The meowing ringtone woke Megan, but comfortable in the bed, she didn’t bother to stir—although she did crack an eyelid to admire the flexing, tight buttocks of her lawyer/lover.
My lover.Not quite the stupidest thing she’d done lately but, given her situation, not the brightest either.At least her lapse in judgment resulted in a phenomenal night of sex. Apparently, Gavin’s skills weren’t just in the courtroom. The man knew how to play her body, leaving it pleasantly sore and, more surprising, hungry for more.Indeed, just thinking about the pleasures of the previous eve had arousal stirring and her skin tingling. How rare to find a man who attracted her and on more than one level. Not only did his body attract; his mind wasn’t too bad either.Another unexpected aspect about Gavin was her ability to sleep with him. Sleepovers weren’t her forte. Something about the vulnerability of sleep made her restless and unable to enjoy but the lightest of slumber, a habit she’d not managed to drop since she went out on her own. A lone woman never liked to be caught unaware.For some reason, Megan relaxed her guard when around Gavin. For a three-piece-suit kind of guy, he managed to exude an aura that screamed, I can take care of myself and you!He’d certainly taken care of her last night. She only had to stretch a little to feel the pleasant soreness of certain muscles.The low murmur of his voice rose as he practically yelled, “What the hell are you talking about? Her place was trashed, yes, but to accuse her of torching it is nuts.”He’s talking about me?Straining to hear, she silently cursed as the sudden whoosh of water coming from a tap drowned his words.That wouldn’t do. Slipping from the bed, she tiptoed to the bathroom door, not bothering to put on any clothes. She wanted to hear. Who was calling him at this ungodly early hour? And what were they talking about?Pressing her ear against the door, she couldn’t quite make out his words but caught enough. “Fabian.” “Kill.” “Fire.”The plot thickened, and she needed answers. But first she needed pants. Confrontation was always less effective when naked. Especially when someone kicked in a door and rushed in aiming a gun.Good thing she’d honed her reflexes over the years. “Chubby” didn’t mean she couldn’t move.Instinctively, she ducked, so the first shot fired went right overhead. Before the gunman could trigger a second, she lunged and hit him in the knees, tackling him. Down he went, landing with a hard thump on his back. A moment later, her bare thighs pinned his arms, her forearm was pressed against his throat, and he stared at her with wide eyes.Occupied with the intruder under her, Megan only vaguely noted the bathroom door smashing open as Gavin rushed out. Poor guy. He probably didn’t expect to find his supposedly sweet and innocent client—and bedmate—restraining a hired killer.A low growl rumbled from behind her. A very ungentlemanly growl. One would say even inhuman.What the hell.Despite the threat beneath her, Megan couldn’t help but crane to peer behind her.Her eyes widened. Her breath was caught. Her rigid pose relaxed, and the gunman took advantage of her lapse to fling her away from him.She hit the wall with an oomph, but the shock of impact was nothing compared to the mental one as she beheld a veritable wolfman looming over the blubbering gunman, who aimed his gun with shaking hands and pulled the trigger.Red blossomed as the bullet hit the massive beast, but the wound, which went right through his shoulder and leaked blood, didn’t stop him. The wolfman emitted a snarl of rage while a paw tipped in claws swiped at the hired killer.But the wolfman didn’t strike to kill. Rather, he grabbed the man by his jacket and lifted him, shaking the large fellow much like a dog with a stuffed toy. Then the wolfman tossed him, clear across the room.The hired killer hit the wall, hard, then the floor. With a single bound, the beast reached him and picked him up again.It was at this point that Megan came to a few realizations. One, that wolfman was Gavin. No mistaking those gorgeous blue eyes of his, and besides, given there was no human lawyer in the bathroom, or anywhere else for that matter, simple logic prevailed. Two, this was not a place for her to stay.While Gavin played with his new squeaky toy, Megan snagged some clothes off the floor, his keys off the desk, and dashed for the door.Stark naked, she streaked up the hall, which, to her surprise, remained quiet. Even better luck, the elevator was still at their level. As the doors slid shut, she saw through the shrinking crack wolf-Gavin emerge in the hall in all his furry splendor and glance in both directions.His gaze caught hers at the last moment.Through a jaw not meant for human words, the wolfman managed a gruff, “Come back.”As if. “Like hell,” she muttered, not without a smirk.And then the doors slid shut but not before she heard him howl.A shiver went through her.No wonder he called her little rabbit. The man truly was a wolf. And she’d just done the one thing prey should never do.Run.ElainaFinally, we arrive at the parking lot, Anna is waiting as patiently as ever. It’s still early, and we’re the only people there, thank goodness. We step into the back, look at each other, our bodies trembling with an identical need.“Not here. Let’s go home,” he says.I grin, knowing what he means. This is home. But so is the crumbling old parking lot with the river running alongside it. He rummages in a cupboard, finds a T-shirt and shorts and pulls them on, while I slip into my T-shirt, my panties, reach for my jeans.But he stops me. “That’s enough,” he growls.He wants me to sit in the passenger seat in just my panties? Okay then.“What about your bike?” I ask as we take our seats. “Don’t you want to ride it back?”“I’ll pick it up later.” He gives me another burning look. “There’s no way I’m letting you out of my sight right now.”A shiver of delight goes through me.I’m his. I’m really his, I keep telling myself.THE RAIN HAS CLEARED NOW and the morning sunshine is brillia
Emerging from the bathroom, Gavin expected to encounter a few things. An intruder with nefarious intentions. Maybe some screaming from Megan, because a normal woman would be frightened by not only someone kicking their door down and shooting but also the appearance of a living and, yes, viciously snarling Lycan.What he didn’t expect was to find his mate expertly taking down a hired thug.Naked.Straddling a stranger’s chest, her forearm across the man’s throat, her boobs hanging practically in the guy’s face, Megan had things under control—but the guy under her had a much too intimate view.That more than anything set Gavin off.His woman was touching another man while not wearing a stitch of clothing. The fact that she did so to protect herself—with a skill Gavin would question later—didn’t matter.Red, roaring jealousy infused him, followed by icy rage as the gunman, during her shocked moment of inattention, flung her away, causing her harm.He hurt my woman!Unacceptable. A civili
Such a nice bedroom, decorated in light blues and grays. Very tastefully appointed. What a shame it was about to get messy.From the comfortable club chair she sat in, Megan aimed the gun she’d taken off the guard she’d assaulted in the garden at Fabian’s forehead.It was highly doubtful she’d taken him by surprise. The man was a renowned mob lord for a reason, but his cocky self-assuredness meant he took his time acknowledging her presence.She couldn’t help a grudging admiration. It took a set of megaballs to act as if he didn’t fear her and to ignore the gun she held pointed at him with unwavering hands. He knew for a fact that she never missed.“Megan. Darling. To what do I owe this lovely crack-of-dawn visit?”“I was in the area and thought I’d pop in.”“Did you make my guards look incompetent again?”“Just the one guy. He’s out cold in the garden. The others don’t even know I’m here.”Fabian blew out a breath of disgust. “Bloody hell. I’d really like to know your tricks.”“And g
While Gavin hated leaving Megan after having declared her his mate, given her somewhat temperamental reaction he thought a cooling-off period might work in his favor. And possibly keep him alive longer.Sure, he’d not exactly sprung the news of their wolfish nuptials on her in a romantic way.However, the whole situation since he’d met her had proven less than normal or ideal.He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that the woman he’d tied himself to for life was a proclaimed assassin and spy for his nemesis.What would this mean for their future? Would she insist on pursing her career? If she does, at least she’ll have a damned good lawyer to keep her sweet ass out of jail.Speaking of law, how did he feel about the fact that his mate was a woman on the wrong side of it?The answer took less than a second to arrive. It didn’t really bother him. Gavin was used to defending criminals. Innocent or not, he’d not previously cared. It was up to him to give them their chance in cou
A week later and Megan still pouted. She just couldn’t have articulated exactly why, though.Yes, her daddy had shown up and decided things for her, his well-aimed throw of a statuette knocking Gavin out. Her hollered, “What did you do that for?” was met with an implacable, “I didn’t like him.”Funny enough, Megan couldn’t say the same. Despite Gavin’s pompous assertions, she rather liked him. Not that it mattered. Her daddy literally abducted her and took her home.Megan didn’t fight much.Really, leaving was for the best. She couldn’t just allow Gavin—no matter how sexy or yummy or anything—dictate the course of her life.So what if he thought fate had designated her as the one woman he’d spend his life with?No one asked her.No one asked her if she wanted to more or less marry an almost stranger—who made her body sing and brought her to life.No one asked her if she could handle living with a lawyer whose ethics depended on whom he defended—and who accepted the fact that she somet
Thursday“Aw, c’mon, Anne. It’ll be so much fun. Please?”“Cissy, I…” Anne turned away. She hated to disappoint Christa, but there was just no way. No way at all.Her sister’s BFF, Stephanie, chimed in. “If you don’t come with us, that fully paid reservation is just going to go to waste. We bought the package for three because Gina said she wanted to go, and then she bailed on us.”Anne ran her fingertip through the salt on the rim of her margarita glass and stuck her salty finger in her mouth. Damn. Did she or didn’t she? She stared at Stephanie. “There has to be someone else who can fill a third spot. Especially since it’s paid for.”Christa chimed in. “Gina bailed an hour ago. We leave Sunday morning, so we don’t have time to hunt for anyone. I know you have time off coming. Talk to your boss tomorrow and let her know you’ll be gone all next week. Please?”“C’mon, Anne.”Anne glanced from her sister to Steph and pulled back feelings that were more about envy than irritation. She’d
SundayIt was almost five when Anne parked the car in front of a sprawling log building nestled in a large clearing with forest all around. Towering pines and dark green fir trees shadowed part of the area, and the tangy scent of cedar filled the air. The lodge was surrounded by a beautiful deck, and it was all absolutely breathtaking—even better than the pictures online.“Okay, ladies. Rise and shine.” She turned and poked Stephanie, who slept soundly in the backseat.Grunting, Steph slowly pivoted and sat upright. Sort of.Christa stretched her arms overhead and arched her back. She’d ridden shotgun the last seventy miles or so. The sound of popping vertebrae made Anne wince. She hated to think what her own back was going to sound like. “I’m surprised neither of you ladies thought to mention that the last eleven miles were nothing but a dirt road.” It was well marked, so she hadn’t been afraid of getting lost, but the forest was so thick and impenetrable looking, it was scary when y
Anne clipped her hair into a knot on top of her head and took a quick shower. Long trips always made her feel grimy, but that wasn’t the only reason. The old cliché about horny guys taking a cold shower to cool down actually made sense. Her body was on fire after Brad’s kiss. The man kissed like he’d meant it. She’d only known him for what? Fifteen minutes?How would he kiss her after a few days? After they got to know each other.Why wasn’t she freaking out? She never kissed men she didn’t know. Actually, they never kissed her. But Brad did. And damn it all, he kissed her like he meant it.The shower helped, though the minute she got out and thought of him she flushed hot all over again. “Oh. My.” Fanning herself, Anne stared at the woman in the mirror. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes sparkled, and she could swear her lips were swollen from kissing. She’d never, ever reacted to a guy the way she did to Brad, but then she’d never had a totally hot guy kiss her just minutes after meetin