Fated Mates: The Alpha Shifter Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle) (Insatiable Reads)

by Hunter, Adriana

  I’d left the patio doors wide open. At least the front door was locked, and had a security chain.

  “Wait... wait... I’m coming. I was just... something,” I said.

  I almost slipped on the wet floor as I headed to the front door and, chain in place, opened it a crack.

  Why, hello there, Handsome.

  Okay, look. I probably sound like a bit of a hypocrite with all this self pity, and my completely rational fear of hillbilly serial killers on motorbikes, but Mr. Serious Official Business was seriously cute. I’m not the kind of girl who’ll just lay back and spread them at the first sign of stubble and a square jaw, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate hot manliness when I see it through a crack in a chained door.

  “Ma’am.. Uh, hello, Ma’am,” he said.

  The accent was kind of cute, and suggested he was a very long way from home.

  “Is your husband here?”

  “No, it’s just...”

  For a second, I was going to tell him that I was all alone. As if I had been rendered stupid by some primal need to inform a handsome stranger that I was alone, newly single, and currently available, even if it meant letting them know I was defenseless.

  “... My boyfriend. He’s asleep in the bedroom. It was a long drive, and he’s sleeping... in the bedroom... on the bed.”

  The man at the door swore under his breath, then paused, his brow furrowed.

  “You two really picked a bad time to go walk about up here. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to pack up, and head back down the mountain. There’s been a... It’s an emergency.”

  He was thoroughly unconvincing--almost endearingly so. I waited for him to explain the nature of this emergency, but he didn’t volunteer any further details. After a long, uncomfortable silence, he was the first to speak.

  “Could you let me in, please, Ma’am?”

  “Could you show me some identification?”

  I thought I detected a brief flash of anger. His top lip pulled back ever so slightly to reveal his teeth in a way that reminded me of the wolf I had encountered earlier. Even though I was pretty sure he was planning on murdering me, I felt a small moment of premature victory at the fact that I’d gotten to him.

  “Look, Ma’am. I wasn’t being strictly honest with you, earlier.”

  You don’t say.

  “I wasn’t expecting these cabins to be occupied at this time of year, and this really isn’t a safe place to be at the moment. There’s a man. A dangerous man. I’ve been.... tracking him and...”

  Even though he’d stumbled on the word tracking, he was sounding a lot more certain now. He almost sounded sincere.

  “How do I know you’re not the dangerous man?”

  He looked at me confused, as if I had asked him a trick question.

  “Why would I be tracking myself?”

  I paused, and let that one sink in.

  “Oh.”

  Oh.

  He moistened his lips, and I caught his eyes flicking up and down, once, taking stock of me through the crack in the door. I suddenly felt very self conscious. I’d thrown an oversized shirt on, and nothing else. It only just covered my hips, and my body was still a little damp; the material clinging to my curves. I moved to try and hide behind the door a little more, poking my head out at an awkward angle.

  This time, when he spoke, he was deadly serious. This was his lay-it-on-the-line voice, and I couldn’t help but believe every word he said.

  “I can’t tell you everything. You wouldn’t believe me, if I did. But that door you’re hiding behind? It’s not as solid as it looks. These cabins aren’t like the ones they used to build out here. They’re cheap, pre-fabricated crap, that’s shipped in ready to assemble. That chain you think offers some form of security was made in China, and shipped over here in bulk for a nickel a piece, and doesn’t do jack. If I gave the door a gentle tap right about here,” he patted a spot on the door just below my eyeline, “it would just pop straight out of the wall. Make no mistake, lady. I am a dangerous man. But, if I was a danger to you you’d already know it.”

  His little speech left me breathless. I wanted to be afraid. The part of my brain that does most of the heavy lifting was telling me to be afraid. But the part of my brain that had only recently gotten busy in a hot tub wanted me to be turned on.

  It was a new sensation for me. In general, I play it safe. I mean, look where I was. A romantic weekend away in a cabin in the woods was about as adventurous as I got. But when this man spoke to me, when he claimed to be dangerous, I believed him.

  “Will you let me in, please...”

  “Carrie.”

  “Carrie. Will you let me in, please, Carrie, and then go wake up your boyfriend? I need to speak to both of you.”

  Or, I’ll huff, and I’ll puff…

  I had no choice. As I released the chain, it was hard to tell what I was more concerned about--this stranger’s intentions, or the fact that I was going to have to face up to the embarrassing admission that I was actually having a dirty weekend away, for one.

  - X -

  Chapter 4: Carrie

  He sniffed the air as he stepped over the threshold.

  “I wasn’t being entirely honest, earlier. My boyf...”

  “I know.”

  He didn’t even spare me a glance, as he walked into the lounge and had a look around. It was like he was taking an inventory of each room. The cabin wasn’t large-just a single room that combined a lounge and a dine-in kitchen, and one double bedroom with an ensuite. Other than the front door, there was a single sliding-door onto the deck.

  “Something smells good,” he said.

  “There’s some left, if you’re hungry. Nothing fancy, I didn’t have much to work with.”

  Even as I spoke, I was mentally kicking myself. If a handsome man complimented my cooking, my knee-jerk reaction to offer him some was apparently more powerful than my survival instinct. I was a sucker for a pretty face.

  He glanced at his wrist to check the time, and nodded.

  “Yeah, sounds good. I think we’re probably better off staying here, for now.”

  We’re?

  I raised an eyebrow as he poked his head into the bedroom. Once he was done, he visibly relaxed, and came over to the kitchen to join me.

  “Look, it’s none of my business, but you don’t really seem the type to be having a solitary weekend away, communing with nature or whatever.”

  What exactly was that supposed to mean? Did my fuller figure preclude me from enjoying the great outdoors, in his eyes? I glared at him and cocked my head, challenging him to go on.

  “There’s just something about you that I can’t quite put my finger on.”

  I could swear he sniffed me as he said it. Weird.

  “But, I really wouldn’t expect a woman like you to be alone on a trip like this. No boyfriend? No husband? No secret lover?”

  A woman like me? Was he flirting with me? I tried to stammer an explanation, but he held up his hands.

  “None of my business.”

  He shoved a fork full of pasta in his mouth.

  “Damn. This is good. It’s been a while since I had a home-cooked meal.”

  This whole situation was starting to get a little surreal. I still had no idea who this rugged stranger was, but I found myself eating up his compliments, and craving more. I was coming down from a bit of an adrenaline high, and felt a little light-headed and giddy, not to mention the fact that now I could see him (Him! I didn’t even know his name) properly, it was hard not to be overwhelmed by his presence.

  Attractive wasn’t the half of it. He was a big man. Tall, broad and solid. Under a loose t-shirt and faded jacket, I couldn’t tell exactly how he was built, but it was hard not to assume we were talking well-defined. At minimum, a chiseled six pack and obliques. I liked my men big, and I’d be a hypocrite if a few extra pounds bothered me, but he really didn’t look like the sort to be anything other than ripped.

  “T
hanks. I’m glad you like it...”

  “James... Everyone calls me Jimmy. Take your pick.”

  “James. Definitely James.”

  He tilted his head in acknowledgement, and kept shovelling forks full of pasta into his mouth.

  “So, any chance you’re going to cut the bullshit, and tell me what’s going on, James?”

  “Says the beautiful girl with the imaginary boyfriend.”

  He called me beautiful. I’m sure it was just a figure of speech, along with all his Ma’ams, and he didn’t actually think I was beautiful, but when a mysterious guy who looks like he just walked off the set of an action film calls me beautiful, I’ll take it. I’m happy to take what I can get.

  Unfortunately, this all made me very self aware of how little I was wearing. As he ate, I couldn’t help notice his eyes doing a bit of roaming, and I tugged my way-too-short shirt down lower, which had the seld-defeating effect of pulling it tighter across my substantial breasts.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, as he put the empty bowl down on the counter. “That wasn’t fair. Your business is your business. I’m the intruder here, and I owe you an explanation. I’m tracking a wild animal that came down from the mountain. Killed a girl a couple of towns over. Tragic business. They usually stay out of everyone’s way, but it’s been a long winter, and food is scarce. They’ve decided to head for warmer, more civilized climes.”

  “You said it was a man, earlier.”

  “Hmmm?”

  “At the door, you said you were tracking a dangerous man.”

  “I did? Yeah, I guess I did... I...”

  He inhaled deeply through his nose, and lost his train of thought for a moment. Something passed across his face, and his lower lip peeled back in a wolf-like snarl, as it had earlier. Something was troubling him. I glanced down, and saw that his fists were clenched so hard, his knuckles had begun to go white. It looked as if he was about to explode, and was struggling to keep it together. He shook his head, as if to clear it, and when he looked back up at me, there was something wild and untamed in his eyes.

  It scared me. It scared me a lot. But, unlike the wolf earlier, the fear was more thrilling. My heart was racing, and I didn’t know why. Without warning, my nipples stiffened, straining outwards against the still damp material of my shirt. It wasn’t exactly my usual reaction to being afraid.

  “No boyfriend. No boyfriend, but a suitcase full of frilly, girly things, and I can smell it. I can smell it on you. Why are you here? Were you sent here? No. that doesn’t make sense.”

  Now, he was really scaring me. He was beginning to sound paranoid, like he had escaped from somewhere. He took a step towards me, and I took a step back. He leaned in and inhaled the air around me.

  “I don’t... I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Can’t you feel it? Can’t you smell it?”

  I humored him and inhaled. I didn’t smell anything, but there was something there, something that made my breath catch in my throat, and my heart start beating in double-time. With it came a sudden feeling of what I could only describe as overwhelming lust. As if James’ presence had triggered something in me. I wanted him.

  “I think...” you should go.

  But my words were cut off as he forced his mouth against mine. I wasn’t ready for that. I wasn’t expecting it, and I gave a little muffled squeal of protest. He took no heed as he kissed me; the weight of him pushing against me, forcing me against the wall, painfully flattening my breasts.

  I’d never been kissed like that before. Never. Not even close. I’d always seen a kiss as a negotiation. Something you both decided to do. Something with give and take. And if the negotiation went well, then maybe things got a little heated... or maybe they didn’t.

  But, this wasn’t a negotiation. I had no say in it. And I didn’t want a say in it.

  As his tongue found mine, he growled at the back of his throat. I didn’t hear it, but felt the vibrations pass from him to me. I groaned in reply, my body responding to the unfamiliar sensation of danger and spontaneity, as I pushed against him, grinding my soft curves against his solid, muscled torso.

  His belt buckle caught on the hem of my shirt, lifting it and exposing me. I didn’t care. I could feel a spreading dampness between my thighs. I couldn’t recall ever feeling this way, before. So turned on and wired. There was something about this man. Something raw and primal that had a hold over me.

  I stood on my tip toes and thrust my hips forward, offering myself to him and feeling a hardness beneath his jeans that pressed against my warm flesh. I wanted more. I wanted him inside me.

  When he released me from his kiss, we were both breathless. Panting like dogs, and grinning like kids. He looked as surprised as I felt at the suddenness of it all.

  “Can you smell me now, pretty boy?”

  My voice was a husky whisper as he bent his mouth to my neck to nibble and nuzzle and tease. Each touch brought with it a little electric jolt of pleasure that went straight to my core. I could feel him inhaling me. Breathing in my scent.

  “Can you smell me? Am I in heat?”

  Why was I talking like this? What had gotten into me? It was like I was possessed by some kind of slutty Spirit of Boning Complete Strangers. I could blame it on the alcoho,l or the stress, but it wasn’t that. It was something else.

  He grinned and pushed me hard against the patio doors. I could feel the glass, cool against the cheeks of my ass, as he effortlessly lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

  “Little girls should be careful, out in the woods by themselves,” he said. “You never know who they might bump into.”

  “Who are you? The Big, Bad Wolf, or something?”

  Whatever he was, he was certainly big. Something very hard was desperate to get out of his jeans, and inside me, and I was desperate to have him. Right about now, it felt like that was exactly what I needed. Something hard. Something big.

  “Maybe... If that’s what you want.”

  He grinned at me lasciviously and howled playfully.

  “What is it with me and wolves, today?”

  And just like that, he went from playful and passionate, to Mr. Serious Official Business again.

  “What did you say?”

  I made a vain attempt to distract him, pushing my chest forward--I’d seen him eyeing my breasts, and I knew he wanted them--but he didn’t take the bait. The heat drained from the room, as the mood evaporated.

  As he released me, I tugged my shirt back down, trying to cover myself, and suddenly feeling self-conscious about how I’d been behaving.

  “Carrie. What did you say?”

  “Wolves. I said ‘What is it with me and wolves, today.’”

  “What wolves?”

  “Earlier. There was a wolf. Your bike scared it off.”

  “And, you didn’t think to mention it? Describe it.”

  “Why would I think to mention it? It was big. Black. I thought it was going to eat me. And, then it ran away.”

  “Shit. You have to leave. You have to leave, right now.”

  He grabbed me painfully by the shoulder and marched me out of the kitchen and back into the lounge.

  “Pack your bags. Go.”

  I shook free of his grip and turned around to face him. It didn’t matter how good-looking he was, I didn’t take kindly to being bossed around and manhandled, in this manner.

  “Look, James, or Jimmy, or whatever, I don’t know you, and I don’t know what’s going on, and I definitely don’t know why I suddenly came over, all slutty. That’s just not me. You’re hot, but you’re full of shit, and I’m not going to do a damn thing, until you...”

  And then, before I could finish my rant, James dropped to a crouch, snarling. As he did, some trick of the light made it look like his eyes had changed color, shifting from a piercing blue to a hazy, glowing orange. At first, I thought he was about to attack me, but he was looking past me. At the door.

  As I turned, there was a
loud crack, and then it flew open. There was an explosion of pain, as it caught me on the side of my head, and sent me spinning to the ground. The last thing I saw before I blacked out, was a blur of white, hurtling through the doorway and crashing into James. The last thing I heard was the brutal crunch of breaking bones.

  - X -

  Chapter 5: Carrie

  I dreamed of wolves.

  They circled my prone body, eerily quiet, on padded feet. Yet, I wasn’t afraid. It didn’t feel as if they meant me any harm. A lone wolf broke off from the circling pack and approached me. It was a magnificent animal. Strong, powerful--its hulking, gray form looming over me, so close I could feel the warmth of its breath on my face.

  “How are you here? You shouldn’t be here. Who sent you?”

  I heard the voice in my head, as the wolf looked me in the eyes. I recognized those eyes--those hazy, amber eyes. I’d seen them before. I recognized the voice, too.

  “James?”

  He’d been barking similar questions at me, before things began to go haywire in the kitchen. It was as if something about me had driven him crazy with lust. But, it wasn’t just him. Whatever it was that had us pawing at each other’s bodies had affected me, too. But, I couldn’t answer his questions. I had no idea what was going on, either.

  The wolf just stared at me, panting, the heat of its breath warming my skin. And that warmth spread. I could feel it moving down my body, leaving an electric tingle in its wake… down to my bare breasts, where my nipples responded by standing at attention, and down, down, down, to the cleft between my legs. I felt ripe. I felt like I was in heat. What the hell was happening, and why was I naked?

  “You were right about the door, James. You were right. Do you think they’ll take it out of my deposit?”

  “You shouldn’t be here. You’re not a… What are you?”

  I had no idea what the Jimmy-wolf was on about. This was my dream--why shouldn’t I be here? And in my dream, I was more turned on than I’d ever been in my life. There was something unnatural about it. It was more than just being turned on. It was as if my body had been tuned to a whole new frequency of desire.