Lycan Lover

Chapter One

Friday, October 28th

Periodically throughout the night, her skin tingled and the hair on the back of her neck stood at attention, giving her the strange feeling that someone was watching her. She’d scanned her surroundings several times and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Well, nothing out of the ordinary was pushing it since she was surrounded by witches, monsters, vampires, and . . . Gumby? But, even among all the weird, funny, scary, and amusing costumes, she couldn’t find one person at the pre-Halloween party she now sat in the middle of showing more interest than normal in her. Yet, she still couldn’t manage to shake the eerie feeling. She wasn’t actually scared, just . . . aware.

She sighed and, rubbing her temples, figured it must be her tired mind playing tricks on her. She hadn’t been sleeping well, and she shouldn’t have agreed to come out with her friends tonight. Right at this very moment, she could be home, tucked under her favorite comforter in her soft bed, working on sleeping the weekend away. Instead, she found herself in a freaking Frankenstein Ball at a downtown bar with her coworkers and wondering when they were going to call it quits. She had initially told Jenny and Sal that she didn’t want to come, but Jenny had turned her big, innocent doe eyes on her and she’d caved. She was such a sucker.

Stale beer, mixed drinks, and overheated bodies assaulted her senses. She tried, with no success, to recall when she’d quit enjoying such parties. Maybe she was getting too old. For crying out loud, I’m not that damn old! Or, maybe, she should have hung up her costume-wearing days when she was ten. At least she could look forward to a couple extra days off since the office was undergoing maintenance and would be closed until next Wednesday. Four days off. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had that many days off in a row. She knew her friends and family considered her a workaholic, and she guessed she could agree with them. She worked long hours, but it wasn’t because she enjoyed it so much, or even because she had to. It was more because she really had nothing else to do, but truth be told, she was getting pretty burnt out. Burnt out on just about everything, in fact. Maybe she should take a vacation.

She could picture a scenic tropical beach with white sand and turquoise water stretching for miles. The sun would warm her and give her a wonderful golden tan. She’d always been a little on the pale side. Some color would be nice. She sighed. While it would be very relaxing to get away and frolic among the palm trees and various gift shops, she knew she’d never do it. After all, how fun could it be if she were by herself. Maybe she could take a friend. That would be her only option as she barely spoke to her family.

“Something wrong, Karen?” Jenny leaned into Karen so she could hear her over Nickelback playing loudly in the background.

Karen sighed again and smiled. She ran her hand down her fishnet stockings. Damn hooker costume. How the hell had she ever thought that was a good idea? “No. Just a little tired.”

“You’re always tired lately, Karen. Have you gone to the doctor? Maybe he can give you a sleeping pill or something.” Sally grinned at her and winked.

Karen believed in hard work to get where you wanted in life. Yet, in today’s world, she couldn’t find it in her heart to fault Sally simply because she had been gifted with great looks and brains. She might be just a tad bit jealous, but she had never actually seen Sally use her looks to her advantage, careerwise anyway.

If her friends knew the real reason she had been having trouble sleeping on and off for the past year was because of vivid and erotic dreams of a man with disturbing green eyes, they would tell her that she needed to get laid, which she had no intention of doing. She had never been one to sleep around. Yet, she knew without a doubt that if her dream man strolled by in the flesh, she’d throw all her beliefs out the window and jump into the sack with him in the blink of an eye. Just thinking about him made her heart thump a little faster. Maybe she did need to get laid.

Images of the man from her dream floated through her brain like a movie in slow motion. She swore she had felt his fingers brush along her skin, and his voice had flowed through her like hot cider. The dreams made her ache for things she didn’t even know she wanted—the heat of his body, the spicy scent of his skin, and every one his caresses and kisses on her flesh. Her dream man was sexy, dominant, and very possessive, insisting on her obedience. She’d always believed in equality with men and women and saw nothing wrong with a woman who made the first move—didn’t care for men who acted macho and overpowering—yet, she submitted willingly over and over to Mr. Green Eyes in every sleep-induced moment, and enjoyed it.

Karen jerked out of her daydream when Sally cleared her throat. “I’m okay, Sal. Thanks for asking, though.” She glanced at her watch and saw it was nearing one in the morning. “Look, I’m going to call it a night, okay?”

“Aw, come on. There’s at least a good two hours left of party time. Who knows, maybe you will end up finding a tall, dark, sexy man to make you sleep better.” Sally laughed and Jenny and Karen joined in.

Before Karen could reply, a medium-built blond man with plain brown eyes—in fact, Karen would call just about everything from his faded blue jeans to his neatly tucked in black button-up shirt to his face plain—walked over to stand next to Sally. Karen nodded her head toward the man and Sally caught a glance of him before rolling her eyes. Sally got a lot of attention when the girls went out, but Karen was glad to see that she had some morals and didn’t seem to sleep around either. Well, depending on what your definition was of sleeping around.

“Hey, beautiful. I’m Matt.”

All the women groaned under their breath. “Hey, Matt,” all three answered at the same time with little enthusiasm. Anyone should be able to tell they weren’t exactly welcoming. Anyone except Matt, it seemed.

“You know, if I made the alphabet I’d put U and I together.” Matt smiled as if he had just made the most intelligent, important remark of his life.

Karen and Jenny held their breath, waiting and watching as Sally leaned close to Matt, making him suck in a great gulp of air, probably amazed that his line had actually worked.

Sally patted Matt on the cheek. “Aw, isn’t that so sweet. ’Cause you know, if I had made the alphabet, I’d put F and U together.” Sally smiled, sat back straight at the table, and idly began to stir her drink with a little red straw.

Karen and Jenny continued holding their breath in fear of cracking up and humiliating the poor man even further. His surprised, wide-eyed look was nearly as hysterical as Sally’s remark. His face showed his shock, and he turned red right before he spun around and disappeared into the crowd.

“Geez, Sal, you crushed the poor man.”

While Karen couldn’t deny the cleverness of Sal’s remark, she actually felt a little sorry for Matt. Personally, she would have probably let him down a little easier.

“Yeah, poor little Matt.” Jenny smirked a little, but looked as if she might be feeling a little sorry for Matt too.

“Sorry, but I found it’s a lot better to crush them right up front rather than give them any hope.” Sally rolled her eyes and smiled. “So, Karen, come on. Stay for a bit longer.”

That was one of the things about city life, anyway. The bars and clubs were always booming until the wee hours of the night. “I don’t think so. I’ll see you two later, okay?”

Karen slid off the bar stool, trying not to let the short, black leather skirt ride too far up her legs. She precariously balanced on stiletto heels and prayed she’d make it out of the bar without falling flat on her face. She reached carefully for her coat, not wanting to bend too far over in fear she might spill out of the tight black bustier. Before she could grasp the fabric, a deep voice stilled her hand.

“Excuse me.”

The man’s voice washed over her like a lover’s caress. She squeezed her eyes shut and wondered how such a simple thing could turn her blood hot. She turned and stared into the eyes of her dream man. She barely caught a gasp from escaping and her overheated mind nearly forgot to remind her to shut her gaping mouth before she made a complete fool of herself. This could not be happening. He was not real, yet there he stood not a foot from her. Her heart hammered in her chest and she swallowed and closed her mouth after uttering, “Yes?”

“I was wondering if you’d dance with me?”

He was drop-dead gorgeous. She glanced at Jenny and Sal. Both were sitting at the table, mouths hanging open. She looked back at the man standing in front of her. He was well over six feet tall, and his dark T-shirt clung to every muscle of his broad chest and shoulders, defining each flawless line perfectly. She wished the lights were brighter so she could see the details of his face. Even though it was too dim to see exactly what shade his hair was, she knew it was inky black. “Um, well, I was getting ready to leave.”

“Just one dance?” One thick, dark brow lifted in question, and he flashed a smile that sent butterflies dancing in her tummy.

As if on cue, the music changed to a thumping, sensual beat. “Okay.” Before she could say another word, he took her by the hand and pulled her through the crowded room to an open corner of the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around her and began moving his hips. She had never known a man could move with such graceful, sexy fluidity.

All her thoughts quieted, and every cell in her body responded to the sensual music, as she swayed in time to his every step. Her skin tingled everywhere he touched and she ached for more contact. Her body was in tune to his every move, every breath, every heartbeat, leaving no room for the confusion that would no doubt surface later. The confusion as to why she would react so strongly to a complete stranger.

She’d never been this turned on by a man, much less by a man whose name she didn’t even know, yet at this particular moment in time, she didn’t care. The only thing she cared about was getting as close to him as possible. “Um, where’s your costume?”

He let out a low laugh that sent fire burning deep in her belly. “I don’t really need one.”

Her brow raised in question. “Why’s that?”

“Let’s just say that I have my own built-in costume I can use whenever I want.”

Her brows drew together as she tried to figure out exactly what that meant, but she promptly forgot all about the remark when his hard body rocked against hers. She bit her bottom lip to keep a groan from escaping.

He’d waited so long to touch her. Her skin was as soft as satin, and he’d dreamed about holding her in his arms so many nights that he’d finally begun believing it might never become reality. He breathed her scent deep and swore he could feel it interweaving around every molecule in his body, branding him. He’d watched her for the past year, barely able to stay away. Now that he’d actually touched her, he knew he’d never stay away again.

He dipped his face near her hair and let the lustrous strands tickle his skin. She was soft everywhere. He nearly drooled at the thought of tasting her. His heart thundered in his ears, and his breathing quickened. The beast in him awakened, lurked right beneath the surface, waiting for a chance to show itself. It didn’t understand the rules of humanness. All it understood was the need to hunt, the need to protect, the need to take, and it wanted to take Karen at this very moment.

When he’d caught a glimpse of her in her tiny leather skirt, tight black bustier, fishnet stockings, and stiletto heels earlier, he thought he’d shoot a load right there on the stool he’d been lounging on. There wasn’t a curve on her feminine figure that wasn’t hugged by the tiny outfit. His cock had grown so hard he hurt. But, chasing the heels of desire was white-hot jealousy nearly driving him insane at the mere thought of other men seeing his mate dressed like that. Yes, she was beautiful, but she was for his eyes only.

His muscles quivered in anticipation, and sweat covered his skin from the effort to control his urges. He wanted her under him. He wanted inside her. He wanted to taste her, hold her, caress every inch of her delectable skin. The beast demanded possession while the man fought to maintain the boundaries of humanity. His palms itched, and he ran his fingertips down her back. She swayed in perfect sync with his, as if they had danced a million times before.

His heart thundered harder, and he gritted his teeth. His control slipped another notch in the beast’s favor. He had to get away or he’d do something they’d both regret. He took another deep breath, imprinting her on his very soul. As long as the sun lit the sky and the stars twinkled at night, he’d never forget her tantalizing scent.

He leaned in close to her ear. “Thank you for the dance.” As he walked away, he knew the only thing that gave him the strength to leave her was the knowledge that she would soon be his. He couldn’t wait any longer. This very night he’d claim his mate.