A Wolf's Desire (A BBW Paranormal Romance): The Holiday Ball (7 page)

THE HOLIDAY BALL: A WOLF’S CLAIM

Hayden’s first official duty as alpha of the Barringer Pack was hosting the Holiday Ball. A Christmas dance that allowed single supernaturals to find a true-mate—or just hook-up. Hayden had avoided the events for years, not ready to take a mate. This year, he’d had no choice. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to enjoy himself. And the curvy witch hiding in the shadows looked like just the delectable morsel for his hungry wolf.

Amber hated coming to the Holiday Balls. She left feeling sadder and lonelier than ever before. She’d accepted the fact that Santa wasn’t going to hand her a mate wrapped in a pretty red bow. If not for the edict from her grandmother, the coven’s matriarch, she wouldn’t be here tonight.

Of course, she’d have to thank her grandmother later…

EXCERPT:

He strode into the room and shut the door with a kick of his foot. The room was just as gorgeous as the rest of the house. The dark blue, green, and brown hues of the carpet, curtains, and bedding reminded her of the deep recesses of a forest. He stopped near the foot of the bed and eased her from his arms and onto her feet. Her hip grazed the hard ridge of his cock under his zipper and she gasped.

“That’s all you, baby,” he grinned, pressing into her soft flesh. He still held her by her arms as if he was afraid she would bolt at any minute. Which was exactly what she was thinking she should do.

The dizziness was passing quickly, but she still didn’t know if she was in her right mind or not. She’d just allowed a man—no, a big, bad wolf—to carry her away. Willingly allowed him to carry her away. Because of her lineage, she was a witch of considerable power and could have stopped him at any time, even if she was slightly inebriated. But she hadn’t wanted to. Which was totally out of character for Amber. She did not have hot, passionate flings with sexy wolves.

She put her hands against the hard planes of his chest and pushed. He didn’t move. There were only two reasons why a wolf would carry a witch away at this type of party. Hot, sweaty sex—or he believed she was his mate. Nothing had registered on her witchy radar, so that meant he was just a horny wolf. She was disappointed, but the throbbing between her legs told her it wasn’t such a bad thing to be desired by such a sexy wolf. But they had to get one thing straight. “We are not mates.”

THE HOLIDAY BALL: A WOLF’S CLAIM

Gunner Barringer was attending The Holiday Ball under duress and out of respect for his brother, the new alpha of the pack. He stood in the shadows, hiding. There was nothing for him here tonight. He’d enjoyed the annual event a time or two as a younger wolf. After all, it didn’t get the nickname f*** ball for nothing. But now he was a wolf broken in both body and soul. He had no desire to find a mate and no business being here.
What Gunner had forgotten was more than one match had been made on the night of a full moon when the world was filled with the magic of the holidays.

Autumn Covington was rare in the supernatural world—she was a peace pixie. Which just sucked in the middle of a f*** fest. Instead of giving off vibes of lust and wantonness, like her pencil thin, blonde haired cousins, she calmed the savage beast. Plus, she was the plumpest of pixie at the ball so her chances of finding a mate were…well slim to none. So, she’d just work the crowd as she’d been hired to do—sprinkle sparkles of calming pink so the horny wolves didn’t get out control.
That’s what she’d planned to do until the wolf in the shadows decided he wanted her all for himself.

EXCERPT:

“Come.” He turned and pulled the pixie behind him. Or tried to. His plump little mate wasn’t cooperating. “Come.”

“Whoa, wolf boy.” Autumn jerked at the strong arm that pulled at her. Trying to stop him from moving was like trying to stop a runaway train. Autumn had very little experience dealing with men and even less dealing with male wolves. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if he wanted to lead her out of the ballroom and up the stairs. But, there was no way this sexy wolf wanted to take her to his bed.

“No.” She tried to pry his fingers from around her wrist.

He finally stopped and turned his attention back to her. “Why?”

“Because you just want a night of pleasure.”

“And you don’t?”

She quickly shook her head.

Another half smile that made her pussy clench. He looked too certain she was lying. Feeling the warmth spreading throughout her body, her resolve weakened. Why did she have to be such a horny pixie?

He bent his head and nuzzled the side of her neck. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was trying to scent her. That’s what she’d seen other wolves do tonight and the other women had allowed it, anxious to see if any of the handsome wolves in attendance were indeed their mate.

He placed a kiss against the side of her neck and her eyes floated close.

“Come upstairs with me,” he whispered against her skin. “Let me taste you.”

She gave a full body shiver.

“Let me fuck you.”

THE BLACKWOOD BROTHERS, BOOK 1

When Quinn Blackwood thought it was time to go hunting for his mate, he couldn’t believe fate handed her to him on his very first blind date. His family thought it was a hilarious turn of events since the big bear shifter had been looking forward to sowing a few more wild oats before settling down with his one true mate. No one was laughing when Paige got the wrong idea and believed Quinn was just looking for a good time.

Paige Matthews had finally given into the cajoling of her co-worker and agreed to a blind date with the woman’s brother. Paige admired the family of bear shifters and had nursed a secret crush on the oldest Blackwood brother, Quinn, since moving to town. Even though she’d known the odds were against it, she was terribly disappointed that she wasn’t his true mate. She did however, decide to take him up on his offer of a good time, cause this good-girl craved the bear’s sweet loving.

EXCERPT:

Quinn did more than give her a casual look. He turned on the padded barstool, giving her his full attention. He tried not to let his mouth hang open or show her his bear panting with need. She was cock-hardening tempting even if she was dressed ultra conservative in that white button-up blouse and black slacks. Nothing form fitting or eye-catching about her outfit. The only concession she’d made to dressing for a date were the earrings dangling from her shell-like earlobes. They were black and sparkled with each movement of her head and enticed him to look at the sweet curve where her neck and shoulder met. The place most shifters marked their mates. He wondered if she would taste as sweet and satisfying as he imagined.

Okay, slow down, buddy
, he told himself. That was two overly possessive type thoughts he’d had about this woman in less than ten minutes. Yes, he’d felt the instant attraction, the instant awareness that this woman was his. His bear was closer to the surface than it had ever been in his life. Inside, he heard the animal whisper to the man.

Mine. Take. Mate.

He stood up and faced her. Like he said, his size intimidated most women. One good look might be enough to scare her away. His bear didn’t like the thought of that.

The man knew she might take one look and run. Yeah, he liked larger women—make that freaking loved women of size—and Paige fit the bill with big boobs and a big butt. Besides the attraction, though, he needed a woman who could go toe-to-toe with him, giving as good as she got. While bears might appear laid back and easygoing, they could be, well, a bear to live with. He didn’t want a shy, mousy woman who’d let him run roughshod all over her. Dominate her—hell yeah.

What were his sisters and mother always telling him and the twins? There was a fine line between being dominating and domineering. Sometimes shifter males learned that difference the hard way.

Before he could say anything, he saw her head turn, her green eyes watching his every movement as he rose. Her gaze raked him from top to bottom and back up again before she spoke.

“You’re very big.”

Oh, baby,
he thought
, you don’t know the half of it.

THE BLACKWOOD BROTHERS, BOOK 2.5

PAIGE’S BOSSY BEAR

They said the road to true love could be rocky. Quinn’s courtship of Paige was covered with huge freaking boulders!

Paige Matthews had finally found her one true love, bear shifter named Quinn Blackwood. Raised by an elderly aunt, she has never relied on anyone for anything. Adjusting to a big bear shifter—a big, bossy, bear shifter—was taking some getting used to. Especially, when he insisted they move in together. She didn’t know why she was hesitating. Fate had given her everything she’d ever desired. What it hadn’t done was provide an instruction manual on her to handle her alpha male bear.

One blind date had revealed Paige was indeed Quinn Blackwood’s true mate and he couldn’t be happier with the curvy beauty. Circumstances had placed her in danger and his bear on the edge. Now that the danger had passed, the man—and the bear—was having a difficult time giving her the space she needed.

EXCERPT:

Boy, would the twins give him hell if they knew he had a beautiful woman in his house and all he wanted to do was gather her in his arms and take a nap. If this was what being mated did to a bear…he was all for it. He wanted to pick her up and settle her across his lap. Or across his knee until she agreed to move in with him. That thought had his cock stirring to life and he clenched his fists, resisting the urge to scoop her up in his arms and carry her upstairs. Two things prevented him from doing just that. He smelled like the devil himself and she looked tired as hell.

A small measure of guilt crept up inside him. He knew why she looked so damn tired. She hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since they’d mated. He loved her well into the night, reaching for her time after time until dawn streaked across the sky. She never said no, as eager for his touch as he was for hers.

His instincts were telling him he needed to pull back. But he couldn’t. Other, more formidable instincts, were telling him to take her. Fuck her. Mate her.

He knew why. And he knew the hunger wouldn’t be slated until he’d planted his seed inside her belly. Then, his bear could rest.

Turning sharply on his heel, he took the stairs two out at a time, away from temptation.

Perhaps it
was
time to toss her over his shoulder and show her just how bossy this bear could be.

THE BLACKWOOD BROTHERS ARE BACK… BOOK 3

Ryland and Ryker Blackwood were twins. Identical, thigh clenching bear shifter twins who had no trouble getting women into their beds. Or bed. They’d shared just about everything in life—even their women.

The scent of the cat shifter they found on their construction site was driving both Blackwood brothers crazy with lust. Or was it? Every time they thought they were getting closer to finding the woman who would be their mate, one of their bears backed away. The hot and cold feeling they were getting from their animals was confusing the shit out of them.

Was the cat shifter meant for one of them or both of them?

This is a longer story at 70,000 - cause Ryker and Ryland are up to some nice naughtiness!!

EXCERPT:

“You mean a list of rules, don’t you?”

“You betcha. Got a problem with that?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Oh, how he loved the stubborn set of her jaw. But first things first. He yanked his shirt over his head to give to her. A small laugh escaped him as he helped her dress.

“What the hell do find funny at this particular moment, bear boy?” She managed to push her arms through the sleeves and yanked the shirt down as far as it would go.

“I was remembering your comment about not being my Barbie doll.” He eased her hair from the collar of the shirt, smoothing it behind her ears. “And now I’m dressing you.”

“Well, don’t get used to it.”

The curvy woman stepping off the red, two-engine plane wasn't just a Christmas guest, she was his fated mate...

Wolf shifter, Jason Dupree had returned to his hometown of Winter, Montana, to take the position as head enforcer of his pack and sheriff for the small mountain town. Snow was not his favorite thing. When his sister asks him to pick up her Christmas visitor while the white stuff is falling, he is not a happy wolf. The woman is working on her Ph.D., in of all things, the sexual habits of wolf shifters. In ordinary circumstances, Jason would have been delighted to help her with her research. But, he's suffered injuries that almost proved fatal, even for a wolf.

Priscilla Johnson had never had a satisfying sexual encounter and didn't believe in the instant attraction wolf shifters purported to feel for their chosen mate. Ever since an unexplained encounter with a pack of wolves when she was younger, she'd felt drawn to the beautiful animal. When she discovered that shifters do exist, and that they, too, mated for life, she had the perfect subject for her doctoral thesis.

Caught in a snowstorm, Jason must use all his shifter strength to keep them both alive. While taking refuge in a small cabin, he must convince the disbelieving woman that fated mates do exist and that she now belongs to him-heart, body, and soul.

What better way convince her than to let her experience the sexual appetite of a wolf shifter when he finds his true mate.

EXCERPT:

“Look, I’m sorry I got upset. This wasn’t how I was planning on spending my Friday night.” He wasn’t about to tell her the truth—that the thought of being snowed in with her was about to drive his wolf insane. He glanced at her, afraid to take his eyes off the road for very long. She sat very still, gripping the edges of her seat.

“I, umm.”

She licked her lips and he just about forgot everything. The snow. The treacherous road. His own damn name. His mind filled with the image of her on her knees, the tip of his cock nudging its way inside of her mouth.

“Are there really such things as wizards?”

“What?”

“Do wizards exist?”

Jason snorted. He didn’t want to get into an explanation of the supernatural world with his mate. He had a feeling the things he would soon be revealing would be mind-boggling enough. “I’ve never met one, so I can’t really say for sure.”

“That’s a very politically correct statement.”

His mind was racing with the options he had for getting her to safety. He knew the highway patrol was probably erring on the side of caution by closing the road. The road back to the airport would be getting as impassable as the one before him.
Plus he couldn’t see them spending a comfortable night in the rundown metal building. Or a couple of nights. Really, did he have any other choice but to ‘power through’ as she’d so innocently pointed out until he could go no further?

His eyes swept over the landscape, determining their exact location. The closest shelter, besides some abandoned caves, was a small cabin on the edge of pack land. If he could make it a couple of more miles in the SUV, they should be able to reach it.

“We’re in trouble aren’t we?” The fear in her voice tore at him. It was a wolf’s number one objective to keep his mate safe, free of fear.