Hours later, dinner over and done with, most of the family departed for their own homes, his mate whisked away by her cold fish of a husband, Chris could finally relax and think back on the magical moment in the basement. She kissed me! And he finally understood why some romance novels said it was like fireworks going off. He'd never expected the tumultuous reaction, the wild, almost untamed urgency of the embrace, but damn, what a rush. Only one problem though. Now, he wanted Jill more than ever, but the same problem stood in his way. Jack. The husband that even Jill seemed to barely tolerate. A guy who brought new definition to the term antisocial. A man who got to go home with the woman Chris wanted. Yeah, that freakn' sucked. He couldn't help wondering what happened when the pair got home. Did Jack exert his rights as the husband? Did he even now touch the body Chris thought of as his? Did Jill close her eyes and pretend it was Chris? Why couldn't he stop to
Sheng no sooner slammed the front door shut than he let loose his frustration ? most of it not caused by his sister but a certain dark haired temptress. But since he couldn't give Gina what she deserved ? a naked tongue lashing ? he ranted at Jiao instead for getting him in to his current emotional mess. "What the hell were you thinking?" "You'll have to explain because I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Jiao calmly stated as she kicked off her shoes. "Going off with that wolf. Do you know how that looked?" "Yeah, it looked like the son of the host, who happens to work for us, wanted to show me an example of his work." "Alone? Without your husband? It was completely inappropriate and you know it." "Maybe in medieval times," she shouted back, losing her temper in the face of his own. "People won't believe we're married if you act like a she-cat in heat." "Oh, you did not just say that," she growled. "Especially considering you're covere
Chris went to work on Tuesday, Jack having made it abundantly clear that Monday was a holiday. The house stood silent when he entered, Jack and Jill already gone to their respective jobs. The lingering scent of his mate tickled him, reminded him of their aborted embrace and he wanted to pound something in frustration. How to win her when Chris couldn't even see her? He'd yet to find an answer to that question even though he'd pondered it incessantly since his kiss with Jill. Forty hours and sixteen minutes since he'd seen her, and he couldn't forget the taste of her. The torrid embrace also ramped up his dreams a notch, taking him from fantasy flirtation to full blown erotic feast. But his mind wrought fantasies, fun as they were, didn't compare to the real thing. Not to mention the consequences of his wet dreams. He'd now washed his sheets for five days in a row to his brother's amusement. He hated it, but at the same time, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he craved the
How did Jiao end up in the grocery store, slowly walking the aisles with the man fated as her mate, having the most intense conversation of her life? He asked if she loved her husband. Waited for a reply. But how to answer? "Yes, I love him." But not in the way Chris thought. Oh how she hated the pain in his eyes. However, she couldn't lie. She did love Sheng and would never willingly hurt him. What she did now was such a betrayal of his trust, but necessary. She needed to make some things clear with Chris. Get him to give her some time without revealing her secret, time enough that things could turn out right for everyone. She should have known better. Her impatient wolf wanted direct answers. "Is he your mate?" Strong hand clutching a box of cereal, she noted how the cardboard bent as Chris squeezed it tight, waiting for a reply. She shook her head. "No, he's not. I think we both know who my true mate is." How she wished she could tell him everything, right here and
Devouring her lips, lost in sensation heaven, Chris would have promised Jill anything, especially after hearing he wouldn't have to share her. His elation over that small fact, though, couldn't completely stem his annoyance in other matters. For example, her reluctance to split from Jack. She didn't love the guy. He wasn't her mate. So why did she hesitate? What wasn't she telling him? All questions he should have demanded answers to, however, animal need drove him. With his passion overtaking his common sense, all he wanted was to taste her. Touch her. Imprint himself on her so that she would know who she truly belonged to. Me. And only me. Figured the damned phone would interrupt again. To his immense male satisfaction, when he broke the kiss and leaned back, she stood with her eyes closed, lips parted, completely lost in the moment. "Shouldn't you answer that?" he teased. Cheeks flushing from pink to red, she fumbled her phone out. "Give me a second." Back tu
Jiao parked a block before the house, relishing the scent of Chris on her skin. On her lips. The taste of him on her tongue. It seemed a sacrilege to erase it when all she wanted was to revel in the aroma of her mate. But Sheng would notice. Then he'd yell ? loudly. Things would get ugly and, cowardly or not, she wasn't ready yet to deal with it. She wanted, hoped really, that her brother would come around on his own and end their fake marriage. Let her go free. Hopefully sooner rather than later, because like Chris ? my impatient and very sexy, wolf mate ? she didn't think she could go a day without seeing or touching him. I need him. How did it happen so quickly? Who cared? The mating instinct drove her at this point, cajoled her to give in to the inevitable. To be with her mate. Given her strong feelings, and desires, she knew she wouldn't be able to hide her affair with the handyman for long. But she could for tonight. Licking her lips one last time ? damn he tas
Sleep. What a concept, Sheng thought as he said goodbye and hung up with his ailing sister who intended to go straight home for some shut eye. He'd barely gotten any since the disastrous Thanksgiving dinner. He couldn't have explained why, but the she-wolf, Gina, just wouldn't leave his thoughts. Worse, she kept invading them with an inviting smile and no clothes. No amount of masturbation, self-castigation, or chastising speeches to himself seemed to help. His obsession for the wolf wouldn't abate. And it was frankly really starting to piss him off. How dare Gina turn his carefully controlled world into chaos? Why did he lust after her too curvy body barely covered in her scanty clothes? And her speech? Vulgar, outrageous, husky and sexy. Thank God he wouldn't have to worry about running into her again. It wasn't like he'd go back for another dinner at the Grayson house, no matter how much Jiao begged. Out of sight, eventually out of mind. Or that was the theory he c
Well wasn't it her lucky day, Gina thought, eyeing the handsome Asian dude she'd met at her aunt's party. The one married to Chris's mate. Jack, the unforgettable hunk who did such naughty things in her dreams. But then again, she did even dirtier things right back, things that wiped the snarl off his face. Gina couldn't deny a hot spurt of pleasure ? and moisture - at seeing him again, and this in spite of the fact he looked less than happy to see her. Too bad. "If it isn't my pussycat. I didn't know you worked here." "And I didn't know you were a cop," he replied, with way more astonishment than she liked. "Or is that just your stripper costume?" Oh, zinger. The man sucker punched her with words, and she grinned at his temerity. "Sorry, pussycat. This uniform is one hundred percent real. You're looking at one of Ottawa's finest. Although, if you want to come back to my place, a stripping could be arranged if you don't mind the lack of a pole." She lightly smac
Nothing ever felt more right than the first time Derrick sank balls deep into Janine. Unless he counted the second time and then the third. Over and over, he claimed her that night, the next day, all that week as she took some time off work for them to explore their new relationship. And yes, they were in a relationship. She's my mate now. And soon, she'd be his wife. He'd already asked for and received permission from Orson and Janine's mother. A conversation that went along the lines of? "I'm going to marry your daughter." "I get to plan the wedding." "I'll have you cremated if you hurt her." Derrick could already tell they'd fit in well with his family. Snap.*Epilogue An exaggerated groan left Derrick as he heaved Janine out of the car. The sound totally deserved a laser-hot glare. "Are you implying something?" No denying she was a little more rotund these days. He pulled her close, not caring that her big belly got in the way. A smile tugged
With Derrick buried in the bosom of his family, Janine slipped away before the tears blurring her gaze were noticed. Derrick had survived the surgery and seemed about to beat the odds. He would recover, which meant it was time for her to go. Even if I love him. And she did love him. Loved him so much that she couldn't be with him. She knew Derrick thought himself in love with her, that she was his mate. Much as she wanted to believe that, she couldn't. He'd fallen for her only because, at the time, he depended on her. Acting as his therapist meant their close involvement brought them together and imbued him with a false sense of intimacy. I think the intimacy came from you letting him touch you. Acts that shouldn't have happened, and yet, she didn't regret. It made leaving so much harder, but she did it now while she could. Now while he had his family and the promise of a bright future ahead of him. Let him get on with his life. Find a woman to settle dow
The hot satisfaction at having brought down the enemy paled before the panicked realization that Derrick couldn't move. Not a single damned muscle. The cold reality sent his wolf into hiding, pulling back from the dead weight of his body and leaving only human flesh. Flesh that felt nothing but the tips of her fingers on his cheeks as she cradled his head. "Derrick. Oh God, why did you do that?" She hugged his head, and if the moment weren't so dire, he might have enjoyed being buried against her plush tits. But all he could think was, This is the last time. The last time he'd smell her or feel her touch because he'd fucked up majorly in skipping the surgery and now paid the price. Since he didn't expect he'd get another chance, he whispered, "I love you," which only caused her to rock and hug tighter. In a voice thick with tears, she retorted, "This better not be one of those goodbye speeches. You're going to be fine. We'll get you in for that surgery, and ever
Doctor's Pet. She read the title in gleaming silver letters on the back of Derrick's chair as he whipped by with a whoop, well ahead of his brothers in their own colorful chariots. When she'd come across some orderlies watching something out the window, she'd not expected to see the Grayson clan gathered out front, clapping and hollering at the participants in the wheelchair races. It wasn't even just Derrick and his brothers playing. They'd gotten several other patients to join in too. Given the speed at which they raced, a fear for their safety made her want to march out that door and tell them to stop, but an old adage came to mind-boys will be boys. And men would do stupid things that resulted in stitches for, as Stu said upon meeting her, "Shits and giggles." The main surgeon for the rehab center came to stand beside her. "Looks like fun," he noted. "Yes. Dangerous, though," she added. "These men have been to hell and back. Do you really want to
The feel of her on his fingers proved exhilarating, but it couldn't compare to her intoxicating taste. A man parched, Derrick lapped at her, savoring her womanly cream and humming with pure male satisfaction at how she clenched and pushed against him, her body craving more of his touch. He couldn't have stopped if he wanted to. Too long he'd craved her. Too long he'd denied the unmistakable truth. Janine is mine. And for this moment at least, he couldn't find the strength to push her away. I'm tired of fighting what I want. Time for a little selfishness. He lapped at her sweet button, feeling it swell at his flicks. He pumped his fingers in and out of the moistness of her sex, loving how she gripped him tight. Her excitement built, reaching a crescendo, and he felt just as coiled as her, poised on the edge. He pistoned his fingers in her as his lips pinched her swollen button. A low cry began to keen from her lips. She smashed a pillow over her face as her body arched
Something woke Janine from a light slumber. She lay in bed, one half of her face squashed against her pillow, listening. Not even the creak of joists shifting broke the heavy silence. Holding her breath a moment longer, she tested the ambiance of the room. Is anyone here? Am I alone? Her senses craned, seeking that sense of vitality that only another person could emit. She sought another presence, a reason for waking, and felt nothing. She exhaled with relief. No bogeyman tonight. For those who might mock her, she had no problem admitting a fear of the dark, especially the particular shade it achieved in the middle of the night. Dark deeds often happened under night's shadow. And sometimes a little girl wakes and opens her eyes to see bloodshot ones staring right at her. The shriek she uttered proved piercing. The scarier thing? Daddy screamed at an even higher pitch. But that had happened a long time ago. Only the one time, but it left an impression. She'
The tingling awareness of her presence faded as Janine moved from the doorway of the game room. He'd known she watched him. Felt her eyes on him the moment she appeared and missed her gaze when she left. It took him gripping the wheels of his chair not to chase after her. Having her out of his line of sight didn't sit well, and not just because of all the people roaming around. Earlier, when they'd first arrived, he'd also hated sending her off into the kitchen with her mother. Then again, it was probably a good thing Red didn't stay because the first thing Derrick tried to do was get her out of his life. "I want a new shrink." On his way to a bar, fetching a drink of something with a fiery kick, Orson paused. "Is there a problem with my daughter?" "No." "Then why the request?" The council member uncorked a decanter and poured some amber liquid into glasses. He handed one to Derrick before taking a seat on the couch. "Do you want her removed because she's
Despite the mishap in locating Derrick-I really thought I'd have to hunt him down and force him-the road trip passed rather peacefully. Despite the sexual tension between them, there was also a genuine like for one another, and when he wasn't barbing her or trying to push Janine away, they could have the most interesting conversations. It passed the long trip. While Derrick started out driving, the highway part of the route being the longest, she took over once they hit an exit. She made sure to give him a pit stop so he could use a washroom, and she said not a word about the fact that he took a few minutes longer than other people to do his business and glared at those who dared to complain outside the locked door. As she took the familiar twists and turns to her parents' house, she couldn't help a touch of anxiousness. How would her stepdad react? With her, Orson was the most lovable teddy bear a girl could ask for, but with anyone he thought threatened her? Poor Jeremy w
Red stalked into his room, swinging the door open in a familiarity that apparently didn't see a need to knock. "Derrick, we need to-Uh. Oh." Her outburst ended on a gasp. Probably because she got more of a glimpse than she expected Splayed on top of covers still drawn tight, one hundred percent naked, and bound-the height of emasculation-he glared. "Were you raised in a barn?" Something his mother used to accuse him of when he lacked manners. His Aunt Joni took great offense at that expression and claimed it was those raised as ci-diots that were the problem with morality nowadays. A shame they feuded for years on end. Aunt Joni's pie was worth the occasional brawl between sisters. Janine's head ducked. He could only imagine the pinkness of her expressive cheeks. "Sorry. I didn't think. I'll come back later when you're not so, um, er, tied up," she stammered. The things she could do to me right now? For a moment, he almost imagined a spark, enough that he said t