Timber Valley Pack 2: Purr For The Alpha
Copyright 2014 by Georgette St. Clair
This book is intended for readers 18 and older only, due to adult content. It is a work of fiction. All characters and locations in this book are products of the imagination of the author. No shifters were harmed during the creation of this book.
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Cats and dogs don’t traditionally get along, but there’s one pussycat that Alpha shifter Ty Battle wants to set a-purrin’: sexy lynx shifter Karen Padfoot. Unfortunately, he’s got a terrible reputation as a player, and she’s scorned all of his advances after one interrupted encounter a year earlier.
When she comes to the Battle compound to plead for the release of her troublemaking father, who stole from the Battle’s warehouse, he’s finally got his chance; she’ll have to work for him as a waitress at his nightclub to pay off her father’s debt. Karen may be hissing and spitting mad, but if Ty has his way, he’ll collar this sexy kitty for good. Unfortunately, someone else wants to cage the feisty feline, and Ty’s the only one who can keep her safe. Will Karen let her barriers down and trust the sexy bachelor with the bad boy reputation before it’s too late?
Thousands of years ago, a new evolutionary branch emerged– part human, part animal. These shapeshifters evolved side by side with humans, embracing both their animal and their human natures, and keeping their existence secret. Have you ever thought you saw something out of the corner of your eye, but when you turn to look at it, it was gone? Have you ever experienced a strange sense of déjà vu? Have you ever accidentally stumbled across a tiny, out of the way town where everyone seems just a little bit…different? If so, you’ve probably seen a shifter.
Chapter One
WEDNESDAY MORNING
Timber Valley, Colorado (Don’t bother to look for it, because it doesn’t exist on any human maps)
Some days it didn’t pay to get out bed, Karen Padfoot thought as she pulled into a parking place in front of the Battle family’s office building. Today was definitely one of those days.
She’d been prepared to face down Vince Battle, the stern and formidable Alpha of the Timber Valley pack. She’d been ready to negotiate, wheedle, cajole, whatever it took to get her father out of jail – again. She was even ready to trot out her “I’m a tough lawyer” act if necessary, even though she was really all purr and no claw.
What she had not been prepared for was the presence of Vince’s nephew Ty Battle, the arrogant bastard who’d been a thorn in her paw since high school. Why was he even there? He didn’t work for his uncle. He lived on the outskirts of the pack’s property, several miles away. And yet, as she climbed out of her car she saw his big shiny pickup truck parked prominently out front, and now her nerves were shot to hell.
Never mind, she told herself firmly, her hands balling into fists. She could handle anything that they threw at her. She’d spent her life bailing her father out of trouble; this was nothing new.
She was wearing her negotiating suit, a tailored two piece outfit with a three button navy blazer and matching skirt, and sensible, low heeled pumps. Her blonde hair had been tamed with a flat-iron and was pulled back into a chignon secured with a tortoiseshell barrette. When she’d looked in her mirror that morning, she’d been satisfied with her appearance. There was no frill, no excess, no sex appeal. Everything about her said “This kitty means business.”
To ensure that she was on time, she’d left her home in Crystal Falls an hour and a half earlier, as the sun peeked over the treetops. Unfortunately, she hadn’t taken the weather into account. Now the sun was blazing in the sky, and as soon as she stepped out of the car she was hit by the full furnace-blast heat of an August morning. She felt her collar wilt and her hair start to frizz. Her silk shell stuck to her back. Beads of sweat popped up on her forehead. Was her makeup running? Undoubtedly.
Gamely, she climbed up the front steps of the sprawling log cabin style building.
Once she swung open the front door she was met with a rush of cool air; they had the AC cranked on high, thank God. Of course, the heat had already done its damage. Without even looking into a mirror, she knew that her suit was wrinkling, her hair frizzing, and her mascara and eyeliner were half melted off.
She stepped in and glanced around the office. The curtains were hand-sewn white cotton with lace eyelet scalloped edging. The furniture was handmade oak. It had undoubtedly been made on the Battle compound. They had a number of businesses there, including a furniture shop and a tannery. Their leather goods were so highly prized, in fact, that her father Ellwood had been unable to resist the temptation to help himself to some of it. Fortunately she’d found out, and swiped his stash, before he was actually able to fence it.
She forced a smile on her face as the secretary looked up. The secretary was a heavyset wolf shifter in her fifties, Ida Battle, if Karen recalled correctly.
“Hello, Ms. Padfoot. I’ll let Mr. Battle know that you’re here,” Ida said. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
“Oh, no thank you,” Karen said, settling onto a wooden bench that faced Ida’s desk. Ida left the office and disappeared through a door in the back of the office.
Karen wanted to scream after her “Which Mr. Battle?” but she’d know soon enough. Surely it wasn’t Ty Battle, she thought. Her father had broken into Vince Battle’s warehouse. Ty had nothing to do with this disaster; he owned a nightclub called the Zoo, a nightclub that Karen had avoided since Ty had thoroughly humiliated her there a year ago.
Her mind flashed back to that night, just as it had many times before.
She’d been wearing a tank top and a leather skirt, blond hair in a ponytail, and wobbling in high heeled shoes borrowed from her friend Isadora.
Isadora, a fellow lynx shifter, had insisted on dragging her there because she was bored with all the nightclubs in Crystal Falls. The Zoo was a singles bar for shifters of all species to gather and get freaky. A new owner had taken over it recently and completely renovated it. Once it had been a rundown honky-tonk. Now the theme was heavy on the sex, with hot go-go dancers in cages, and raised stages where shifters gyrated in skimpy outfits. “Talk Dirty To Me” blared through speakers suspended from the ceiling, and the air smelled of sweat and pheromones.
At the back of the bar was an area called The Play Stage, where a BDSM scene was being acted out. There was a big X-shaped structure on the stage, and a woman was chained to it, being whipped by a wolf shifter. She was naked from the waist up, and she arched her back and cried out with pleasure at every blow.
The liquor flowed freely, men and women were bumping and grinding, the music pumped through the air.
Karen stood on the edge of the crowd, surveying the scene and sipping her bottled water. She never drank when she went out. The Padfoot’s family name was bad enough as it was; she didn’t need to tarnish their reputation even more by getting drunk and acting like an idiot in public.
Isadora, with her full arm sleeve of tattoos and
blue and purple hair, had no such inhibitions; she had stripped off her shirt and was dancing on a tabletop in her bra and miniskirt, with a crowd of shifters screaming and howling their approval.
Karen’s attention returned to the Play Stage. The public display of eroticism didn’t appeal to her, but there was something about the idea of being chained, of turning over control to someone else, that sent an odd sensation pulsing through her.
“You like to watch?” A rough, low voice behind her startled her. She turned to see who was talking to her, and choked on her bottled water, sending a spray of it down the front of her shirt.
It was unfair for any man to be that handsome. He had movie idol good looks, with thick black hair and piercing eyes the color of ancient amber. His jaw was strong, his lips were full and sensual, and he had the faintest scruff of five o clock shadow. His black t shirt molded perfectly to his biceps, and his faded jeans couldn’t hide the musculature of his thighs.
“Sorry,” she coughed, wiping at her mouth with the back of her arm. “It appears I have a drinking problem.”
“Yes, clearly you can’t hold your water,” he said, grinning. “Bartender, she’s cut off!”
“Very funny. By the way, if at any point you say to me ‘cat got your tongue?, I will walk away. I’ve heard that line once or twice before,” she said.
“I promise those words will never cross my lips.” He moved closer to her, and she breathed in his scent, a heady mix of his own natural shifter musk and a cologne with notes of cedar and oak moss. Good God, the man was sex on legs. She wanted to move closer, bury her face in his hair and breathe him in. She suspected he’d be addictive, though; he was the kind of man that a woman could come to crave like a drug.
“So, Karen, what brings you here tonight? And more importantly, why have you never come here before?”
He knew her? She stared at him for a minute, then her face reddened as she realized who it was. Ty Battle. His hair had been longer back in high school, his face and body had filled out and matured over the years, but it was him. He’d actually gotten even hotter. He’d always had a cocky attitude about him, but now there was an air of sensual, knowing self-confidence clinging to him that made her breath quicken.
Whoa, slow down, she warned herself. He was probably even more of a player now than he was in high school.
It had been ten years since she’d last seen him. She’d been sixteen, he’d been seventeen, and all her friends had warned her to stay away from the high school Romeo. She’d ignored them, and had agreed to a movie date on a Saturday night – and then on Friday night, she’d seen him making out with the head of the cheerleading squad. She’d gone home and cried, but never said a word to him about it - just stood him up for his Saturday night date, making a fool of him in front of all his friends.
“Long time no see,” he said, amusement quirking that sensual mouth. She wondered if he even remembered that date. She’d still burned with lust for him for years after, but she’d never told anyone.
“You work here?” she asked.
He glanced around the packed room, then back at her. “You could say that. As of two months ago, I own the joint.”
Ida came back in the room and gestured at her. “Mr. Battle will see you now.”
Karen stood up, smoothed her skirt, and followed Ida down the hallway. Her mouth was dry and her heart was hammering in her chest. Could the universe just throw me a bone here? She thought. Just this once?
They stopped at a big oak door with a brass plate on it, which read “Vincent Battle”. Oh, thank heavens, she thought. Did she also feel a twinge of disappointment? No, she told herself. Ty had utterly humiliated her a year ago, and she was glad she wouldn’t be seeing him today, or ever again, hopefully.
So, so glad.
“So glad,” she murmured, as Ida opened the door for her.
“Pardon?” Ida asked, looking puzzled.
“Oh, nothing.” She walked into the room.
Ty Battle looked up at her from across the conference table, and the smile on his face told her that she would have been much better off staying in bed this morning.
Chapter Two
Ty Battle could barely contain his glee. He’d known today was going to be a great day from the minute he’d bounced out of bed.
Here she was, his sexy lynx shifter fantasy, who he’d been lusting after for all those years. It was payback time.
She’d made a total fool of him back in high school. Ten long years, and he still remembered the sting of humiliation and rejection that he’d felt – a completely unfamiliar sensation to him at the time, and one that he didn’t enjoy at all. He’d been so sure she’d be another one of his easy conquests, but he’d ended up sitting at a movie theater by himself, his friends sitting nearby and snickering at him every time he glanced up at the big wall clock and wondered where she was.
Hell, he probably deserved it back then. He wasn’t ready for anything real. He hadn’t even tried to call her the next day. He’d forced himself not to pursue her any more, wanting to wait until the time was right.
He’d thought that time had been a year ago, when she’d walked in the door of his nightclub and every nerve ending in his body had lit up with excitement. She’d flirted with him, teased him, seemed to submit to him with a sigh of surrender…oh, God, he’d had the most raging hard on of his life.
Then she’d ditched him, probably laughing her ass off with her friends all the way home. That was twice she’d stood him up and left him aching.
Well, now the tables were turned. Now he held all the cards.
He looked across the room at her, studying her without caring how obvious he was being in his appraisal. Karen stood framed in the doorway, dismay and confusion on her face at the unexpected sight of him. She was bathed in the light streaming in from a window across the hallway, highlighting her corn-silk blond hair like a halo. Oh, that halo effect was deceptive. She was the devil in lynx’s clothing.
Funny, she didn’t look like a hellcat at the moment. She looked like a delicate Botticelli angel. Her wide blue eyes were thickly fringed with black lashes, her small, perfect pink mouth shaped like a rosebud. Her creamy pale skin flushed as she met his gaze, and she stood there hesitantly, as if she didn’t know what to do next.
God, she was sexy in that suit. Images of her bent over his uncle’s broad desk flashed through his head, images of him standing behind her and roughly pushing up her skirt while she clutched at the desk and -
Damn the woman for always clouding his head like this. He cleared his throat. “Please, sit down,” he said, gesturing at the chair that faced his desk.
She strode over, long slim legs scissoring impatiently.
Her body was rigid as she sat down, nodding at him curtly. “Mr. Battle. How have you been?”
“Mr. Battle?” he scoffed. “I think we’re past formalities, aren’t we, Karen?”
“Ty,” she conceded, with a pained smile.
“Long time no see, Karen,” he said. She flushed, looking away. Good, she should be embarrassed.
“So, we both know why you’re here,” he continued.
She nodded. “Yes. The Battle family had my father arrested on the flimsiest of charges, and you’ve been holding him for two days now,” she said.
“He was trespassing on our land.”
“He’s a lynx! He was roaming in the forest, and accidentally wandered on to your land, where, might I add, there are no signs up or fences indicating a property line! Since when do you care where shifters roam? When was the last time a shifter actually pressed charges for trespassing?”
Ty shook his head at her chidingly. He had to give her credit for trying, but he wasn’t letting her wriggle out of this one. “He also stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of property from us, and he caused thousands of dollars to our building when he broke in.”
“You haven’t charged him with that, so I am assuming that there’s no evidence proving your claims.”
&n
bsp; Ty shook his head. “You’re assuming incorrectly. Sheriff Battle went out to the site, and picked up your father’s scent inside our shop. He is certified in Scent Evidence. His testimony is legally admissible in court, if it gets that far.”
A faint frown creased her forehead, and then vanished.
“He’s a member of your family,” she said curtly. “Your cousin Steele, isn’t he? Vince Battle’s nephew? No offense, but that makes him less than impartial. I could challenge that in court.”
“You could try. Sheriff Battle has an excellent reputation in these parts, and your father’s reputation speaks for itself.”
She let out an impatient breath, and shifted in her chair. He could see the tension radiating through her body; she was clutching the arms of her chair so hard her knuckles were white. “If you’re so confident of your case, why haven’t you charged him yet?”
Because I wanted leverage against you, he thought. “I wanted to see what you had to say, before we proceed with a full-on criminal trial.”
She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “Well, Mr. Battle, I believe-”
His phone rang, with the ring tone that told him it was his cousin, Sheriff Battle, calling. Puzzled, he rose from his seat and walked out of the room as he answered the phone.
“Hey, I’m in a meeting,” he said, shutting the door behind him. “Can this wait?”
“I know you’re meeting with her. I wanted to fill you in on what we just found,” Steele said.
Ty listened for a minute, thanked him, and then hung up. He walked back in to the room and sat down. Karen raised an eyebrow questioningly, but he was sure that she already knew what the call was about.
“So, where were we?” She looked considerably more confident. Yep. She knew.
“The most amazing thing just happened,” Ty said. “Sheriff Battle got an anonymous phone call a little while ago, leading him to our stolen property, which had been left outside in a field in our property.” He wondered who had made that call. Her brother? He was a little young. Probably her best friend Isadora, a troublemaker if he’d ever met one.
Purr For The Alpha (A Paranormal Romance) (Timber Valley Pack) Page 1