The Wolf's Mate: Billionaire Shifter Paranormal Romance (Hearts on Fire Book 4)

by Natalie Kristen

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Out of the corner of her eye, Tia saw that tall, handsome man at the other end of the bar counter stand up. Okay, tall was an understatement. The guy was well over six feet, broad-shouldered and he moved with the swiftness and silence of a predator.

  Shifter, she guessed.

  The man had his sights locked on her and was making his way to her. Tia straightened her spine and raised her head to look him straight in the eye. Always take control of a situation and don’t lose your cool.

  Tia sucked in a breath and let it out very slowly. The man’s hazel eyes held her gaze and his sexy lips were curved in a smirk. His dirty blond hair was slightly tousled, as if he had been raking his long fingers through it. He was wearing a designer suit and the top buttons on his white shirt was undone, allowing her a tantalizing glimpse of his hard, solid chest.

  The guy was well-dressed, good looking and oozed confidence and sex appeal. His smile widened when she narrowed her eyes at him. He was relishing the challenge.

  Tia allowed her eyes to trail down the length of his tall, hunky body before focusing on his face again. The guy looked even better up close. He looked like he’d stepped off the pages of a GQ magazine and into her fantasies.

  Tia gave her thigh a hard pinch. She was here to do her homework. She wanted to check out her new work place and get a feel of the hotel. This was where she would be reporting for work tomorrow.

  There were quite a number of security personnel stationed around the hotel, and Tia wondered why the hotel wanted yet another security staff. Oh right. This was the easy, comfortable job that Nathan had promised her sister. Nathan had assured Kerry that he would only give Tia the easiest, simplest assignments. No way Nathan would risk Kerry’s wrath by giving her a challenging assignment which was full of danger and excitement.

  But—a job was a job, and she would carry out her duties to the best of her abilities.

  Her performance on the job was a testament to the quality of the staff from Chase Security, Inc. She would not let Nathan down.

  The tall, handsome stranger was almost upon her, and Tia wondered if he was staying at the hotel.

  “Hello.”

  Tia was glad she was sitting down. The sound of his rich, deep voice sent delicious shivers down her body and made her knees weak. Shit, she didn’t want to be one of those women who admitted breathlessly: You had me at hello.

  “Hi,” she said, keeping her voice and expression cool.

  “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, sliding onto the stool beside her.

  “Thanks, but I always buy my own drinks.”

  The man raised a brow, and she read surprise, amusement and admiration on his face. He laughed softly. “Wow. No woman has ever said that to me before.”

  Tia shrugged.

  “I’m Caine,” he said, offering his hand.

  “Tia.”

  He held her hand for a couple of electrifying heartbeats after they shook, and Tia could feel the heat creeping up her face. She swallowed when he finally released her hand and took a deep breath to compose herself. That was some handshake. Just the feel of his huge hand against hers had made her pulse race and her body tingle. Heat was spreading through her body, blooming low in her belly and igniting her desire and libido.

  She’d gone on dates after her recovery, and she’d had a few one night stands. A young single woman was certainly entitled to some no-strings-attached fun.

  But none of her one night stands had made every nerve and cell in her body sit up and pant with desire.

  She was powerfully attracted to Caine. She wanted him right there and then.

  Caine was mouth-wateringly, heart-stoppingly handsome. He was extremely tall and tanned with chiseled features, intelligent hazel eyes and a gorgeous smile. She bet he was great in bed too.

  Tia pinched herself again, harder this time. Why was she mentally undressing him and picturing his rock hard, naked body in bed?

  Tia crossed her legs and squeezed her thighs together. Her core was throbbing and aching maddeningly. Maybe she needed to get laid, but—tonight?

  Tonight was supposed to be about work. Not sex.

  But what’s a girl to do when Mr Sex-on-a-stick was right in front of her, staring at her with his mesmerizing bedroom eyes?

  Tia had promised herself to live life to the max and experience all there was to experience.

  So...maybe she should loosen up? Live a little?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Caine stared at the tiny, steely-eyed brunette in front of him with both fascination and desire. Tia was beautiful, and she didn’t conceal her natural beauty under layers of makeup. There was only the sheerest hint of lip gloss on her full, plump lips.

  Tia wasn’t like any of the women he’d been with before. She didn’t wear a ton of make-up and perfume, and her hair was soft and natural. It wasn’t styled to death with a whole can of hairspray holding every strand in place. Only the scent of soap lingered on her skin. No overpowering perfume or deodorant.

  Her gray eyes were sharp and assessing, and he knew that she’d noticed his designer watch and cuff links, but she didn’t seem impressed by all the material evidence of his wealth and success. These things meant nothing to her. She was watching him, studying his face and expression, seeing the man behind the designer clothes.

  Caine found himself studying her back. Tia was curious about him, but she was also guarded. But from her scent, she was definitely interested in him. She had her arms folded stiffly in front of her, but she wasn’t immune to his charms.

  But Tia wasn’t just a woman he wanted to charm into bed. She was different and special. He wanted her. God, he wanted her with a hunger that was so fierce and unrelenting, he could almost hear his wolf growling for release.

  He leaned towards her and whiffed her scent again. A frown furrowed his brows. Her scent was human, yet she carried a faint scent of wolf.

  Caine tensed as his wolf rose in fury. Did this female belong to another wolf? Was she...taken?

  “Tia,” he said, keeping his voice as steady as possible. “Are you a wolf shifter?” He took a sharp breath and asked what he really wanted to ask. “Do you belong to a wolf shifter?”

  Tia laughed and shook her head. Her laughter was achingly, hauntingly beautiful, and Caine knew that it was a sound he would never forget. He wanted to hear that lovely, musical laugh every day.

  “No. I’m not a wolf and I don’t belong to anyone.” She canted her head and said, “My brother-in-law and niece are wolf shifters. My niece is only four, but she’s a great hunter,” she added proudly.

  Caine let out the breath he had been holding. That would explain her scent. She had wolf shifters in her family. If she had been playing with her niece earlier, the little girl’s scent might have rubbed off on her.

  Tia eyed him curiously. “You are a shifter, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wolf,” they both said together.

  Tia chuckled. “I knew it.” Her blush deepened as she crossed her legs tightly. She probably realized that he could scent the wetness between her thighs.

  Caine didn’t want her to feel embarrassed and awkward. He gestured towards the grand piano and said casually, “The guy’s a maestro, don’t you think?”

  A bright smile spread across Tia’s face. “Yes! He totally is! I’ve been sitting here listening to him play, and the time just flew by. This bar is great.”

  Caine grinned. “Yeah, I come here after work when I can.”

  “You’re not staying in this hotel?”

  “No. But I have a suite here. So I can shower after I hit the gym, and get dressed before the morning meetings start.”

  “You’re an early riser.”

  Caine smiled wryly. He wanted to tell her that he had no reason to linger in an empty bed.

  He needed a vigorous work-out to release all his pent-up energy and drive. He had a high sex drive, but he refused to keep a woman on hand just to fulfill his sexual needs. One
night stands were fine, but now that he was a dad, all his priorities changed. Sarah came first, before anything else.

  “Do you come here often?” he asked instead. “I haven’t seen you here before. And I’m here pretty often.”

  “This is my first time here,” Tia said, taking a sip of her drink. “This is a very nice hotel.”

  Caine stopped himself just in time. He didn’t want to reveal to her that he was the owner of this hotel just yet.

  “You should try the desserts in the cafe,” he offered. “The chocolate cake is to die for.”

  “Really?”

  “That’s what my mother says.” Caine laughed. “I try to get a slice for her when I can knock off early. Which doesn’t happen often, but I’m working on it.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Tia balled her fists so she wouldn’t fan herself. When he laughed, he suddenly looked so much younger. He looked boyish and playful.

  She loved his laugh. And she loved the way he looked at her. He was interested in everything she said, and it was obvious that he was attracted to her but he didn’t ogle her or leer at her. He was sweet and respectful, but sexy as hell.

  With Caine so close to her, she could feel the heat radiating off his huge, hard body in waves. And it was sending her into heat.

  At least that was what it felt like.

  She wasn’t a shifter, so she didn’t go into heat. But she had to admit, she was feeling really, really horny right now.

  Caine was a very attractive man, and he looked like he was in his early thirties. His hazel eyes never left her face as he talked to her. His gaze didn’t drop to her cleavage and he didn’t check out her long, bare legs. Neither did he try to put his hands on any part of her body. She would have broken every bone in his hand if he tried anything funny.

  There were some men who assumed that a woman drinking by herself wouldn’t say no to a guy sliding his hand up her dress. She’d corrected that assumption on quite a few occasions, very swiftly and sometimes, violently.

  Other than that initial handshake, Caine didn’t touch her. He simply sat beside her and talked to her. He was engaging and interested in getting to know her, but Tia didn’t want to reveal too much about herself. Caine was after all, just a stranger. A very hot, sexy, handsome stranger, but still a stranger.

  “Well, it’s been really nice talking to you, Caine,” she said, sliding some dollar bills under her glass and getting off her stool. “I should get going. Early day tomorrow.”

  Caine stood up. “Tia...”

  Tia leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek. He had been good company and a perfect gentleman. She would love to see him again. Maybe...she could ask for his number.

  But just before her lips made contact with his stubbled jaw, Caine turned his head and kissed her on the mouth.

  Tia’s eyes widened but she didn’t pull away.

  The kiss sent a bolt of molten desire right through her body, and she moaned softly against his mouth. Gently, Caine pulled her to him as he deepened the kiss.

  When he swept his tongue across her lower lip, Tia parted her lips willingly for him. She suddenly realized that she had been waiting for this moment the whole night. She had been waiting for Caine to kiss her.

  She had never been kissed like this before. With so much feeling, hunger and yearning. She was drowning in his kiss, in his arms, and she clung to his shoulders, unwilling to let go.

  She didn’t want this intoxicating, heady sensation to end. Her entire body burned with desire and lust, and she wanted more, needed more than just a kiss.

  Her eyelids fluttered shut as she surrendered herself to his drugging, scorching kiss. Caine’s strong arms held her and supported her as his lips kept moving against hers.

  Tia pressed her hands against his solid chest and felt his heart beating powerfully against her palm.

  God, she wanted this man. She wanted to be with him tonight. She just knew that sex with Caine would be amazing.

  Caine broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. He cupped her face with both hands and looked deep into her eyes. His breaths were ragged and his glowing hazel eyes reflected her own hunger and lust.

  “Tia,” he whispered.

  They were at the far corner of the bar, and the bartender was at the other end of the counter. No one had seen them. The pianist was still playing, and quiet, muted conversation continued to flow around them.

  Tia gulped. She heard the question in his voice.

  He was asking her to spend the night with him.

  Just go. Say no and go, she told herself in her sternest policewoman voice.

  Make me, her non-cop voice retorted petulantly. I don’t wanna go. Come on, live a little. Live a lot!

  One night.

  What harm could it do?

  They were both adults. They knew what they were doing, and they could protect themselves.

  Why was she overthinking this?

  “Yes, Caine,” Tia heard herself answer. “Yes.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Caine wrapped his arm possessively around Tia’s waist. He couldn’t wait to get her out of the bar and into his bed. He was almost out of his mind with hunger and desire. It was with sheer iron will that he managed to leash his raging beast and hold on to his sanity.

  Swiftly, he led her out of the bar and took the elevator to his private suite.

  He couldn’t wait to have her. He had never wanted a female so desperately, so fiercely before. His wolf was howling inside him, almost mad with lust.

  As soon as they were inside the suite, Caine pressed Tia against the door and crushed his mouth over hers. There was nothing slow and tentative about the kiss. The kiss was hot, bruising and demanding. He wanted to mark her, take her, stake his claim on her.

  Tia gasped when he pushed his tongue into her mouth and tasted her thoroughly. God, she was so damn addictive. He just couldn’t get enough of her. He needed to take more, and taste every inch of her beautiful body.

  Unzipping her dress, he let it fall to the floor and scooped her up in his arms. Carrying her to the king-sized bed, he spread her out beneath him and unhooked her bra.

  His mouth watered at the sight of her pert breasts. Her dusky nipples were hard and erect, begging to be suckled.

  Caine grabbed her and sucked one pebbled nipple deep into his mouth. His tongue flicked the hard nub again and again, making Tia cry out in ecstasy.

  He moved his mouth down her body, kissing down her navel to the inside of her trembling thigh. Taking Tia’s lacy undergarment between his teeth, he tore her panties off her body and was rewarded with the scent of her fierce arousal.

  Caine spread her legs and pressed his mouth greedily to her glistening pussy. He laved his tongue down her soft, pink folds and groaned. Tia tasted so fucking delicious, so exquisite. He needed to taste more of her, take more of her sweet, sticky nectar.

  Caine pushed his tongue into her slit and Tia’s channel rippled and tightened. He fucked her slowly with his tongue, keeping his eyes on her beautiful, flushed face all the time.

  She looked so beautiful, and he wanted to see her come for him.

  Caine thrust harder into her, fucking her relentlessly with his tongue until she panted and cried out. She was so close, and with the next thrust, she orgasmed, her body bucking off the mattress.

  Tia blinked rapidly as her shudders subsided. She pushed herself up on her elbows and watched Caine undress. She licked her lips as she traced the hard lines of his body with gleaming eyes.

  “Condom,” she whispered.

  Caine fished a condom out of his wallet and rolled it on quickly. Even dazed with lust, Tia was alert and careful. This tiny, human female was smart and strong. She knew how to protect herself.

  He wanted more than one night with her.

  And he had never wanted any woman for more than one night.

  But Tia wasn’t any woman.

  Tia was his.

  Caine wanted to mark her and make her his completely toni
ght. But he sensed that Tia wouldn’t appreciate being marked without warning. Furthermore, she had only just met him tonight. She might be up for one night of no-strings-attached fun, but anything more and she might balk and bolt from his bed and his arms.

  He would have to take things slow with her.

  Well, considering that they were both naked right now, they weren’t taking things too slowly.

  Sex wasn’t love. Sex didn’t mean anything. It was just a physical need, and while Caine always made sure his lovers were well-pleasured and satisfied, he never wanted anything more with them.

  But with Tia, he wanted everything.

  Her sweet, feminine scent wrapped around him, and he wanted her scent on his skin all the time. He wanted her, and he wanted to belong to her.

  Caine growled as he stared at her blushing, heart-shaped face. His wolf was riding him hard. Both the wolf and the man craved this female. His wolf had never, ever bothered with any of the women he’d had before. It was just sex, and his wolf wasn’t interested in sex. His wolf was only interested in his mate.

  Caine sucked in a hard breath at the sudden, momentous, explosive realization.

  Tia wasn’t a one night stand.

  Tia was his mate.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Tia looked up into Caine’s eyes and saw a fierce, golden light enter his eyes. She knew that she was staring at his wolf, and she swallowed nervously.

  She had dated a few shifters before, but she had never glimpsed their beasts, not even when they had sex. The sex was good, but it wasn’t intense or mind-blowing.

  But she sensed that sex with Caine wouldn’t be like anything she had experienced before. She could see his wolf rising within him, pulsating just under his skin with hunger and want.

  His wolf wanted her. But—from what she’d heard from Kerry and from experience, wolf shifters didn’t let their wolves out during casual sex. Wolf shifters could have sex with other females, but their wolves wouldn’t be engaged. Their wolves receded and lay dormant during the encounter, refusing to take an interest in a female who wasn’t their fated mate. The wolf would only rise when it sensed its mate.