Authors: Savannah Stuart
Worth the Risk
Worth the Risk
Marisol has one goal in life—kill the man who murdered her pack. But when she
meets alpha werewolf Stephan and realizes he’s her mate, all her carefully laid plans
dissipate in seconds. By all accounts, she should hate Stephan and everything he stands
for. Unfortunately, every time the dominating wolf gets close, she can’t deny her
growing attraction for the last man in the world she expected to want.
Undercover DEA agent Stephan is about to make the biggest bust of his career, but
everything that can go wrong does. He never expected to discover his mate while on the
job. She saves his life and his cover when he almost shifts in the middle of a crowded
Miami nightclub, but that doesn’t mean he trusts her. The clock is ticking and if he
doesn’t figure out what secrets the sexy vixen is keeping from him, he might lose his
job—and his life.
An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
Worth the Risk
ISBN 9781419926839
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Worth the Risk Copyright 2010 Savannah Stuart
Edited by Jaynie Ritchie
Cover art by Dar Albert
Electronic book publication February 2010
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in
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Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales
is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
WORTH THE RISK
Savannah Stuart
This story is for Kari Cmolik–Walker. Thanks for being one of my biggest
cheerleaders.
To Jaynie Ritchie, my fabulous editor. Thank you for loving these characters as
much as I do.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the
following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
M4: New Colt Holding Corporation
Savannah Stuart
Stephan Lazos couldn’t tear his gaze away from the exotic brunette moving across
the dance floor below. From his position in the VIP room, he had a perfect view of
practically the entire nightclub. The only thing he could focus on, however, was one
woman. The wolf inside him wanted to throw her over his shoulder, take her out of the
loudest club in Miami and back to his place for a marathon of fucking.
His skin tingled and burned as he watched her. The unwanted physical reaction
was starting to piss him off. She was hot, sure, but she wasn’t even his type. At six foot
two, he liked his women tall and curvy. Once they got to the bedroom, he wanted a
woman who had a lot of stamina and didn’t mind the sex a little rougher. The vixen on
the dance floor looked as if she’d fall over if a strong wind came along.
Long, dark hair fell down her back in waves. It looked as if she wore three-inch
heels, and she was
still
short compared to the blonde woman she was dancing with.
Everything about her was petite and delicate. Each time her hips swayed in tune with
the blaring music, her silky red dress shimmered around her tight body. And each time
that happened, his cock jumped to attention. The primal beast inside him wanted to
cover every inch of her exposed skin so no one else could look at her.
He liked sex as much as the next wolf, but this was
different
and he didn’t
understand his reaction. Since he was a pup, he’d never had to exert much mental
control to keep his canines from extending. Now it was taking all his self-control not to
change
. And this couldn’t have happened at a worse time either.
He was in the middle of an assignment. All his focus should be on convincing
Antonio Perez that he was a new arms dealer in town looking to expand to medical
supplies and
not
an undercover DEA agent.
6
Worth the Risk
“See something you like?” Antonio’s voice caused him to step back from the
balcony.
“I see a lot of ‘somethings’ I like,” Stephan said as he took a sip of his scotch. The
one thing he hated about this undercover role was his playboy image. The expensive
suits and drinks were a nice change of pace from playing the role of junkie or hired
thug, but the Miami party scene left a lot to be desired.
“Anyone in particular?” the other man pressed.
Stephan couldn’t afford to show any interest in one woman over another. There
was no way in hell he could let Antonio think he had a weakness. “The group of
women in the middle.”
“I’ll invite them up,” Antonio said as he motioned to two of his bodyguards.
Stephan shrugged, as if it didn’t matter one way or the other. However, his
heartbeat quickened when the bodyguards ushered the group of barely dressed women
up the stairs.
Her
scent hit him with startling intensity. In this crowded, stifling atmosphere, his
extrasensory abilities were working overtime, but somehow he knew the subtle jasmine
scent was her.
Whoever
she
was.
As if she sensed him, she glanced around until their gazes locked. Her bright blue
eyes widened when they made contact.
Mate.
The word echoed loudly inside his head. His heart skipped a beat at the thought. It
was impossible that he would recognize her so soon.
Wasn’t it?
His brother Nick had told him what it was like when he’d met his mate, yet Nick
hadn’t realized Carly was his mate right away. Of course she was human, not a shifter.
But even his parents hadn’t recognized one another right away. He’d always thought it
would take time.
7
Savannah Stuart
Mate.
The word reverberated through him again.
Stephan had never imagined something being so physically overpowering that he
couldn’t think straight. And he definitely hadn’t believed that he’d just
know
his mate
on sight.
He set his drink on one of the high-top tables and started to make his way toward
her. To his surprise, she flipped her dark hair over her shoulder in a haughty manner,
turned her back on him and headed for the bar.
What the fuck?
He refrained from growling. Barely.
“Stephan, I have business to attend to.” Antonio’s voice pulled him out of his trance
and back to the present.
The blaring music and smoky atmosphere once again registered as he turned
toward the drug-running asshole he needed to do business with. “So do I,” Stephan
murmured.
A lecherous grin spread across Antonio’s face. “Good. Enjoy yourself. I must leave,
but everything is still on for tomorrow?”
Stephan nodded. “I’ll be there. I already have buyers lined up for most of your
products. Your stuff better be as good as you promised.”
He waved a hand in the air. “It’s better. And I have a surprise for you. Not a
product we discussed earlier.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“You’ll like this one. Trust me. I will have women at the party, but feel free to bring
some of your own.”
Stephan waited until Antonio and his men descended the stairs before stalking
toward the mystery woman. He’d been watching her out of the corner of his eye, and
she hadn’t moved from her seat at the bar.
“Leave,” he growled to the college-aged guy talking to her.
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Worth the Risk
The blond kid started to say something then he must have recognized Stephan as
one of Antonio’s friends because he mumbled something inaudible and hurried away.
“That was rude.” The blue-eyed beauty narrowed her gaze at him.
“What’s your name?” he asked, ignoring her statement.
A small smile played at the corners of her very kissable lips. “Marisol.”
Marisol.
The name and her voice rolled over him. “I’m Stephan. Why are you out
unchaperoned? What pack do you belong to?”
For a split second, her eyes flashed a darker shade of blue. She shrugged but he
could smell her pain. She was good at masking it, but it rolled off her in subtle waves. “I
have no pack.”
“Where are you from?”
She shrugged again. “None of your business.”
He leaned in so that his mouth was inches from her ear. It took all his self-control
not to nip or lick her soft skin. “It’s most definitely my business.”
She swallowed and he could sense her fear…and attraction.
Marisol Cabrera forced herself not to tuck tail and run. The wolf next to her was
sexy as sin and he radiated dominance, but he was also a piece of shit arms dealer. In
truth, she could let that go, but he worked with Antonio Perez.
That
, she would never let go.
If she wanted to get out of this alive and complete what she’d come to Miami to do,
she had to play this right. “And why is that?”
“You’re my mate.” His deep voice was like an unwanted aphrodisiac. Heat pooled
in her belly.
Marisol wanted to deny it, but she’d sensed it on the stairs. She’d nearly tripped
when she’d comprehended what was happening. She’d given up the hope or desire of
finding her mate decades ago. Firsthand experience told her wolves could be just as
9
Savannah Stuart
treacherous as humans. She knew exactly who
Stephan Vasquez
was. She’d been
watching Antonio Perez for months, waiting for the perfect time to get close to him
before she ended his life.
And now she found out the man he’d been doing business with recently was not
only a fucking wolf, he was her
mate
.
