by Milly Taiden
“This book had crotch sniffing, tree climbing, mystery and great romance!”
—Kris Pittman, I Heart Books
“With enjoyable characters, a great plot and some action thrown in for good measure, this has got to be my favorite book by Ms. Taiden to date.”
—Iris Pross, Cocktails and Books
“Scent of a Mate was a page-turning, sizzling, exciting paranormal romance that will have you on the edge of your seat”
—Shayna Snyder, Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads
“I am a fan of Milly Taiden, but I can say with 100% accuracy this is her best book ever! This story has witty quips and one liners like "What part turned you on, the fighting or the shoving your muzzle into my crotch?”
—Sheri & Jen, Two Bibliophiles Guide
“SCENT OF A MATE has fun dialogue that you will be quoting for days as well as the scorchingly hot scenes that Milly Taiden is known for.”
—Barb Hicks, Bad Barb Reviews
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/).
Copyright © 2014 by Milly Taiden
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Latin Goddess Press
New York, NY 10456
http://millytaiden.com
Edited by Rachel Firasek
Cover by Mina Carter
Formatting by Inkstain Interior Book Designing
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Property of Milly Taiden January 2014
To my sister Julie M. Fernandez (aka Jewel)—
You’re the anti-Kass. My right hand woman. I love you more than words can say. Stay strong, sis. I know being so sick is no fun, but I’m here for you. Always. I love you!
KARLA ALVES LISTENED to her friend’s hushed arguing—back and forth—over using the word “over.” She wanted to step in and tell them all to forget about the stupid word and remember the scenting ritual. After all, that was the whole reason they were using the stinking radio devices in the first place. The entire conversation was ridiculous, and she wished there was a mute button she could press. She peered into the woods and tugged on the ear piece.
“We are wearing frigging black spandex for you. I draw the line at painting lines on my face and hauling army gear. I am not going to end each thing I say with over,” Jordan threw in.
Thank you, Jordan. If Karla hadn’t agreed to help video the ceremony so Jordan could write a book for their friend Ellie, the only wolf shifter in the group, she’d never have thought to show up and peep into the ancient ritual.
Karla glanced down at the ceremony area. The Sexy Four—Ellie’s fine and fabulous brothers whom they all secretly loved to crush over—had just spoken to their parents before they separated and moved into the woods. Nerves and something like excitement sizzled in Karla’s blood. Great. She must be nuts if she thought being out there with the very real possibility of getting caught was exciting.
Emma barked out another radio command. That did it. She yanked the earpiece out. She was getting a migraine listening to all the orders from her friend. She loved Emma, really, she did. But she couldn’t handle any of her drill sergeant commands tonight.
Karla pushed another curl behind her ear while she ground her teeth. Her clothes were uncomfortable, and she kept stomping her feet in restlessness as if she was waiting for something big to happen.
The last time she’d felt this way, her brother Kelvin said she’d get into trouble. Sure enough, later that night, she’d had a fender-bender with a cop. Kelvin told her to stop ignoring her instincts and listen to what they said. Right now, they told her to get the heck out of there because she was in over her head. But did she listen? Oh, hell no. The excitement of seeing wolves in a mating ritual was just too enticing. Who in their right mind could turn the offer down? Obviously, this wasn’t something humans should be privy to, so her group of friends were to hide and stay quiet the entire night.
Karla had been tempted to point out all that was wrong with their plan, but she’d held back.
She hadn’t appreciated the black clothing request. She was hot. The damn yoga pants were from last year. They were a size too small and cut off her tummy, giving her a muffin top. She tugged at the front of the black tank and blew air into her boobs. It was hot.
They hadn’t eaten first. Now she was sweaty and hungry.
She has a perfectly good home that she could be in. Far away from trees, dirt, and creepy noises in the dark. Oh how’d she’d love to be wearing her stars and moons pajama pants in her too cold house.
Crouched down, she glanced at the ceremony area. Her thoughts turned back to the Sexy Four, and particularly Nate—the man no one else had ever measured up to. Nate, with his muscular body and tribal tattoos over his arms and chest. He had enough that she could spend a full day drawing each line of them with her fingers. Nate, with his pierced ears and all the making of a bad, bad boy she should really stay away from. But she couldn’t.
She remembered the first time she’d met him at Ellie’s house. The way he’d smiled. She was never the same again. Christ. That was almost seven years back. He’d come to her rescue multiple times. She’d blown a tire once, and he’d shown up out of nowhere to fix it before she had a chance to call a tow truck. And she would never forget the time they’d gone to the masquerade ball Ellie had for one of her birthdays. That had been the very first night Karla had worn a girly dress and done her best to look pretty. Or as pretty as she could get away with. The gold medieval gown she’d borrowed from her drama class had allowed her to look the part of a beautiful princess. Nate had worn a pirate outfit. The one with his chest all bare. At the time, his hair had been longer, shaggy and tempting her to run her fingers through. The tight pants and almost wild features had played havoc with her thinking ability.
When she’d seen him, all she could think of was touching his half-naked chest, running her nails down the washboard abs, and biting a nipple that continued to peek from the white shirt. One look. That’s all it took for some kind of magic to happen. Her heart beat fast and her palms moistened with perspiration. She’d rushed away to grab a much-needed breath of fresh air. He’d followed her outside and kissed her. A single kiss under the moonlight, and she’d become infatuated with him for the rest of her college years. The memory of his firm warm lips over hers rushed blood to her head. Her lips tingled with the reminder of how much he’d turned her on.
Her infatuation with him wasn’t healthy, and it bordered on pathetic. Tired of feeling like a failure in the relationship department, tired of waiting on a man who might never be, she needed to start dating. She wanted a family of her own. She wanted a man who would be there long term. She wanted more.
Of course, none of her other friends ever mentioned her lack of social life, but that was because they didn’t have much of one either. Emma didn’t think they noticed how obsessed she was with Mason, and Nic t
ried to hide her attraction to Jake to no avail.
Besides, Karla had never dated much anyway. And unlike what her sister believed, it wasn’t because she was curvy. Not at all. She loved her smaller waist and bigger hips. Heck, most men loved her big boobs and ass. Latinas were proud of their bodies, and she was no exception. But she didn’t have much of a social life because her mind was always running rampant with thoughts of Ellie’s older brother. No matter what she tried, her brain didn’t listen and focused on Nate and all his sexy tattooed glory for most of her daydreams.
A warm breeze ruffled the trees, and she glanced at her camera. The stupid tripod didn’t want to stay in place. She grumbled under her breath. Squatting down, she jiggled the tiny metal legs into the earth, hoping to steady it. A couple of rocks would help. She grabbed a few of the biggest ones and circled the tripod legs with them to keep it stable.
Long strands of frizzy hair kept falling forward out of her ponytail, tickling the side of her face. She tugged the annoying hair behind her ear and continued to mess with the tripod.
“Stupid, friggin’, piece of—”
A low growl sounded close. Too close. She whipped up to her feet, still holding one of the rocks in her hands and turned in a flash. Unfortunately, she was also one of the clumsiest people and tripped on her own feet. She lost her balance, and she fell on her ass.
“Carajo!”
A howl sounded from the ceremony site, and she scrambled to her knees to watch one of the wolves, she'd guess it was Marco because he was bigger, sniffing Kelly’s behind.
“Just like a man to go straight for the goods.” She snorted.
But she didn’t get a chance to keep watching. Something bumped her backside, pushing her forward. She tangled on the tripod and fell on her face.
“Oh, for crying out loud.” Clearly, she sucked at being inconspicuous. Strands of hair fell forward, covering her vision. She lifted on all four and flipped to sit on her ass. There he was, the one shifter that drove her absolutely crazy in every way possible.
“Spot? What are you doing here? And why did you bury your nose in my ass, you pervert?”
Not that it turned her on that he put his nose in her ass. It was…weird. He growled. The low deep sound twisted her belly into all kinds of knots. Oh, boy. She was in trouble. Staring at his cute furry face, she was very tempted to lift a hand and pet him.
Nathan, big, bad, sexy, pierced hunk of male candy stood not more than five feet in front of her in his wolf form. The form that looked like a cute Dalmatian-wolf with a white spot over his muzzle, hence the name she’d given him, “Spot.”
His eyes glittered in that golden shade from his animal. A shiver raced down her spine.
“I know how this must look, but it’s not what you think.” She felt like a moron talking to him when he was a giant wolf. He took a step toward her. She squiggled an inch further away. With a quick swipe, she moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. “We were invited to be here. I swear.”
Where the hell was the conviction she always spoke with in front of him? Oh, gone into the depths of hell it seemed. He took another step closer, between her open legs.
“Spot? Nathan—Nate,” she murmured, hoping he’d forget she was there and not tell the others he’d found her. “I’ll go now. I…I’m here for research purposes only.”
Her mind ran a million miles per hour. What should she do? Another step. His muzzle got too close to her crotch for comfort.
What was he doing?
“Hey!” She instinctively slapped his nose and scooted back. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Her temper rose and deflated as she watched him shift in front of her. Wow. She’d never actually seen him do this up close before. Okay, she’d never seen him go from wolf to man, only man to wolf and that had been one time. This was…new. Different. And very interesting. There was no looking away. Bones popped, fur receded, and oh dear God, what was left behind should be on a calendar of lickable hot bodies. Hell, she wouldn’t mind having a photo of him on the ceiling of her bedroom like a teen heartthrob. That body was one she wouldn’t mind panting over for hours.
Muscles replaced fur. Bulging arms and legs replaced paws, and yes, there it was, a straining erection between his legs. His big body loomed over her.
She swallowed hard. “You’re…um…you’re naked.”
She’d never seen him naked. Ever. She’d definitely imagined him naked, but this was better than her imagination. A quick flare of curiosity burst free. Stop it! She would end up in even bigger trouble if she did what she wanted and ran her nails down his body. What a body.
His nostrils flared. “I know.”
“No. I mean…you’re really, really naked,” she repeated in stupefied fascination. He had the kind of body she could stare at for hours and not get bored. The kind of body she could pet and kiss and lick and suck and erm, yeah, that kind of body.
“Karla…”
Good God she was in trouble. Deep trouble. The kind of trouble her brother said followed her around. Her throat went sandpaper dry watching his cock gleam with his own need. And the way he said her name, rough and low and possessive, it deleted all thoughts of everything but him. Him and his big sexy body and the fact she’d wanted him for too damn long. Their eyes met, and heat spread down to her pussy. He crawled between her legs, coming closer and closer, so slowly she held her breath and dared not move. He continued moving forward, pushing her to lean back on her elbows, until he was on all fours above her.
“What…um…what are you doing?” She asked in a voice sexy, husky. She had a hard time believing it was her own. She breathed hard, as if she’d been running for dear life instead of sitting still watching him crawl all over her.
He rubbed his nose on her tummy and growled. “It’s for research purposes only.”
What the hell kind of research was he doing that he needed to be sniffing her? She tried, but couldn’t stop the wetness that pooled in her panties.
“Baby,” he groaned. A quick flick of his wet tongue and he licked her belly in a circle. “You smell delicious.”
She did? She was sweaty and hadn’t showered since they left hours ago. “Are you drunk? I thought your kind couldn’t get drunk?”
He chuckled into her tank top, his hot breath slipping between the threads of the fabric to caress her overheated skin. Her nipples scrunched up into tight little points.
“Not drunk…” He growled, rubbing his nose up her collarbone. “Want you.”
Well it was about damn time. She grinned, watching the lines of his face tighten with arousal. Truth was, she wanted him badly. Enough she couldn’t think straight. It was good to know he was feeling some of the same desperation. Instant sparks of heat melted in her blood and turned the butterflies in her stomach loose.
“Nate?” She met his gaze and licked her lips. His eyes flashed, and she saw the wild side of him deep in his gaze, waiting to pounce. “Kiss me already.”
“Baby.” He nuzzled her lips with his, making her almost crazy with the need to deepen the contact. “I’m going to kiss every inch of you until there’s no doubt who you belong to.”
Her heartbeat thundered hard in her chest. The sound hard and booming. She could hardly hear him above the errant beats. Passion heated her blood to boiling.
“Promises,” she said breathlessly, glancing from his eyes down to those smirking lips of his, unwilling to be the one who gave in first.
Then he pounced. Lips met in a hot demand of need. He attacked her mouth like she was the only woman he’d ever want to kiss. Like he owned her. They fell back into the grass, bodies plastered together. Arousal curled into a thick ball in her stomach. She dug her nails down his back to grip his bare ass.
He groaned, rubbed his erection between her thighs, and sucked on her bottom lip. She smiled in between kisses, loving how good he felt pressing her down on the grass, his warm body blanketing hers. She wiggled her hips.
“Keep that
up, and I won’t be responsible for my actions,” he murmured kissing her jaw and neck. Each brush felt like a slide of satin over her skin.
“Who said I want you to be responsible?” Goosebumps broke over her skin at his scorching look. She couldn’t stop herself from telling him how she felt. “I want you too. Now. So bad I think I may go crazy if you don’t do something soon. Stop hedging already.”
That was the first time she’d ever told a man how much she wanted him, and by the smile on his face, she was sure she’d done the right thing.
“I don’t have protection with me, sweetheart.”
For a split second she considered telling him to stop. And then she sent those thoughts straight to hell. Stop? No way! “I’m on birth control for medical reasons.” She puffed the words out because she knew what she said next would be very revealing. “I’ve only been with one other man. I trust you. Besides, I know you don’t carry human diseases.”
Nate’s eyes brightened to a liquid gold she could get lost in. His nostrils flared and he inhaled sharply. “Are you sure?”
“More than I’ve ever been.”
He kissed her again. Deep. Hard. Hungry. Each swipe of his tongue over hers drove her a little closer to the edge of reason. Every brush of his lips melted more of her willpower and any thoughts of stopping. Clothes came off in the time it took her to take a breath, and then his body was over hers again, lips branding her as his. That all-consuming kiss lasted but a short moment before he moved to her chest. Her gasp of pleasure as his mouth encased her nipple was loud. She didn’t care. She could only feel at that point. Feel his tongue flicking back and forth over her hard little tip while his hand molded the flesh of her other breast in his grasp.
When he sucked hard on her nipple, she swore lights exploded behind her lids. Her body shook. She couldn’t stop the rocking of her hips, searching for his cock to enter her. To fill her. Another full body shiver, and his dick slipped to the entrance of her sex. That didn’t last.