Mountain Wolf

by Amber Ella Monroe

  “Hey Brock!” one of the call girls yelled as he passed through the dense crowd to get to the bar. “What ya doing out here tonight?”

  “I was just passing through for a drink.” If he could remember correctly, the woman’s name was Anna. She’d been working here a while out of one of the backrooms.

  “Where are your brothers?” she asked.

  “I don’t keep up with anyone but myself.”

  “You boys haven’t been in the news lately.” She grinned. “I thought maybe you had packed up and left.”

  “I’m still here.”

  “Well, me too. But I won’t be for long. As soon as I earn enough, I’m gonna buy me one of those motorhomes and head out west. Me and my girls. We’re going to Vegas.”

  “Uh-huh.” Brock nodded. “I wish you luck. I’m sure you’ll get there.”

  Getting out of the small town of Aspen Valley was a hot topic for half of the residents here. The majority of those who left for greener pastures or big cities did so without warning. They never really talked about it; they just got up and left. Brock and his brothers had abandoned the town before when they were young boys, only to be led back here when their younger brother, Dane, was named Alpha of the Aspen Valley Pack. Now they had a duty to stand by their Pack Alpha and the growing shifter community.

  “If you’ve got some free time, I can help you relax,” she said.

  It was her way of nonchalantly offering herself and her body for the night. There were probably about a half a dozen other girls working at LIVE tonight for the very same purpose. He’d never fucked any of them, but they did offer expert massages. He didn’t know what had gotten over him. Even the massages he’d come to love here weren’t doing the trick anymore. He was bored with it all.

  “Listen, Anna, I’m on duty tonight, but it was nice talking to you,” he said.

  “Ah, if you say so,” she said, her gaze working slowly across his groin. “If you change your mind, I’m here until 2 A.M.”

  After Brock broke away from Anna, he slid on an empty barstool, took out his wallet, and tossed a Benjamin on the counter. Not a minute later, Frank placed a shot of whiskey down in front of him.

  “What’s the word, Brock?” Frank asked as he proceeded to make a cocktail for another customer.

  “Just trying to stay out of trouble.”

  Frank laughed. “Is that even possible, dude?”

  “Doesn’t anyone have faith in me?” Brock asked, pretending to look sheepish.

  Frank smirked and gave him a skeptical look. He dipped a martini glass into some salt, poured in whatever fruity cocktail he’d mixed, and topped it off with a lime. It wasn’t until he placed it on the coaster of the woman sitting two seats down from him did Brock fully realize that she’d been there. The moment he turned his gaze in her direction, she looked up at him with a set of the prettiest brown eyes he’d ever seen.

  She diverted her attention and looked down at her drink before Brock could get a good look at her face. She certainly wasn’t a regular and she damn sure wasn’t a shifter. Her outfit was provocative and barely there and he almost wondered if she was one of the new girls working the back. No, couldn’t be. Brock saw right past the seductive club attire and dramatic makeup she wore. She didn’t appear to belong in Leo’s adult rooms, but again the selections changed almost weekly.

  While Frank was focused on another customer, Brock rose from his chair, took his drink with him, and slid into the empty seat next to the woman.

  She looked straight ahead and fumbled with the napkins on the counter as if pretending not to see him.

  “So…” Brock said. “Let me take a guess at why a woman like you would end up at an adult nightclub like this.”

  She turned sharply in his direction, eagerly awaiting his answer.

  “I wasn’t aware there was a requirement to enter the nightclub,” she said. “But go ahead…”

  “One, you’re one of those reporters from the city they send in here every now and then to get the scoop on us. Two, you were getting a little bored with the regular clubs in the city. Three, this is your first day on the job, you’re feeling overwhelmed, and you decided to take a break.”

  She smiled. “None of the above.”

  “I’m all ears if you care to share the real reason.”

  “I’m not sure if I like you or not.” She blushed and lifted her cocktail glass to her lips.

  They were painted a dark red and all Brock could do was imagine her mouth on him. Shit! He was a little more deprived than he thought. Maybe it was time to unleash his desires before he drove himself insane trying to keep his dick in his pants. That had been his grandmother’s advice the last time he visited her out west, but sustaining his sexual attraction to this woman, in particular, was proving to be more difficult than he could imagine and he didn’t even know her name.

  “Save yourself and your energy for your intended mate,” his grandma had said. “Trust me, you’ll need it.”

  What Grandma Justice didn’t know was that he possessed endless amounts of energy when it came to fucking, thanks to his papa who was a rolling stone. Brock liked his freedom very much and had realized long ago that his intended mate might never appear. But there was no way in Heaven or Hell that he’d mate or even marry four different women in the process of finding her like his Papa Magnus had.

  As the woman swallowed, her delicate throat flexed. Her caramel-complexioned skin looked soft to the touch. Soon, his gaze had shifted to her rounded breasts pushing up out of her little tight top. She wasn’t even wearing a bra and he licked his lips as he contemplated what shade her nipples might be. Her thick and luscious thighs were pressed together tightly and he imagined his face between them exploring her.

  Fuck! Just stop it. She’s a human and you’ll scare her away.

  “Are you a shifter?” she asked, her question taking him off guard.

  “Don’t I look like one?”

  She turned slightly and assessed him inch by inch, sending his blood pressure into an unhealthy spike. “You do.”

  “I’m full-blood. Weren’t you expecting a shifter? This is a shifter-owned nightclub.”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, that’s why I’m here. I’m looking for a shifter just like you.” The tip of her tongue slipped through the seam of her lips and then across it.

  Damn, she’s hot.

  “Now, it’s my turn to ask a question,” he said. “You said I was wrong about why you’re here. Why are you here, little Princess?”

  “As part of a dare.” She took a longer sip of her cocktail.

  “A dare?”

  She nodded, pursing her plump red lips. “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Do you mind elaborating?”

  “I’m here because…I want to sleep with a shifter.”

  Brock almost spewed his liquor as he struggled to keep his amusement inside. “Sleep with? Okay, that’s innocent enough. Even little fairy princesses sleep.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Well, Princess, if you’re here for something you want, you ain’t gonna get it beating around the bushes.”

  “I want to fuck a shifter. There. I said it.”

  “Are you drunk, Princess?” he asked.

  “Not entirely. I’m very aware of where I am and I know what I came for,” she replied, hotly.

  Brock’s balls tightened and his dick pulsed against his fly. “Why do you want this?”

  “My break is over soon and I’ll be heading back to college in under a week. There aren’t any shifters there like you. In fact, the boys there don’t do anything for me. I thought if I slept with someone of your…caliber that would hold me over until I graduate in the summer.”

  This time, Brock did laugh.

  A visible blush crept up her slender neck. “I knew I’d be laughed at.”

  “I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because you’re misinformed.”

  “I haven’t been informed of anything, except the fact that shi
fter males are excellent lovers. I have friends who’ve um…”

  She pushed a few wayward strands of hair behind her ears and pursed her lips. Goddammit, he wanted to drag his fingers through her jet black, bone straight hair, and mostly, he wanted to kiss her plump, red lips.

  “Who’ve what?” he asked.

  “They’ve been with men like you and seem to really love it.”

  “And you want to test it out?”

  She nodded.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Don’t worry about asking because I wasn’t planning on giving it,” she teased. “One night is all I want.”

  “One night, huh?”

  “No strings attached and we go our separate ways,” she added.

  Brock took a moment to assess her from head to toe, which wasn’t all that easy since she was seated facing the bar, but he loved what he saw. On top of that, the innocent scent underlying her expensive perfume was getting to his head. Did she taste as sweet as she smelled? This was all too good to be true.

  “What’s the catch, Princess?”

  She shrugged. “There’s no catch at all. I want something and you can give me that.”

  As if demonstrating, she crossed her legs towards him and the heel of her stilettos brushed against his jeans.

  Brock leaned in closer to her and more than a few seconds passed without her opposition. He stroked his palm upward against her leg, starting at her knee and pausing near the top of her thigh.

  “I don’t think you can handle what I have,” he told her.

  “Try me.”

  “Then let’s quit the small talk.” He slid off the chair and held out his hand, palm up. “Let’s go someplace quieter.”

  She looked around nervously. “Isn’t there a room in the back where we can do this? I thought this place catered to hook ups.”

  “Do you think I’m gonna fuck someone as beautiful and delectable as you in the back of this nightclub? No, Princess.” He took her hand and leaned in to press his lips to her ear. “I’m gonna take you so hard. When I get done with you, you’ll be lucky enough to have the strength to stand in those sexy fuck-me stilettos you have on. Is that what you want?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, her heated breath folding against the skin on his neck.

  Hand-in-hand, they walked out of LIVE nightclub into the parking lot and into the cold dry air.

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  Rebel Unveiled

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  They say one way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but personal chef Nina Moore won’t realize how true that is until the handsome tattooed stranger who helped her out of a bind returns to her home night after night to taste test her best creations. She’s fully aware that he’s different, but there’s more to both sides of him than meets the eye. He’s scarred, dangerous, and sexy. Innocent attraction becomes full blown lust that neither of them can deny. When she finds out about his ulterior motives, she has to decide whether to trust him or send him on his way. He’s the only one that can help her quickly rectify the mess that led him to her in the first place. But how can she rely on her own judgment when all she wants to do is drag him from the dining room chair where she feeds him and onto the bed to have her way with?

  Wolf shifter Raoulf Justice is a legendary bounty hunter and a purebred rebel. Those two personas don’t always mix, especially when it comes to following protocol. When he accepts a case that leads him straight to the doorstep of a woman who could possibly be his mate, he doesn’t hesitate when he makes the decision to guard her with his life. A woman he never knew existed could be his bounty as well as the suspect who his client is so hellbent on locating. His success rate is what makes him the most sought after bounty hunter in the country, but this time he’ll fail his mission. He won’t turn in the sexy chef who feeds his soul and quenches every hunger within him…he’ll keep her for himself. After all, no one should ever deny a man his favorite meal.

  CHAPTER ONE EXCERPT

  “Here’s a snapshot of the woman I need you to find.”

  Raoulf Justice studied his potential client, Warren Chestnut, intently as he sat behind the large glass desk. Mr. Chestnut pushed the photo across the surface for him to examine. He looked down briefly at the grainy photo of the beautiful woman and then peered up again at the man who was looking for her. His intuition told him that something was off.

  “You came highly recommended by a friend of mine,” the man said. “He’s a member of your pack.”

  Warren Chestnut was a shifter who had just joined a neighboring Pack. Raoulf knew very little about the Chestnut family, but he had been made aware that Mr. Chestnut chose to keep his nature as a shifter a secret from the general public. Most of the humans who conducted business with Mr. Chestnut thought he was human. Only fellow shifters could tell the difference right away. When shifters came out to the public decades earlier, the Chestnuts were one of those families who felt it more beneficial to remain low key. The man owned several hotel chains across this region and outing himself now would likely cause the end of many lucrative business arrangements.

  Warren shuffled uncomfortably in his chair and then reached up to grasp and loosen his tie. The man seemed to be getting impatient and uneasy. Raoulf had that affect on people. Every day he went about his daily life wondering why people were in such a rush. The time would pass regardless. Nonetheless, Raoulf’s keen and fixated focus must have unnerved the man.

  “About your fee…” Mr. Chestnut pushed a manilla envelope across the table. “In cash. Half now. I’ll deliver the remaining, plus a tip, upon completion of the assignment.”

  “I require cash payment for my services upfront,” Raoulf stated.

  Mr. Chestnut cleared his throat. “Oh…well, that’s fine. I can deliver more within the hour. No biggie.”

  “I’m going to need more information in order to consider accepting this assignment,” Raoulf said.

  Mr. Chestnut narrowed his gaze. “What other information do you need…besides what I’ve already given you?”

  “Who is this woman? Who was she to you?”

  Mr. Chestnut swallowed visibly. “She was supposed to be my business partner…and we had agreed to marry.”

  “What is it that you want from her?”

  “The agreement she broke cost me.”

  “Costed you what? Money?” Raoulf continued to press for the details despite how irritated Mr. Chestnut appeared.

  “Yes, money. More than money, actually.”

  “And you want her found? Why exactly? If she wanted to honor your agreement, she would have done so already, yes?”

  Mr. Chestnut remained quiet for a beat or two, and then said, “It’s complicated. I don’t really want to harm her. I just want what she owes me.”

  “Where was the last place you saw her?”

  “In Texas. Almost a year ago.”

  “And since then you’ve been trying to find her?”

  “Not actively. Following her disappearance, I got caught up in other things. I chalked it up as a loss until now. When I settled down here in Aspen Valley, Tennessee to take over my cousin’s business, I didn’t have time to run after her. That’s when a colleague of mine suggested your services. He says you can find just about anyone…human, shifter, or otherwise.”

  “I’ll need any files that you kept on her. Documents, papers she signed, aliases she revealed…”

  Mr. Chestnut leaned forward in his chair. “Does that mean you’ll help me?”

  “Yes, I’ll take the assignment.”

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  Omega Unmasked

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  A lone shifter who has lost his family and a fun-loving scientist who is desperate to escape the monotonous lifestyle she once wanted equals one exciting tale of finding romance in unexpected places.

  Aspen Valley has always been
home to Jacques Kent, wolf shifter and MMA fighter. Leaving now in the midst of the loss of the woman who raised him after he was abandoned would mean turning his back on his birth Pack. Just when he thinks his string of bad luck has ended and he can finally move on with his life, another wrench is thrown in his path. He’s about to throw in the towel, but then fate reveals his mate.

  After a nasty split with her ex, Natasha Bennett starts her life over in a new town. Her ego is bruised and she’s down on her luck, but she promises herself that she won’t make the same mistakes again. But then she meets Jacques, the sexy, brooding shifter that swears from the beginning that he’s less than perfect. His honesty along with his savage and imperfect nature sparks her curiosity. It only takes one moment in his arms and Natasha knows she wants to remain there forever.

  The chemistry between them rises to steamy levels, but is the promise of a lifelong mate strong enough to unmask the true desires of a wolf?

  CHAPTER ONE EXCERPT

  Today was Natasha’s first day as the newest lab employee at Reverie Technologies…and she was late. She was so tardy, she’d probably be fired the moment she stepped foot in the building. Not only did she underestimate the traffic volume by thinking the roads would be free and clear, but she also didn’t count on there being a major three car accident at the intersection. So of course, she’d just ruined any hopes of making a good first impression with her new boss. Not to mention, she’d probably get an ear full of “I’m disappointed in you” from her dad who, coincidently, was the person who’d gotten her a job at the company in the first place.

  She blew outward in frustration as she turned into the parking lot and discovered an abundance of free spaces. Well, at least she didn’t have to play the equivalent of musical chairs in search of a space like she did back at her old job. She’d already fought through three intersections of traffic, cutting off cars like nobody’s business while getting more than enough dirty looks in the process. But at least she had reached her destination in one piece, which was a sure sign that her life wasn’t destined for total destruction. The past six months had been nothing but a string of bad luck for her. Her only saving grace had been learning that she didn’t have to worry about how she was going to pay her bills or eat. But hell…this job wasn’t even promised with the way things were going. She was a mess! Who showed up late for their first day on the job?