A Taste for a Mate (2 page)

He wasn’t beautiful, but he did have a face most women would dream about. A strong jaw and cheekbones gave him an aura of strength, the kind of strength that would be protective. His hair was midnight black and long enough to brush his shoulders, however, today, a band held it back, showcasing his face more. He studied her, his green eyes calm and calculating. Willow let out a surprised gasp at the sexual heat radiating from him. Could she possibly be imagining things?

****

Jasper Jamenson fought himself as he walked into the bakery that morning. This would be the seventh week in a row he’d come here, every day but Sunday. And that was only because the damn store was closed. As good as the cinnamon rolls were, and they were little tastes of heaven, it was the woman behind the counter that brought him there every morning.

Following a particularly bad night in the forest on a hunt, Jasper had been pissed and hungry. Another wolf had tried to play a dominant game, forcing Jasper to hurt him. The stench of the other’s defeat had remained on him, only angering Jasper that much more. The scent of the morning’s freshly baked goods pulled him through the quaint and welcoming door, and the slender goddess who served him brought thoughts of a different form of servicing to mind.

Slightly above average in height – he would guess about five foot seven – she was the perfect height to settle against his body. For someone who owned and operated a bakery, she was as skinny as a rail. However, if he looked close enough he could see the telltale signs possible of curves. And with just a little bit of his help and pampering she would gain some well-needed cushion. No matter what, she’d look amazing underneath him. Her long, light brown hair curled in a bun on the top of her head. His fingers ached to pull out the pins and watch it tumble down her back. Hazel eyes sought him and begged for his protection. Damn, he was willing.

Her look made the wolf within him perk up and growl.

“Mate? I want her”.
His wolf paced beneath the surface of his skin, calculating the best way to quickly claim their mate.

What his wolf spoke of was a possibility. There were only a few women in the world through time that carried the scent to signal the potential mating. Unlike his brother Kade, who had met two women recently that carried the scent, Jasper had never in

He mentally spoke to his wolf. “
We are not ready for a mate. And a human no less. She knows nothing of us. If, and that is a big if, we chose her to be our mate, we will have to go slowly into this. I don’t want us to scare her. But she is beautiful, no”

His wolf growled in response.

“Do you want to scare her away? Let’s get to know her first, see if she is a good match, other than that incredible cinnamon scent. I’ll talk to Adam and find out everything I can about her. I am the Beta; I cannot put my Pack in jeopardy.”

God, he really sucked at this. This time he needed to put on his big wolf panties and actually ask her out.

“
Then we could mark her
.”

 He snorted at his wolf. Yeah, that was taking it slow.

Jasper shook himself from his inner thoughts and looked into those hazel eyes. The spot of flour on her cheek begged for his hand to brush it way. He fought the urge. No need to freak her out. Her chest moved slowly, her small breasts rising and falling. The cinnamon scent of her filled his nostrils and he took a deep breath, the aroma going straight to his cock. The slight gasp that escaped from her kissable lips almost broke his control, and he fisted his hands to regain it.

“Good morning.” His voice lowered an octave and became a growl. He cleared his throat and started again. “I come here every morning and I don’t think I ever gave you my name. Let me rectify that.” He closed the distance between them so only the counter separated them. “I’m Jasper Jamenson. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand in hopes of touching her skin.

Willow blinked up at him and seemed at a loss for words. Her lips opened slightly, begging him to lean down and taste her.

“Uh… yeah… I’m Willow Delton.”  She shook her head, gave him a small smile and placed her slender hand in his. He’d been right – her skin was incredibly soft and made him want to take a bite.

“Yes, I know, you own this place.” He gave her hand a squeeze and released her.

“So, Jasper, do you want your usual?” The sound of his name on her lips hardened his cock. Without waiting for him to respond, she turned back to her work-table to ice her cinnamon rolls.

“Sounds good.” He watched as her hands moved swiftly and confidently across the baking sheets. “What time do you get off?”

“Smooth, Romeo. Why don’t you just ask her to bend over the work tr hable for you?”

Ignoring his wolf Jasper continued, “I thought that we could grab a bite to eat tonight and go see to the arts fest they have running in town.”

Oh dear Lord. Why didn’t he ease into this?

“Oh, are you asking me out on a date?” She wrinkled her brow and looked utterly confused at the prospect.

“Yes, I am. I’ve been in here for over a month every morning, and as much as I love your food, I had an ulterior motive.”

Surprise flashed across her face before her eyes lit up with excitement. “I’ve never been to the arts fest in town. I didn’t want to go by myself and didn’t have anyone to go with me.” Her mouth snapped shut at her revealing statement.

Laughing quietly, he shook his head. “So what time do you get off?”

“You really need to stop putting it like that; it gives me ideas.”
Again, he ignored his wolf’s sarcasm.

“I close at four and should be done cleaning up by five. It’s only me here today so it’s going to take me an hour to close.”

“What do you say I come back at six and we go to dinner from here?”

Her smile almost blinded him as she nodded before taking off her apron. “Okay. Sounds good. Here’s your breakfast.” She handed him his black coffee and a small brown bag with a pink logo.

Taking everything from her hands, he set them down along with the cash to pay for it. Giving into temptation, he leaned over the counter to brush the flour from her cheek.

She jumped and a flash of alarm raced across her face.

Chuckling under his breath, he reassured her. “Just some flour. I’ll see you at six, Willow.” He grabbed his breakfast and walked to the door, taking one last look behind him at the woman who was his mate. He was one lucky bastard.

Whistling a jaunty tune, he walked toward his Jeep, unconcerned and happy while leaving his mate to do her work. The hairs on the back of his neck lifted, and his wolf came to attention. The street was empty but for a few people; nothing looked out of place. Jasper took a deep breath but didn’t detect another presence. With one last look toward his slender brunette, he shrugged off the uneasy feeling and continued to his Jeep.

Chapter 2

The man of Willow’s dreams walked out the door but this time was coming back for her. She had a date with Jasper. Her heart pound in her ears, and she felt like jumping up and down like a teenager. She bit her lip, holding back a squeal. Probably not the best time to do that.

Jasper – the name suited him. Unique, yet strong. Closing her eyes to savor the feel of his presence, she tried to recall every word he’d said, every move he’ made. The warmth from his fingertips still tingled against her cheek. She took a deep breath of his lingering male scent and steadied herself before opening her eyes. An older couple stood staring at her with their lips pursed and brows furrowed. She must have been completely out of it not to hear the bell.

“I’m so sorry. I’m just having one of those days. What can I get for you? I have fresh cinnamon rolls for you if you like.” She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face and helped them to begin her day.

Breakfast and lunch flew by. Cleaning the few tables inside her shop, she hummed to herself as she thought about the night to come. She had a date. The small mountain town they lived in had a decent selection of potential matches. But from what she’s observed, they were players or married. Sometimes both. Not until Jasper walked into her bakery, had she noticed a man. And oh, did she notice.

Suddenly the hair on her arms stood on end and she tensed. Someone was in the bakery. Why the hell hadn’t she heard that damn bell? She turned quickly and bit off a gasp. A large man stood almost directly behind her, blocking her path. He glared down at her with a malicious curl to his lips. Tension and danger ebbed from him.

Letting this man know he scared her would be a mistake.

“Can I help you? I’m about to close, but I still have a few baked goods that are fresh and good to go.”
Subtle, Willow. Let’s try not to let the scary man know he is terrifying, shall we?
At least her voice didn’t shake.

The stranger hadn’t moved or spoken a word. He was at least as tall as Jasper and had the same hair color, but the similarities stopped there. Where Jasper was handsome in his masculine looks, this man was anything but. His hard face sported a nose that might have been broken, but never set. His lips gave an almost perpetual snarl. He was beefy, muscular, and downright scary. With his presence, any happiness and confidence Willow had gained that day evaporated.

“Let me just go behind the counter—”
Where
access to the back door is
. “—and I can help you with whatever you need.” Her voice started to crack, and she walked quickly, trying to get away from him.

Just as she reached the counter, his hand shot out and grasped her upper arm in a painful grip.

“What are you – ?”

He shook her hard, her body whippingght around like a rag doll, and ended her sentence before he pulled her toward him.

“You smell just like him. He shouldn’t have done that. If he really cared for you he wouldn’t have marked his scent then left you all alone.” His breath was rancid and crawled against her ear as he growled at her.

What is he talking about?

“Please let me go. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She punched him in the gut. Years of living in foster homes taught her quite a bit. He grabbed her hip and rubbed himself on her while licking her ear. Gagging, she twisted and tried to scratch him. He only pulled her closer and rocked his erection against her.

As she opened her mouth to scream, he let go of her arm and closed his hand over her mouth.

“Nuh uh, little girl. No screaming or I will make you suffer longer before I kill you. You are a pretty thing, though a little skinny for my taste. Not enough tit to grab onto, but you’ll do. That fucker thinks he can claim you for his mate? Fuck him. You are going to be mine, at least for a little while before we tear you to pieces.” He smiled and lifted his hand from her mouth to give her a bruising kiss.

She resisted, but he held her head to him by pulling her hair and rocked again. His erection brushed her, and she shuddered. Tears streamed down her face as she whimpered in pain.

Just then, the back door slammed open and another stranger came barreling in. The man wasn’t as tall as her assailant, but he looked similar, except for the jagged scar running along his face.

“Shit, Isaac, stop fucking around. If the Redwoods know we’re on their territory they’ll tear our throats out. Not to mention it reeks of the Beta in here. Once he finds out, there’ll be hell to pay. Just get the bitch in the car and don’t fuck with her. She’s the Alpha’s first. Once Hector gets a taste, you can have her. Assuming there is anything left.”

“Fuck you, Reggie. I can do whatever I damn well please with this tasty piece.”

The man named Reggie glowered at Isaac. “Get the fuck in the car, dude. I’ll gut you if I have to.” Isaac buckled under an unknown force and Willow gasped.

Oh my God. What’s going on? What is that?

Was it a Taser? No. She didn’t see one.

Oh God. What was happening?

As he shifted again, Willow tried to break free.

“No, pet, I don’t think so.” His dry tongue licked the side of her face. Bile rose in her throat.

Oh God, she didn’tn t want to die.

“You’re coming with us. And when that fucking Beta Jasper gets wind we have you, then we can kill him too.” Reggie strolled across the room toward the two of them.

The fist came at her face too fast to register until she felt a painful explosion against her cheek.

The last thing she remembered was wondering where they were taking her and what did Jasper, her dream man, have to do with it?

Chapter 3

“You look so cute dressed up. Willow isn’t going to know what hit her.” Melanie, Kade’s mate, bounced around Jasper’s living room helping him to choose his clothes for his date with Willow.

A growl sounded behind him, and Jasper laughed out loud.

Yep, his older brother was a tad bit possessive.

“Hey, man, it’s the truth.” Jasper ducked when a pillow from his couch flew by his head.