She shuddered at the pleasure as he pulled out slowly
and sank back inside. “More and faster,” she said.
Adam chuckled. Dipping his head, he kissed her again, continuing to thrust as if he
had all the time in the world. “Pushy, aren’t you?” he said against her neck.
“I just know what I want.” She stroked his flanks with her legs.
“And you want it faster?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” she said with a saucy grin.
“Harder too?” he said, stopping completely.
She made a noise of frustration and wiggled her hips impatiently. “Hard. Fast. All
that good stuff.”
“Then, your wish, pardon the expression—”
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A Wolf at Her Door
Paige laughed.
“—is my command.”
Tangling one hand in her hair, he stepped up the pace. Paige moaned as his thrusts
went deeper. She felt every inch of his cock as it slid in and out. God, how she loved
looking up at him as he pumped. His brow furrowed and there was a hard, determined
set to his jaw.
“How’s that?” he asked, his hips slapping against her thighs. His arm muscles
stood out in relief. She ran her hands over them.
“More,” she gasped.
Adam gave it to her. As he continued to drive inside her, Paige couldn’t help the
cries that escaped her, and he wasn’t too quiet either. He grunted as he slammed into
her, harder and faster, just like she’d asked.
“Still good?” he asked, a sheen of perspiration on his face.
Licking her lips, she shook her head. “Faster.”
“Oh, Jesus.” He laughed and dipped his head. “All right. You asked for it.”
Reaching back, he hooked an arm around and levered her leg up until her knee was
up by her shoulder, and suddenly her pleasure intensified threefold. Every sharp thrust
hit her just the right way, sending minor explosions through her, driving her up again.
Beads of perspiration formed on his face as his hips pistoned in a driving tempo he
wouldn’t be able to maintain for too long. Selfishly, she hoped it would be long enough,
because this orgasm was going to blow the top of her head off.
Suddenly, she was there. With a desperate gasp, she arched up as the climax
grabbed and held her for several prolonged, spectacular moments. Vaguely, she was
aware of Adam throwing his head back and calling out gruffly as he came too. His
breath burst from him in harsh gusts as he spent himself, his groin smashed up against
her and sending residual waves of pleasure through her lower body.
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Kate Willoughby
Eventually, he relaxed and allowed some of his weight to rest on her, but she
wouldn’t have minded all of it. She loved the comforting, satisfying feeling of a man
heavy on top of her after sex.
“On a scale from one to five,” she said, gazing up at his sweaty face, “that was a
six.”
“Really,” he said, with a low chuckle. He brushed some hair off her cheek with a
thumb. “What does it take to rate a seven?”
“I’ve never thought about it before. Speechlessness, I think. Maybe blacking out
completely.”
“Something to strive for,” he said.
He kissed her and she welcomed the soft invasion of his tongue, remembering how
it had felt down below and getting a nice little aftershock at the memory. He must have
felt the tremor, because he groaned softly. Once their breathing had returned to normal,
he sighed and withdrew. She stretched as he padded off to the bathroom, presumably
to clean up.
Replete and able to think more clearly, Paige contemplated her situation. Despite
their awkward meeting, she’d just had mindblowing sex with the most…well,
paranormal man she’d ever met.
Okay, the only paranormal man she’d ever met.
But regardless, the man had made her come on the first try. That didn’t happen in
Paige’s world. She’d only ever come after several sessions of “training” a guy. Adam
seemed naturally attuned to her needs.
In the books she had read, the alpha male often instantly recognized his
monogamous mate and spent the rest of the book convincing her of that fact. But heck,
Paige was having trouble believing he was a werewolf, let alone that he was claiming
her for all eternity.
She cast a glance toward the closed bathroom door.
26
A Wolf at Her Door
He clearly wasn’t insane. Nor did he seem like a “Dungeons and Dragons”-type
geek who preferred a fantasy world to reality.
She tentatively considered the idea that werewolves existed. Most legends grew
from a kernel of truth. Perhaps the werewolf kernel was more like a whole cob. She had
to admit he had a freaky sense of smell. He’d identified those things in her suitcase with
unerring and eerie accuracy.
Adam emerged from the bathroom, looking… Paige sighed. Like a god. Apparently
comfortable with his nakedness, he hadn’t bothered to wrap a towel around himself.
Paige, on the other hand, still suffering slightly from tiny breast awareness, tucked the
sheet up under her armpits.
“I’m starving,” he said, glancing around the room. “This place have room service?”
“No.”
“Minibar?”
Paige pointed. “Over there. But I already raided it. That’s the first thing I go for
when I check in,” she confessed.
Adam pulled open the cupboard and scanned what remained. He grabbed some
shortbread cookies, two beers, and a minuscule salami.
“This isn’t gonna go too far.” Tossing his snacks on the bed, he went for the phone.
“How ‘bout a pizza?”
“Pizza’s great. My mouth is already watering.”
After agreeing on toppings, Adam ordered a large to be delivered, then turned his
attention to the salami.
“Smells like spicy leather, probably because it needs to remain edible for a decade,”
he said, offering it to Paige. When she shook her head, he gnawed off a bite. After
chewing for a moment, he shrugged and took another bite.
“So,” she said, “while you were in the bathroom, I was thinking about your, um,
wolfhood.”
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Kate Willoughby
He chuckled, twisting the top off the beer. Again, he offered it first to Paige. This
time she took it.
“My wolfhood? What, are you wondering if I spent my youth chewing on my
parents’ shoes instead of playing hide and seek?”
Paige laughed, almost snorting the beer up her nose. “Well, sort of. How does it
work, exactly? When the full moon comes, is it like in the movies?”
“Let me get this straight,” he said, eyes narrowing. “You believe me now?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Not quite yet, but I’m trying to keep an open mind.”
“Fair enough, I suppose.” He retrieved his jeans from the floor and pulled them on.
“Don’t want to freak out the delivery guy,” he explained.
Paige nodded, disappointed at the sudden loss of eye candy.
“In regard to the movies, yes and no,” he said. He lay on his side propped on his
elbow, crosswise near the foot of the bed. “I generally don’t see werewolf movies. They
just make me laugh, which pisses off the other people in the audience. But I do know
that the on-screen change happens in the space of a few minutes. That’s not the usual
way things go down. It usually takes about half an hour for me to change.”
“Does it hurt?”
“It’s…uncomfortable.”
“And so do you go into seclusion or something? I mean, do all your friends know
and avoid calling you to go to baseball games or whatever?”
He chuckled. “Some friends know. Some don’t. I travel so much that my absence a
couple of days a month doesn’t seem suspicious to anyone. And if I have to, I can
suppress the transformation.”
“And how is it? Being a wolf, having to deal with that month in and month out?”
“There’s nothing like it,” he said with a sincere smile. “Nothing. I know some
shifters who regularly avoid it. Not only do I think that’s unhealthy, I can’t imagine not
taking advantage of it.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
“What do you mean, ‘take advantage of it?’”
He sighed. “It’s hard to explain.”
“Try.”
He stared off into the distance, his brow wrinkled in thought. “Shifting is…” He
sighed again. “I don’t know. Let’s say you live in the city, downtown, with all the
crowds, the pollution, the noise. You’ve been working like a dog—no pun intended—
stuck in the office, subsisting on drive-thru meals, collapsing in bed at night, only to
start the cycle over again in the morning. And then, miraculously, you manage to get
away to the mountains for the weekend. Have you ever done that?”
“Oh, sure. I know exactly what you’re talking about. Sometimes, I’ll pull over to
one of those view spots, get out of the car and just take it all in. The crisp air, the
rustling of the leaves, just the unadulterated natural beauty. It’s amazing.”
“Okay, think of that, but magnified. Your senses are heightened and you’re…you’re
a participant, not a spectator. As a man, no matter how respectful I am of the
environment, at worst I can feel intrusive, at the most, I’m a guest, but either way, I’m
not part of the family. When I’m a wolf, I’m accepted, unconditionally and wholly
accepted.”
“I don’t know,” she said, tilting her head. “It sounds wonderful, really wonderful,
but the idea of being completely covered with fur and not having opposable thumbs….
I know that sounds funny, but I’m serious. I wouldn’t have hands. I wouldn’t be able to
talk, right? Can you talk when you’re a wolf?”
He shook his head.
“Yeah, see? No talking. I don’t know that I could deal with that.”
“What do you do for a living that talking is so important to you?”
“I rate hotels.”
“No kidding?”
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Kate Willoughby
“No kidding. I’m one of a team of thirty-six that travels all over California,
bestowing stars.”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Suddenly the sex rating makes sense.”
Paige felt a blush warm her cheeks.
“So what does this place get?” he asked, gesturing with his arm.
“I haven’t completed my evaluation yet, thanks to someone who shall remain
nameless—”
Hoisting his beer in the air, Adam grinned.
“But unless they’ve added quite a bit or gone down the toilet, they’ll probably just
keep their three stars.”
“So, what, do you have a checklist you go through?”
She nodded. “You have no idea.”
“You have to stay overnight at every place?”
“Oh heck, no. I’d never get through my list if I had to spend the night in every
hotel. I do move every night, though. Tomorrow I’m going to The Fisherman’s Inn two
streets down. The night after that, The Boone House.”
They spent a few more moments talking about her job and then about his. She
learned that he did, indeed, often venture deep into the wilderness to get his nature
shots, but he’d never paraglided. The pizza arrived and they made a good dent in it.
Paige continued to wear the sheet as a quasi-toga and they sat at the small table to eat.
“So, this sense of smell thing,” she said. “Does that get annoying sometimes? I
mean, can you smell stuff from every guest who’s stayed in this room? I can’t imagine
having that keen of a nose with a job like mine.”
“Actually it helps me in my job a lot. I can track animals easier. I can smell a storm
coming, which helps when I want to photograph lightning. In everyday life…” He
shrugged. “You filter. Think about when you tune out conversation in a restaurant to
listen only to the person you’re dining with.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
“I get it. That makes sense.” Paige nodded. “Do you have any other superpowers?”
Adam slumped down in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him.
“Superpowers? Other than my amazing ability to sexually satisfy women?” He
chuckled. “Nah.”
“Is your whole family like you? Did you grow up knowing you’d change? Or,” she
gasped, suddenly alarmed, “did you change when you were a baby, too?”
He turned his head and looked at her. “I swear, with all these questions, it’s like
you’re planning to write my biography. The Life and Times of Adam Jaeger.”
“I can’t help it if I’m just curious. It’s not every day I meet a guy who claims to be a
werewolf.”
“Why don’t you take Davina’s word for it?”
Paige pulled the sheet tighter around her. “I don’t know. A girl can only accept so
much mumbo jumbo at a time. I mean, just think about if the shoe was on the other foot.
What if some hot-looking woman appeared on your doorstep claiming to be an alien,
but she had no proof?”
He grinned at her. “You think I’m hot-looking?”
She flicked a piece of pepperoni at him, which he batted away, laughing. “Oh, like
you don’t know you’re hot.”
Adam’s grin grew wider and his gaze wandered down to her chest, then back up to
her face. “Speaking of superpowers,” he said. “I bet you can read my mind.”
“In this case, it’s more a matter of crotch-reading than mind-reading,” she said.
“You game?” he asked, rolling his chair around the table so that it was in front of
hers. “We have an agenda, you know.” He dug around in his jeans pocket and pulled
out a folded sheet of paper, at which Paige blanched.
“Let me see that,” she said, snatching the page away from him and scanning it.
Her cheeks heated up. Even though she was the one who had asked for this stuff,
seeing it detailed in black and white shocked her. She’d been sloshed on tequila that
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Kate Willoughby
night and sharing things with her best friends. Adam was almost a complete stranger,
looking at her kinky list of scenarios while sober.
She stashed the paper under the chair cushion. “You know,” she said with a tight-
lipped smile, “let’s just forget about the agenda.”
“Hey, come on. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he assured her with that
gravelly voice of his. He knelt in front of her and rested his elbows on the arms of her
chair. “Personally, I find it incredibly hot when a woman knows what she wants in bed
and isn’t afraid to let me know about it. To tell the truth, I got a copy of the book and
read it, and as I read, some of this stuff turned me on too. So, what do you say?” He ran
his hands up her thighs, bunching the sheet up. “I, ah, particularly liked this second
one.”
Paige couldn’t remember what the second one was. After pulling the paper back
out and scanning it, her face burned when she realized. The scene she’d quoted
required Adam to step into the role of a dominant alpha male with a zero tolerance
policy on disobedience. Zero.
She remembered how it had felt when he’d thrown her onto the bed earlier. She
imagined him aggressive and arrogant, demanding and aroused, and her heart
pounded with excitement and trepidation. But she nodded anyway.
“And on your scale from one to five, how rough do you want me to be?”
Taking a deep breath, Paige said, “Five.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
Chapter Four
Adam was amazed that she wanted him to really let go. According to the lore of
Paige’s book, the werewolf male acted like a tribal chief and stole his mate from her
family. Unfortunately, the heroine was a modern woman who didn’t hold with the pack
traditions. As a result, their mating was not a mutually agreed to union.
The scenario was so far from the reality of modern werewolf courtship, he had
laughed when he’d read that part, but in actuality, Adam had occasionally entertained a
fantasy of domination. The idea of overpowering a woman who ended up wanting the
sex as badly as he did excited him, but because it seemed too much like rape, he always
avoided examining that side of himself. And now, here was Paige wanting to play Jane
to his animalistic Tarzan.
“There’s not much there on the paper,” he said, “but I’m willing to improvise.”
“Oh, but I brought my copy of the book.” Paige pulled a dog-eared paperback out
of her suitcase.
“Real names?” he asked as she flipped through the book.
She looked thoughtful as she handed the novel to him, open. “No. Let’s keep
everything fantasy. I’m Tess and you’re Blade.”
“Shit. I forgot his name was Blade.”
He mumbled a curse. Blade. She probably expected him to do this with a straight
face. What had he gotten himself into?
Adam scanned the page as she stood next to him, craning her head so she could
read too.
“And I’m supposed to be dressed because, see there,” she said, pointing to the page.
“you’re supposed to, ah, sort of rip my clothes off.”
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Kate Willoughby
Adam grinned. “Now that sounds like fun.”
As he continued to scan, Paige pulled a pair of lightweight pajamas out of her
suitcase and put them on.
“So I’ve dragged you back to my dark and mysterious werewolf lair,” he said in a
mock-spooky voice. “Oh, hey…” He paused. “It’s a restored train car. I’ll admit that’s
pretty cool.”
“I thought so too,” she answered, buttoning up the top and then tying a bow at the
drawstring waist.
“But this room doesn’t look very lair-ish to me.”
Adam glanced around at the lemon yellow chintz and provincial furniture. Ever
since he’d walked in he’d half expected Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show to walk in
and offer him some pie.
“We could pretend you’ve broken into my house and can’t wait to drag me back
before you have your way with me.”
“Maybe you’re asleep in the bed, unsuspecting…”
“Ooh, that’s good,” she said, her eyes glinting.
She slipped under the covers and smiled up at him, so trusting. They were almost
complete strangers, but she was giving him carte blanche to act out a taboo fantasy that
he’d never even fully explored in the privacy of his own mind.
Kneeling, he brushed her cheek with his thumb. “This could get pretty intense. I’ve
fantasized about this kind of thing, too. Let’s have a signal in case I start going too far.”
“Good idea. Like a code word. How about ‘minibar’?”
He chuckled. “Okay. Minibar.”
Adam spent another moment or so reviewing the scene then turned off the lamp.
He drew both sets of curtains, too. With the blackout drapes closed, very little light
came in. The strip under the door leading to the hallway and a sliver from the window
provided enough light for him to see pretty well, but for her it was likely pitch black.
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A Wolf at Her Door
As he stripped off his jeans, he detected the acidic scent of her nervousness. She was
turned on but anxious, so he decided to wait until she relaxed before he made his move.
A minute passed…then two.
“Adam?” Her voice was small in the darkness. “Are you going to do something?”
“Yes,” he answered softly. “Eventually.”
She sighed and he gave a silent laugh. Her impatience amused him. Quietly, he
took a seat at the table, stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles, but as he
waited, he imagined her beneath him, vulnerable, struggling and reluctant, yet highly
aroused. His cock stiffened, lengthened. Thinking about complete control over her
made him feel as if he’d gotten an infusion of testosterone. But it wasn’t just the idea of
domination. It was that she was allowing him to give vent to this somewhat deviant
inclination.
Eventually her breathing evened out and although he could still smell her
intoxicating feminine scent, the underlying aroma of her relaxed state pervaded the air,
proof she was sleeping.
Soundlessly, he rose from the chair. Heat began to build again in his groin as he
approached the bed. He could barely see her silhouette. She had her fingers curled over
the edge of the covers at her chin.
Taking a deep breath, he put one knee on the bed and took her wrists in his hands.
Paige started with a soft gasp and her eyes flew open.
“Don’t be afraid, Tess,” Adam said, transferring both her wrists to one hand. “I
won’t hurt you.” But I am going to fuck you.
She resisted as he tossed back the covers. “Stop it! Let go of me, Blade. What do you
think you’re doing?”
“I’m claiming you as my mate.”
“Your mate? You’re out of your mind. You have no right!”
“This isn’t about rights and you know it. It’s about fate, little one.”
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Kate Willoughby
To his surprise, she giggled. “Oh God, I’m sorry, Adam. I was so worried that I’d be
all scared, but…” She giggled some more. “Maybe this was a stupid idea. Maybe we
should just forget about this.”
Adam said nothing. If he broke character, it would ruin it. He’d read the passage. In
order for this fantasy to work, she had to believe he was Blade, the threatening
shapeshifter, her destined lifemate. So he squared his shoulders in the darkness and
spoke one word.
“Stupid?”
Then without warning, he grasped the neckline of her top and ripped. Paige gave a
muffled scream as buttons popped off and flew into the pitch black, leaving her left
breast exposed. He was left with a ragged scrap of fabric in his fist. Her arms flexed as
she tried to cover herself and he smelled the metallic scent of her embarrassment again.
Damned if every woman he’d ever been with hadn’t been touchy about one or more
parts of her body for no good reason.
Although her breasts were smaller than average, they were nonetheless
mouthwateringly exquisite. Two gentle swells of softness tipped with dainty areolas no
bigger around than copper pennies. And when those nipples tightened, as they were
now, they got even smaller, like shirt buttons. He planned to suck on them until they
were red and wet.
“They told me you would be difficult,” he said as he yanked her pajama bottoms
down her legs and off. “They warned me that you would challenge the old ways.”
“The old ways are obsolete,” she protested as he pushed the halves of her top apart,
exposing both her breasts.
He covered one with his hand. The stiff nipple teased his palm.
“I am not an object to be claimed, like …like luggage at the airport,” she said.
He didn’t reply, just squeezed and kneaded her breast. Paige twisted on the bed,
but she couldn’t escape his rough caresses. He let her thrash a little before putting a
hand on her hip and firmly pressing her into the mattress and then sliding his body on
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A Wolf at Her Door
top of hers. It was then that he clamped his lips around her nipple. Her pheromones
burst into the air as he sucked hard on that sweet peak. Again he enjoyed the contrast—
the stiff tip jutting out greedily and the soft surrounding flesh that yielded to him. She
moaned, even as she shifted underneath him, continuing in the pretense that she was
unwilling.
“Give up,” he said.
“No.”
His fingers encountered her wet cunt and his groin tightened in response. “You are
my future,” he said, quoting Blade. He thrust a finger inside her and she shuddered.
“Accept it. Accept me.”
“No,” she said, trying again to wrench her arms free. “Ask me and we’ll see.
Demand, and I’ll fight. I just want to be treated with respect.”
Adam covered her body with his, legs flanking hers. His cock was hot and hard
against her stomach.
“But you want this as much as I do. I know you do. Your body knows mine even if
your mind is too slow to realize.”
“No! Get off me,” she said, trying to buck him off.
He didn’t budge.
“Not until I get what I want. Stop fighting me.”
“No.”
“Fine,” he said before covering her mouth with his.
Paige moaned deep in her throat as desire flooded her. She was trapped underneath
Adam’s huge body, unable to move. He held her arms immobile as he thrust his tongue
into her mouth, taking what he wanted just like he’d said he would. Conflicting
emotions warred inside her. Although she wanted to surrender to him and give him
everything—anything—she worried she’d lose the feral excitement of being
overpowered.
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Kate Willoughby
Fortunately, he chose that moment to break the kiss. Without a word, he forced her
legs apart and moved between them. She’d never felt so vulnerable. With the room this
dark, she was hyper aware of the sounds. In the hallway, she could hear the muffled
voices of some guests as they returned to their room. More immediate was Adam’s
ragged breathing. The sheets rustled as he pressed his cock against her tight entrance.
Then, with a rough grunt, he shoved himself into her. No teasing, no preliminaries.
One swift, brutal thrust.
Paige gasped, unprepared for the devastating rush of feeling. It overwhelmed her,
stealing her breath, obliterating her thoughts. His thick cock invaded her over and over,
forcing pleasure to every corner of her body. It built rapidly, but before she could come,
he pulled out abruptly. Backed away. Paige blinked, but couldn’t see what he was
doing.
“Turn over. On your knees. Face the headboard.”
Instead, she scrambled off the bed and bolted toward the door. She hadn’t gone two
steps before he caught her by the waist. God, he was strong. With a muffled curse, he
threw her to the bed, face down, then before she could react, he yanked her back so that
the lower half of her body hung off the side of the mattress. He planted one hand on the
small of her back and leaned heavily and a moment later shoved his cock into her again
as if he’d never stopped. At a punishing pace, he started fucking her again, and all she
could do was twist the sheets in her fists and take it. When he grabbed her hair, she had
to bite back a shriek. The pain in her scalp sharpened the sensations.
“Oh God,” she gasped. She was almost there. A few more strokes. “Adam, God,
I’m—”
He pulled out.
“No!” Twisting her head, she reached back wildly, trying to grab him, as if she
could somehow get him back inside her.
That’s when he smacked her ass. Hard. Still leaning hard on her lower back, this
time with his forearm, he spoke, punctuating each word with a slap.
38
A Wolf at Her Door
“Don’t. Run. Away. From me. Again.”
The biting sting brought tears to her eyes and she was so distracted by that, she
wasn’t prepared when, again, he reamed her, balls deep. This sudden, forceful entry
threw her into orgasm. Every nerve ruptured in excruciating pleasure. Her head felt like
it was exploding and her ass smarted in pleasurable pain. His continued rapid fire
thrusts held her on that plateau for what seemed like an eternity.
Breathing hard, Adam laughed harshly. He grabbed her hair again, forcing her
head back. He withdrew his cock. Went back in hard.
Pulled out. Rammed inside.
Over and over. A little faster every time.
Building her up. Pushing her into the bed. Smacking her bottom.
The orgasms slammed her one after another. He fucked her for what felt like
forever, alternating his pace, flipping her this way and that, tweaking her clit, pinching
her nipples, biting her neck. His stamina surpassed description, but eventually, she
sensed he was nearing the end of his rope. He was behind her again, and both of them
were covered with sweat. Her pussy ached, but she didn’t dare utter the signal word
and tell him to stop. He deserved to come.
His thrusts took on a desperate quality. He grunted with each one, his harsh
exhalations like a countdown. At last, with a guttural cry, he grabbed her hips and
jerked her toward him, driving into her one last time. Paige arched her back. His fingers
dug into her skin as he held her motionless against his groin, his cock embedded deep
inside her. She felt the pulses of his release, imagined how his body must be wracked
with pleasure, and the thought sent her over the edge one last time. Her orgasm surged
through her in a wave, leaving her trembling in the aftermath.
Adam seemed shaky too. He remained there kneeling behind her catching his
breath for a long moment before finally wrapping a strong arm around her and pulling
until they both fell onto their sides. Then he curled up against her back, his cock still
lodged inside her.
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Kate Willoughby
“Fuck,” he said, exhaling hard. “Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”
He relaxed slightly against her and pressed his lips to the back of her neck. He was
Adam again. She felt surprisingly comforted and safe in this knowledge.
But, holy shit, he’d been an utterly convincing Blade.
“Maybe a little,” she admitted. “But I liked it.”
“You little pain puppy. Should I use a paddle next time?”
She laughed softly, rubbing her legs against his. “Oh my God, I can’t even think
about next time. I’m actually hoping that I don’t have to go to the bathroom any time
soon because I’d probably have to waddle, and I refuse to let you see me waddle.”
He chuckled. “But knowing your waddle was due to my…diligent efforts would
make the sight oh-so rewarding.”
She elbowed him in the ribs and he laughed. “Ain’t gonna happen. You’ll have to
be satisfied with imagining it.”
“I’m already satisfied. There is not a man alive that is more satisfied than I am.”
As he nuzzled her neck, Paige smiled in the darkness.
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A Wolf at Her Door
Chapter Five
The next morning, Adam returned to Crazy Grandma’s for pastries and coffee and
then headed back to the Hearthstone Inn. He’d left a note for Paige in case she woke
while he was gone, but he hoped she was still asleep. She looked so innocent when she
was sleeping, the morning sun caressing her face. He’d very much wanted to kiss her
awake and engage in some soft and easy morning sex, but after her comment about
waddling he didn’t want to push himself on her again.
Because he had really fucked the hell out of her last night.
Paige had given him permission to let go, and boy, had he. So much so that he felt
guilty this morning. He’d been a selfish bastard with zero self-restraint, but it had been
the most intense sexual experience he’d ever had. Having Paige at his mercy made him
mindless with lust. It got to the point where her pleasure became purely incidental to
his own. Good thing she hadn’t uttered that signal word because if she had, he would
have had a hell of a time pulling back. All that had mattered to him was taking and
taking and taking some more.
As he climbed the stairs that led to her room, he sincerely hoped that her outlook
hadn’t changed overnight. Morning often brought clarity to a situation, and for all he
knew she’d wake up, realize what a dominant asshole he’d been, and kick him and his
croissants back to the curb.
As quietly as possible, he let himself back into the Daffodil Room, but the bed was
empty, the bathroom door closed. With a soft knock, he told her he was back.
“I’ll be out in a sec,” she called.
When Paige emerged from the bathroom, she had a towel around her head and
wore a loose t-shirt and jersey shorts, and Adam was clearing the table of their pizza
feast remains.
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Kate Willoughby
“G’morning,” she said, with a hesitant smile.
“Morning.”
Unencumbered by a bra, she looked delectable. Her nipples were erect under her
shirt. He remembered sucking on them the night before. So damn sweet. He
remembered abusing them, too, but God help him, she’d liked it.
He tore his eyes away reluctantly as he walked over to her, trying to resist the
impulse to rub a thumb against one of those peaks, but not expecting to succeed.
She regarded him with a knowing smile, waiting for him to come to her.
“What’s for breakfast?” she asked in a throaty voice.
“Yeah, what’s for breakfast?” said a different voice.
Paige gasped at the sudden appearance of two people in the room. The hairs on his
neck went on end, and Adam took a reflexive step in front of her, but once he
recognized Davina and Laszlo, he relaxed.
The wish fairy looked runway chic in a knitted sweater-type dress and some
matching suede boots that went past her knees. Laszlo, on the other hand, wore a
slightly wrinkled gray polo shirt with the embroidered Cross-Agency Union logo on it
and some black pants with tattered cuffs. A fedora sat askew on his head and a
diamond earring sparkled in his left ear.
“Don’t you guys knock?” Adam asked.
Paige hastily removed the towel from her head and finger-combed her hair.
“Nah,” Davina replied. “What’s the point of having magical powers if you can’t use
‘em to startle people once in a while?”
“I didn’t get enough breakfast for four,” Adam said.
“I’ll take care of it. I have a meal allowance.” Davina flicked a finger toward the
table and suddenly four plates of eggs Benedict and all the trimmings appeared. “There
ya go. Dig in.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
Paige glanced at Adam, with one brow raised, as if to ask if this sort of thing
happened all the time to him. He shrugged and pulled out a chair for her.
After introducing Laszlo to Paige, Davina said, “Sorry for the premature visit. You
still have six hours until deadline—and by the way, wish time is stopped while we have
this little pow wow—but Laszlo has some urgent thingy he has to go to…”
“It’s a benefits arbitration, not,” Laszlo said, “a ‘thingy’.” He added five sugar cubes
to his coffee and stirred with a sigh.
“Okay, arbitration,” Davina said, but she waved a hand dismissively. “Anyway, we
thought we’d stop by and wrap this up a little early. As outlined in the pamphlet,
standard wish duration is twenty-four hours, after which time you, Adam Jaeger, will
be released from obligation to you, Paige Mahoney. “
“Well,” Adam said, “we’re gonna need more time. Twenty-four hours wasn’t
enough to complete her wish list.”
When Lazslo raised a brow, Adam shook his head slightly.
“So you only did one?” Davina asked.
Paige cast a sidelong glance at him, the corner of her mouth lifting infinitesimally.
“He’s very thorough.”
Davina’s smile was much broader and aimed at Lazslo, which made Adam wonder
how much information Laszlo had about the wish. While it hadn’t bothered him before
at Davina’s office, for some reason now he didn’t want the man cognizant of the
intimate details between him and Paige.
Laszlo cleared his throat. “So, let me get this straight. You want more time.”
“Yes,” Adam said. “As long as that’s what Paige wants too.”
“Oh, yes,” Paige said, her cheeks reddening.
“All right.” Laszlo sighed as he chewed a bite of his breakfast. “I want to say it’s
your funeral, but with Davina involved, it’s more likely to be a damn wedding.”
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Kate Willoughby
Davina jerked a thumb toward Laszlo. “The ultimate romantic. When he falls, he’s
gonna fall hard, and I hope I’m there to see it.”
This time, Laszlo frowned.
“And anyway, I promised not to meddle, remember? Sheesh, you’re not only a sour
puss, you’re senile.”
“Sticks and stones,” Lazslo said around a big mouthful of eggs Benedict. He
washed it down with a gulp of coffee, then added, “Thanks for the breakfast, by the
way. It’s great.”
Davina shrugged. “You’re welcome.”
“So, where do we go from here?” Paige asked.
Davina dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “You kids just carry on like you were
before. I’m adding a special button to your cell phone. It’ll get you a direct line to me if
anything comes up, pardon the expression.” Darting a glance at Adam, Davina snorted.
Paige’s phone appeared on the table amidst some miniature lavender fireworks. It
now had a lavender heart shaped button that sparkled like a diamond.
“Your new ending time is three forty-three.” Davina stood up and brushed off her
dress. “I’m on call until then, but after that you two lovebirds are on your own and the
UWF is released from responsibility. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Toodles!”
“Hey, what about my breakfast?” Laszlo said.
“Oh, here,” Davina said, snapping her fingers.
An instant later, the cynical arbitrator was holding a Styrofoam container and a
plastic spork.
He scowled. “Davina, you’ve got to be—”
But the fairy whisked them away before he could finish his sentence.
Paige laughed. “They’re quite a pair,” she remarked.
“That they are,” he agreed.
“And…thank you for agreeing to, you know, do it all.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
“Believe me when I say it’s my pleasure. As long as you’re sure you still want to.
After last night…” He gave her an apologetic look. “I got a little rough, you know.”
“Yeah, well, I told you to,” she said with a smile.
He scratched his head and chuckled. “I just meant that…I’m just sorry if I went too
far. I’m not usually that much of a jerk in bed. I don’t order women around and
demand things like a dictator. But that was the fantasy, right?”
“Right. That was the fantasy. And it was…” She met his gaze and her eyes were
swimming with emotion. “It was amazing.”
To think, back in the UWF conference room, he’d almost refused to meet her. He
never would have guessed that under her conservative clothes and shy reluctance was a
wild woman who wanted…no, demanded to be fucked. God, he loved the
contradiction. Just like him, she kept up a civilized facade, but deep inside, her animal
nature was strong. In addition, she harbored a slightly kinky sexual appetite. And he
was more than happy to explore it with her. He wanted to savor his imaginative little
Doubting Thomasina as long as possible.
* * * * *
Paige broke her personal record for ratings completed in a day, but with a carrot
like Adam hanging in front of her, it hadn’t been difficult. She’d even finished early and
had time to do a little secret shopping before meeting him at seven. At the last hotel
she’d rated, she had blushingly asked if there was a good place to find sexy lingerie
nearby. Surprisingly enough, the middle-aged couple who managed the hotel provided
her with an address along with a glowing recommendation.
“Their DVD collection is fantastic,” Mr. Ryan said. “I think they’re even having a
buy one get one free sale this weekend.”
“And the toy section is excellent if you’re in the market for that,” Mrs. Ryan added.
“Oh, yes. Excellent,” her husband agreed.
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Kate Willoughby
Then the couple exchanged a knowing look and Paige muttered a hasty goodbye,
thankful she wasn’t staying at their establishment tonight. She imagined if she had, they
might have issued an invitation for a ménage or even a full-on orgy.
Even so, she headed over to Aphrodite’s Armoire to pick up something naughty to
wear for Adam. While her undies weren’t shabby, they weren’t particularly titillating
either. She was already nervous enough about this scene they planned to act out tonight
and she didn’t want the added worry of undergarment humiliation. “Blade” was
supposed to watch her strip and then finger herself, and she wasn’t very comfortable
with that. She liked the idea of driving a man mad with her sexy moves, which was
why she had put that on her wish list, but now she was doubtful she could pull it off.
She perused the selection of sexy clothing, bypassing the nurse and school-girl
costumes to focus almost immediately on a three-piece ensemble, a frilly dessert of
white satin and lace with pink ruffles and tiny pink embroidered rosebuds. The corset,
garter belt and panty outfit advertised femininity and sex at the same time. Perfect,
except for one thing.
The corset had open cups, demi-er than demi, designed to expose her itty bitties
and put them on display as if they were display worthy. Well, Adam didn’t seem to
have a problem with the size of her breasts. Paige had found that if a guy was thrown
by her mosquito bites, he’d do one of two things. He’d ignore them completely as if
they were taboo, like discussing a chemo patient’s missing hair, or he’d go out of his
way to reassure her that he was perfectly fine with how small and dainty and cute she
was, usually reciting that old saying about good things coming in small packages.
Adam had done neither. In fact, she imagined that when he saw her wearing this
outfit, he would pay rightful homage to the diminutive wares she was flaunting,
pleasuring her with his lips and tongue like he had last night. Sucking hard on her
nipples, laving her skin until she was slick with his saliva and writhing—
“Chaste, yet slutty. I approve.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
Paige squeaked, startled at the sound of Adam’s voice. He wore jeans and a brown
fisherman’s sweater.
“Oh my God!” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“Stalking you,” said with a grin.
“How did you know where to find me?”
He bent down and brushed his lips across her cheek. “It wasn’t hard. You’re giving
off enough pheromones to attract every male within a ten-mile radius.” He took the
hanger from her.
As he fingered the straps on the garter belt, he asked in a low voice, “Is this for
tonight?”
“Yes, but it was supposed to be a surprise.”
“I’m sorry. Surprises are overrated, if you ask me.” He took another hanger off the
display. “If I buy these, will you wear them for me?”
In his winter-blue eyes, Paige saw unguarded hunger tempered with a humble
request, an irresistible combination as far as she was concerned.
She examined the white elbow-length gloves. “These don’t actually make sense,
considering the scene.”
“I know, but…” He trailed off and the pained yet hopeful expression on his face
made her laugh. He reminded her of a little boy begging his mom for candy from the
grocery store. Except Adam was a full-grown man who wanted hot, sweaty sex, not a
pack of Milk Duds.
* * * * *
After leaving Aphrodite’s Armoire, Paige took Adam to a barbeque place she liked,
nothing fancy, just an order window and some outside patio tables made out of
concrete, pitted with age. Seagulls circled overhead, ever alert for an easy meal. As the
sun made its descent, the wind picked up, so they chose to eat inside. The air was
redolent with smoky meat and pungent barbecue sauce.
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Kate Willoughby
“I come here every time I’m in town,” Paige said as they took seats at the counter.
The circular stools were ancient but serviceable. “I’ve been up and down the California
coast dozens of times and this place is one of the best.”
Adam nodded, taking a bite from a large steaming barbecued pork sandwich. She
was right. The bun was soft and dense, the meat, fork tender and basted with a tangy
sweet sauce really hit the spot. He found himself wolfing it down with gusto.
“And you like clam chowder?” she asked. “If you’re ever in Pismo, you have to go
to the Happy Clam. It’s a real hole in the wall, but their chowder is to die for. The hunks
of clams in it…” She trailed off.
“Whenever I’m traveling,” he said around another large bite of sandwich, “I always
end up eating at the chains I know rather than taking a chance on places like this.”
“Well, that’s understandable,” she said, a slight frown appearing on her forehead.
“But you name a city of reasonable size in California and I’ll give you…”
Suddenly, her eyes went wide and the hand holding a French fry stopped before it
got to her mouth.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m just…”
Excitement and uncertainty flickered in her eyes and Adam’s nerves went prickly
all of a sudden. Even though he knew better than to ask a woman what she was
thinking, he said, “You’re just what?”
She stared at her paper tray of food. “I want to write a book.” She spoke so softly,
he could barely hear her.
“That’s terrific. I’m sure it’ll—”
“No, I want to write a book with you.” She looked up at him.
“Now, wait a minute.”
“Just listen.” She clenched her fists on the table. “It would be a guide to hole in the
wall places to eat in California. I’ve always wanted to write a travel guide, but I could
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A Wolf at Her Door
never come up with a good concept. Until now. This is it. I really think this is it! And I
want you to do the photography.”
“Whoa. Hold on a sec, Paige. I photograph nature, not restaurants.” He sipped his
soda.
“Oh come on. This’ll be a piece of cake for you. Buildings and food stand still.”
Adam chuckled. She had such a wry sense of humor.
“And,” she said, “you’ve already been published. You can probably just call your
editor!” Excitement gleamed in her mahogany eyes. He hated having to stomp on it.
“It’s not that simple, Paige. One moderately successful coffee table book does not a
John Grisham make. Yes, I have an editor, but that doesn’t mean all that much. He’ll be
more willing to listen to an idea from me than if it came from Joe Blow, but that’s as far
as my influence would probably go.”
“Well, it’s better than nothing,” she insisted, undeterred. “What to you think? Come
on. We could call it Off the Beaten Track. That’s clever! Don’t you think it would sell?
Everybody eats. Especially on vacation. If you’re visiting somewhere you’ve never been
before, a guide like this could be a terrific resource. Oh! Or maybe we don’t just do it on
restaurants.” Her voice got an octave lower. “Maybe we do places of interest, like out of
the way museums and monuments. Or maybe that’s the sequel, the companion book.
Farther Off the Beaten Track!”
“I have to admit, the idea is intriguing, but I don’t like to jump into things,
especially a project like this, without looking at it from all angles. For instance, I don’t
even know if you can write. No offense.”
She slapped her hands on the counter and stood up. “Let’s go back to the room
then. I’ll show you a sample.”
“Hey, wait a second,” he said as she grabbed her purse. He swiped his last few
french fries and stood up. “What happened to the wish? The sexy outfit?”
Paige stopped. She was already halfway to the door.
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Kate Willoughby
“Oh.” She turned back to him, her forehead wrinkled slightly. “That’s right.”
Shit. Clearly, she wanted to explore the book idea, and he had to admit, her
proposal had merit, but agreeing to this project would move their relationship up one
tier. He wasn’t at all certain he wanted to do that.
And yet, already the hope that had shone on her face just a minute ago was quickly
fading, and that…bothered him.
Although his libido wanted to cry at the thought of postponing what had promised
to be the Strip Show of the Century, he pushed both hands through his hair and sighed.
He was probably going to regret this.
“Okay,” he said, “business before pleasure, right? Let’s look at that sample and
maybe talk some more about the—umph.”
Adam staggered back as she jumped him and threw her arms around his neck. For
a moment she just hugged him tightly before finally whispering into his ear, “Thanks.”
* * * * *
The Spectrum Hotel boasted eighteen rooms, each devoted to a color. Paige had
procured the Jade Room for her brief stay. The décor was minimalist, lots of lines and
simple shapes. The subdued green appeared mainly as accent—bedcovers, wall art, and
eucalyptus-scented toiletries. When she’d checked in, the atmosphere had been
soothing, just the place for a weary traveler to relax, but at the moment she was too
excited. She headed straight for her laptop and fired it up.
Her mind spun with possibilities. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? Whenever
she’d pondered the idea of her book it had always been hotel-centered. After all, that’s
where her expertise lay. But hello! She ate out almost every meal when she was on the
road. She preferred to frequent the dinky cafes known mainly to the locals. And she
knew without a doubt that Adam could capture the unique personality of each little
eatery with his camera. She’d bought his wildlife coffee table book before meeting him
and leafed through it.
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A Wolf at Her Door
Okay.
Actually, she’d studied it carefully. But clearly, he had a knack for communicating
with the viewer via his gorgeous images of wildlife. How much more different could it
be taking pictures of restaurants?
Quickly, she searched through her files and opened a few documents. The truth
was, deep down she didn’t know if she had what it took to write a book. All she knew
was that she’d never do it if she didn’t try.
“Okay, here are some letters I wrote to various restaurants and hotels to thank them
for great service. Some in the line of work and some just because I wanted to. I know
letters aren’t the same as non-fiction writing but it’s the closest I’ve got right now. I go
to a lot of trouble to mention specific details. If you want a real sample of what I’m
thinking about for our book, give me an hour or so and I’ll write up something on that
place we were just at.”
Adam divested himself of his jacket and sat at the desk where Paige had set up her
laptop.
“And while you read, I’ll change,” she said. Otherwise, she’d stand over his
shoulder the whole time and she didn’t think he’d like that.
“Into The Outfit?” he asked, turning with one brow raised.
“Yes, into The Outfit.”
“I’m a fast reader,” he said with a grin.
“Unfortunately for you, eye candy such as you’re about to view takes time. You’ll
have to be patient.”
“I’ve been known to wait for days for a mountain lion to show up. But for some
reason when it comes to you, my patience doesn’t go as far as it usually does.”
Smiling to herself, Paige took everything she needed into the bathroom. It didn’t
take her long to realize she didn’t have absolutely everything she needed.
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Kate Willoughby
She poked her head out the bathroom door. Adam still sat at the desk. He looked
disappointed when she didn’t come all the way out of the bathroom.
“Adam, I need my cell phone.”
“Hey, this is no time to be chatting,” he said. “We have agenda items to get to.”
“I need to call Davina.”
“Why?” He came to the door, but when he tried to get a look at her, she planted her
hand on his face and pushed him away.
“No peeking! I need shoes to really do this right but I don’t have any. I think
Davina can get me some.”
His decidedly wolfish grin sent shivers down her spine. “Honey, trust me, I’m not
going to be looking at your feet.”
Paige smiled inside and out, but she said, “That may very well be, but it’s my wish
and I want shoes. I look dumb without them.”
She stuck her hand outside of the door and he dutifully plopped her phone into it
with a sigh.
Davina answered after one ring. “Paigey! Paigey! I was hoping you’d call, sweetie.
How’d everything go?”
“It’s not over yet.”
“Oooh, that good, huh?”
“Well, it could be better if I just had one thing. I’m having a little fashion crisis.”
“A fashion crisis?” Davina exclaimed with alarm. Paige could practically envision
the gritty expression on the fairy’s face. “Not on my watch, kiddo.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
Chapter Six
Adam jumped when Davina appeared right in front of him. She was wearing
butter-yellow silk PJs, Tinkerbell slippers. Right on her heels came two more female
fairies, also in pajamas.
“What the hell?” he exclaimed.
Davina turned and noticed her companions. Rounding on them, she said, “Guys, go
back t’my house. I can handle this.”
“Not alone, you’re not,” one of the fairies replied. Resplendent in brown and
orange paisley silk, she held herself like a queen even though she nibbled daintily on a
bar of chocolate. Her pants only went to the knees and her feet were clad in gold
sandals with sparkling crystals. Cool Asian eyes took his measure. He must have
passed muster because she held her hand out to him. “Maya T’ang.”
“Adam Jaeger,” he said with a wry smile.
Clutching a pink and gold box of gourmet truffles, the third fairy came forward
with a broad grin. She wore a purple and green caftan and knitted socks that had
individual spots for each toe.
“Rubillard King, but you can call me Ruby.”
She offered some candy to Adam, who shook his head.
“Maya and Ruby are friends of mine. We were washing a—” Davina laughed. “I
mean watching a video when you called. I hope you don’t mind them barging in where
they weren’t invited.”
“Hey.” Ruby dug through her box and chose a confection covered with cocoa
powder. “When you utter the words ‘fashion crisis’, you cannot serioushly expec’ me to
ignore ‘em.”
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Kate Willoughby
Adam laughed. “Well, to tell the truth, there’s not really a crisis. Paige just needs
some shoes.”
The three women stared at him in disbelief.
“‘Just needs…?’” Davina shook her head. “Where is she?”
“I’m in here, Davina!” came Paige’s voice. “What’s going on out there?”
The three fairies turned their heads toward the bathroom door and before he knew
it, they’d disappeared.
A moment later, he heard cheery introductions being made, compliments to Paige
on her outfit, and Paige explaining what she needed.
Maya’s comment was low, but Adam managed to pick it up. “No offense, but I’m
not sure this is a good idea, Vina. How much chocolate have you had?”
Chocolate? Why was chocolate an issue?
“Pfft. Three lil’ truffles,” Davina answered. “I’m fine.”
“How long ago?”
“I told you I’m fine.”
“Yeah, stop ruining her parade,” Ruby said. “This is a shoe emershency. Emergency.
This woman has feet in need.”
“I’m not asking for Jimmy Choo’s,” Paige said. “I just want something better than
what’s in my suitcase. All I’ve got are flats in there.”
“No, honey, no, no, no. You definitely need heels and I’m jus’ the fairy to get ‘em
for you,” Davina said.
“Yeah,” Ruby said, “Vina’s a double O, you know.”
“Double O?” Paige asked.
“Yeah, her license number is a double O, like James Bond.”
Adam smothered his chuckle. Oh, brother. Somehow he didn’t think Ian Fleming
had footwear-conjuring fairies in mind when he’d created the James Bond world.
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Someone clapped their hands, probably Davina, because she said, “All righty,
ladies, get ready because here comes Davina’s Traveling Shoe Store!”
Complete silence reigned for a long moment. Then, Adam winced as a feminine
shriek split the air.
“Oh my GOD!” Paige exclaimed. “I can’t believe this! I can’t believe this! How am I
gonna choose?”
This was followed by peals of laughter and animated chatter, only some of which
he could understand. He couldn’t smell estrogen, but if he could, he was sure it was
gusting from under the door like steam from a pressure cooker. What was it with
women and shoes?
“Oh, Paige, look at the heels…!”
“Try these.”
“Girlfriend, those are so you.”
“I think they’re too high.”
“No such thing,” Adam muttered as he paced the room. Glancing at the bedside
clock, he wondered how long this was going to take. He should have already been
enjoying the visual cornucopia of Paige all decked out in her fuck-me finery, running a
finger along the cups of her corset, snapping the strap on her garter belt. Instead, he
was standing around twiddling his thumbs while the gaggle of females debated the
merits of metallics vs. marabou, whatever the hell marabou was.
Ten agonizing minutes later—”I can’t decide!”
“For God’s sake, you’d better,” he burst out, running out of patience. There was a
limit to how long he was willing to wait. “If you don’t come out soon, I’m coming in,
and that bathroom’s not big enough for the five of us.”
“Uh-oh, somebody’s horny!” Davina said.
This was followed hysterical laughter.
Adam gritted his teeth.
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After the mirth died down, they decided to vote. Holy shit, he thought, shoes by
committee. At this point he really didn’t care if she came out wearing combat boots.
Then, suddenly, Davina, Ruby, and Maya appeared in front of him, smiling.
“Mission accomplished,” Davina announced. “You are one lucky man.”
“I’d be a hell of a lot luckier if you three took off,” he grumbled.
Ruby snorted and elbowed Maya in the ribs. “He’s horny and grumpy.”
Davina giggled. “Oh now, come on. He’s been a really good sport. We were in there
for a long time.”
“Roughly twenty-seven minutes and forty-three seconds,” he informed them.
“Poor baby.” Davina pinched his cheek. “Well, the wait is over. We’re outta here.”
“Thanks for everything, gals,” Paige yelled.
“Are you sure we can’t stay to see his erection?” Her eyes wide, Ruby burst into
laughter. “Whoops! I mean, reaction!”
“No!” came his and Paige’s simultaneous reply.
A flash of pink strobe lights, more laughter, and the fairies disappeared.
“Are they gone?” Paige asked.
“I’m checking.”
Adam walked the perimeter of the room but didn’t detect any of Davina’s
distinctive peppermint scent, Maya’s ginger, or Ruby’s sharp sage. “Yes, they’re gone.
Finally.”
“Are you ready to see me, then?”
“Honey, ready doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
“Then hurry up and go outside.”
Adam sighed as he stepped out onto the balcony. Scene Number One required him
to act the voyeur. In the book, Blade did some early reconnaissance on his lifemate and
ended up watching as she got herself off. Concerned that Paige might get more of an
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A Wolf at Her Door
audience than she wanted, he surveyed the area. They were on the second floor with a
view of a steep hillside leading down to a gully, and partitions separated their balcony
from those on either side. As a result, no one would be able to spy on her except him,
which suited him just fine.
A light went out. He turned back to the sliding glass door to see most of the room
shrouded in darkness now. Paige stood just outside the dim halo of light from the foyer.
She wore a long silk kimono that seemed like it was too big for her. The sleeves hung
past her hands, but as she turned and walked toward the bed, he saw that the front was
just the right length. The robe trailed elegantly behind her like the train of a formal
gown. As she neared him, he caught glimpses of her legs, clad in thigh-high white
stockings, and the shoes… He nodded in appreciation. The committee had done well—
pointy white stilettos with a crisscross of slender straps. So high on her tip-toes, she
should have been wobbly, but she wasn’t. She was a vision of sexy grace that
mesmerized him.
Paige normally walked with a no-nonsense stride, with purpose and energy.
Now… He swallowed hard. She still moved with purpose, but it was a seductive
purpose. He was the object of her desire and she intended to take her time claiming
him. With each measured step, her hips shifted. One leg would come into view briefly,
drawing his attention to the vee where the belted kimono remained frustratingly closed.
Because he’d closed the glass door, he couldn’t hear anything, but he imagined the
whisper of the silk on the carpet as she walked.
She reached the balcony door and stood there. The moon shone down on her. She
stared out into the darkness, a half smile on her lips. Adam watched as she grasped the
handle and pushed the door open. A chilly night breeze caressed her, causing the robe
to mold itself to her body and his cock pulsed when her nipples went instantly erect. He
fisted his hands, anxious to rub those rosy tips, to feel the silk slip and slide over them.
And now the scent of her wafted to his nostrils.
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He closed his eyes to better concentrate on the aromas. Tonight, she smelled spicy
and a little dangerous. He detected cinnamon, storm clouds heavy with rain, and a tiny
bit of smoky firecracker.
She raised her arms to rest her hands on either side of the door frame. The sleeves
slipped down and Adam was disappointed to see she wasn’t wearing the gloves. The
minute he’d seen them at the store, he knew he needed to see her wearing them. He got
hard just thinking about her satin clad hands stroking him.
Turning away from the window, she reached for the belt on the kimono. With her
back to him, she let the sash fall and with a little shrug, bared her shoulders and upper
back. Adam took a deep breath. His eyes followed the artful drape of silk from the
crook of her elbow along the back of her corset. As she straightened her arms, the robe
fell farther, allowing him to view her all the way to the waist. Despite the chill in the air,
he started to sweat. His cock got even harder and when he realized how tense he was,
he forced the rest of his muscles to relax. He had no idea how he was going to resist
throwing open the screen and fucking her before the scenario was finished.
Then she let the robe fall to the floor.
Holy fuck.
Her waist was encircled by the lacy white garter belt, the straps of which stretched
over her sweet, plump ass down to mid thigh, where they held up her stockings. She
stood with one knee bent, shifting one butt cheek up. Again, he itched to squeeze that
plump flesh or run a thumb along the crease.
Movement drew his attention back up and he saw she now had the gloves. One of
them she flipped over her shoulder. The other she slipped her hand into. In no hurry
whatsoever, she pulled the satin up over her delicate wrist, her forearm, wiggling her
fingers inside and then smoothing the fabric free of wrinkles.
She was really putting on a show for him, and he was lapping it up.
She repeated the process with the other glove, but this time slowly turned. Adam
felt a slow heat pulse through his groin. He felt dizzy with lust, perhaps from lack of
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A Wolf at Her Door
oxygen, because she literally took his breath away. He’d always thought that was a
cliché, but tonight, he had to actually remind himself to suck in some air.
Sweating slightly even in the chilly night air, he took in the whole picture of Paige,
like a birthday present that he couldn’t wait to unwrap. Able now to see her front, he
couldn’t decide what part of her ensemble he liked the best. The frilly cups of her corset
only went up halfway exposing her rosy nipples and pushing her breasts so they
swelled into curves he longed to trace with his tongue. He let his eyes rove downward
again, over the smoothness of her stomach, the sexy garter belt, frilly panties, and
stockings, even the high heels they’d gone to so much trouble to obtain.
Man.
He wanted to fuck her.
Now.
Paige couldn’t see Adam, but she knew he was there in the shadows of the balcony.
Standing at the window, she sensed his predatory eyes on her. Every inch of her skin
prickled with awareness.
Last time, he had been the one in control, but tonight the tables had turned. She felt
like a goddess. Maybe this was what motivated women to take up exotic dancing. If so,
she could understand the allure. When she had let the robe slip to the floor it had been
such a rush. She’d never known power like this before. She sizzled with it.
Glancing down at the carpet, she silently thanked the trio of fairies for the sexy
kimono. They’d agreed she needed something to tease him with and had provided her
with the perfect vehicle for that. She turned back toward the window and slowly
crouched down to pick up the discarded robe. She was careful to keep her legs together
until the last moment, then smiling, she spread her thighs, but drew the silk up to block
the view.
A feral growl came from the balcony.
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As she rose to her feet again, she turned and tossed the kimono on the bed. Facing
away from him, she cupped her breasts, massaging and squeezing them, and even
though she faced away from him, he’d know what she was doing.
She let her head fall back as she plucked at her nipples. The gloves felt sinful
against her naked skin. She suddenly understood why people bought satin sheets.
Slowly, she skimmed her hands down her body, wishing they were Adam’s hands.
Over her belly, her thighs, back to her breasts. Although the open window let in the
night air, she was warm with anticipation.
Once again she turned toward the window. He was out there watching as she
circled her erect nipples with her index fingers. She imagined him with a greedy gleam
in his eyes, wanting to burst into the room and ravish her. His jeans would be way too
tight with the erection he’d be sporting. She wondered if he was rubbing it. Picturing
that in her mind, she let her hand wander down between her legs. Maybe he had it out
and was stroking himself right now, just like she was. She knew it was weird, but she
got off on that. She tapped her clit oh-so lightly as she brought up the image of Adam,
his hand wrapped around his cock. Desire pulsed through her lower body. Moisture
gathered. She shifted to lean back against the bed post. In her mind, Adam was moving
his hand up and down his shaft, watching her every move. Every stroke brought him
closer to climax. Paige was pretty close herself. She’d had doubts about playing with
herself in front of him, but it was actually a bit of a turn on.
She opened her eyes slightly and gasped when she saw he had come out of the
shadows. His face was taut, and although his pants were still buttoned, the large bulge
there told her how aroused he was.
They stared at each other for a long moment. Steam from his nostrils billowed in the
air. She knew he wouldn’t violate the sanctity of the scene without her permission, so
unable to tear her eyes away from his, she took one step toward the screen door, one
hand outstretched. He did the same and they both opened the door together.
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A moment later, his hand wrapped around the back of her neck and he bent to kiss
her. His mouth covered hers. He pulled her against him tightly. The ridge of his
erection pressed against her belly as he smeared more kisses over her cheek, to her ear,
down to her shoulder.
“Paige,” he said with a groan. His hands clutched her butt cheeks. “You’re too
damn sexy for your own good.”
He kissed her again, hard. His tongue invaded her mouth, thick and wet. Paige
pushed her hands between them and tried to open his jeans, but the buttons wouldn’t
cooperate.
Adam stepped back and ripped them open and then ripped the pants off, the rest of
his clothes, too. His cock stood erect, engorged and ready.
With eyes burning with lust, he took her hand and guided it to his erection. He was
so hot, so male. When she wrapped her fingers around it, his eyes darkened. When she
slid her hand down to the base and back up again, he sucked in a ragged breath.
“That feels so good,” he said roughly. “Harder.”
She almost obeyed, but didn’t. Tonight, she was in charge.
“I don’t think so,” she said. Taking her hands off him, she issued a command of her
own, “Get on the bed.”
Looking disappointed, frustrated and a little confused, he nonetheless did as she
asked. He settled himself in the middle of the bed and beckoned to her, but she shook
her head and suddenly struck by an idea, pulled the sash off the kimono. It wasn’t long
enough to span the width of the bed, so she tied it to the upper right bedpost, leaving
two long ends for each of his wrists.
“Oh ho, what’s this?” he asked.
“I think you know,” she said.
He looked at her, and for a moment she thought he was going to refuse, but he
didn’t. Wordlessly, he let her knot the silk around his wrists. When she was done, he
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flexed his muscles, testing the strength of the fabric. It held up well. He now lay
diagonally across the bed.
Paige smiled. “Good boy,” she said, reaching out and ruffling his hair. “You can
teach an old dog new tricks.”
“Very funny. And for your information, dogs are very different from wolves.”
“Oh? Do wolves not like their bellies scratched?” She crept to his side and dragged
her glove-clad fingers over his abs.
“I didn’t say that,” he said, his breath coming a bit faster.
“Maybe you shouldn’t say anything. Just lie there and let me do my thing.”
“As long as your thing includes your hands on my cock.”
He watched as she knelt between his legs. She started with his ankles, running her
hands along his calves. It was strange, not really being able to feel his skin through the
gloves, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. He shifted his hips slightly, obviously
wanting a more intimate caress. On her next upward stroke, she lifted his testicles with
her thumbs.
He shuddered. His eyes were glued to her hands as she cupped him, rolled the
small globes around gently. When she slid her grasp to the base of his penis, he let out a
gasping groan and his arms tensed above his head.
“You like that,” she said.
He gave a stiff nod. “Tighter,” he said.
She gripped him harder, twisting her hand as she stroked him. The intense look on
his face sent a flush of desire through her body. She loved how taut his muscles were—
his abs, his arms, even his jaw. He groaned as she moved her hand up and down,
fanning her fingers as she switched grips. His breath came faster when she squeezed the
head. His hands fisted when she caressed his balls again.
“God, Paige, that’s fantastic. Those gloves…”
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She smiled, brushing the backs of her knuckles against the underside of his cock. “I
have to admit that I like wearing these things. They make me feel naughty.”
Smoothing the gloves again, she gazed down at his body. He was so gorgeous, so
lean and muscular. His chiseled abdomen begged to be touched. She ran her hands over
his skin, brushing the tantalizing trail of hair there. Thicker hair beckoned on his chest.
She traced patterns with her fingertips through the mat of fur and around his flat
nipples. They rose up as she touched them and he groaned. Encouraged, she straddled
one of his thighs and rubbed herself on him.
“You’re soaked, Paige. I can feel how wet you are. It’s like you’re not wearing
anything.”
With a saucy grin, she stood up. “Wanna see why?”
Without waiting for an answer, she got rid of the shoes, stood up walked toward
the top of the bed, one foot on either side of his head. Right now he was getting a nice
glimpse of her split-crotch undies. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
“Fuck,” he swore. “Untie me.”
“Not yet.”
“Then come closer. I want to put my mouth on you.” His nostrils flared. His arm
muscles flexed.
Well, damn. She wanted that, too.
When she straddled him near his shoulders, he strained upward, but she stayed out
of reach for one long, teasing moment, and then shifted forward. Pleasure flooded her
at the touch of his tongue. Surrendering, yet demanding, she leaned toward him. He
lapped and sucked at her and she shuddered. She gripped the bedpost as he feasted
between her legs, scraping her inner thighs with his unshaven cheeks. Strong pulses of
sensation spread through her body, spiking when he latched onto her clit and sucked.
Shockingly, she came. He hadn’t been at it for two minutes, but an orgasm reared up
and claimed her.
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Panting, she drew back when it was over. Adam’s face was shiny with her juices.
His feral grin broadened when he growled, “Get back here. I’m not done.”
Her pussy still throbbed and tingled. Her heart raced, but she said, “No, I’m calling
the shots tonight.”
She slid down his body, purposely dragging her wet sex over his and shifting her
hips back and forth. Adam’s brows drew together and again she saw his fists tighten.
Veins stood out on his arms. With a wicked gleam in her eye, she tugged on each glove
and then cupped her breasts, circling the nipples with her fingertips. That wrenched a
frustrated groan from him.
“You’re killing me, Paige. Killing me.”
She played with her nipples some more, enjoying the zings of pleasure only slightly
less than the icy glint of desperation in Adam’s blue eyes. She slid one hand down her
stomach, over her mound. Although she’d just come, she massaged herself, intending to
tease him within an inch of insanity. His eyes flicked from her breasts to her crotch,
then up to her face. His forehead furrowed as he tried in vain to maneuver his cock so
he could thrust inside her. She wouldn’t let him.
“Paige, don’t push me too far. It’s almost the full moon.”
“Oh?” She continued to rub herself on his cock. “What does that mean?”
“It means that…” He frowned. “I might have some trouble controlling myself.”
“You did fine last night.”
“And we’re now twenty-four hours closer.”
Her lips curved upward. “I trust you,” she said simply.
She leaned forward and kissed him, combing her fingers through his hair, and he
struggled against the silk sash, groaning. His tongue filled her mouth over and over
causing her pussy to pulsate in sync. God, she was dying to feel him shove that thick
rod into her deep and hard, but even though he’d warned her, something perverse in
her wanted to see how far she could push him before he broke. She didn’t think it
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would be much longer. Still kissing him, she ran her hands up his arms, letting the satin
slide over his skin, and rubbed her nipples against his chest. His entire body vibrated
with tension. His breath came in harsh pants as he thrust his hips up, grinding himself
against her in a desperate parody of the sex act.
Finally, he twisted his head, tore his mouth away.
“Damn it, Paige,” he burst out. “I’m done. Let me go or I’m going to snap this
bedpost.”
She realized immediately he’d reached his limit. Veins stood out in relief all over
his body and his nostrils flared. His skin was flushed and when she looked in his eyes,
she saw a wildness that she wasn’t going to mess with. It occurred to her that maybe
she’d gone too far.
Hurriedly, she leaned over him and pulled on the slip knot. He’d put so much
tension on it that she had to yank hard before it came loose all at once. Adam grunted
as, in one swift motion, he separated his wrists from each other. With the sash still
trailing from one arm, he flipped her onto her back. With all pretense of foreplay gone,
she spread her legs for him. Clearly, nothing was going to stop him from fucking her.
He wasted no time. Reaching between their bodies, he adjusted himself, found the
slit in her panties and shoved. Paige gasped as her body stretched to accommodate the
sudden invasion. It stung, but the burn felt good. He was finally inside her again.
Looking up, she saw his eyes were closed, his brow furrowed deeply. Like last
night, he seemed just out of her reach, feral and untamable. It made her wonder, when
he changed did he retain self-awareness as a man? Or was he all wolf? Did he stay in
his house during the full moon or rove free?
Paige ignored the questions in her head. Adam’s thick cock was filling her again
and again, each thrust bringing her closer to climax. He seemed to have overcome his
fear of hurting her. His hips slammed against her at a savage pace. One of her stockings
pulled loose from the garter belt with a snap. When he kissed her, their mouths ground
together hard.
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Suddenly, he stiffened, jerked out of her and came onto the sheets. She immediately
realized why—neither of them had remembered a condom. Groaning, gasping, he
spurted his hot fluid between her legs, leaving her achingly empty. Damn. If she’d
given him a Trojan, she could have been experiencing his orgasm right along with him.
He would still have been lodged deep inside her so she could feel all the long, straining
pulsations of his swollen cock. Instead, although he lay on top of her, a heavy, sweating,
panting weight, she felt distanced.
When he finally stirred, he nuzzled her neck and murmured in her ear. “I’m sorry,
nuk-nuk. I couldn’t help myself.”
With gentle hands, still wearing the gloves, she stroked his sweaty back. “Don’t
worry about it. I came before and you needed this one more than I did.”
Considering how far she had pushed him, she was surprised he lasted as long as he
did. She hadn’t climaxed, but that didn’t bother her. For the past two days, he’d done
nothing but try to fulfill her wishes, her needs. The man deserved a little selfish
pleasure.
“If only you…”
“If only I what?” she said.
He shook his head. “Nothing. Never mind.”
She almost asked him again to explain, but he was sliding down her body, kissing
her skin as he went. When he got to her mound, he used his thumbs to widen the slit in
her panties and then slid his tongue between. She arched up at the pleasure. So warm,
so wet. He lapped at the juices, softly at first, just the way she liked it. He lavished her
with tender kisses and lazy, extravagant swipes of his tongue.
“Paige, you taste so goddamn good.”
His big hands rested on her inner thighs, keeping her legs open as he ate her. Once
again, she reveled in the sensations he seemed to stir so easily. She tangled her hands in
his hair, shifting her hips to meet his mouth. Each soft flick of his tongue built her need.
She moaned over and over until he started sucking. Then the moans turned to gasps
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and whimpers. He sealed his mouth over her clit and she was so ready, so on edge that
it took only a few sweet pulls to bring her home. She shuddered against his face, unable
to breathe as the pleasure wracked her body. Adam stayed with her, softly sucking until
the orgasm subsided and she let go of his head.
“I think you’ve spoiled me for any other man,” she said, still floating in the
aftermath. “I’m going to get myself another bracelet and wish for you to be my eternal
love slave.”
He kissed her mound, brushed it gently with his thumb, but didn’t laugh, didn’t
say anything. It made her wonder. Most likely, his silence meant nothing. The man’s
tongue was probably tired. But the insecure side of her wished she had just kept her
mouth shut. The easiest way to make a man run was to push things too fast and for
heaven’s sake, they’d only met a couple of days ago and already she’d arm-twisted him
into considering a long-term professional project with her. Now she was joking around
about eternity. How stupid was that? She had no idea where this relationship would
end up, but she’d never find out if she scared Adam off.
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Chapter Seven
A week and a half later, Adam waited for Paige outside another eating
establishment, but this time on business. He had approached his agent about the project
and James thought the idea had merit. He wanted them to mock up an example,
complete with photos, as a tool he could use to pitch the idea to publishers. Hence, this
scheduled meeting this morning at Rob’s Red Hots in Santa Barbara. He and Paige
planned to interview Rob, snap some shots, and of course, eat some of the popular hot
dogs.
As Adam waited, he analyzed the exterior of the restaurant, glanced at the sun and
thought about the best time of day to photograph it. He noticed some decorative lights
in a potted tree out front and wondered how it looked at night. Then he smelled her.
The breeze brought her scent to his nostrils, and it unnerved him how eager he
suddenly felt. Looking up, he saw her hurrying across the street. She wore her shearling
jacket and jeans and a little brown knit cap. Seeing her made him feel ridiculously
happy. During the seven days they’d been apart he had thought about her often, about
what they’d done together, and told himself he was just missing some incredible sex.
Before meeting Paige, it had been about two months since he’d been with a woman. But
seeing her now forced him to face the truth. Paige was more than a roll in the hay. How
much more remained to be seen. At the very least, if all went well, she’d be his partner
in the book deal. At the most? He shied away from that thought. He couldn’t risk
pursuing a serious relationship with her. It wouldn’t be fair to her because if she was
like most women, she’d harbor a hope for marriage, and marriage to non-shifter was
something he would never consider.
“Hey,” she said, breathlessly. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes bright.
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“Hey,” he replied, before taking her in his arms and giving her a kiss. She smiled
against his mouth and kissed him back several times. Her scent was much more intense
now that he was tasting her, too. He’d only meant to greet her, but now that she was
pressed against him, he couldn’t let her go. His body had been on a Paige diet and now
it wanted to go on a binge.
“Ahem.”
As Paige jumped away from him, wiping her mouth guiltily, Adam saw an older
man with a pot-belly and a handlebar moustache standing there with an indulgent grin
on his face.
“Rob!” Paige said with a glance at Adam. “We were just…er…”
Rob chuckled. “Hey, I’m not so old that I don’t remember what kissing looks like.
I’m Rob Walsky.”
“Adam Jaeger.” They shook hands. “Good to meet you.”
Rob unlocked the door to his restaurant. “Nice to see you again, Paige. You get here
this time without wrecking your car?”
Paige scoffed. “Oh, you keep that up and you’re going to make me regret that I
wore this…!” She opened her jacket to reveal a pink t-shirt with the restaurant logo on
it.
“You still have it,” Rob exclaimed with pleasure.
“You bet I do,” she replied. “The mug too.”
“And I have your letter framed and hanging on my office wall,” Rob said.
Paige turned to Adam. “Three years ago, some jerk rear-ended me about a block
away from here. My entire trunk was bashed in, but he insisted it was my fault. Then,
when I was trying to call my insurance company, my hands were shaking so badly that
I dropped my cell phone in the storm drain.”
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“That’s where I came in,” Rob said, opening the door for them. Inside, he turned on
the lights. “The girl needed comfort food, and what’s more comforting than a chili
cheese dog?”
“Hmm…chili cheese fries?” Adam replied, having glanced at the menu board.
“You got that right. And a root beer float,” Paige added. “Don’t forget the root beer
float.”
Rob nodded sagely. “The trifecta of comfort food.”
“So, Rob noticed my tears and after he heard what had happened, not only did he
give me my meal on the house, he gave me the shirt, that mug, too.” Paige pointed to a
glass case by the register that displayed various merchandise with the Rob’s Red Hots
logo on it.
“So, you’re a softie, huh?” Adam said.
“Yeah, but don’t let it get around,” Rob replied.
“It’s too late for that, honey,” a voice said. “Everyone already knows.”
Adam looked up to see a woman enter with coffee for four in to-go cups and a box
of donuts. Rob introduced his apple-cheeked wife, Jill.
The four of them took seats at one of the tables. The restaurant was a modest place,
able to seat about fifty customers. The wooden chairs had seen better days, as had the
battered tables, but instead of looking worn out, they looked homey. The walls boasted
a few autographed pictures of celebrities, a framed dollar bill, and a poster on the
history of the hot dog.
“So, you two really want to put our place in a book?” Rob asked.
“We sure do,” Paige answered.
She then explained their idea and Adam jumped in to talk about the interest his
agent had in the project and their prospects for publication. They discussed what type
of photos Adam wanted to take for their proposal, and both Jill and Rob made
suggestions.
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“I just don’t want the food looking like crap,” Rob said. “Like those cheap shit
menu pictures you see sometimes. You know what I’m talking about?”
Adam nodded. “I know exactly what you mean, and no, it won’t look like that. I
think your idea of showing people actually enjoying the food is great. We’ll have to get
their authorization to use their pictures—”
“Use us,” Jill interrupted. “Take pictures of us.”
“Yeah, me too,” Paige piped in.
Adam looked at her in surprise.
“Hey, any excuse to eat a chili cheese dog,” she said with an unapologetic shrug.
An hour later, Adam was enjoying the novel experience of being able to
communicate with his subjects, actually giving them direction—not that they followed
it. They were busy alternately hamming it up for the camera like they were high fashion
models or indulging in the innuendo inherent in working with hot dogs. When Rob
tried to demonstrate how he could fit three-quarters of a hot dog in his mouth all at
once, Adam got several fantastic shots of the three of them with laughter shining on
their faces. In one, Jill and Paige had their arms around each other’s shoulders and their
heads tilted together. He thought that image perfectly portrayed the jolly affability of
Jill and Rob’s place. Simple food and good friends.
It occurred to him that this would be a good approach for the whole book. He and
Paige could interview the owners and the customers to find out the personality of the
restaurant, what made it unique. Then, his job would be to distill their responses and
translate that into images, a completely different approach to photography for him.
Instead of relying on happenstance, good reflexes and luck, he would be designing,
planning, orchestrating.
Adam switched out the memory cards in his digital camera. For the first time in a
great while, he felt excited about work. Photographing nature had sustained him for so
long. He used to relish capturing the pristine vistas of American wilderness and the
animals that made their homes there. There had always been another habitat he hadn’t
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explored, a creature he hadn’t caught on film. He’d ridden on the high of seeing his
work in poster shops and card shops, book stores, even on a postage stamp. But it had
been a while since a project had challenged him or stirred something besides mild
interest and a need to earn a paycheck. He had Paige to thank for that, perhaps in more
ways than one. He wondered if this book project was so appealing because she was
involved.
A peal of laughter drew his attention away from his camera. They had moved on
from hot dogs to root beer floats, and all three sported moustaches of light brown foam
on their lips.
“Adam, get a picture of this!” Rob called.
Adam pointed the lens at the trio and adjusted the zoom. “Hey, pardon my pun,
but something’s wrong with this picture. You three are eating hot dogs, swilling root
beer floats and here I am, doing all the work.”
“Poor baby,” Paige said with a grin. “Is your index finger getting tired?”
Adam chuckled.
“Don’t worry,” Paige said. “We’ll make sure you get fed.”
“All you can eat,” Rob assured him.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about,” Adam said, his mouth watering already. “Okay,
bash your mugs together, like you’re at Oktoberfest. Good. One more…excellent…”
Fifteen minutes later, as he sank his teeth into a chili cheese with everything but
onions, he mused that with a project like this one, the food sure as hell beat camping
rations out in the wilds. And when Paige agreed to stay over at his house, he realized
that he was going to enjoy the night much more, too.
* * * * *
Paige followed the directions to Adam’s house, a rustic abode tucked amongst the
Santa Ynez Mountains. It was situated on a significant plot of fenced land. The man
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obviously relished his privacy. She didn’t blame him. It wouldn’t do for the neighbors
to drop by for a cup of sugar while he was loping around on all fours.
It was dark when she arrived. She drove about a half mile down the private road
leading to his house. As she rounded a bend, she saw it, cozily illuminated. Two dogs
bounded toward the car as she parked, and Adam came out calling to them sharply,
slapping his hand against his thigh.
“Bella, Jinxy, come here, girls!”
The two mutts heeled immediately, but a feisty Chihuahua with a black leather
spiked collar peeled around the corner of the house a little late. Barking madly, he
ignored Adam and bounced around near Paige’s feet as she got out of the car. His tail
wagged back and forth like a windshield wiper on high.
“Rocky!”
Adam hustled over, but Paige had already scooped up the pint-sized watchdog.
Cradling him in the crook of her arm, she got her cheek covered with doggy kisses.
“This is Rocky?” she asked.
“Yeah, he likes to challenge dogs that are much bigger than he is. Don’t you, you
crazy mutt?” Adam extracted the dog from Paige’s arms, gave him a lighthearted
noogie and then put him down.
“Go on, go make dinner, boy,” he said, nudging the dog toward the house with his
foot.
Paige smiled up at Adam as he pulled her close. It felt so good to be back in his
arms. His lips were warm and welcoming as he kissed her hello and a shiver washed
over her that had nothing to do with the chilly air.
“Come inside,” he said. “You brought a bag, right?”
“Yes, but I have to hit the road tomorrow afternoon. I’ve got a nine-day road trip
planned down south.”
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Once inside, Adam herded the dogs into the kitchen and told them to stay, and each
retreated to its own bed against the wall. Paige supposed as the literal alpha male,
Adam could expect obedience.
As he gave her a tour, Paige discovered that his house was just like him—down to
earth and straightforward, good-looking, but comfortable. He had leather furniture, lots
of rustic wood, and photography on the walls, of course. She was intrigued to see a
harmonica displayed on a shelf and wondered if he played.
“Is this your family?” she asked, examining what appeared to be a fairly recent
group portrait hanging on a wall.
Adam brought her a glass of wine and looked at the picture. “Yes. That’s my dad,
my sisters Abby and Amy—they’re twins—and her husband, Tim. Then, that’s Alex on
the right there.”
“Twins. That’s cool. Do they run in the family?”
“Actually,” he said, “They run in the species. Werewolves usually have big
families.”
“Six isn’t that big,” she pointed out.
“No, you’re right. Our family was…different.”
“Oh? Your parents didn’t want a lot of kids?”
“No, there were just complications.”
“Sorry. I’m prying.”
“It’s all right. I just didn’t want to depress you. See, my twin, Adrian, didn’t make
it. Neither did Alex’s.”
“Oh, Adam. I’m so sorry.”
“It happens,” he said with a cheerless smile. “I don’t remember him. We were only
five weeks old when he died.”
“That’s so sad. And what about the A names? Do your parents have A names, too?”
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Adam chuckled. “Yeah. My dad loved that show, ‘The A Team’ and he thought it
would be great to have his own A Team. Mom just went along with it.”
Adam grilled some burgers and baked fries in the oven and they worked while they
ate. Paige told him about a list of eateries she’d made, organized by location.
“Obviously this list is far from being complete. I want you to feel free to add any
that you think should be included. We’re in this together.”
“As a matter of fact, I started a list of my own,” he said. “I’m interested to see if
there’s any overlap. Let’s set up our computers here on the table so we can share
information electronically.”
“Good idea.”
Seated next to him, Paige emailed him all the work she’d done so far and while he
perused it, she worked on the write-up of Rob’s. He made valuable suggestions that
made what she’d written much better. Then, when examining the photos from that day,
he actually consulted her and took her opinions into consideration. Not that she could
find much to criticize. His camera work was perfect. In fact, seeing the types of images
he’d captured earlier that day made her realize she’d been going about the tone of this
book all wrong. She’d been writing it straight, trying to make Rob’s sound important
somehow. As if a person would gain some sort of status by eating there, which, she
realized now, was ridiculous. Rob’s was Rob’s, nothing more, nothing less. Adam
understood that. The pictures he’d composed were, at the same time, beautiful and
refreshingly candid. She now wanted her writing to communicate the same type of
feeling.
Determined and redirected, she set about revising what she’d written, but it was
challenging. The fate of the entire project rested on this example. It needed to shine like
the Hope Diamond. After going over it umpteen times, considering each and every
word, she finally shared the newer version. As he read it, she tried not to fidget. She
was ridiculously hungry for his approval, so when he turned to her with a serious look
on his face, she quailed.
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“Paige,” he said, turning to rest an arm on the back of her chair, “this is fantastic. I
think you hit the nail on the head. It’s funny. It’s descriptive. It really makes me want to
go there and try a hot dog even though I was just there a few hours ago.”
And just like that, she went from anxious to ecstatic. Adam’s praise set off a happy
bomb inside her. Eager to get more work done, she proposed a tentative schedule for
visiting the other restaurants, but both agreed that proceeding too much farther without
a contract would be a waste of effort. After wrapping up the timetable, she returned to
her list of potential sites, referring to her work files to jog her memory. As she reviewed
which hotels she’d evaluated, it brought to mind the restaurants she visited while on
the job. She decided to give them provisional ratings just like the hotels. Places that got
a four out of five or above merited a return visit to see if they still lived up to her
memory of it, and to see if Adam concurred.
Before she knew it, three hours had gone by. It was almost midnight. She had
gotten a lot done, even if she’d gotten sidetracked a couple of times on the Internet,
searching for menus and places that might or might not have gone out of business. At
one point, Adam had brought her Oreos and tea, but now he was somewhere else.
Rubbing her eyes, which ached from staring at the computer for so long, she looked
around.
“Adam?” she called. “Where’d you go?”
She heard his steps as he made his way down a hallway. “I’m here,” he said. He
was barefoot and his hair was wet. His t-shirt had seen several years of wear and tear as
had his faded gray sweat pants.
“You finally calling it quits?” he asked.
Paige stood and stretched. “Yes. I can’t believe it’s after midnight. I had no idea it
was so late. Did you take a shower?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said with a sheepish smile. “I smelled a little like hot dogs.”
He turned her gently around and massaged her neck and shoulders. It felt
marvelous. Bit by bit her muscles relaxed and the tension melted away.
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“Did you get a lot done?” he asked.
“Mmm, can’t think now,” she said with a sigh. “In a trance.”
As he worked some more magic on her, he whispered in her ear, “If we go to the
bedroom, you can lay down. I’ll do your whole body and then, if you want to sleep,
that’s fine. Of if you want to play around a little with me, that’s more than fine, too.”
Just the thought of sex with him re-energized her. A warm flush of desire spread
between her legs. It didn’t matter that she had a long, tiring day ahead of her tomorrow.
She hadn’t been with Adam for a week and the idea of forgoing sex with him for
something as trivial as sleep seemed ridiculous.
She turned in his arms and pressed herself against him. He already had an erection,
which she rubbed with her hand.
“You know,” she said, “even though it was my wish that started all this, I was
thinking it would be nice not to have to complete an agenda item for a change.”
Adam’s hands slid down her sides and around to caress her bottom. “With an
agenda or without one—” he started to say, but the phone rang.
Adam frowned. So did Paige.
“Who could be calling at this hour?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Must be important though.”
He picked up a cordless phone from the sideboard and Paige heard a shrill
feminine voice on the other end. She couldn’t make out the words, but the person was
obviously very distraught.
After a moment, Adam frowned again.
“What?” He paused to listen and Paige saw him become agitated, and then angry.
“Hailey, of all the stupid—” He took a deep breath, and another, before speaking in a
calmer voice. “Hey, hey, I’m sorry. Stop crying. Just tell me where you are.” Pause.
“Did you call Damage Control?”
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Another pause as he headed into the kitchen and came back out with his keys.
“Okay, call them right after you hang up with me… No, I can’t promise you that, but I
will absolutely come and get you. What’s the address?” He grabbed a pen and paper
and scribbled the information. “Okay, I know that area. I can be there in twenty
minutes.”
“What’s wrong?” Paige asked when he hung up.
“My niece Hailey is in a little bit of trouble. She had a problem with her boyfriend. I
told her to call me if she ever needed a ride home.”
“How old is she?”
He gritted his teeth. “She’s twenty. I hope you don’t mind…”
“No, you absolutely have to go—”
“Damn it!” Adam stopped in his tracks. “I forgot that I have almost zero gas. I
knew I should have filled up before, but I wanted to clean up the house before you
came over.”
“This is not a problem. I’ll drive.”
“Thank you.” Adam grabbed her hand and led her swiftly to the front door where
he snatched her jacket off the coat rack. “This is better actually. If you’re driving, I can
read her the riot act without distraction. But drive fast. I told her twenty minutes, but
that’s stretching it.”
“What’s the hurry?” She took her jacket from him and put it on.
Adam grimaced. “She’s—she’s just very upset and I want to get there as soon as
possible,” he said, shrugging on his own coat.
Once they were on the road, Adam explained the situation.
“Hailey’s been seeing this guy she met at school for a month or so. They went to a
party tonight and, well, after a few drinks, she let it slip that she was a shifter.” Adam
stared out the passenger side window and blew out a breath. “He, of course, didn’t
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believe her at first, so she stubbornly tried to convince him. Eventually, he freaked out
and got angry. Cussed her out and took off.”
“Oh, poor thing.”
Adam shifted in his seat restlessly. “Not so poor thing. There are protocols for
Revealing that she totally ignored, not to mention the fact that she’s underage.”
He fell silent then, punching in the address on his GPS–equipped Blackberry.
When they arrived at the house, the party was obviously in still full swing. There
was no parking close by, so Paige dropped him off and drove around the block. When
she swung around for the second time, Adam was at the curb with his niece.
Although her make-up was smeared, Hailey was a beautiful girl. She wore low-
slung jeans, a couple of tight, layered tops, and some killer black boots. As Adam talked
to her with a hand on her shoulder, Hailey nodded and wiped tears off her cheeks.
They both got into the backseat. Paige pulled a pack of tissues out of the glove
compartment.
“Hailey, this is my friend Paige. Paige, this is my niece Hailey.”
“Nice to meet you,” Paige said, handing back the tissues.
“Thanks. Same here,” Hailey replied, wiping her face. “We’re going back to your
house, aren’t we?” she asked Adam.
Paige glanced in the rearview mirror to see Adam press his lips together in a tight
line.
“Please, Uncle Adam. I’m going to tell Mom and Dad, I promise, but just not
tonight.”
“Why not tonight?”
“It’s their anniversary. They’re having a romantic evening at home. I’m supposed to
be sleeping over at my friend Brittany’s house.”
Adam mumbled some choice curse words. “Right. I forgot. Nice timing there,
Hailey.”
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“I know. It’s a talent I have.” She gave a tentative sniffle laugh. “I already called
Britt to tell her I was going home with you. Where’s your car, Uncle Adam?”
“I didn’t have enough gas,” he explained. “Paige and I were working on a project–”
“At your house?”
The surprise in Hailey’s tone made Paige glance again toward the rearview mirror.
Adam crossed his arms.
“Yes,” he said curtly. “At my house.”
In the silence that followed, Paige wondered what the heck that was about. Did
Adam not have guests very often? Maybe he was more of a lone wolf than she’d
thought. Either way, she decided to drop the two of them off and go back home instead
of staying the night like she’d planned. He and his niece obviously needed time alone to
talk about the situation. When she got back to Adam’s, she would gather her computer,
files and overnight bag and take off.
As they got out of the car, the three dogs bounded up, tails wagging. Hailey
ignored them and tugged on Paige’s arm as Adam headed toward the house.
“You’re going to stick around, aren’t you?” she said in a low voice, darting glances
at her uncle. She had a pleading look on her face.
Paige frowned slightly. “I thought you and Adam would want some privacy.”
“No, please stay. If you’re here, he might not get so mad. Please,” she begged. “I’ll
owe you.”
Paige sighed. Hailey seemed like a good girl. She’d just screwed up. Paige had gone
through her share of youthful indiscretions. She recalled one memorable time when she
was a senior in high school. She and her boyfriend were parked in front of her house
making out. It had been raining so hard that neither of them had noticed her dad
approach the car until it was too late. Oh, there had been hell to pay that night, and boy,
she would have been so grateful for moral support.
“As long as it’s okay with Adam…”
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Hailey hugged her spontaneously. “Oh, I love you! Thank you, thank you.”
“Are you two coming inside or what?” Standing at the front door, he looked
exasperated.
“We’re coming,” Paige assured him.
A few minutes later, she was puttering around the kitchen making tea and digging
up the rest of the Oreos. Adam and Hailey sat at the kitchen table.
“So, did you call Damage Control like I told you to?” Adam asked.
Hailey paused. “Does Paige…? I mean, is it okay to…?”
“She knows about us, yes.”
Hailey’s eyebrows shot up practically to her hairline. Paige gave her a lopsided
smile and shrugged.
“It’s a long story that we’re not going to get into now,” Adam said with a sigh.
“Suffice to say, Paige is cleared. Now, did you call Damage Control or not?”
“Yes,” Hailey replied. “The guy came before you got there. It’s being taken care of.
There’s a slight chance Chris might not remember what happened—”
“Because he was drunk?” Adam asked, disapproval heavy in his tone.
“It was only beer,” Hailey said in a small voice.
“Believe me, I know,” he said. “I can smell it on your breath. How drunk was he?”
“I don’t know. Enough so that they’re going to purge him anyway just to be safe.”
“That’s standard. And how much did you drink? Did you completely forget about
protocol? You don’t Reveal under the influence. Period.”
“I know. I see that now.”
“Not to mention the fact that you’re under age, for drinking and Revealing!”
“I’m sorry, Uncle Adam! I wouldn’t have Revealed if I hadn’t had those beers, I
swear. It was stupid and wrong and it won’t happen again. I promise.”
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“You bet your ass it won’t. Because if it does, I swear to God… Oh, Jesus. Come on
now, stop crying. Shit.”
As Adam awkwardly tried to comfort his niece, Paige hurried over with cookies
and chamomile. “Here, this should help, nuk-nuk,” she said softly.
Hailey gave her a strange look, but took a napkin and blew her nose while Paige
started rubbing Adam’s shoulders in an effort to soothe him. Sighing, he turned his
head and gave her a half-smile.
“Did you even run a background check on him?” he asked in a softer tone.
“N-no. I wasn’t planning on Revealing.” Hailey sniffled.
“Damn right. You’ve only known him a month.”
“No,” she protested. “I’ve known him for three months. We’ve only been dating for
one.”
Adam scoffed. “A month. That’s no time at all.”
“How long have you and Paige been going out, then?” Hailey asked.
“That’s different. We’re adults.”
“Uncle Adam, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m an adult.”
“Barely,” he said.
“And you didn’t answer my question.”
Paige sat down. “You know, Hailey, our situation is unusual. We are seeing each
other, but he didn’t…Reveal himself to me. I knew about it before we met.”
She explained about the wish bracelets and Davina. Hailey seemed to take this in
stride. As a werewolf, she’d probably grown up in a world where magic was
commonplace.
“But, regardless, you guys are obviously serious.”
“Obviously?” Paige said.
Adam sputtered into his tea, but before he could utter a word Hailey said, “Yeah, I
mean, you’re here at his house, aren’t you? He never invites women to his house.”
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“It’s too remote,” he said.
“Baloney,” Hailey said. “We don’t call it the Citadel for nothing.”
“Who calls it the Citadel?” Adam demanded.
“Everyone. The family.”
“First I’ve heard of it,” Adam grumbled, getting up to bring his mug to the sink
even though it was still half full.
“And he calls you nuk-nuk,” Hailey said to Paige.
“How did you know that?” Paige asked.
“Well, you called me that just now, which by the way is a little weird, but you
probably didn’t know that. Girls don’t call each other nuk-nuk unless they’re gay.”
“Oh, sorry,” Paige said. “I thought it was just a general term of endearment, like
sweetie or honey.”
“No, it’s actually kind of specific. Guys only use it when—”
Adam cleared his throat. Loudly. “Let’s get back to the matter at hand,” he said.
“Hailey, I’ve decided to let you stay here tonight, but in the morning I’m taking you
home and you’re going to explain to your parents.”
“You know, technically, I don’t have to tell them anything.”
“Yeah, but even though Damage Control isn’t obligated to notify them anymore,
you still live under their roof.”
“I already said I’d tell them,” Hailey muttered. “It’s just…I know what they’re
going to say. ‘True love breeds true’. Blah blah blah. But just because they’re two fulls
doesn’t mean that’s the only way. I know it didn’t work out for your parents, Uncle
Adam, but look at Aunt Amy and Uncle Tim. They’re happy, aren’t they? If true love
only bred true, there wouldn’t be protocol in the first place.”
“Hey, I’m not disagreeing with you,” Adam said. “Every couple is different. But
don’t thumb your nose at tradition just because it’s tradition. There’s wisdom in
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marrying someone of your own kind, especially when our kind is so fundamentally
different. You have more in common that way.”
Hailey slumped in her chair and sighed. “Yeah, I know. But Chris and I do have a
lot in common. Or, at least, we did…”
Tears welled in Hailey’s eyes again. When Adam got a pained look on his face,
Paige decided to step in.
“Oh, you still do,” she said. “It’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings, right? You said
they’re going to purge him. What the heck does that mean? Sounds nasty.”
Adam cleared the cookie plate and the rest of the mugs. “The official term is
memory purge. It’s like in that movie, Men in Black, where memories get erased or
replaced, only this is real. In Chris’s case, because he was inebriated, they’ll probably
just leave a blank.”
“So, tomorrow,” Paige said to Hailey, “he’ll just assume he had too much to drink.
All you have to do is explain that you got your own ride home because he’d passed
out.”
“Yeah, I guess. But I don’t know how far back in his memory they’re going to go.”
“It shouldn’t be hard to find out. You can just ask Chris.” Paige cocked her head
and pretended she was Hailey. “‘Chris, you were really plastered last night. Do you
remember anything that happened?’”
“Oh,” Hailey said, perking up. “That’s good. That’s exactly what I’ll say.”
As Hailey and Paige smiled at each other, Adam cleared his throat. “Well, I hope
you learned something tonight.”
“Oh, I did. Believe me.”
“Okay. You can sleep in the front bedroom,” Adam said.
“Thanks, Uncle Adam. I love you.” Hailey stood up and hugged him. “You too,
Paige. Thanks a lot. Thanks for everything.”
Paige got a hug of her own that made her wish she had a niece.
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After Hailey had gone, Adam covered his face with his hands and heaved a sigh.
“Holy shit, I’m exhausted. All that crying…” He sighed again. “Shit.”
“You were wonderful. If you ever have children of your own, you’ll be a great
father.”
He got a pained look on his face. “I don’t know if I could handle it. Not if they cry
like that all the time.”
He smiled at her, and God, it turned her heart over. This was happening too fast.
She knew she was falling in love with him, even if falling wasn’t a strong enough word.
It was more like bungee jumping.
But the trouble with bungee jumping was eventually you got yanked back up.
Telling herself to slow down didn’t help. Her feelings went barreling on ahead
heedlessly and there didn’t seem to be any brakes on them whatsoever. Hopefully all
that was ahead was a nice, romantic sunset, but with her luck she’d just crash and burn.
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Chapter Eight
As he led Paige down the hall to his bedroom—on the opposite side of the house
from where Hailey was sleeping—Adam felt anxious. His niece’s observation that he
rarely invited women to his house was accurate. He was more territorial than he cared
to admit. His home was his sanctuary, a place where he could relax and be himself, wolf
or man, and when women came over, it always felt like an invasion of privacy. And yet
oddly enough, before Paige had arrived tonight, he’d been eager for her to meet the
dogs, to relax at his table and eat with him, and most of all, to get naked with him in his
bed. His bed, not some impersonal mattress where countless other people had slept.
But now, as she was looking around his inner sanctum, he found himself hoping
she’d approve. A ceiling fan gently circulated the air. Across from the bed a huge flat
screen TV hung on the wall. Nothing like a Sunday morning with ESPN on big and
loud while he lazed in bed with the paper. The bed itself sat unusually low to the floor,
the king-sized mattress at knee-level. An overstuffed down comforter covered the top,
along with a dozen or so pillows in various shades of forest green and brown. He didn’t
usually sleep there in wolf form and didn’t particularly relish the idea that it was
reminiscent of a doggy bed, but he liked what he liked and wouldn’t apologize for it.
Paige took her shoes off and wiggled her toes in the plush carpeting. “This is really
nice.”
Satisfaction spread over him in a warm wave. “I’m glad you like it,” he said lamely.
Nodding her head toward the bathroom, she said, “I’ll just…get ready.”
He smiled as he unbuttoned his shirt. “Be my guest.”
By the time she came back out, he’d ditched the pillows, undressed, and gotten
between the sheets. She was wearing a slinky little baby doll, black this time, not white.
It fastened in the front with red bows and as she walked he caught tantalizing glimpses
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of her skin beneath. Her panties were black with red bows too, tied at her hips. Just like
that, he forgot all about Hailey and his bedroom décor.
“Did you go lingerie shopping without me?” he asked as she got into bed.
“Do you like it?”
“Oh, yeah.” He cupped a breast, rubbing the peak with his thumb. “I like it a lot.”
“You know what I like a lot?” she asked, closing her eyes as he caressed her.
“Besides this?” he asked, pinching her nipple and nuzzling her neck.
“That feels so good. Yes, besides that.” She tangled her legs with his. “I like these
sheets. They’re so slippery, even if they’re slightly smarmy in a bachelor-pad sort of
way. I’d accuse you of having a playboy lair, but Hailey said that you rarely have
guests.”
“A playboy lair.” He chuckled. “That’s me all over. Out to lure unsuspecting
women into a night of debauchery, after which I kick them to the curb.”
She laughed softly and shook her head. “You are so not a curb kicker. You’re like
Rob. You might like to believe you’re a hard ass, but you’re actually a big softie.”
“Big? Hell, yes,” he said with a grin, rubbing his erection against her thigh, “but
watch who you’re calling soft.”
“Okay, so part of you is hard.” She grasped him in her hand and squeezed. “Really
hard.”
“Got that right.”
“But you’re soft-hearted. Otherwise your niece’s tears wouldn’t tear you up inside.”
Not particularly in the mood to discuss Hailey or his soft heart, he bent his head
and brushed his lips against her breast, flicked his tongue against the tip. That got her
back on track. She tangled her hands in his hair and moaned. God, those throaty moans
of hers nailed him right in the balls. His cock ached as he closed his mouth on her, right
over the black satin. Her grip on his hair tightened. He sucked harder, slid a hand down
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over her waist and hip, around her ass so he could pull her close to him and give her
other breast some attention.
“God, Adam, this week felt like forever.”
He agreed, but didn’t say so. His mouth was busy as he kissed his way along the
neckline of her top. He kissed the spaces between the bows, pausing each time to lick
her naked skin. Oh, yeah. No lotion. No perfume. Just unadulterated Paige. The closer
he got to her pussy, the less he noticed anything other than her pure essence. He
nuzzled her mound and inhaled deeply. The heady mix of aromas bombarded his
senses. He inhaled again, savoring all the nuances. Tonight she was dessert—salty
caramel, butter and pears, anise.
Nudging her legs apart, he settled himself between, and with a little
disappointment he discovered her undies weren’t the split-crotch type this time. Still,
access was easily gained.
He slid a finger under the very damp black satin, tracing her soft outer lips and
licking her. She shuddered and gave a low moan. He got himself another taste, and
another. With lingering strokes of his tongue he savored the pleasure of her tangy
flavor over and over while she shifted restlessly. He was feeling a little restless himself,
so he got rid of the underwear. Gazing down at the soft pink flesh of her pussy, he
sighed happily. This was heaven right in front of his face. He cupped her ass with his
hands and squeezed, tilted her before dabbing her clit with his tongue. She moaned.
“I love how you taste,” he said against her pussy. He took a long slow lick of her. “I
could smell you all during dinner and I kept thinking, to hell with hamburgers.”
“So, I’m better than hamburgers.” She gave a soft laugh. “I think that’s the most
romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
He nipped her mound gently. “You know it, baby. I could go on and on. I am Mr.
Romance. Your ass is like bread dough. I want to knead it all night.” She laughed, so he
went on. “And if I had a choice between watching you and watching…ESPN, I’d
definitely choose you.”
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Paige raised herself up on her elbows and laughed. “You silver-tongued
Casanova.”
“What can I say?” he said, grinning.
“Nothing. Don’t say anything and get back to what you were doing,” she said,
gesturing imperiously with her index finger.
Chuckling, he nuzzled her soft curls and inhaled more of that irresistible scent. It
was insane how good she smelled. He couldn’t get enough of her succulent fluid. He
sought it out as he explored every plump fold and crevice, lapping at her slit until his
cheeks and chin were slick.
Paige shuddered and caressed his head as he continued, teasing and torturing,
pushing her toward climax until at last she stiffened and let out a soft cry. He felt a
sharp ache in his groin as she came, her sweet, wet sex pulsing rhythmically against his
mouth, and he lapped up the nectar of her release, more intense now, rich with cocoa
and wood smoke. God, she tasted so good, he continued to lick her long after the last
spasms had disappeared. Gentle, feathery caresses of his tongue to soothe her and bring
her back down.
Finally, he raised his head.
Paige stroked his hair. “I want to take you in my mouth,” she said, her eyes half
closed.
As she sat up, his cock throbbed in agreement. Her hair was in sexy disarray now,
her nipples still mouth-wateringly erect. He snatched some pillows off the floor and
propped them under his head as she settled herself between his legs. At the first touch
of her mouth, Adam groaned.
Shit. His cock was on fire. The sight of her lips enveloping him, combined with that
wet heat, made him realize he needed a distraction or he was going to come in five
seconds flat. He fell back on a trick he used to use when he was younger, naming the
states in alphabetical order. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona…
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With one hand on the shaft, Paige swirled her tongue around the head. The way she
looked up at him, a smile sparkling in her eyes and her lips around his cock, sent a
surge of pleasure through his lower body. Adam concentrated harder.
Arkansas, California, Colo-fuckin’-rado…
Breathing hard, he watched her slide up and down his cock, obviously enjoying
herself. She licked the underside, sucked on the head, kissed and nibbled on his balls
until he couldn’t even remember what state he lived in, let alone which came after
Colorado. God help him, her technique wasn’t all that sophisticated. He’d been blown
by some very skilled women, women who could suck the peel off a banana, but hell,
there was something about this woman, Paige, that did it for him.
Adam put a hand on her head. The rhythm she had going was killing him. His
breath came hard as he struggled for control. Every muscle in his body tensed. She tried
to take him deeper and deeper with each downward stroke and when he felt his cock
hit the back of her throat, he gasped.
“Paige, stop.”
With one hand still gripping him, she looked at him, confused. “It’s okay, you
know. You can come in my mouth.”
Panting, he shook his head.
“Or,” she said, pulling her slinky top off and tossing it aside, “if you want, you can
come on me. I don’t mind.”
With a groan, he grabbed his cock and squeezed hard. His orgasm was right there.
Right there. His mind had supplied an image of himself coming on her breasts and he
almost lost it.
As tempting as the idea of giving her a “pearl necklace” was, he shook his head
again. He was determined to make the score 3-1 tonight in her favor.
“Come here,” he said, holding his arms out.
She smiled and climbed her way up his body.
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“Did I tell you how gorgeous you look?” He kissed her, dipping his tongue
between her lips briefly.
“I remember being compared to a hamburger…”
“Well, you look gorgeous tonight. If I had my camera right now I could snap a
hundred shots of you.”
She snorted and looked away. “I’m not a cover girl, Adam.”
“You could be. You’re very photogenic. You could easily be on the cover of Adam’s
Fantasy Females magazine.”
She laughed and her cheeks got pink. “Oh? How many issues of this magazine
would there be?”
“As many as you’d pose for.”
She looked at him thoughtfully. “Maybe later. Not tonight. Not now.”
“Hell, no, not now. But sometime. Definitely sometime.”
He palmed the back of her neck and pulled her down for another kiss. Their
mouths met and fused. His tongue slid against hers. God, the weight of her on top of
him felt good. He let his hand roam over her ass, her hips, her lower back as they
kissed.
He’d gotten control of his body back, thankfully. He was still desperate to fuck her,
but he was no longer on the brink of coming. If he wanted to stay that way, he had to
take control. As much as he wanted to watch her ride him to orgasm, he couldn’t let her
be on top.
Paige wondered if she could possibly be a selective nymphomaniac, addicted to sex
only with Adam. At the very least she was the human equivalent of Pavlov’s dog
experiment. Just watching him roll the condom on his cock made her pussy twitch in
anticipation of being filled by that thick pole again. It jutted from his body at an angle,
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long and thick, the ultimate symbol of his masculinity. And boy, did he know how to
use it.
His eyes appeared almost midnight blue as he moved over her and nestled his hips
between her legs. With his forearms on either side of her head, and his big body
covering hers, he took her mouth tenderly but thoroughly and an overwhelming sense
of protection settled over her. She felt cherished and loved and that was at the very least
premature, and at the most dangerous. After all, just a little while ago she’d heard him
tell Hailey that he believed in marrying someone of your own kind.
Mentally, Paige balked at the idea of marriage and Adam appearing in the same
thought. For God’s sake, no bungee jumping, she reminded herself. Enjoy the sex, but
hold those feelings in check.
Adam drew his head back and gazed down at her, concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“What?” she said, frowning. “Nothing.”
“You tensed up.”
“I did?” She made a conscious effort to smooth her expression and relax. “Sorry.
I’m good. I’m fine.”
He looked at her doubtfully, before kissing her cheek, then her forehead. The
feathery brushes of his lips against her skin made her shiver. As she caressed his back to
feel the play of his muscles as he moved, he reached down between them and adjusted
his cock so that it snuggled up to her pussy. With subtle shifts of his hips, he rocked
against her and she moved with him, enjoying the gentle pressure against her clit and
the flex of his butt.
Just when she was ready for more, he angled his hips so that the tip of his cock
nudged against her entrance. A soft cry escaped her mouth and she squeezed his ass,
but he didn’t push inside. Instead, he only allowed an inch or so of his cock to teasingly
enter her. Back and forth, just the head, over and over as he continued to kiss her. His
mouth took hers so thoroughly that she forgot about everything except the man making
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love to her. The reality of their situation, her anxiety over their book project, everything
faded into the background until only Adam remained.
Again he must have sensed her need because on the next stroke, he edged in
farther, and a little farther. Each leisurely thrust brought him deeper, as he penetrated
her bit by bit with his stiff cock. When he finally buried himself all the way inside, he
groaned.
Lifting his head, he caught her gaze. “You feel so good,” he said in a low voice. “So
tight, so wet.”
She stroked his flanks with her legs, looked into his midnight eyes. “Make it last,”
she murmured, caught up in the unhurried rhythm.
“Whatever you want, nuk-nuk,” he murmured, kissing her again.
And so it went on. Adam thrust into her for long minutes without demands,
without words. He brought her to a place where she registered only pleasure and the
soft repeated slap of their bodies sounded oddly comforting. Every so often he would
look into her eyes, his expression tender and unfathomable by turns, and deep in her
consciousness something like an ache materialized. So feeble was it that she barely
recognized its existence. Adam’s hypnotic invasion occupied her completely, yet that
unknown something grew stronger as the pace of their lovemaking increased. She
thought it was just the need to come, but as he upped the pace, thrusting harder and
faster, she realized that, although it was a need, it wasn’t about the sex. It was deeper
than that, more profound. She needed more than his body. She needed him, all of him,
because damn it, she was in love with the guy. She’d been trying to talk herself out of
loving him all night, but there was probably nothing more futile than attempting to
control who you fell in love with.
It shouldn’t have surprised her. Adam was the most amazing man she’d ever met.
There was so much about him that she loved and admired—his humor, his talent, his
ability to dedicate himself to anything, be it her pleasure or their book. He was even a
terrific uncle. And so far, only one thing hung on the other side of the balance scale.
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Unfortunately, being only half-human was a pretty big ticket item.
Words of love bubbled up inside her, demanding to be heard. She bit them back,
but it grew harder to hold them inside. Adam’s pace had increased. His skin gleamed
with sweat as he labored over her. His hips slapped against her thighs as he pounded
her, building the urgency, driving them both toward orgasm. He hooked an arm under
her knee and levered her leg up. The angle of entry allowed him to jab her G-spot, once,
twice, three times, and she climaxed. She arched up, her jaw clenched so she wouldn’t
blurt out that she loved him. The last time she’d told a man she loved him, she’d waited
two months, and even that had been too soon for him and he’d bolted.
Adam stiffened above her, grunting and shuddering as he came too. Paige held on
to him tightly. His heart was beating so hard. His breath came in great gusts.
I love you, she mouthed, her cheek pressed against his neck. I love you, Adam Jaeger.
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Chapter Nine
The next morning, wearing Adam’s robe, Paige searched his kitchen for coffee
makings. She’d just finished rummaging through the pantry when Hailey wandered in.
“Morning,” Hailey said. She wore her clothes from last night, but had scrubbed her
face clean of makeup.
“Morning,” Paige replied. “Do you know where your uncle keeps his coffee? If I
don’t get some soon it could get very ugly around here.”
Hailey laughed as she reached for a canister on the counter. “I know what you
mean. I was hooked at my very first sip. Is Uncle Adam still sleeping?”
“No. He’s in the shower.” Paige found some bagels in a bread box. Holding up the
bag, she said, “Want one?”
“Sure.”
A few minutes later, the two were sitting at the breakfast bar. They’d left the bagels
out for Adam, but both laughingly agreed that if he didn’t emerge before they were
ready for seconds on coffee, he might be out of luck.
“You know,” Hailey said, buttering her bagel, “I want to thank you again for your
help. I don’t know what came over me last night. I think it’s just that I like Chris so
much, and I think we could get really serious, but when you have a secret like mine, the
longer you keep it, the worse it seems when you finally tell.”
“That must be really hard. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live a double life
like that. Adam told me he loves it, but…” Paige shook her head, still unable to fathom
the realities of changing into an animal. “Do you feel the same way?”
“I didn’t at first. I actually hated it,” she said, “You know, we don’t start changing
until puberty.”
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“No, I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah. Imagine dealing with getting your period and the change.”
Paige grimaced. “That would suck.”
“You don’t know the half of it. ‘The Talk,’ for us girls, takes like eight hours,”
Hailey said, laughing. “See, female werewolves are prone to multiple births, so teenage
pregnancy is a bigger worry for us. And just to complicate matters a little more, we go
into heat for about a day or so every month, which means guys become inexplicably
attracted to us and come on really strong, and we get like incredibly, well…” Hailey
blushed.
“In the mood?” Paige suggested.
“Yeah,” Hailey said, nodding. “Super in the mood.”
Paige remembered how wacky her hormones had been when she was a teen and
could only imagine what it must have been like for Hailey.
“So,” Hailey went on, “I never felt like I fit in with everyone else. My friends would
get jealous of me when the boys paid so much attention. I had to go incommunicado
once a month during the change…” Hailey sighed. “For a while there I really hated
being a shifter. I complained about it all the time to my family, especially my parents.
After all, it was their fault I had to go through all that in the first place.”
“But you don’t feel that way anymore.” Paige took a bite of her bagel.
Hailey smiled. “No, not at all. In fact, Uncle Adam’s the one who turned my
attitude around.”
“How?”
Hailey smiled and told the story of how, when she was fourteen, her parents had
gotten fed up with her behavior. They packed her off for a summer with her very
patient, very wolf-minded uncle. Adam had trips planned for both Alaska and the
Galapagos Islands, and everyone except Hailey thought it would be a good idea for her
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go along as his assistant. She’d balked at first, objecting to being treated like a slave and
whining about her uncaring parents, but…
“I couldn’t keep it up for long,” Hailey said. “I’ve never met anyone who loves
being a wolf more than Uncle Adam. It was impossible not to, like, absorb how he felt
about going wolf. His enthusiasm was contagious.”
Hailey’s face glowed at the memory. “It sounds corny, but he showed me a whole
new world, made me realize what a gift it is to be a shifter. Away from civilization, in
wolf form, you just feel so much more alive. All your senses are cranked up full blast,
and you’re like…I don’t know…vibrating with instinct.”
“It sounds amazing. Too bad I couldn’t try it some time.”
“And I hear that when you’re with your mate…” A frown shadowed the young
girl’s face and she sighed.
“Hey, don’t worry,” Paige said. “Everything with Chris will work out.”
“I don’t know.” Hailey glanced toward the hallway. Lowering her voice, she said,
“Despite what I said last night, I know that my Aunt Amy and Uncle Tim are
exceptions to the rule. Mixed couples that make it are really rare. I don’t know why I
even try to date non-shifters.” She sipped her coffee. “But at least I’m the female. It
works better if the female is the shifter.”
Paige was about to ask why when Adam ambled in wearing jeans and a rust
colored long sleeved polo.
“Smells like bagels,” he declared, “Are there any left for me? I’m starving.”
The dogs trotted in and Adam grabbed a box of dog biscuits from the cupboard.
“In fact, these look pretty good,” he said. “They’re the teeth cleaning kind too.”
As he sniffed the doggie treat, Paige couldn’t help grimacing. Surely the man did
not munch on Milk Bones. She watched with morbid fascination as he opened his
mouth, but then he grinned at her and with a twinkle in his eye, he fed the biscuit to
Rocky.
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“You didn’t really think I was going to eat that, did you?” he asked in that gravelly
voice of his.
Her cheeks warm, Paige laughed. “Well, actually, I kind of did.”
“Oh, my God,” Hailey said, cracking up. “That was so funny! The look on your
face!”
* * * * *
The sun was a bright coin in the California clear blue sky. The air shimmered with
the clean crispness of an autumn morning, and Adam detected at least a dozen of his
favorite scents on the breeze, dry chaparral, laurel, and wildflowers among them. But
the one he focused on was that of Paige, walking next to him.
Hailey had gone home, and he and Paige were walking along a well-worn path that
led to Lake Cachuma. Scrub jays squawked and the dogs were darting back and forth,
foraging ahead and then doubling back to frisk at their feet.
“It’s so beautiful here,” Paige said. She peered up at him from beneath the brim of
the baseball cap he’d lent her. “I live in an apartment, and the nearest I get to nature is
the potted plant next to my door.”
“It’s easy to forget that civilization is only a few minutes away. That’s why I like it
here so much.”
“What lives in all these holes?” she asked, pointing to one of many on the side of
the path.
“Ground squirrels. They’re all over the place. Once in a while we see mule deer or
raccoons. Even the occasional coyote.”
“Deer? Really?”
“Sometimes they come right up to the house.”
“That’s amazing. I would have thought they might avoid your place because of the
wolf thing.”
“Nope.”
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About ten minutes later they arrived at one of his favorite spots. A creek emptied
here into the lake where the dogs drank almost every day. In the spring they usually
enjoyed a profusion of the bright yellow-orange California poppies, and his nieces and
nephews had spent many an hour on the tire swing that hung from the enormous oak
tree.
Right now, Bella and Jinxy were nowhere to be seen, but Rocky stood panting at the
lake’s edge. Paige went over, crouched and rubbed his tiny head.
“What are you looking at, boy? Huh?” she asked the Chihuahua.
“Fish,” Adam supplied. “I swear he’s part cat. He loves watching fish.”
Laughing, Paige returned to her conversation with his dog, telling him that he
needn’t feel embarrassed about his fish fetish and that there was nothing wrong with
being a little different.
Adam chuckled. She looked so cute in his hat, with the brim slightly askew, that he
pulled his camera off his shoulder and snapped a few candids. He got some of her and
Rocky from the back, then zoomed in on the bit of panty lace that was exposed.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you and your camera, mister,” she said, not taking her
eyes off the water. “Just don’t take any close ups. I’m not—Oh! A frog! Or a toad! Oh
my God!”
With that, she thrust one hand into the water, wetting Rocky, who started yipping.
The frog must have escaped, because Paige kept trying to catch it. So intent was she on
her task that she paid no attention to the algae water she was splashing all over the
place. Adam quickly adjusted his settings for action shots.
Click. Click. Click. He got pic after pic of her laughing as she and Rocky chased an
enormous toad through the shallows and up the creek. She was fearless in her pursuit,
scrambling over the rocks and shoving her hand between them into dark spaces that
even he would have been hard pressed to explore. When she finally caught the damn
thing, she turned and faced him, a triumphant grin on her face.
“We got him!” she announced, slime trailing down from her fingers and arms.
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“I see that,” he said, laughing, still snapping pictures. “What are you going to do
with him?”
“Heck! I don’t know!” she exclaimed. “What should we do with him, Rocky?”
Rocky leapt into the air over and over, barking like crazy.
“No, boy, sorry. We cannot have him for lunch.”
Carefully now, she made her way back to the lake, the fat amphibian clutched in
her hands. Rocky paused to shake off the water and then trotted over to where she was
gently releasing the frog into the water, a little too deep for Rocky to chase it without
swimming, and Adam knew Rocky wasn’t fond of the water. The tiny dog barked a
protest as the toad made his escape.
“Yeah, I know, little guy,” she said, washing the off the residual slime. “But even
though he probably tastes like chicken, I don’t think he would have been good for you.”
She wiped her hands on her jeans and stood up. “Well, that was fun. I haven’t done
that since I was a kid. And put that thing down already. You must have a zillion
pictures by now.”
“Aw, come on,” he protested. “Just a few more. You’re a natural. Besides, you’re
forgetting I need a cover shot for Adam’s Fantasy Females magazine.”
“Oh, well in that case…”
And through the viewfinder he saw her stick out her tongue and cross her eyes.
“Hey!” he said, laughing. “No making faces.”
“I wasn’t making a face,” she said with mock innocence. “That’s my normal
expression.”
He snickered. “Only when you’re coming.”
Pause…blink…explosion.
“What?” she shrieked as he finally lowered the camera. “I do not look like that
when I’m coming. You take that back!”
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“Yow!” He ducked to avoid the stick she’d thrown and then jogged away because
she was now running toward him with a bigger stick.
“I take it back!” he exclaimed, cracking up, ducking his head behind his arm. “I take
it back!”
She shook the stick menacingly, eyes narrowed, and then tossed it aside and
brushed her hands together. “Damn right,” she scoffed. “You’d better take it back.”
But then after a moment, she cocked her head and frowned at him. “I…I don’t
really look goofy like that during sex, do I?” she asked in a small voice.
“No! No, not at all, honey,” he said, chuckling. He slung the camera back over his
shoulder. “Come here.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I
was teasing you. That’s all. You look gorgeous during sex. Abso-fuckin’-lutely
gorgeous.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Really.”
And the smile that graced her face warmed him all over. A ridiculous sense of pride
rolled through him that he had put it there, and at that moment, he knew he’d do just
about anything to keep her smiling, and that scared him more than he wanted to admit.
All of a sudden he felt like his stomach was filled with rocks.
Some of what he was feeling must have shown on his face, because her smile faded
and she pulled away gently, and that made him feel even worse.
“Wow,” she said, “look how late it’s getting. I’d better get going. I have that
business trip I have yet to pack for.”
Adam stuck his hands in his pockets gloomily as they made their way back to the
house. With not much on his own schedule, he had half a mind to tag along for the
sequel of their Monterey interlude. She could do her rating thing during the day and
spend her nights with him. But the other half of his mind—the rational half—knew it
was best to get some distance from her, literally in this case. He needed the type of
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perspective that time apart could give him because the prospect of nine days without
her had him feeling uncomfortably hollow and he didn’t like it one bit.
Sighing, he mentally amended that thought. He wasn’t opposed to the feelings
themselves. He just resented the fact that he’d developed them so quickly. He’d only
met her a couple of weeks ago. That wasn’t love at first sight—and his mind shied away
from the L word—but it came too damn close for comfort, especially considering the
fact that she wasn’t a shifter.
As products of the same culture and heritage, two mated wolves naturally had
more things in common than mixed couples. Chief among them was the fact that when
the change came, they went through it together. In his previous relationships with
shifters, he’d relished the freedom of running through the wilderness with a female
partner, succumbing to instinct, blending in with nature instead of standing apart from
it. In addition, having grown up with it, they both understood the constant and inherent
secrecy of the shifter world. Leading a double life was second nature. Sure, humans
could adjust, but could Paige? Could he?
Earlier, when he’d defended the “true love breeds true” adage to Hailey, he hadn’t
been lying. He truly believed that. Opposites might attract, but those differences could
also divide. His own parents were proof of that. Adam had seen firsthand the
downward spiral a mixed marriage could take, and yet, here he was with Paige, a non-
shifter. A non-shifter that had made his life a confused jumble of fun, hot sex,
and…damn it, justifiable worries about the future. If this book project went through,
they were committed to a long-term collaboration. Sleeping with your work partner
could be fantastic, like it had been last night. But on the other hand, if the personal
relationship went sour, then wham—your work atmosphere turned to shit too.
But, bottom line, that didn’t matter. He wasn’t willing to break things off with her
yet. If it got to the point where he started considering marriage, well, he’d cross that
bridge when he came to it. Like Hailey had pointed out, Amy and Tim made it work,
and for all he knew, Paige could be a stronger woman than his mother was.
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There was no way to know.
So instead of suggesting they engage in another sex fest, this one nine days long, he
told her he’d take care of sending the proposal to his agent and he’d let her know as
soon as he heard back.
Then, when she finally drove away, waving her arm out the open window of her
car, he stood there bereft, like an abandoned puppy.
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Chapter Ten
Three days later, Paige got together with her close friend, Mariah. The World Poker
Tour was holding a tournament in Commerce, and serendipitously, her business trip
had brought her close enough for her to see Mariah’s husband, Tucker, in action. The
atmosphere had been electrifying. Paige enjoyed rooting for Tucker, aka Mr. Freeze. His
fans occasionally whisper-chanted “Freeze ‘em, freeze ‘em…” and Paige happily joined
in. Unfortunately, Tucker had busted out and wasn’t going on to the final table this
time.
But it didn’t seem to bother him. At the moment, he was cheerfully giving
autographs. At least, he was trying to give out autographs, but one intrepid female fan
had asked Tucker to sign the front of her t-shirt. Right across her boobs.
Taking the pen from her, Tucker chuckled. “I don’t mind signing your shirt, but
maybe someplace that’s a little less…” He trailed off.
“Oh, but I saved this spot especially for you, Mr. Freeze,” the woman said, arching
her back slightly. Her form-fitting top was indeed covered with other signatures.
“Well, that’s too bad, honey,” Mariah said, shouldering her way closer. “Back off.”
The woman rounded on her. “Hey, I’ve been waiting in line for a long time. Who
are you to tell me to back off?”
Eyes narrowed, Mariah said, “I’m Mrs. Freeze.” Her glare definitely registered at
about thirty below.
The two combatants battled silently for a few moments before the woman
presented her back to Tucker with a huff, where there was—surprise!—plenty of
autograph real estate. He signed his name and handed the marker back with a sheepish
grin. More fans jostled for their turn with Tucker, and Mariah stood guard, ready to
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take on any other bimbos looking to score. Luckily, no other predatory females came
forward.
“I wasn’t going to sign her front, you know,” Tucker said to Mariah a few minutes
later.
Paige smothered a laugh. He looked simultaneously petulant and mischievous.
“I know,” Mariah said. “I just never know when someone’s gonna make a grab for
your package or something like that.”
Paige gasped. “She wouldn’t have…”
Mariah slanted a look at her. “Believe me. Women have fondled his ass before and
it’s just a matter of time before someone decides to check out his other merchandise.”
“That’s outrageous,” Paige declared.
“It goes with the territory,” Tucker said with a shrug. “So, weren’t you two gonna
do spa junk together?”
Paige grinned. “Yes, we were. We’re getting pedicures. You want to come?” she
asked him.
Tucker laughed, waving his hands in front of him. “Not if you paid me. I’ll meet up
with you later for dinner.”
Fifteen minutes later, Paige and Mariah were sitting side by side in foot heaven. The
day spa in the hotel was an oasis of serenity. Lush potted plants, fountains, and
soothing music created an atmosphere that seemed out of place in a bustling
hotel/casino in the middle of Los Angeles.
“This feels so good, it has to be illegal.” Mariah closed her eyes blissfully. Hot sudsy
water swirled around their feet while they sipped complimentary iced tea.
“As long as they don’t arrest us before my polish is dry,” Paige replied.
Mariah laughed. “So what’s new?”
“Well,” Paige said, “I met Davina.”
Mariah squealed. “Oh my God! You met Davina? I love Davina!”
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“Awww, I love you, too, sweetie,” Davina said.
Paige and Mariah both turned to see the wish fairy amble over to join them. A spa
attendant set her up in an adjacent chair with her own foot bath.
“Davina, doll, what are you doing here?”
“I came first and foremost to get a pedicure and a massage,” Davina said, wiggling
her tootsies. “But I also wanted to get an update from Paige. I’m dying to know what’s
going on with Adam.”
“Who’s Adam?” Mariah turned to Davina. “Is he the guy you found for her wish?
Is he really a…a you know what?” She glanced around the busy salon.
Davina laughed. “Don’t worry. I fixed it so no one’s going to pay any attention to
us. Say whatever you want. And yes, he’s a werewolf.”
“Does he know about wishes and all that?” Mariah asked Paige. “Because if he
doesn’t, get out your cell phone and tell him now. I’m not kidding.”
Mariah proceeded to fill Paige in on exactly what had gone down with her own
wish. When she got near the end of the story, Davina thoughtfully provided video on a
small DVD player showing the climactic scenario in Las Vegas, a situation that could
have gone horribly awry if Tucker hadn’t been deeply in love with Mariah.
Paige shook her head. “Don’t worry. Adam went into this knowing. As a shifter,
he’s been part of the magical world, or whatever it’s called, since he was born.”
“What’s he do for a living?” Mariah asked.
“He’s a nature photographer. He’s the one who took that wolf photograph you see
everywhere. Self Portrait. The one where he’s staring at you from the woods.”
“No way,” Mariah exclaimed. “That’s him?”
“Yes. And get this, we’re going to be working together.”
“What?” Mariah arrowed a glance at Davina. “She’s still seeing him? What about
the twenty-four-hour restriction? How come it doesn’t apply to her? Not that I
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begrudge her anything. Believe me, of all people, I’d be ecstatic to see her with her own
HEA.”
“HEA?” Paige asked.
“Happily Ever After,” Mariah explained.
“It’s not a restriction, it’s a term of service,” Davina said. “For one twenty-four-hour
period, Paige was paired with the werewolf she wished for. We fulfilled our part of the
bargain and our responsibility toward them is over. Now, whether the two of them
choose to see each other after that is entirely up to them. One day probably would have
been enough for you and Tucker, but better safe than sorry, I always say. That’s why I
gave you two days.”
Mariah raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t give me two days. You used the extra day as
a bargaining chip so you could get chocolate!”
Davina waved a hand in the air. “That’s neither here nor there. We’re talking about
Adam and Paige right now.”
Mariah looked disgruntled, but she nodded her head in agreement. Turning back to
Paige, she said, “So, what did you mean ‘working together’? Is that a euphemism for
sex that I don’t know about?”
“No, we’re working on an idea I had.” And Paige gave Mariah a quick run-down
on the book project.
“I never knew you wanted to write a book,” Mariah said.
“I never really told anyone I wanted to write a book,” she half mumbled.
“But you told Adam,” Mariah pointed out.
Paige shifted in her seat and the water sloshed in the foot bath. “Yes.”
“Oh my God.” Mariah sat up slowly. “Davina, I think you’ve done it again.”
Davina smirked. “Genius is as genius does.”
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Mariah asked Paige.
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“I know it’s crazy but I think I am. No, actually,” she said, turning to Mariah. “I
know I am.” Paige tilted her head back to look at the ceiling and took a deep breath. “But
that’s the problem. I am so screwed.”
Mariah shook her head. “What do you mean? What’s the problem? Whatever it is,
Davina will work it out. That’s her job.”
“Well, yes and no,” Davina mumbled.
Mariah arched a brow. “What do you mean yes and no? What about Cupid of the
Month and all that?”
“Every case is different and it’s a long story. Suffice it to say that Paige is technically
off my docket.”
“Well, at least check their numbers,” Mariah said. “Let us know that much.”
Davina pressed a couple of buttons on her watch, then a couple more. She frowned.
“The numbers are a little too strange for me to project a reliable probability.”
Paige sighed. “Well, numbers or not, I know he’s really into me, but the jury’s still
out on the love thing. And they’re not even deliberating about the marriage thing.”
“You can’t blame me for hoping.”
“How can I blame you for hoping when I’m doing the same thing? I’m alternately
giddy with happiness because Adam is the most wonderful man I’ve ever met and
freaked out because of the whole Fur Factor. You know what I mean? Love is always a
dicey proposition, no guarantees. But throw in the fact that one of us spends at least one
day a month as a you-know-what…and that’s just a recipe for I don’t know what. And
he feels the same way!”
Paige pressed her fingers against her temples where a headache had begun to form.
Mariah sighed. “I so wish I’d brought some truffles with me.”
“You and me both,” Davina said with a wry smile.
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“To make matters worse,” Paige said, “I found out that there’s this saying they
have. ‘True love breeds true.’ I don’t know exactly what it means, but it has something
to do with mixed marriages not working out.”
“But you just said you weren’t thinking about marriage.”
“Well, I shouldn’t be, but I am. I can’t help it. I told you I’m screwed. What am I
going to do?”
Mariah got a determined look on her face. “I’ll tell you what you’re going to do.
You’re going to just take things one day at a time. That’s all you can do. All the
worrying in the world isn’t going to help. Admittedly, the Fur Factor is going to be a
challenge, but it might just be one of those things you have to learn to deal with, like me
and Tucker’s groupies. If Adam is Mr. Right, you do what you have to. Love conquers
all. Right, Davina?”
“Absolutely,” the wish fairy replied. But her voice lacked its usual conviction.
* * * * *
Later that night, Paige was pulled out of sleep by her cell phone. Adam’s
unmistakable gravelly voice came over the line.
“Hey,” he said.
Paige smiled, her eyes still closed. It was one o’clock in the morning. She should
have been irritated.
She wasn’t.
That’s what love did. It made a person irritation-proof.
“What’s up?” she asked. “Are you naked?” The delicious image of Adam, bare-
chested, reclining in that low bed of his entered her mind.
“Only half-naked.”
“Which half?”
His low chuckle sent a shiver through her. “I’m not telling.”
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“Fine. I’m hanging up.”
“If you do, you won’t hear my news.”
Her curiosity piqued, she asked, “What news?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Paige snuggled deeper under the covers, imagining him doing the same. “That’s
your news?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” he said again, “so I got up and checked my email. And…are you
sitting down?”
She laughed softly. “Adam. It’s two in the morning. I’m lying down.”
Then, “Oh my God,” she said. “Is it about the book? Is it book news?” She gripped
the phone tighter and sat up.
“As a matter of fact, it is,” he said. “We sold it, nuk-nuk. They want to publish our
book.”
“They want to publish it? Oh my God! I can’t believe it!”
Giddy elation exploded inside her. Ever since Adam had sent the proposal to his
agent, Paige had forced herself not to think about the book at all. It was stupid to get
her hopes up too high. After all, this was the first attempt she’d ever made at getting
published and it hadn’t even been a week yet. But the impossible had happened. The
project was a go! Suddenly, all the feelings she’d bottled up burst inside her. Tears
overflowed her eyes and she choked back a sob.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “Don’t tell me you’re crying.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you,” she said sniffling.
Adam gave a chuckling sigh.
“Just never mind about my crying. Tell me everything,” she said.
“James said they loved the idea and the mock-up we sent. They anticipate a May
release a year and a half from now so we can catch the summer travelers.”
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“A year and a half.” Sniffling, she blotted her tears with the sheet. “We can do it. Oh
my God. I’m still in shock.”
“I wish I were there to celebrate with you.”
And Paige wished that with all her might, too, but she figured her wish quota was
all used up by now. Meeting Adam in the first place was worth a thousand wishes
anyway. Ten thousand.
“When do you come home again?” he asked, sounding wistful.
“Tuesday afternoon.”
“That’s six whole days.” Paige pictured him making puppy-dog eyes. It made her
smile even though she missed him like crazy.
“Come to my place as soon as you can,” he said. “We’ll celebrate then. I’ll cook
something special. You’ve got three days off after that, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then plan on staying here at my place. We’ll get started on the book.”
“Okay.”
“So, I’m thinking a toothbrush and your computer. That should be all you need.”
“No clothes?”
He scoffed.
“Not even The Outfit?” she asked.
“Well, I suppose if you absolutely have to bring clothes, that’s acceptable.”
Paige laughed, thinking Tuesday couldn’t come fast enough. After hanging up, she
got the champagne out of the minibar. Even though Adam wasn’t with her, she needed
to celebrate! In fact, maybe the occasion even called for room service. She snatched up
the menu and was perusing it when someone knocked on the door. Considering the
hour, Paige frowned.
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“I’m so sorry to bother you this late, but I know you’re awake,” a feminine voice
said. “I’m here on behalf of the Universal Wish Federation to follow up on customer
satisfaction.”
“Customer satisfaction?” Paige said. She tried to get a look through the peephole,
but was a little too short to manage.
“Yes. My name is Gertrude Pomeroy. Here’s my identification.”
A card materialized at eye level on Paige’s side of the door. Instead of a
photograph, it displayed a live feed of the fairy waiting in the hallway. Dressed in a
tasteful beige suit, she was young and blonde with perfect white teeth and the type of
perky looks that could have landed her oodles of TV commercial spots if she hadn’t
been in the wish granting business.
“It’ll only take a few moments,” the fairy said. “The Federation occasionally likes to
check up on its representatives to see if they’re holding up minimum performance
standards.”
Paige opened the door and Gertrude swept into the room. She smelled like lemons.
Once they were both seated, the fairy produced a sleek pink and silver wand which she
extended toward Paige like a microphone.
“If you could just briefly tell me about your experience, please.”
“Oh, of course.” Paige said. “Davina was wonderful. She went above and beyond
the call of duty.”
Wanting to paint Davina in the best possible light, Paige launched into a glowing
description of how happy she was with the results of her wish, minus the intimate
details, of course. When she finished, Gertrude smiled.
“Excellent. Excellent. That’s just what we like to hear. Now, if you could just
explain a little bit more about how she went ‘above and beyond’.”
“Well, I say above and beyond because I guess she was off the clock or something,
but even so, she made sure I got what I needed.”
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“Which was…?”
“A pair of shoes.”
Paige did her best to explain what had happened, again without getting too
personal. Even though she wore that bureaucratic suit, from the way Gertrude nodded
and smiled, she understood the need for proper footwear.
“So, as you can see,” Paige finished up, “Davina really pulled out all the stops.
She’s a terrific fairy that totally deserves a promotion, or whatever it is you guys do
over there.”
“Thank you so very much.” Gertrude drew a circle with the wand and it
disappeared into thin air with a zipping noise. “You’ve been such an enormous help. I
can assure you that Davina will get everything she deserves.”
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Chapter Eleven
Davina was trying to organize her morning appointments when she got the
summons from her supervisor, Moxley. Damn it. This could only be bad. To his credit,
when her boss wanted to praise people, he came to them and spoke loudly so other
people overheard. When he needed to reprimand, he did it in private, so she girded
herself for an unpleasant meeting.
Moxley’s door was open, so Davina walked in.
“Good morning, sir,” she said with a hesitant smile.
Ever the gentleman, Moxley stood up. Like most fairies, his wardrobe spanned a
variety of eras. Not much went out of fashion in the fairy world and every fairy had his
or her favorite trends. Moxley leaned toward suits from the early nineteen hundreds,
yet wore his white hair in a distinctly Einstein inspired frizz. Paige herself had chosen a
full-skirted sage green dress with a wide black belt and a chunky beaded necklace.
“How are you, Davina?” he asked, gesturing for her to sit down.
Too fidgety to sit, she clasped her hands in front of her and rocked on her heels. Her
genuine fifties-era petticoat rustled slightly. “I’m pretty busy, sir.”
“Yes, you are. Maybe too busy,” he said, frowning. He took a seat behind his desk,
a beautiful gilded piece of Rococo furniture topped with Italian marble.
Davina didn’t reply.
“Have you been pulling back on your hours, like I told you? I admire your
dedication, but I do not want to see your name on the disability list.”
“No, sir. Me either, sir. I took an entire weekend recently.”
Moxley cleared his throat. “Ah, yes, that is, I’m afraid, what I called you in for.
While I’m glad you had some time off, how you spent it is a matter of concern.”
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He gestured with his fingers and a yellow slip of paper materialized in front of
Davina. She scanned it. Second disciplinary action. Unwarranted use of magic while
under the influence.
She quailed. They knew about the shoes. And the chocolate spree. How could they
have found out? She’d been off probation for a good three weeks, so the monitors
would have been revoked. That was one of the reasons she’d allowed herself the binge
in the first place. And Ruby and Maya were completely trustworthy. They would never
rat on her. But bottom line, it didn’t matter much how they found out.
“So, I’m on probation again,” she said, resigned.
Moxley nodded. “A month this time, the first half stripped.”
She flinched. Two weeks of no magic whatsoever except for work, which was sure
to be the fairy equivalent of peeling potatoes and scrubbing toilets. Gertie was going to
have a field day. Davina wouldn’t put it past the fairy to show up and gloat.
“This is effective midnight tomorrow, but that’s not all,” Moxley said.
Oh, what now? Davina thought miserably.
* * * * *
“I have good news and bad news,” Davina said to Paige.
Paige grinned and stepped aside to let Davina into her hotel room. She was still
three days away from finishing her business trip and counting the minutes until she
could see Adam again.
“I think I know what the good news is,” Paige said as they sat at the small table.
“I highly doubt that,” Davina replied. “If you did, you wouldn’t be smiling.” In
addition to a somber black knit dress, the fairy wore a strained expression.
“You mean you didn’t get a promotion?” Paige asked.
Davina looked confused. “Promotion?”
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“Yes. I thought that maybe after my customer service report that you might get
some kind of recognition…” Paige trailed off when Davina’s brows drew together.
“What customer service report?”
“A few days ago a fairy came by wanting me to describe my experience with you to
make sure you were living up to the minimum, or something like that. Anyway, I did
my best to make you sound like the best fairy they’ve ever had.”
Unfortunately, instead of the smile Paige expected, she saw Davina’s face harden.
Anxiety rippled through her stomach.
“You don’t happen to remember the fairy’s name, do you?”
“Gertrude Pomeroy.”
Davina launched herself off the sofa. “That bitch!” she hissed. “I should have
known she’d do something like this.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Gertie is a conniving, back-stabbing fairy who is out to sabotage my career. She
wasn’t conducting any customer service report. She was trying to dig up something that
she could use against me, and she succeeded. She not only got me put on probation
again, she screwed with you, too.” Davina balled her hands into fists. “I’ll get even with
her if it’s the last thing I do. No one interferes with the happiness of my humans and
gets away with it. No sirree. I’m going to make her sorry she was ever born. By the time
I’m done with her she’s going to wish she got a job collecting teeth!”
“Will you hold on a second?” Paige exclaimed. “Rewind and start from the
beginning. I have no idea what you’re talking about and I have a feeling I need to.”
Davina blinked. Her expression dissolved into that anxious mask again. “Look, the
truth is, I shouldn’t have given you those shoes that night. I was drunk on chocolate
and our contract was completed.” Davina took Paige’s hand. “But I did, and I’m so, so
sorry.”
“Hey, no big deal,” Paige said, frowning. “You can have the shoes back.”
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“No, kiddo. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.”
A shiver ran through Paige. “I didn’t think it was, actually.”
“I’m afraid your wish has been nullified.”
Paige stared at Davina, dread creeping around her heart with icy fingers. “What do
you mean nullified? Like cancelled?”
Davina nodded once. “They’re going to erase all memory of you from Adam’s mind
and you have to cut off all contact with him.”
“Oh my God. They’re going to purge him? No, no, no. That’s impossible. We’re
going to write a book together.” Panic flared. She leapt to her feet and snatched some
papers out of a folder. “Look! His agent finalized the deal yesterday. I’ve already signed
the contract. We have a release date and everything.”
Davina examined the papers and bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry, this doesn’t change
anything.”
Paige watched in disbelief as the papers dissolved and disappeared. “Stop it!” she
cried. “You can’t do this! I’m—I’m in love with him!”
“I’m sorry, Paige. I never meant for this to happen.” Davina’s eyes filled with tears
and that got Paige crying too.
“We’ll appeal,” Paige said, swiping at her eyes. “There must be some way to
appeal. That’s the good news you were talking about, right?”
“No. The only good news is that after one year, you can re-approach Adam, but it
would be like you were strangers. You’d have to start fresh. But, hey, if you clicked
once, you’ll click again, right?”
Paige couldn’t form a reply. This could not be happening.
“I’m sorry, Paige. I wish I could do something.”
Paige wouldn’t look at her. “No. You’ve done enough. I’d like to be alone now, if
you don’t mind.”
“Sure. I understand.”
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Paige sat unmoving as she watched Davina’s form trickle down into the chair
cushion like water going down the drain. As soon as she was sure the fairy was really
gone, Paige started to cry in earnest. It wasn’t fair. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but
they were taking Adam away from her. The pain of loss squeezed her so hard she was
having trouble getting enough air. She collapsed on the bed and soaked the comforter
with her tears. She even let herself howl, knowing that this particular hotel had
excellent soundproofed walls.
But eventually, she couldn’t cry any more. She ran out of tears. She just lay there
curled around a pillow, sniffling and miserably reliving every minute she and Adam
had spent together. Meeting him for the first time, expecting Grizzly Adams. The
Guess-What’s-in-My-Suitcase game they’d played. The wonderful day they’d spent
together at Rob’s Red Hots. And of course, the soul-deep connection she felt with him
when he was inside her. All of that was going to be snuffed out. For the next year she’d
have to suffocate the bright and startling love she felt for him, knowing that if she
approached him, he wouldn’t know her at all. The days of denial stretched out before
her like a prison sentence. She should have known it was too good to be true. Fairy tales
were shelved in the fiction section for a reason.
Except, Paige thought, in fairy tales, the girl often sat around waiting to be rescued.
One of them even slept, for God’s sake.
Well, screw that. Paige decided she wasn’t going to lie down quietly. Davina had
said Adam was going to get purged, like Hailey’s boyfriend, but she hadn’t specified
when.
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Chapter Twelve
“Hello, sir. Are you Adam Jaeger?”
A male fairy stood on Adam’s doorstep. He wore all black, wore several small silver
hoop earrings in his right ear and looked to be in his mid-twenties, but appearances
could be deceiving with fairies.
Adam nodded his head, unable to answer the question verbally. He’d completed
the shift to wolf form about three hours ago.
“My name is Carter Pfenning, license number 14-111.” He produced his
identification with a wave of his gray speckled wand. It hovered in front of Adam’s face
and looked authentic enough.
Adam let the man inside.
“I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
Adam’s first thought was that something had happened to Paige, but as Pfenning
produced a sheet of paper and showed it to Adam, he quickly realized what he was
looking at—a work order for a memory purge. All his memories of Paige were to be
erased. They wanted to eradicate her from his life completely. Tonight.
Adam stared at the fairy in disbelief. The man couldn’t be serious.
This had to be a mistake. He could think of no reason why he’d need to be purged
and unfortunately in wolf form he was in no condition to ask. But there was no way in
hell they were stealing Paige from him. Although her whimsical wish had brought them
together, there was nothing whimsical about what had developed between them. He
cared about her a lot.
Was it love? Hell. He had no idea. But even assuming it was love, he still had grave
doubts. Cross-species couples faced seriously scary obstacles and their relationship
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would have to be rock-strong to survive them. Did he and Paige have what it took?
Again, he wasn’t sure. But he damn well wanted the chance to find out himself.
“So this should only take a few minutes,” Pfenning said, pushing up his shirt
sleeves.
Unable to speak, Adam made a gruff sound, shaking his head vigorously.
Pfenning looked at Adam with a pained expression. “I know. No one ever wants to
be purged, but it’s better if we just get it over with.”
The fairy raised his wand and before Adam could move a muscle—zzzp! There was
a hissing noise and Adam collapsed to the floor, as if he were a puppet whose strings
had just been cut. Helpless, he lay awkwardly on his side.
“I never should have told Tonya I’d fill in for her,” the fairy muttered under his
breath as he studied the small card that had materialized in his hand.
His brow wrinkling, Pfenning touched his wand to Adam’s head. “Don’t worry,”
he said. “This shouldn’t hurt. At least, that’s what Tonya told me.”
Holy shit. Adam started to pant as panic gripped him. Pfenning didn’t even know
what he was doing.
Memory purges were usually routine, easily performed by low-level fairies, but the
complex interaction between the human mind and an animal body made the operation
much more dicey and required a high level of skill. So, in order to avoid nasty
psychological risks, they had banned memory purges on shifters in animal form.
Waiting until the moon had waned usually didn’t pose a problem, but Pfenning seemed
oblivious to this fact. Not only that, he was dead wrong. It did hurt. It hurt like hell.
Icy strands of magic slithered into his brain, searching for the memories that needed
to be erased. They streaked along his neurons like acid causing Adam to whimper
involuntarily. Pfenning winced but continued to work. Before long Adam’s entire head
was on fire. His heart was beating erratically and he was having trouble holding his
train of thought. He’d been trying to call up memories of Paige in an effort to combat
the magic, but it wasn’t working. He could feel the images and impressions slipping
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away. Not only that, but he also felt a disturbingly strong urge to attack the fairy. His
mouth watered at the thought of going right for his throat, sinking his fangs into his
flesh, and holding on until the life drained out of him.
Pfenning must have sensed something, because he looked Adam in the eye and
small beads of sweat broke out his forehead. Then, he blanched and said something, but
Adam understood only half of what he said. The rest was gibberish.
* * * * *
Paige drove from LA to Santa Barbara like a woman possessed. Luckily, she didn’t
get pulled over for speeding and there was no traffic at this time of night. If she got
there and Adam had already been purged, she didn’t know what she’d do. All she
knew was she had to try to see him one last time.
When she finally screeched to a halt in front of his house, she jumped out of the car,
but as she ran to his front door, she stumbled over an old tennis ball, obviously
belonging to one of the dogs.
“Damn it!” Pain lanced her ankle, but she ignored it.
She knocked on the door. There were lights on inside. She heard footsteps and then
the door opened.
“Laszlo?” Paige exclaimed in surprise. She almost didn’t recognize him without his
fedora. He was bald but had an interesting array of tattoos on his scalp. “What are you
doing here?” she asked. “Where’s Adam?”
“Paige.” Laszlo waved her inside impatiently. “Thank God you’re here.”
As he closed the door behind her, Paige shed her coat and hung it on the rack.
“Tell me what happened,” Paige said. “Did they—”
She stopped short at the sight of Davina standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She
was dressed in shabby jeans and a James Bond baby-doll t-shirt.
“Hi, Paige,” Davina said. “Yes, they purged him already. Or at least they tried to.”
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The stocky arbitrator looked grim. “That dumb ass, shit for brains fairy they sent…
I swear to God, I’m going to cut the guy’s balls off and feed ‘em to him raw.” He turned
to Davina. “His name is Carter Pfenning, license number fourteen, triple one, and if you
want that guy to keep his nuts, you’d better get to him first.”
“Oh, no. If I get to him first, I’ll hold him down until you get there,” Davina said.
“Can you please tell me what happened?” Paige pleaded.
Laszlo ran a hand over his scalp. “Bottom line—you’re not supposed to purge
shifters when they’re in animal form. It’s dangerous, but this guy apparently didn’t
know that and he was almost done by the time I got here.”
“Is Adam okay?” Paige asked.
“No,” Laszlo said. “Something’s wrong. Even though shifters can’t talk when
they’re animals, we can usually talk to them. But not this time. Adam doesn’t seem to
be aware of himself as a human. It’s like he’s stuck in there, smothered by the wolf.”
“Oh my God. What can we do?”
“We already put a call in,” Davina said, “but something huge is going down right
now and no one can come here until tomorrow morning.”
“What happened?” Paige asked.
Laszlo grimaced. “A video of a guy giving it to a female shifter as she went wolf
was circulated via a bestiality website. It got a disgustingly high number of hits in a
matter of hours. It seems like the entire Federation is scrambling.” Laszlo slid a hand
over his bald head. “God, sometimes I really hate the Internet.”
“So, where’s Adam? Can I see him?” Paige asked.
Davina looked uncomfortable. “Uh, we don’t know exactly where he is.”
* * * * *
The night was cold. A frigid wind whipped strands of Paige’s hair, stinging her face
as she scanned the darkness with the aid of a high beam flashlight. Her ankle still
ached, causing her to walk with a limp.
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Apparently, after the purge was over and Pfenning had released Adam from his
induced paralysis, the fairy made a hasty retreat. Adam had leapt to his feet, snarling.
He’d been so threatening, Davina and Laszlo locked themselves in the guest bathroom.
They only came out when they sensed he’d gone away. That had been forty-five
minutes ago and Adam hadn’t been seen since.
So, Davina, Paige and Laszlo had set out to search for him on foot. Davina’s
probation had already kicked in, so with no magic to aid them, they split up.
“Adam, where are you?” Paige called for the umpteenth time. “Come home. I need
you to come home!”
She pulled her coat collar up and fanned the light into the trees. Her lips were
chapped and her throat hurt from yelling into the wind, but she wasn’t giving up. She
took the same route she and Adam had taken to the lake. He’d mentioned walking
there almost daily with the dogs, so that seemed like a good a place to start her search,
but she was almost there with no sign of Adam.
A low growl came out of the darkness behind her. Quickly, she pointed the
flashlight toward the noise and the beam reflected off two eyes about ten yards away.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Adam. She knew what he looked like from his self-portrait. It
wasn’t even a wolf. It was smaller, with pointy ears—a coyote. And it was still
growling.
Paige froze. There was an outside chance she could make it to the oak tree if it
attacked, but she decided instead to go on the offensive. Maybe if she was threatening
enough, he’d look for more docile prey. Tightening her grip on the flashlight, she
brandished it as a weapon.
“Go away!” she shouted, waving the flashlight. “I’m too big for you.”
The animal balked, but then another coyote came into view. And another.
Paige’s heart started pounding. She was too big for one, but a pack was a different
story. If they worked together, they’d easily be able to take her down.
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Hoping to catch them by surprise, she suddenly bolted for the oak tree. Pain lanced
her ankle with every step, but she ran full bore. She prayed that everything she’d ever
read about adrenaline highs was true. As she approached, she saw that she’d never be
able to climb the trunk. It was too big around. Her only option was to shimmy up the
tire swing and hope she could get out of jumping range.
Flinging the flashlight aside so she could have both hands free, Paige leapt for the
tire. It swept forward with her momentum and threw her balance off. It was all she
could do not to fall off, let alone climb. But the coyotes were only seconds away.
With a desperate heave, she hoisted herself up onto the top of the tire, looking
down as it still swung back and forth from her initial jump. The leader missed nipping
her foot by inches. The rest of the animals tried to reach her too, yelping encouragement
to each other.
“Help!” she screamed as she kicked at them wildly. The tire was spinning in a
circle, making her slightly dizzy. “Help me, please!”
But it was hard to keep track of them all. There were at least half a dozen. Every
time one of them yelped, it sent a fresh burst of panic through her. They circled below
her and she didn’t doubt that they could reach her, but she knew that she didn’t have
the strength, adrenaline or not, to climb the thin rope to the branch. She had to make
her stand on the swing.
One of them jumped for her. She kicked at it, but missed. Almost immediately after,
another on the opposite side gave it a try, too, but she couldn’t switch feet fast enough
and the animal got hold of her shoe. She screamed and shook her leg frantically.
Suddenly, a silver and grey form caught her eye.
Adam!
He was both beautiful and fearsome, bigger than she’d expected. And fast. The
silver in his fur shone in the moonlight as, at top speed, he streaked toward the tree.
Hot on his heels were Adam’s dogs. Jinxy, Bella and even little Rocky charged into the
fray, heedlessly following their master.
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A distant voice shouted her name, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the
fight. Her heart in her throat, she watched Adam tackle one of the coyotes. They rolled
and tumbled in a snarling blur, moving too quickly for her to determine who was
winning. The other three dogs pulled their weight. They kept the other coyotes at bay,
darting forward and back with fierce barks and snarls.
The fight ended only a few seconds later. Intimidated, the coyotes fled, yelping as
they went and Adam’s dogs chased them a few feet before letting them go.
Although shocked by the speed and viciousness of the fight, Paige dropped to the
ground. She wanted to see if Adam was wounded—despite the full moon, it was hard
to tell. But clearly wary, he darted backward. His eyes flashed and a low growl came
from his throat.
Oh God, was he too far gone to recognize her?
“Adam? It’s m-me, Paige.” She held her hand out to him. Her heart thudded so
strongly in her chest, he could probably hear it. “Nod your head if you understand me.”
Laszlo’s voice rang out in the night. “Paige!”
Adam’s ears twitched. As the arbitrator approached, Adam growled.
“Stay back, Laszlo!” Paige exclaimed, waving a hand at him.
“Are you all right?” he asked, panting. “I heard you scream.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I had a run in with some coyotes, but Adam scared them away.”
Bella, Jinxy, and Rocky came to greet her, tails wagging. “You guys were great. You
saved my life,” she said, kneeling and hugging them as they licked her face.
A little while later, Davina joined them, having gotten directions from Laszlo over
the phone. Adam still hovered some distance away, watching warily. Paige felt
encouraged that he wasn’t taking off. She still didn’t know if he recognized her or not.
“I found out that all the other purges related to Adam and Paige have been
cancelled, including Adam’s niece,” Davina said.
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With everything that had happened, Paige hadn’t given a thought to anyone
besides herself and Adam, but it made sense now that she thought about it. Adam’s
agent, Rob and his wife Jill, and Hailey, of course, would have very strong memories of
the two of them.
Davina went on. “The best psych fairy I know—Chaz Monroe—is coming, but not
until morning. I told him what happened and he said he’s not sure how much he can
do. He said our best chance is for Paige to walk Adam through their time together,
moment by moment as soon as possible. Remind him what you did together, what you
said, what he said, everything you can remember so he can live it again. The idea is to
sort of replant the memories, or stir them up if they’re still in there.”
Paige nodded. “I can do that. I can definitely do that. Whatever it takes.”
Laszlo suggested that he and Davina stick around in case the coyotes came back,
but stay far enough away to give Paige and Adam some privacy.
“When Adam is himself again,” Laszlo explained, “he’s not going to appreciate the
two of us listening in on all the intimate details of your time together.”
Paige agreed. After Davina and Laszlo had taken up their separate posts, Paige
picked up Rocky, mostly for reassurance, and took a few steps toward Adam. “Hey, it’s
me, Paige,” she said, petting the Chihuahua’s head.
Adam merely stood there. She took another step toward him, and another. When
she got within ten feet, he dropped his tail and retreated, so she stopped. She’d hoped
to get closer, but as long as he was within ear shot, she supposed it didn’t matter.
“I’m not sure if you can understand what I’m saying,” she said, “and I’m not sure if
you remember me, but we’ve had a pretty amazing couple of weeks together…”
And so she began. Settling down on the ground cross-legged, Rocky in her lap and
the other two dogs nearby, she described the moment she saw Adam for the first time
on the street in front of the coffee shop. She confessed how she’d been afraid he’d look
like Sasquatch in clothes, but had been bowled over at how gorgeous he actually was.
She reminded him how that first touch had electrified them both, prompting them to
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hurry back to her hotel room to fulfill the wish. She even included every detail of their
time together in bed, as difficult as that was to voice out loud.
All the while, with no sign that he understood a word she was saying, Adam
watched her. Hopefully, he was listening.
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Chapter Thirteen
When Paige woke up in the morning, she couldn’t move. Every muscle in her body
was stiff and her face felt frozen. That’s what came of sleeping out in the open in the
middle of October. Sometime during the night, someone had draped a blanket over her.
But then, when she glanced down, she didn’t want to move.
Adam lay next to her, his head in her lap.
For a few moments, she sat still, just looking at him. He was so beautiful. His fur
was thick, shot with varying shades of gray and silver, and she longed to run her
fingers through it. He seemed so majestic, even asleep. Although his head was very
heavy and her legs were numb, she didn’t dare move a muscle. What would happen
when he woke up? The fact that he had trusted her enough to sleep next to her was a
good sign, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t run.
She was still trying to decide what to do when he opened his eyes. She tensed and
sent up a little prayer that her all night vigil had worked.
Then he lifted his head.
“Adam?” she whispered, her throat still raw.
With a soft huff, he rubbed his muzzle against her thigh. Hope flared.
“Oh my God. Nod if you understand me.”
Slowly, he sat up. Holding her gaze with those piercing blue eyes of his, he nodded.
“Oh my God!” she said again. “You’re going to hate me, but I have to cry.”
She threw her arms around his neck and promptly burst into tears.
“I was so afraid I lost you!” she sobbed into his fur. He rubbed his head against her
soothingly. All the pent-up fear and worry from the night before suddenly drained out
of her. All the doubts she had harbored about his animal nature disappeared. It didn’t
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matter anymore that he was a wolf with fangs and fur and four legs. He might look
different on the outside but she knew that inside he was Adam. Sexy, generous,
wonderful Adam, everything she’d ever dreamed of in a man and a heck of a lot more
she’d never expected.
She still had a stranglehold on him when Laszlo and Davina approached, followed
by a man Paige didn’t know. She assumed he was the psych fairy Davina had
mentioned last night. He wore a corduroy shirt, jeans and cowboy boots.
“Is he…?” Davina asked.
“Yes. He’s back,” Paige said, wiping her eyes. “He’s Adam again.”
Shrieking, Davina turned to Laszlo and planted a big kiss on his mouth. The surly
arbitrator jumped back in surprise. “Hey! Keep your lips to yourself,” he sputtered.
“Oh, shut up,” Davina said, smacking Laszlo on the chest with the back of her
hand. “You loved it.”
Adam huffed a laugh as Laszlo knelt and patted him on the shoulder.
“Welcome back, pal.”
Adam gave a wolfish smile and then nodded toward the man in cowboy boots who
inclined his head in greeting.
“Name’s Monroe. Chaz Monroe. I’m the cavalry Vina called, but it looks like you’ve
got things under control.”
“I’ll say!” Davina exclaimed. “This woman single-handedly pulled him back
from…from the brink of zoological madness!”
Paige gave a sniffly laugh. “I couldn’t have done anything if you hadn’t told us
what to do, Mr. Monroe.”
“Please, call me Chaz,” he said. “A lot of what I do is just common sense. When
Vina told me how much you two love each other I knew that all the boy probably
needed was a little coaxing by his woman.”
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Paige’s face heated and she glanced away. “Oh, I’m not…I mean, we…” She trailed
off, but Adam nosed her under the chin and growled softly.
Chaz smiled. “No use denying it. All the talking in the world last night wouldn’t
have made a lick of difference if the bond wasn’t there. Now, if you don’t mind,” he
said to Adam, “I’d like to get a look-see inside that noggin of yours. If anything’s gone
missing, I should be able to get it back. But why don’t we go back to the house where
it’s comfortable and have some breakfast first? There’s no reason to skip the most
important meal of the day.”
A couple of hours later, Paige and Adam sat on the foot of Adam’s bed. Chaz sat in
an armchair facing them. They had come to the bedroom because Chaz had warned
them the process could be exhausting, especially when compounded by the previous
sleepless night.
“Paige, just so you know, I may have to delve into your head, too. If I do, it doesn’t
hurt, but it does feel a little uncomfortable.”
When the fairy pulled out a gray speckled wand, Adam bared his teeth and his
hackles went up.
“Sorry, amigo,” Chaz said. “I know this is the wand that did the deed, but it’s
exactly what I might need to use.”
As Chaz laid one palm on Adam’s head, Paige put a reassuring arm around his
shoulders. He was tense and she didn’t blame him. The thought of Chaz messing
around in her brain gave her the willies and this was Adam’s second time. A moment
or two passed before, frowning slightly, Chaz touched the wand to Adam’s brow.
Adam raised his hindquarters halfway and growled. When the growl turned into a
whine, Paige knocked the wand away.
“Paige, relax,” Chaz said. “We’re fine. Trust me.”
Adam gave a short yip of agreement and bent his head and Chaz began again.
Paige watched anxiously until at last he beckoned for her to lean forward. Filled
with trepidation, she did so, trying not to flinch when Chaz’s warm hand covered her
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forehead. But, he was right. There was no pain, only an invasive sort of itching. She
forced herself to relax in the hopes that Chaz might get done faster if she didn’t fight
him. When she did, the most amazing thing happened. A trickle of memories began to
flow between her and Adam. Somehow she was reliving individual moments as herself,
but also as Adam, in both points of view with all the sensations and emotions. As the
minutes passed, the trickle became a stream and the discomfort faded to the
background. By the time Chaz sat back, Paige’s head was whirling from the intense
interplay and she was exhausted. She barely registered Chaz’s departure before she
drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
* * * * *
About four in the afternoon, a scraping noise woke Adam up. Someone had pushed
a paper under the door. Careful not to wake Paige, he left the bed to see a note from
Davina.
Adam, I need to talk to you. It’s important.
He rose up on his hind legs, worked the lever to open the door, then nosed it open.
The house was quiet. Bella and Jinxy slept, crowded on their favorite armchair in the
living room where he also found Davina sitting on the couch with Rocky in her lap.
Lazlo looked up from a book he was reading. He sat in another chair across from
Davina.
She smiled at Adam. “Hey, that was fast.”
He padded over and rubbed his muzzle against her knee, nodded at Laszlo.
“The Federation wants to extend its sincere apologies to you for what happened.
Your family is very concerned, to put it mildly.”
Laszlo snorted. “They’re raising holy hell, is what they’re doing.”
Adam huffed. Rightly so. The Federation was liable for gross negligence and
reckless endangerment. They were damn lucky that Paige had been able to bring him
back.
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“So,” Davina went on, “Laszlo and I have been talking, and if you like, the
Federation will transport your mom and dad, sisters and brothers from wherever they
live to come see you. That way no one has to deal with airfare and all that stuff.”
Adam nodded.
“Also, as compensation for the pain and suffering you endured, the Federation
would like to grant you a wish.”
Adam cocked his head. Interesting.
“The papers look sound to me, my friend,” Laszlo said, leaning forward, elbows
resting on his knees. “It’s your call, but if you take this deal, it means you waive any
and all future claims for damages resulting from the fuck-up last night.”
“Yes, and all the usual restrictions apply,” Davina said.
The Federation avoided granting wishes that could affect the economy, the
environment, or health on a global scale.
“So, even though I’m on probation, they’re going to let me do the grant since it’s my
case. You just have to tell me what you want.”
Adam nodded.
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Chapter Fourteen
Adam ran alone.
The gentle hills surrounding his home were familiar ground. Although he loped
along in the afternoon sunshine with little physical effort, he could feel the tingle in his
muscles and the slight ache in his bones signaling that he had only a few more hours
before changing back. He’d had Davina write a note for Paige explaining he’d be home
a little after dark. He needed to, no pun intended, clear his head, and a good long run
out in the open was just the ticket.
After a mile or so, he started heading for a particular destination. The incline was
steep and challenging and when he reached the summit of the hill, he sat, panting.
Spread before him was a breathtaking vista of Lake Cachuma. The late afternoon
sunlight sparkled on the water. He let his eyes travel along the irregular shoreline then
up to the pink-tinged clouds that stretched across the horizon. His sensitive nose took in
all the myriad scents—the peppery chaparral, the various animals, the rosemary that
grew wild… He relished the grittiness of the dirt under his paws and how the breeze
ruffled the fur along his back.
He wished Paige were here to share this with him, because, he had finally,
reluctantly, admitted to himself that he loved her.
As crazy at it seemed, he loved that perky, petite bundle of woman. He hadn’t been
aware of how stagnant his life had become until he met her, but now he realized he’d
been in a rut, personally and professionally, running on autopilot and thinking he was
content. But then Davina had asked him for a favor and that had been that. Ever since
he’d gotten his first intoxicating whiff of Paige, he’d known he was in for trouble. He
just hadn’t known how much. He’d thought he could remain emotionally aloof because
of his long-held convictions about inter-species relationships, but he’d been wrong. The
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truth was, he’d fallen so hard for Paige, he had bruises. Their connection in bed
surpassed anything he’d ever experienced before, even in his fantasies, but clearly this
wasn’t just about sex. The woman had single-handedly aimed his career in a direction
he’d never have thought of himself. She was vibrant, funny, kinky, and last night, her
steadfastness, determination and courage had touched him deeply.
Paige loved him too. In those moments when Chaz had linked them, her feelings
for him made themselves known in his mind, blossoming like a bouquet of tiny flower
buds in time-lapse photography. If it hadn’t been a mutual sharing, he might have felt
guilty at intruding on her private thoughts and emotions, but it had gone both ways.
She loved him with an intensity that surprised even her. He was humbled by her
admiration, respect and desire for him, and her uncertain hopes for their future together
made his chest feel tight. They had clearly turned a corner, but what lay ahead of them
was still unresolved. Love, while amazing and precious, didn’t smooth the road. And
yet, with the wish the UWF was granting him, he had the power to smooth it himself.
All he had to do was to forgo being a shifter and become human, forever.
Unable to sit still at that thought, Adam started running again, but this time, he
wanted speed. He needed it. It wasn’t long before a broad meadow opened up before
him and he raced across it as fast as he could go. The dry brush whipped at his flanks.
His rapid approach caused a rabbit to bolt, and Adam took off after it. As it darted back
and forth in an effort to escape, Adam’s body vibrated with the exhilaration of the
chase.
God, he thought as he let the rabbit get away, could he give this up? He knew many
shifters who did everything they could to minimize the time spent in animal form, and
although Adam had always seen that as denying half of himself, that’s exactly what
he’d have to do if he wanted a future with Paige. Except he’d have to give up being a
wolf completely because there was no way he’d subject the woman he loved to the
physical dangers of interspecies pregnancy. Paige would probably be willing to face
them anyway, but as far as he was concerned, the risks were too great.
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No, the sacrifice had to be his. As much as he cherished being a shifter, giving that
up for a future and a family with Paige was infinitely better than the alternative.
* * * * *
Some time later, Adam sat with Paige in the kitchen. He’d long since returned to the
house and changed back to human. The two of them needed to have a serious talk and
vocal cords made that a hell of a lot easier. She had anticipated his hunger and made
tuna sandwiches and salad.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Good,” he said.
“You’re sure? Are all your memories intact?”
“Yes,” he said. “Actually, my memories are new and improved. That mind meld
thing Chaz did at the end…”
“Yeah,” she said, glancing away. “That was really something.”
“He was right, you know,” he said to Paige.
“Right about what?”
“That I love you. That you’re my woman.”
Obviously stunned, she looked up at him slowly. “Oh my God. Could you just say
that again, just so I can be sure I heard you right?”
He kissed her, took her face in his hands and kissed her thoroughly. “I love you,
nuk-nuk. Even though we only met three weeks ago, on a blind date, no less, I love you.
I was in really bad shape last night. Really bad…”
He paused, unable to describe what he had gone through, the emotional and
physical civil war that had gone on inside him. Hours and hours of feeling like someone
was gunning his motor but he was stuck in neutral. And inside his head? He closed his
eyes, remembering. He’d known the memories were there, buried deep, but was unable
to retrieve them no matter how hard he tried. And they weren’t trivial matters, like
where he’d left his car keys. They were vitally important memories, memories so
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important that his heart beat a frantic pulse and it seemed as if his veins flowed with
pure adrenaline. If he gave up the fight to remember, he’d be giving up something
priceless.
But Paige’s voice, the sight of her face, beloved and unfamiliar at the same time,
had held him. He had focused on her calm litany, listened, felt…and eventually,
remembered. Bit by bit, the raw wolf instinct retreated, humanity returned, and by
morning he felt balanced and whole except for one small thing. Somewhere along the
way he’d lost his heart.
Luckily, he knew exactly where it was.
He looked at Paige now, her face awash with empathy. “If it hadn’t been for you,”
he said, “I have no doubt I’d still be just an animal. You saved me.”
She tucked her face into his neck. “It was for purely selfish reasons. I can’t get
enough of your gorgeous bod. Your human one, that is.”
“Funny you should say that,” he said.
“Oh?” A slight frown wrinkled her brow.
Taking a deep breath, he drew back and told her about his pending wish.
“I think that’s only fair,” Paige said indignantly. “They should give you ten wishes,
a hundred. You almost…” She made a frustrated noise. “I don’t know. I don’t know
what you almost did, but they definitely owe you. Big time. Do you know what you’re
going to wish for?”
Feeling calmer than he had expected, he smiled. “I think so.”
“What is that smile?” she asked. “Don’t tell me you’re wishing for shoes. Because
that’s what got us into this mess in the first place. I never want to look at those shoes
again for as long as I live.”
He chuckled. “No. I’m definitely not wishing for shoes.”
He took her hand in his. It was so tiny, so perfect. The utter completeness of this
simple connection convinced him he was making the right decision.
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“Paige, I want to marry you.”
“What?”
The shock on her face made him suddenly nervous. Before when he’d been
planning what to say, he hadn’t really given a thought to what she might say in
response. To him, their love was so strong that a life together seemed a foregone
conclusion, but he realized now that of course, there was a chance that she wasn’t of the
same mind.
“You’re…you’re proposing to me,” she stammered.
“Yes. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want us to raise a family
together. I want a lifetime of memories with you to go with the ones I already have.”
She gave a half-hearted smile and pointed to him and then herself. “But you, shifter.
Me, human.”
“I know,” he said. “I won’t lie to you, Paige. I have serious doubts that anyone can
make a mixed marriage work.”
“I don’t see why not. If you love each other, you can make anything work,” she
declared.
“Well, sorry, but my parents loved each other a lot, and it wasn’t enough. I don’t
want either of us to have to go through what they did. Not if it can be avoided.”
“What happened to them?”
“Life,” he said simply.
Then he told her all about his parents’ marriage. At first, his dad resisted the need
to escape to nature each month to remain with his human wife. They had truly believed
that love could conquer their differences, and it did, for a while. But when they decided
to start their family, that’s when the trouble started. The normal stresses of work and
family wore on them, and his father, instead of seeking downtime on the golf course or
at professional sports venues like many other men, found his refuge in the wilderness.
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His mother had understood and even condoned it, but she had challenges of her
own to contend with. Multiple births were a regular occurrence among werewolf
families, but mixed couples often had difficulty. With a human mother and shifter
father, the likelihood of miscarriage and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome increased
significantly. On top of that, children of mixed marriages might or might not receive the
gene for shifting, and unfortunately for his mother, all her surviving children were
shifters, and as much as the family strove to include her, she had felt the schism keenly.
Her loneliness grew and she became estranged from her own family. Hurt turned
eventually to bitterness and her husband received both the blame and the divorce
papers.
“Oh my God, that’s so sad,” Paige said, sorrow in her eyes. “I had no idea.”
“So, do you see why I have reservations? There are real physical dangers involved. I
don’t want to sound like an alarmist, but it doesn’t help to candy-coat this. My parents’
situation isn’t uncommon. Sometimes it’s even worse. Some women’s bodies out and
out reject the fetuses and they never carry their children to term. Never. What if we’re
like that? What if we got our hopes up again and again, only to have them cut down by
nature?”
Paige said nothing.
“I can’t put you through that. I won’t. We can bypass all that hurt and worry in one
fell swoop. All I have to do is ask Davina to make me human. Problem solved. If we’re
both human, our family, our marriage has a decent chance.”
* * * * *
Although she desperately wanted to say yes, Paige asked Adam for some time to
think about it. Although clearly unhappy at the prospect of waiting, he told her to take
all the time she needed. So, she returned to L.A. to finish the work she’d left undone.
She still had a job to do, even if her personal life was chaos, and to tell the truth, the
drive helped clear her head a little. All afternoon, she went through the motions,
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driving from hotel to hotel, checking items off her lists and meeting with managers, and
then ate her way through the entire mini bar trying to figure out what to do. At this
rate, by the time she decided, she’d be too fat for Adam or any other man.
She should have been ecstatic. Adam loved her. He wanted to marry her. He
wanted that so much that he was willing to give up a part of himself for the sake of
their happiness. But how could she ask him to do that? She hated the idea of Adam
giving up life as a shifter. She remembered the look in his eyes when he’d described
what it was like for him to be a wolf. Hailey had even confirmed it—I’ve never met
anyone who loves being a wolf more than Uncle Adam. So, even though the man had a right
to dictate decisions regarding his own body, Paige couldn’t help thinking that if he
went through with this, he would be like an amputee, spending the rest of his days
missing something vital and perhaps, eventually, blaming her for what he’d lost.
And yet, if she insisted he remain a shifter, that presented an entirely different set of
problems, scary ones. First was the miscarriage thing. Paige’s cousin had gone through
two miscarriages before finally carrying a baby to term, and it had been sad the first
time, heartbreaking the second time. And then when she got pregnant a third time, that
first trimester was torture. Her cousin had spent three months terrified she’d lose the
baby.
Second, Adam had mentioned Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. So, supposing she
and Adam married, and she managed to give birth to a healthy baby… Great, except for
the fact that the child could, shortly thereafter, die for no apparent reason. She could not
imagine going into her son or daughter’s room one morning to find them dead.
Paige wanted to scream in frustration. She felt as if she was not only stuck between
a rock and a hard place, but that the rock weighed about eight hundred pounds. If only
there was a way for them to be together and keep him exactly the way he was, a strong,
amazing, perfect mixture of man and wolf. If only she could be the one to—
Paige stared at the bag of pretzels in her hand as the perfect solution came to her. Of
course. It was so easy. She didn’t understand why she hadn’t thought of it before. Yes, it
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was scary, but not as scary as the alternative. She leaped up and did a little dance. She
slam-dunked the pretzels in the trash can like a star for the NBA. She felt like calling
Adam right now and explaining, but she knew she couldn’t do that. What she had to
say had to be said in person.
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A Wolf at Her Door
Chapter Fifteen
Adam sincerely hoped when this was over his fingers would emerge unscathed.
Paige gripped his hand so hard, he had to fight to keep the grimace off his face. But he
didn’t blame her for being nervous.
“Once it’s done, it can’t be undone,” Davina warned.
The fairy sat across from them in Adam’s living room. Laszlo leaned against the
mantel, cleaning his fingernails with a pocket knife. The four of them had just finished a
gourmet dinner, catered by the Federation.
“I understand,” Paige said in a tight voice.
“You can still change your mind,” Adam said. “I’m still prepared to—”
“No,” she said firmly. “We’ve already discussed this. I won’t let you give up being
a wolf. It means too much to you.”
“Not as much as you mean to me,” he said softly.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Laszlo muttered.
Davina threw a coaster at him.
“What?” Laszlo said.
Paige ignored their antics and focused on Adam. “I’m doing this. You know it’s
right. I know it’s right. I’m just…a little scared, that’s all.”
“Then let’s do it quick. Like a Band-Aid,” Davina said.
“Good. Like a Band-Aid,” Paige agreed. She took a deep breath, her face pinched
with worry.
“All right, then. Here goes,” the fairy said.
Frowning briefly, Davina inclined her head toward Paige, made circles in the air
with both index fingers and then smiled. “All right, everyone. By the power temporarily
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Kate Willoughby
vested in me by the Universal Wish Federation, I now pronounce you Wolf Girl.” Her
eyes bright with curiosity, Davina leaned forward. “Do ya feel any different?”
Paige gave a great shiver and then gasped. “Oh my God.” She inhaled deeply
through her nose. “I smell you, Davina. Oh, wow, you smell like maraschino
cherries…and cotton sheets…and…and chrysanthemums. And you,” she said, turning
to Adam, “I thought you smelled good before. Now…” She laughed and kissed him.
Adam grinned.
“What about me?” Laszlo asked.
“You?” Paige said, sniffing in Laszlo’s direction.
“Wait, don’t tell me,” Davina said. “Bet he smells like dust and rocks
and…hmm…ice that’s been in your refrigerator too long.”
Laszlo snorted.
“Actually,” Paige said, “he does smell earthy, but in a good way. Rich and loamy.”
“Loamy,” Laszlo said. “Great.”
“So did you set a date for the wedding yet?” Davina asked, gleefully. “Because it’d
be great if you could wait until after I get off probation. That way I can whip up
something really fantastic to wear.”
As Paige plunged into a conversation with Davina involving wedding plans, Adam
shifted in his seat. His cock was rock hard and all his senses were trained on his new
mate. They’d chosen to put the wish into action today because full moon was three
weeks away. Paige had wanted time to mentally prepare for her first change. But
unfortunately, or fortunately, that put her into heat. And Adam learned that being near
a shifter in heat was tough, but being near your mate when she was in heat was torture.
And yet, it was a strangely satisfying torture. They weren’t married yet, but she was his,
and that knowledge made all the difference.
A very long half hour later, the moment Laszlo and Davina disappeared from the
room, Adam yanked his pants open.
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A Wolf at Her Door
Paige stared at him in disbelief. “What the…?”
He got a condom from his jeans pocket and rolled it on, his hands shaking slightly.
“I need you, Paige. Right now. Right now,” he said in a tightly controlled voice. “Take
off your clothes.”
She looked at him, surprised, but pulled off her sweater and worked on shucking
her jeans. “What’s the hurry?”
“First of all, you’re an incredibly sexy woman,” he said, opening her bra
impatiently. He groaned as the small cups fell away. Her nipples hardened instantly
and he felt a stab of desire in his groin that was more pain than pleasure. “Oh fuck.”
He urged her down onto the couch then almost ripped her panties in his haste to
get them off her.
“Second, you’re in heat. You smelled Davina and Laszlo? I didn’t. All I can smell is
you. All I’ve been able to think about since Davina did her thing is getting inside you as
soon as possible.”
Placing his hands on her knees, he parted her legs, and his nostrils flared as her
intoxicating scent intensified tenfold. She was already so wet. Thank God.
Not even bothering to undress completely, he grabbed his cock and pushed it inside
her. A primitive groan erupted from him as her tight pussy sucked him in. It felt as if
his brain was going to explode from the pleasure as he pistoned his hips. He only got in
about four strokes before he came. His entire body spasmed, his balls contracted,
emptying into her welcoming body.
He took her mouth in a fierce kiss as he pumped his hips once, twice, shuddering
with the last shockwaves of his orgasm.
When he broke the kiss, she blinked at him, a confused smile on her face. “That was
fast.”
“Yeah, I know.” He smiled right back.
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Kate Willoughby
“What are you smiling about, then? You should be apologizing. Or at least heading
south with your mouth, mister. It’s not nice to tease a lady like that.”
He dropped down to his elbows and kissed her again. Her tongue slid against his
and she moaned.
“But I know something you don’t know,” he said.
“Oh?” She ran her hand along his shoulder up into his hair.
“A little perk for you,” he said. “When you’re in heat, you give off a pheromone
that allows me to, well, perform several times more than usual.”
Her brows rose. “Really?”
He nodded. After coming, he didn’t really lose his erection and would be able to,
literally, keep it up for hours.
He hoped he didn’t look too smug as her lips curved in a smile.
“Well, hot dog!” she said, then laughed. “No pun intended!”
Laughing himself, Adam withdrew to get rid of the condom and finally undress. As
he tossed his shirt on a chair, he looked down at her. She was so goddamn beautiful it
made his heart ache. She’d transformed every cell in her body for him. She’d pledged
herself to living with the secret of being a shifter and dealing with the change every
month, forever. And he loved her for it. His sole aim in life would be to make sure she
never regretted her decision, starting right now.
Still hard as a post, he knelt between her thighs and again, the depth of her scent
assailed him. As he licked her slowly, lingeringly, he groaned. It was almost sensory
overload—the rich and tangy smell, the softness of her pussy lips, the feel of her fingers
tangling in his hair. She raised her hips, seeking more. Soft, erotic gasps escaped her as
he rediscovered the succulent taste of her sweet, wet sex. She was so responsive. More
and more fluid coated his tongue as he slid his hands under her ass and devoured her.
Before long she was arching upward, convulsing against his mouth. Her throaty cry as
she climaxed satisfied him as nothing else could.
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A Wolf at Her Door
Patiently, he coaxed the last vestiges of her orgasm from her until she sighed deeply
and relaxed. Then, moving up, he paused to play with her breasts. Closing a hand over
one, he took the other into his mouth. Her hands clasped his shoulders and she
moaned.
“Mmm, that’s so good. Harder.”
He was more than happy to comply. Sucking her taut nipple excited him. The
rhythmic pull on her soft breast echoed the pulsing in his groin. When at last he drew
back, she urged him upward. Her arms snaked around him and she raised one leg to
rest on his hip. For long moments, all they did was kiss. Although he ached with the
need to be deep inside her and the knowledge that soon he’d be plunging between her
soft swollen lips, in and out, was killing him, he knew that delay now could only make
the joining more intense.
Eventually, she clutched his head, tugging on his hair. “I want you inside me,” she
said, her voice sharp with need.
That was all he’d been waiting for.
As Adam looked down lovingly at her, Paige inhaled deeply. She couldn’t get over
how much more intense her sense of smell had become, and it was just as he’d told her
the day they’d met. She could detect dozens of odors, but it wasn’t hard to focus in on
him. And focus, she did. She couldn’t get enough of Adam’s potent scent.
“I can’t believe how good you smell,” she said.
All she wanted to do was sniff him up and down all over his body like she had
some demented smelling fetish.
He nodded knowingly. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“It’s like all my life I’ve had a cold and all of a sudden it just cleared up.” She
inhaled again as he grabbed another condom. “I love it. And I love you,” she said. “I
love you, I love you, I love you.”
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Kate Willoughby
At her words, his expression softened. Her heart seemed to swell at the
unadulterated love she saw on his face. It felt so good to be able to tell him how much
she loved him. It felt even better when he said in a low, earnest voice, “I love you, too,
nuk-nuk.”
“Hey, what does that mean, anyway? Nuk-nuk…”
“Roughly translated, it means ‘moon gift,’ but these days it’s just a term men use to
refer to their women, usually only when they’re serious.”
“But you called me that the very first day we met,” she said. “I remember.”
He smiled ruefully. “Maybe subconsciously I realized that you were going to be my
mate.”
He came to her again, naked now, his cock thick and engorged. Wedging himself
between her open thighs, he locked gazes with her and sank inside. Intense pleasure
spread over her as, inch by hard inch, he eased into her. She made a noise halfway
between a whimper and a moan. Once fully embedded, he withdrew slowly and then
without warning, shoved back in. She gasped. He did it again—maintaining eye
contact, he took his time pulling out, then thrust in hard. Again and again he repeated
the slow torture followed by the quick rush of feeling.
God, it was good. With each hesitation she held her breath, waiting…waiting for
the sudden thrust, and when it came, she exhaled, squeezing his shoulders, reveling in
the sensation. It became a game. How long would he hover, just the tip of his cock
nestled between her lips before plunging in to the hilt with enough force to shake the
couch? Sometimes he waited only a moment. Sometimes a lot longer. Anticipation
honed the need to a fine edge.
Eventually, she caved. Shifting her hips, she said, “Adam, please…”
With a small smile, he nodded. “Whatever you want, nuk-nuk.”
“I want it now. If I don’t come soon, I’ll go crazy.”
He ground his pelvis against hers and she moaned.
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A Wolf at Her Door
“Can’t have that,” he said.
Then, capturing her mouth in a kiss, he started pumping in earnest. Paige hung on
to his muscular shoulders. Each thrust brought a burst of scents up from between them.
Their combined spicy aroma filled her nostrils as he drove into her. Momentum built.
Pleasure built. Their bodies were slick with sweat now. She lifted her hips to meet his
down strokes as each slam against her clit brought her closer and closer to climax. At
last, she made it. Her body exploded with feeling. Adam went rigid above her,
groaning loudly. His cock, sheathed to the hilt inside her, pulsed hard as he buried his
face in her neck.
“Holy shit,” he gasped.
For a long moment, they just lay still, panting from exertion. Paige savored the
lingering, ebbing pleasure, the hot fullness where they were joined. His big body
covered hers completely as he slowly, gingerly settled his weight on her, but she loved
it.
Eventually, he raised his head. “Need a break?” he asked. His face was still flushed,
but he had a wicked grin on his face. He thrust his hips and she realized he was still
hard as stone.
“Oh my God. You weren’t kidding about the pheromones, were you?”
“Nope. As long as you’re in heat, I’m Stamina Man. I’m good for as long as you
want me.”
Paige wrapped her arms around his neck, overwhelmed suddenly by a wave of
emotion. It was hard to believe that a few short weeks ago all she had was a worn-out
bracelet and a wish she never expected to come true, and now she was facing a lifetime
with the most wonderful man she’d ever met, a man clearly devoted to her happiness,
to raising a family together, to showing her all the wonders of being a shifter.
“I want you forever,” she said, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyes.
“That sounds good to me, nuk-nuk. That sounds good to me.”
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Kate Willoughby
Epilogue
Two years later
“Alpha wolf, schmalpha wolf,” Paige said. “For the last time, Adam Jaeger, we are
not naming either of our sons Blade.”
She sat in the living room with Adam, enjoying a visit from her two best friends,
Mariah and Livvy, and Mariah’s husband, Tucker. The newest branches to the Jaeger
family tree, identical twin boys, had been born four days ago, yet were still being
referred to as Baby One and Baby Two. Adam had told her that because she’d done the
lion’s share of work, she’d earned the right to name the boys, but she couldn’t seem to
settle on two names she liked. Zachary appealed to her, but all the other Z names were
either too Old Testament or sounded like they belonged to foreign dignitaries.
Mariah laughed. “Hey, Blade’s not that bad a name, in comparison. If Tucker and I
end up having a boy someday, we might just have to saddle him with Ichabod
Cornelius V.”
“A name,” Tucker said, holding one hand up like a Roman senator, “of great and
noble distinction.”
“Oh, it’s distinct, all right,” Mariah said, rocking Baby One in her arms. “Distinctly
geeky.”
Tucker chuckled.
“Livvy, do you have any suggestions?” Paige asked.
“Well,” her friend said thoughtfully, “first, I think they should definitely have
different first initials. Twins have to share birthdays their whole lives. They shouldn’t
have to share a monogram, too.”
Paige mulled that over. “You have a point. I never thought of it that way.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
“And personally, I like tried and true names best,” Livvy added, smiling down into
the face of Baby Two. “That’s right,” she said in a sing-song voice as she gave the baby
an Eskimo kiss. “Tried and true.”
Undaunted, Tucker grinned. “Like I said, you don’t get more tried and true than a
name that has lasted four generations. One could be Ichabod and the other Cornelius.”
Mariah just shook her head. “You are so not helping, Tucker.”
“Maybe you could name them after people in your family you want to honor,”
Livvy said. “I was named after my mom’s favorite aunt.”
“Oh my God, that’s it, Livvy,” Paige gasped. “You’re a genius.”
Livvy grinned. “Nice of you to finally notice.”
“Adam,” Paige said, “what do you say to naming them Adrian and Zachary?”
The expression of love that came over his face was all the answer she needed. The
warm, lingering kiss he gave her didn’t hurt either.
Mariah sighed. “Oh, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside now even though I don’t
know the significance of the names.”
“Well,” Paige said, “I just like the name Zachary, but Adam had a twin named
Adrian who died when they were six weeks old.”
“That’s beautiful,” Livvy said. “I love it.”
The thoughtful silence that followed was short lived because amidst a modest
shower of pale blue fireworks and mini-balloons that said ‘THEY’RE BOYS!’, Davina
and Laszlo popped into view. The dogs leapt to their feet and barked.
“Make way, you little canines, make way! Real fairy godmother coming through to
see her godsons!” Davina exclaimed. But she conjured doggie treats for them which
they snatched up immediately.
Laszlo slapped Adam heartily on the arm as they shook hands. “Congratulations
times two, buddy.”
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Kate Willoughby
Paige looked immediately to Livvy, worrying about her reaction at seeing honest to
goodness fairy magic, but Livvy just smiled as Davina went to her to coo over Zachary.
“Now, wait just a second. What the heck going on?” Paige said to Livvy. “Why
aren’t you freaked out? Two people just appeared out of nowhere!”
Davina shrugged as Zachary was carefully transferred to her arms. “Oh, Livvy and
I have already met.”
“What?” Paige exclaimed. She exchanged a glance with Mariah, who was equally
stunned.
Livvy’s cheeks got a little pink. “Yeah, my bracelet fell off like a year ago.”
“And you didn’t tell us?” Mariah said.
“It’s complicated,” Livvy replied. “And I’d rather not talk about it now.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Livvy said, nodding her head meaningfully toward the men. “This isn’t
the time.”
And with that, she left the room, heading for the kitchen. Adam looked confused. In
fact, all the men did.
“If she thinks that’s the end of it, she’s out of her mind.” Mariah handed Adrian to
her husband. “Take the baby, honey. I’ll be right back.”
“Me too,” Paige said. She got up and followed Mariah out.
“What the hell was that?” Tucker said.
“An exodus,” Adam replied. “I sure wouldn’t want to be Livvy right now. Did you
see the look on Mariah’s face?”
“No, I know what that was,” Tucker said, his brow wrinkling. “I’m talking about
that sound I just heard.”
“What sound?” Smiling, Davina tickled Zachary under the chin.
“Ah, Christ,” Tucker said, grimacing and walking toward Adam. “The sound that
goes with this smell.”
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A Wolf at Her Door
Adam blanched, already very familiar with that particular odor. There were many
times he relished his enhanced sense of smell. This was not one of them.
“Here,” Tucker said, supporting the newborn’s head while at the same time holding
him as far from his nose as possible. “This guy just did some business that’s none of my
business.”
“Holy shit, no pun intended,” Laszlo said. “I’m outta here.”
“Don’t be such a sissy,” Davina said. “It’s just—oh no.” Zachary gurgled happily as
he deposited his own fragrant and noisy contribution to the conversation. As the fairy
got a good whiff, she turned slightly green.
Laszlo guffawed and pointed at her. “Now who’s the sissy? Huh, Davina? Now
who’s the sissy?”
Resigned, Adam chuckled as he headed for the diaper bag, but Davina turned
toward Laszlo and narrowed her eyes menacingly. A moment later, the fairy winked
out of sight while magically depositing little Zachary in Laszlo’s arms.
“Hey now, Davina. That’s dirty pool!” Laszlo exclaimed.
“No, it isn’t,” came Davina’s disembodied voice, “That’s a dirty diaper.”
151
About the Author
Kate Willoughby got hooked on romance in the late seventies when she read Sweet
Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers. Inspired, she and her best friend wrote a
contemporary love story involving a multi-millionaire playboy and the restaurant
hostess determined to cure his drinking problem. Unfortunately (or fortunately,
depending on how you look at it), that manuscript has been lost forever.
Fast forward to college, where she took a creative writing course. Kate still wanted
to write love stories, but everyone else in class was composing Important Literature and
Thought-Provoking Poetry. A few devastating critiques later, she gave up, discouraged
and embarrassed. Eventually, her muse got over the trauma and pestered her to try her
hand at writing again.
Kate resides in Los Angeles with her husband of fifteen years and their two sons.
When the testosterone in the house builds up to unbearable levels, she escapes by
reading, cooking, and scrapbooking with friends.
Kate welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email
address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at
Comments@EllorasCave.com.
Also by Kate Willoughby
All In
Ellora’s Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction III anthology
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning
publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC
on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you
breathless.
www.ellorascave.com
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