Better Mate Than Never
New Adult Werewolf Romance
By Adriana Hunter
Copyright © 2013, Tangled Press – All Rights Reserved.
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All Rights Reserved. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is strictly prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations and places are solely the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, including events, areas, locations and situations is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
About The Author
Chapter One
The wind was biting cold, but Caleb hardly noticed it against his blistering hot skin. Dressed only in a black t-shirt and faded blue jeans, he crouched on the red tiled rooftop of the house, his golden eyes trained avariciously on the beautiful, curvy woman who was busy touching herself in the bedroom of the house next door.
Sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder if Paige knew that he watched her—after all, she made no attempt to draw the curtains down or to shield herself from his hungry gaze. But from the way she pleasured herself with such complete and utterly abandon, he seriously doubted it.
Her curly red locks were spread across the pillow like an inviting inferno as she kneaded her large breasts with both hands. Long, manicured fingers pinched rose-colored nipples, and he fought back a snarl. Didn’t she realize that anybody could be watching her? He didn’t like the idea of another man’s eyes taking in her ample charms.
But then, he couldn’t really complain, could he? She wasn’t his to possess, to protect, to pleasure, much as he wished it were otherwise. This was as much of her as he was ever going to get… a pretty sad state of affairs considering he was one of the most eligible bachelors of his shifter clan. His peers always looked up to him with a certain amount of envy, thinking that he could have any woman in the clan he wanted. It would be so much easier if only he wanted any of them… but whenever he took one to his bed, visions of a redheaded siren with killer curves and a wicked smile filled his head, dominating his thoughts and breaking the connection with the wanton in his bed.
Besides, he’d learned from experience that a woman could nearly always tell when you were thinking about another in your bed. As a result, he hardly ever bothered to invite anyone into his bed, which was really playing havoc with his hormones. Wolf shifters needed regular sex as an outlet; a shifter who was stark raving mad with lust was not in full control, and he had no intention of letting anything or anyone cost him his place in the clan. He was destined to be made alpha male in only a short time if only he could get this red-headed beauty out of his head.
A whimper escaped his gritted teeth as he watched Paige reach for the hot pink vibrator she always kept by her bedside. He popped the top button on his jeans as she slid a hand between her legs, coating her fingers in her own sweet wetness. Because her window was open just a crack, he could hear her moans as she slid the vibrator over her pink, glistening folds. Panting, he wrapped a fist around his cock as he watched her body tremble, her tongue darting out to lick her parted lips. Her creamy thighs were spread wide, and his desire to be the one between them instead of that sex toy was so great he might have been able to teleport himself there if he tried hard enough.
Not that teleportation was a shifter ability. But he could dream, couldn’t he?
He knew she was about to come when her eyes fluttered closed, when her hips arched high and the hand between her legs began to rub faster and more insistently. She screamed his name, the way she always did, and his hot seed jetted out, coating his fingers with the sticky moisture. A snarl erupted from between his lips before he could stop himself, and Paige’s brilliant green eyes popped open in shock, her head whipping around towards the window.
Fuck.
Caleb dropped from the rooftop, landing on the ground easily. Heart pounding, he wondered how the hell Paige could have heard him. After having known her for years, he was pretty damn sure she was just a human. Then again, even humans had varying degrees of a sixth sense. Or maybe it was just bad timing.
Besides, her eyesight wasn’t nearly good enough to have spotted him without actually going up to the window. He was safe. She couldn’t have known he was there. There was just no way.
Even so, he let out a regretful sigh as he quietly stole from the yard and back to his apartment a few blocks away. There was no way she’d be leaving her curtains open now that he’d spooked her, at least not for a few weeks.
*
Shaking her head, Paige drew her window curtains closed and stepped away from the windowsill. Obviously her imagination was running wild. Slightly confused, she plopped down on her bed and gazed resentfully up at the ceiling, wondering what the hell was wrong with her.
She’d been in the blissful throes of an orgasm when all of a sudden a hot tingle had washed over her, and her eyes had snapped open and fixed on the window, almost of their own volition. Something in her subconscious had fully expected to see someone there, and before she knew it she’d been rushing to the window, stark naked and wide-eyed. But though she’d pressed her face to the glass, she saw nothing but rooftops and city lights in the blackness.
Maybe if you had actually remembered to close the blinds beforehand this wouldn’t have happened.
She scowled, burrowing under the covers as if to hide away from the world. It wasn’t as if it had ever happened to her before. It was probably stupid of her to leave her curtains open so that anyone with a pair of binoculars could see her, but it gave her a secret kind of thrill to think that someone might be. To think that a certain someone might be…
Don’t be stupid. I’m sure he’s got better things to do than watch you touch yourself and pretend it’s his fingers roaming all over your body.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes, hoping to shut out her scathing internal monologue. Instead, Caleb’s face floated to the surface of her mind’s eye—sinfully gorgeous, with wavy black hair and gold-flecked brown eyes that could glint with unholy humor or soften with unexpected kindness. His nose was slightly off-center from having it broken when they were in their sophomore year, but she found that only added to his bad boy appeal. And those lips, with their slightly cruel tilt…
Oh Jesus. She wasn’t ever going to get any sleep if she kept thinking about him like this. With a sigh, she looked longingly at her vibrator, wondering if she should go another round… but the clock beside her bed reminded her that she couldn’t afford to stay up late tonight. She had to be at the courthouse early tomorrow morning. She set her alarm for six a.m., then snuggled underneath her covers, wishing not for the first time there was someone next to her to keep her warm.
*
“Caleb, you’re going to be late.”
“I know, dammit.” Where did he put that file? With a frustrated growl, he pawed through the papers on his desk, hoping to find it. He�
��d had it here just last night.
His assistant and cousin, a slim brunette named Shana, shook her head. “I told you that you should have given it back to me before I left for the day yesterday. You always lose stuff when left to your own devices. That’s why you hired me, remember?”
“Yes, and most assistants don’t talk to their bosses with as much sass as you do,” Caleb pointed out with a chuckle. “Not to mention I outrank you.”
“Yes, but I’m family,” Shana said sweetly, “and I can get away with it.” Deftly, she pulled the file he was looking for out from underneath a phone book on his desk and handed it to him. “Now, go away and let me do my job.”
“The guards all have their schedules? And have you checked with Daisy on those invoi—”
“Quit procrastinating and go. I know how much you hate going to the court, but if you’re late the DA will seriously kick your ass.”
Caleb snapped his mouth shut, swallowing a retort. She was right, and he knew it.
“Alright. I should be back before one o’clock.”
File in hand, he left the security firm and headed downtown to the dreaded courthouse. As he drove, he couldn’t help but wonder if he would see Paige at the courthouse today. As a lawyer, she was often there, and as such their paths crossed quite frequently. Every once in a while he would drop in on a public trial just so he could watch her stride around the courtroom in those sexy heels, her eyes full of fire as she ruthlessly and aggressively defended her clients. Part of what drew him to her was her intense passion—she tackled everything in her life with that same inner fire, and he knew she would be just as ferocious in his bed.
Not that he would ever be able to take her there. Adam, the clan leader, would skin him alive if he took a human mate. It was becoming more and more acceptable amongst shifters to do so, but he ranked too high in the pack to be allowed such a choice. And he knew that neither of them would be satisfied with a fling, which meant he had to keep his distance.
Checking the time, he realized he only had two minutes to spare. Quickly, he squeezed into a parking spot on the street and jogged up the steps to the courthouse. Amelia James, the DA, was waiting for him inside… and Paige was with her. Caleb nearly missed a step as their eyes suddenly locked, a sizzling, electric current passing between them at the ocular contact. Ignoring the way his stomach flip-flopped, he approached the two women while managing not to show the hunger that he knew was sprawled across his face.
“It’s about time, Caleb,” Amelia snapped, her pale brow furrowed and her eyes narrowing with every word.
“Nice to see you, too.” He flashed her a bright smile, then turned to Paige. “And you, Paige.”
Paige’s lips, painted a light shade of pink, curved as she gave him a quick once-over, reminding him that he was a far cry from the boy she’d gone to high school with, standing in the courthouse in a suit and tie. His nostrils flared as he scented her arousal, a heady perfume that was a danger to his sanity, and he bit the inside of his cheek to try and control his reaction. The last thing he needed was to go up on the witness stand with a lust-fogged brain and an uncooperative erection. Amelia would have his head, for sure.
“It’s nice to see you, too. I’m representing the prosecution on this one in case you didn’t know.”
“You two know each other?” Amelia asked, her eyebrows cocked up in bewilderment.
“Yeah, we went to high school together,” Paige explained. “We go back a long way.” She smiled, her bright eyes twinkling. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and greet my client. I’ll see you in the courtroom, Caleb.”
Caleb could only nod in return as he watched her walk away, but the way her hips swayed in that custom-cut dress-suit held his gaze like a powerful magnet. Amelia, sighing with obvious annoyance, gripped him by the elbow and steered him into the courtroom.
“If I catch you making goo-goo eyes at her while she’s questioning you on the stand, I’m going to seriously hurt you.”
“Goo-goo eyes, Amelia? You know me better than that.”
Chapter Two
When the courtroom trial was over, Paige made a direct beeline for Caleb before he disappeared as he usually did. This wasn’t the first time they’d run into each other at the courthouse, they had seen each other many times throughout the last year, but they’d never actually been on the same case before now and so he’d always managed to slip away from her before she had a chance to talk to him and perhaps ask him out for coffee.
She’d returned from Purdue nearly a year ago after finishing her law degree only to find out that the boy she’d gone to high school with had launched a successful private security firm and was making his way in the world of cutthroat business. She’d also discovered his incredible sex appeal had quadrupled—something she hadn’t thought possible considering she’d had a major crush on him since she was a teenager. The first time she’d seen him, dressed in a suit that was perfectly tailored to his powerful, lean body, her jaw had nearly dropped, and her heart had kicked into overdrive.
So much for the hope that a few years of college would help her get over him. If anything, she wanted him even more than she had before she’d left to pursue her degree. But the time away didn’t seem to have affected him at all. He still kept his distance from her, polite and kind but never more than that, the same as he always had.
“Caleb.” She hooked her arm companionably through his as he was stepping out of the courthouse, making sure that he couldn’t get away. “You did a fantastic job on the witness stand.”
She felt the muscles in his arms grow tense, but rather than pulling away he flashed her that signature smile of his that had always had the power to leave her weak in the knees. “Thanks. I’ve had some practice at it in the last few years.”
“I’ll bet you have.” She smiled to herself when he kept his arm tucked in hers as they made their way down the steps. Maybe she’d been reading him wrong and he wasn’t trying to avoid her after all. “You know, I’ve been meaning to get you all to myself for a few hours.”
“Oh?” She couldn’t believe something as simple as the arch of a brow could be so incredibly sexy.
“To catch up. It’s been a long time. What do you think about dinner tonight?”
His eyes flashed, and for a moment there was a look of such powerful hunger in them her panties were instantly soaked. His nostrils flared, and she knew right then, beyond a doubt, that he wanted her. But it was gone, replaced by something akin to turmoil, and he looked away, his jaw flexing.
“I can let you pick the place, if you want,” she ventured cautiously, not sure what she’d said to make him react this way.
He shook his head. “No, no, it’s fine… I was just thinking. What do you think about La Primavera? I’ll come pick you up at six.”
Fancy Italian? And he was picking her up? “That sounds fantastic.” Her heart was thudding loudly in her chest, echoing in her ears, but she gave him a wink and a flirtatious smile with as much calmness as she could muster. “I’ll see you tonight.”
She could feel his hot gaze on her as she made her way back to her car.
*
The rest of the day seemed to go by painfully slow. Caleb tried to keep his mind occupied with business, and he was like a fiend in the office, constantly badgering his employees, double and triple checking details until Shana was about ready to lock him in the supply closet.
“Caleb, I swear if you ask me about that invoice one more time, I’m going to stuff it in your mouth,” she snapped. “Why don’t you just go home early?”
“Go home early?” He never went home early. Even though he was the boss and could come and go whenever he liked, he didn’t believe in finishing his workdays before his employees did unless there was a very good reason. Like, if a family member had passed away. Or his pack leader was sending him on a mission. Or if he needed sex.
You made that last one up, you bastard.
Okay, fine. But it was sounding more and mo
re like a good idea the longer he thought about it.
“Yes. We’ve got it under control here, and it’s clear you’ve got something on your mind.” Shana wrinkled her nose. “Sometimes I wish shifters didn’t have such great senses of smell. But the testosterone level in here is going through the roof.”
Caleb glanced at the clock. It was going on five o’clock. “I guess I can leave the office in your hands. You didn’t blow anything up when I was gone this morning, after all.”
Shana smirked at him. “Go enjoy your date.”
“Am I that transparent?”
“No, I’m just that good.”
“Smartass.” But he tousled her hair affectionately as he walked out the door.
Half an hour later, he was pacing in his apartment, dressed and ready to go, and driving himself out of his damn mind as a million thoughts flashed through his head. He’d tried to distract himself with the television, but he couldn’t focus on the basketball game that was on. Paige was all he could think about—the way her arm had felt hooked through his, the sound of her honey sweet voice, her sexy, curious smile. He wondered what she would be wearing tonight.
This is crazy, he thought. You shouldn’t be going anywhere near her. In fact, you should just call and cancel. Make an excuse. Tell her something came up. Anything.
Except the problem was, he didn’t have her phone number. And even if he did, he wasn’t sure he could have followed through. She had looked at him with her big green eyes, so challenging and direct, and yet he could smell a tinge of nervousness and insecurity, as if she were afraid he would refuse her. As if that were even possible. He could avoid her, try to put some distance between them, but any time she asked for anything… he was unable to refuse – he knew that he was only weak to one thing…her.
Better Mate Than Never (New Adult Werewolf Romance) Page 1