Bite Somebody Else

by Sara Dobie Bauer

  He tugged her down in a headlock and wrapped her in his arms before whispering, “No happily ever after then, but how about happy for today? Happy for right now.”

  “I sure am that, you sexy beast.”

  “Tomorrow,” he continued. “We’ll be happy about tomorrow. Friday, we’ll be happy about Friday. Saturday…” He shrugged. “Can we do that for eternity?”

  She smiled against his throat. “Yeah. Yeah, I think so.”

  The sandy beach soon erupted in the scents of basil and pepper, strawberries and snow—plus the sound of, basically, wild beasts rutting. Dolphins danced beneath salt-water waves, and above, the faraway blue moon laughed.

  Acknowledgments

  I didn’t know this book needed to be written until my editor, Trysh Thompson, told me so. I didn’t know Nicholas existed until my husband thought him up, while sitting on our back porch, summer in Ohio. I didn’t know I had so much in common with Imogene until friends asked if Bite Somebody Else was really just my autobiography.

  The release of Bite Somebody last year changed my life. With the help of Trysh and World Weaver Press head honcho, Sarena Ulibarri, a sought-after dream became a reality. Brilliant, hilarious fans from all over the world embraced me—people I never would have known if not for Celia and Ian’s ridiculous love story. Hello to all my Internet besties, as well as to the amazing people I’ve met at conventions.

  I’d like to thank my husband, whose incredible patience with his crazy, anxious wife continues to astound. Thanks to my family. Ditto on the patience, but thanks, also, for being as crazy as me. As always, thanks to brilliant author and Gemini sister, Tiffany Michelle Brown. (Sherlock shout out: “You keep me right.”) Finally, to the utopia of Longboat Key, Florida: without you, my crazy vampires would have nowhere to live.

  As the publishing credits continue, with 2017 shaping up to be a very busy year, I will say Bite Somebody taught me something very important about life. I love writing and telling stories. I love making readers laugh. However, it’s easy to get lost in the fantasy of fiction and forget to put the book down and have fun.

  Some days, put the book down. Pour yourself a rum punch, and never forget that life is an outrageous adventure. Thanks for reading, and #Imogene4Life!

  About the Author

  Sara Dobie Bauer is a writer, model, and mental health advocate with a creative writing degree from Ohio University. She spends most days at home in her pajamas as a book nerd and sex-pert for SheKnows.com. Her short story, “Don’t Ball the Boss,” was nominated for the 2015 Pushcart Prize, inspired by her shameless crush on Benedict Cumberbatch. She lives with her hottie husband and two precious pups in Northeast Ohio, although she would really like to live in a Tim Burton film. She is also the author of Wolf Among Sheep, Life without Harry, and Forever Dead. Read more at http://SaraDobieBauer.com or find her on Twitter @SaraDobie.

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  Want more great romance? Here’s a sneak peak of Omega Rising, a Wolf King novel by Anna Kyle.

  Omega Rising

  by Anna Kyle

  Chapter One

  Violence and death, absent companions for five years—and good riddance to them because they were both assholes—lurked in the shadows of her dreams again. Cass urged her horse on, as if the galloping hoof beats breaking the stillness of the morning could outrun the nightmare’s return. The black mare flicked an ear back toward the rider and surged forward, powerful haunches lengthening her stride as she pounded up the slope, soaring easily over the huge log at the top. Cass shifted her weight back as the pair cantered down the hill then circled right. They cleared the brush two-stride combination in perfect rhythm. Cass’s joyful whoop rang out and the mare bucked once in apparent agreement.

  She stroked Boo’s neck with a gloved hand then settled back into the saddle and the mare instantly slowed her pace. The exhilaration from jumping pushed back her dread but it was still there, humming in the background with the headache. Cass should have run two months ago when the nightmare started up again but the roots she’d put down here were deep and strong. She’d stay until she couldn’t. A crunch of gravel caused both she and Boo to turn their heads at the intrusion of the work day beginning and morning-ride-time ending.

  Crap. Cars filled with her employees and her early-rising boarders were rolling in. The damn nightmare was messing with her sleep schedule so she was late. Again.

  A dark blue Mercedes rolled to a stop near the gate and a tall, elegant brunette exited gracefully then leaned against the fender where she waited, posed like a model with her arms crossed. Tabitha. Her taupe breeches and tall black boots were immaculate and the wind didn’t dare pull a single glossy dark strand of hair out of place. Eager to occupy her mind with something, anything else, Cass smiled and guided her mare toward her.

  “You’re late.”

  “You’re early.”

  Tabitha tapped a finger on her watch. “I am on time, again. It’s seven on the dot. You are late, again. Shame, shame.” She drew out the last word in a whisper. “Not you, Peekaboo. Yo’ mama,” she added in her normal voice, reaching out to pat the mare on the cheek.

  Cass snorted. “Tell me again why I don’t fire you?”

  “One, your horse loves me. Two, you love me. Three, Ozz loves me, well, likes me, okay, okay tolerates me. A lot,” Tabitha emphasized then continued ticking off on her fingers. “Four, I bring in a ton of lesson money for the barn and the most boarders. That’s five. I can go on. You know I can.”

  “No need,” Cass said, holding in a smile. It was all true but there was no reason to inflate Tabitha’s already healthy ego.

  “Okay, I will.” Tabitha turned and started walking toward the driver’s side door, Cass and Boo trailing. “I am awesome eye candy for the lesson dads which keep them bringing their little darlings here for their riding lessons every week. And I help you with the horror that is your bookkeeping system. Is that why you’re late? Did you gather all the receipts like I asked? Or did you meet some hot guy and do it? All. Night. Long.” She leered up at Cass.

  This is why she loved Tabitha. Cass burst out laughing and started ticking points off on her own fingers, the reins slung carelessly over one wrist. “One, did most of the receipts, got them in the truck. You’re welcome. We can go over them after the meeting today. Two, no hot dude, not even in my dreams.” Her smile trailed off as Tabitha shot her an anxious glance before looking away quickly. Crap, crap, crap, she’d been doing so well lately not talking about it.

  “Bad?” Tabitha asked quietly, looking at the ground.

  “I’m fine.” Oops, too snappish. Cass softened her irritated tone. “I’m fine. Listen, Boo worked hard and needs to cool down. We’ll be back in about twenty.”

  It was her own damn fault that someone else knew about the nightmare. In a weak moment Cass mentioned it over pizza and three beers, which she realized the next morning with a pounding hangover was Tabitha’s sneaky way of finding out what was bothering her. Tab’s response had been immediate and overwhelming. After a week Cass couldn’t take the hovering and told Tab to “Back it up, bitch. You’re killing me here.” Which, of course, was accurately translated as “I appreciate your concern, I do, but I will handle this. If I need help, I will ask.”

  At least she’d not been so drunk as to spill her other dreams—the ones of her and her silver wolf friend playing together in a forest surrounded by other animals. She’d had those dreams her whole life. They were comforting, and they were hers alone. Cass didn’t need to give anyone another reason to raise an eyebrow or point a finger at her.

  She guided the mare down the long gravel driveway that represented the eastern edge of her property and lifted a hand to each car as one by one they rolled past her toward the barns. Old gray Honda something, Vivi—quiet, shy, incredibly hard worker, took care of the twenty horse
s used in Sky Blue’s riding lesson program. White Range Rover, Joanie—one of her customers with two horses, a tad neurotic and not liked by everyone, but liked by Cass and that was enough. Her manager, Ozz, who lived in the caretaker house at the mouth of the long property, approached on foot.

  “You good?” Ozz inclined his head up toward her, but not much because at six and a half feet tall, he wasn’t too far below Cass astride her big mare. He was dressed just as he was on the day Cass hired him, which happened to be the same day she took possession of the stable four years ago. Jeans, boots, flannel shirt open over a t-shirt. His long black hair was pulled back in its usual long plait down his back, sharply accentuating his high cheekbones and beautifully dark eyes. She nodded then bumped his giant waiting fist without even slowing Boo’s pace.

  Cass turned the horse into the driveway leading to her house. The late snowstorm a month ago that deposited nearly a half-foot of snow was just a memory now due to a spell of unusually warm and windy days that heralded the much awaited spring. She inhaled; pasture grass greening up, moist earth, decaying leaves, the sharper scent of rock from a nearby quarry, and just a hint of dog poo. Aaah, the smell of spring. A beautiful time of year for most, just not for her.

  Cass shook her head which annoyed the headache. Of course she was a touch more irritable and jumpy lately—crappy sleep plus crappy nightmare plus crappy headache equaled a triple dose of PMS.

  Ozz didn’t blink an eye or ask any questions when, two months ago, she’d asked him to make an extra patrol of the barns if he was up during the night. He surprised her later that night by tossing her some long pads and thick padded gloves and demanding she try to hurt him. They’d sparred five nights a week in the indoor arena ever since. She now had far more than the tried and true kicking-balls-and-running method of defense in her arsenal, but wondered if even that would be enough.

  A grating caw interrupted her thoughts and she rolled her neck and shoulders to dispel the heavy sense of doom sweetened with just a hint of self-pity that had settled upon them. She could worry about that later. Time to focus and Bob was just the thing to lift her sagging spirits.

  The huge crow perched on its customary fence section near the creek and the meditation stone circle Ozz made her a few years ago. “Hey Bob, how’s it going? Nosh on any good roadkill lately?”

  She grinned at its strident caw as it stretched and flapped its glossy black wings twice, which she guessed was its version of extending its middle finger. Was it pissed at the fact she’d named it Bob at their first encounter years ago or the mention of its repulsive diet? Either way, she liked the smart bird and often tossed scraps onto the deck for it during cold snaps.

  Lilly, her shepherd mix, trotted toward them from the house and barked once at the crow which responded with a clipped chirping sound as it settled itself back on the fence, ignoring the dog. Cass smiled at their version of hello, feeling lighter. They meandered the property a while longer. She scanned the fencing for broken boards or protruding nails and Lilly, having no luck finding chipmunks to chase, shot ahead like a brown and white bullet, albeit a slower moving bullet these days, to greet everyone at the barn. By the time they arrived back to the main barn’s parking lot, Vivi and Tabitha were already out of sight and Ozz was loading hay from the semi trailer at the edge of the parking lot onto the truck for the morning feeding.

  A stranger leaned against the door of a fancy black pickup. He was dressed in black boots, black jeans, and a black tee and was watching her ride up with his arms folded across his chest. Mmmmm, nice muscles. The day just picked up. She stopped a few feet away and kicked her stirrups loose, rolling her feet in circles.

  “Hi, can I help you?” She called down to him pleasantly. He looked up and holy crap, he was freaking gorgeous. His pale gray eyes looked like chips of ice against his tanned skin. His face was all hard planes carved in granite, a face that didn’t smile much, if ever. She felt a zing through her stomach and sucked in her breath. Get a grip, she lectured herself. But again, holy crap.

  “You the owner?” His voice was deep and scraped delicious tingles down her spine.

  “And you are… ?” Cass paused dramatically and leaned slightly forward.

  “Looking for the owner,” he said slowly, enunciating every word like she was a three-year-old. Her eyes narrowed as she sat up. Wow, ballsy to be pushing her buttons this early in the morning while she towered over him astride a thousand pounds of moody mare. Pursing her lips, Cass considered her next move.

  He could be from the bank, or worse, an auditor from the insurance company, so she should probably tone down the snark, although honestly, he didn’t look like he worked behind a desk. More likely he was looking for work or, even better, a horse owner looking for a new barn or a parent interested in riding lessons for his child. Cass risked a glance to see if he wore a wedding ring. No ring, but those forearms of his were tanned and muscled and sprinkled with dark hairs as they lay across his stomach, no doubt hiding a six-pack. Drat, there was that tingly zip again.

  Time for charm, then. She gave him her best smile.

  “I’m Cass Nolan, the owner. I didn’t catch your name… again,” she said a little more breathily than she intended. The man straightened from his casual lean and moved closer. Cass tensed but he just stroked Boo’s damp neck. The scent of fir trees and fresh snow enveloped her like a warm blanket.

  So familiar, so safe. Which was ridiculous considering she’d never met this man. Because, yeah, him she’d remember.

  “I’m Nathan Rivers,” he said, turning his attention back to her. This close he was absolutely devastating. The slant of the early morning sun on his face turned those gorgeous gray eyes a liquid silver for a moment. His jaw clenched and Cass suddenly longed to scrape her fingers against the dark stubble.

  Boo danced suddenly sideways away from him and as her brain sputtered back to life, Cass silently thanked her. Had her hand actually been reaching out? How mortifying. She swung her leg over and dropped easily to the ground, putting the mare between them. With trembling fingers she pulled off her helmet and tried to mitigate the damage of sweat-dampened helmet hair. Stop, she told herself. He’s not looking at your hair which is a rat’s nest and makes you look like a crazy lady. But she smoothed it down anyway. Cass blew out a quick breath and led Boo toward the barn as she attempted to get a hold of her galloping heart.

  She stopped in the south aisle just inside the big door while Stranger Danger, still on the other side of Boo, continued watching her. Cass started currying the mare, her hands brisk and efficient and definitely not straying toward him. Definitely not.

  Why wasn’t he talking?

  She risked a peek at him over Boo’s back while brushing the mare’s silky coat, shedding dark hairs swirling into the air between them. Yep, still there, taking up way more space than a body ought, and still staring at her. She didn’t feel any personal menace, but she was hyper-aware of every breath he took. Boo’s other side needed brushing but that would mean standing next to Tall, Dark, and Handsome, and she was so not ready to do that. Instead, she clipped a lead line to the mare’s halter and led her into the empty stall to finish grooming.

  “She’s big. Peeka Booyah?” His deep voice sent little shocks through her body and sent her pulse tripping over itself. Again. She straightened and saw him looking at the name plate on the stall but he wasn’t quick enough to mask his eye roll. Irritation flooded through her, displacing the peculiar reaction his voice had on her. Good, she thought, now I’m annoyed. Annoyed I can deal with.

  “She’s big-boned. You calling my horse fat, Stranger Danger? Fat with a stupid name? Is that what you just said?” Cass came out of the stall, sliding it shut harder than she needed to and secured the latch. He blinked, his face nonplussed for a second then back to stone.

  “Noooo.” He watched with cautious interest as Cass stalked toward him, a brush in each hand. Her cheeks felt hot.

  “You did. I heard it clearly. What do you want? Why
are you here with your tingly voice mocking my horse?” She stood inches away from him, poking him in the chest with the bristly end of the brush. His mouth opened to say something and Cass watched the emotions play across his face with fascination. Confusion, irritation, then back to what appeared to be his everyday look, hard and expressionless.

  A face she knew she should probably run from, not want to smooth her fingers over and make smile.

  Omega Rising Chapter Two

  A horn beeped and jolted Cass before she touched his face. Jesus, she needed to get a hold of herself this instant. His eyes had even widened slightly in dismay in the middle of speaking as if he sensed her intent to invade his personal space. What the hell was wrong with her? He’d said something about asking her some questions before she clearly freaked him out by trying to molest his face. Super. Probably just freaked out a potential customer.

  Her face burned. Cass dropped her hand and her gaze and took a deep breath before turning to look down the aisle, almost hoping he’d take his chance to slip away unnoticed. No luck. He didn’t move.

  The white flatbed truck piled high with bales of hay had crept up the aisle without her noticing and was two feet away. Ozz filled the cab behind the wheel and motioned her to the truck window. Grateful for the distraction Cass hurried over, noting that it was only Tomas on the back of the truck throwing hay into the stalls on both sides of the aisle. The man she’d hired just yesterday to replace the last guy, Carlos, was a no show. On a Sunday no less, Sky Blue Farm’s busiest day of the week.

  “You get a call from the new guy?” Ozz asked while he stared intently over her head at the newcomer. Cass patted her pockets for her phone then realized she left it in the office before her ride.

  “I’ll check. Just do the best you can in the meantime. I’ll figure something out.” Cass’s brain was already rifling through options and when she stepped back to allow the truck to continue, it was smack into Mr. Nathan Rivers. Heat bloomed in her at the full head-to-heel contact. God, he smelled delicious. She felt his hands rise, ready to grip her elbows to steady her. Out of habit, she scooted forward into the narrow space between them and the truck, spun left and strode past the truck, heart pounding.