MILES' REDEMPTION by Marisa Chenery

MILES' REDEMPTION by Marisa Chenery

Roxie's Protectors-Book Seven

Miles knew using Dirk’s online dating service wouldn’t be the best way to find his mate and is proven right when his date stands him up. But his bad luck turns to good when his would-be mate walks through the restaurant’s doors.

Kareena has been on a dating dry streak since her fiancé of seven years dumped her the year before. She wants the hottie who sits close to her and her friends’ table to be the one to end it, but she doesn’t have enough nerve to go up and talk to him. After meeting Miles, her life ends up going in a direction she never thought would exist. She soon learns she's the only thing that can secure Miles’ redemption.

BUY THE eBOOK   ***   READ THE EXCERPT

Excerpt

Her heart beat faster as she neared his table. You can do this, she told herself as a pep talk. As his gaze latched on to her and didn’t waver, Kareena lost her nerve. She quickly changed direction and walked as fast as she could in her drunken state to the women’s washroom.

Once she was closed inside, she groaned as she silently called herself all kinds of vile names. While she was there, she used the toilet. Kareena was sure her friends were all shaking their heads at her. She hadn’t always been like this. Before her ex, she’d been more outgoing with the opposite sex, but since her breakup, she’d found she couldn’t get back into her old groove. Even though it’d been a year, Kareena hadn’t been out on a single date. With her busy work schedule, and trying to get over being dumped by her fiancé, she hadn’t made a point of getting back into the dating world. And being over thirty, she didn’t think that’d be an easy task, anyway.

She washed her hands and took some deep, calming breaths. She’d march back out and walk straight to the guy’s table. She’d introduce herself and then ask him to take her to his place and screw her brains out. No. Kareena wouldn’t say that. Maybe he’d be more interested in sneaking her into the men’s room and taking her against the washroom stall door. She shook her head, which only made the room spin a bit. Where the hell had that idea come from? The men’s room? Ah, gross. She had to be drunker than she’d thought. Or horny enough to do the hunk anywhere. It had been a year since she’d last done the horizontal mambo, after all.

Kareena left the washroom and headed once more in the direction of the table where, thank god, the hottie still sat. His gaze latched on to her, and it felt as if he physically touched her breasts when it lingered there. She forgot to breathe as her pussy grew wet, an ache building deep inside it.

In her inattention, she stumbled into a chair, which made a screech as the legs dragged across the hardwood floor. Embarrassed by her klutziness, Kareena lost her nerve again and made a beeline for the table where her friends sat. She couldn’t even look over at the hunk to see what his reaction was.

She slid onto the bench seat, grateful to see a full glass of wine on the table in her spot. Kareena picked it up and took a big sip. She looked at all her friends and found them giving her disappointed looks.

Kareena shrugged. “All right, I’m chicken shit and couldn’t do it.”

“You need to get out of the slump you’re in,” Alice said.

“I will. It just won’t be with him unless he comes over to talk to me.”

“If he doesn’t?”

“Then it wasn’t meant to be.”

There was still disapproval on her friends’ faces, but they didn’t say anything else. Kareena finished her wine, knowing full well she’d gone over her limit and would probably come to regret it in the morning. Right now, she just felt way too good to care.

Once they’d taken care of the bill, all four of them slipped off the seats, then headed for the restaurant’s entrance. Kareena was definitely not very steady on her feet, but she managed to keep in a straight line.

It didn’t remain that way when she reached the doors. She stepped back so Lacy could open them, and Kareena’s sense of balance went all out of whack. She would have fallen, but a set of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her against a hard, male body. She turned her head to look up at who held her and saw it was the hunk. Her mouth suddenly went dry, especially when the unmistakable ridge of his erection pressed into the small of her back. Arousal tore through her, making her knees even weaker.

He smiled. “I’ve got you.”

“Hi,” she said, the one word coming out a bit slurred.

“Let me help you outside.”

Kareena didn’t say a word as he shifted her to his side and tucked her under his arm. He was tall—at least six-foot-three. She liked tall men since she was no munchkin. The heat from his body seemed to envelope her as she put her arm around his waist to anchor herself. The scent of his cologne hit her nose, and she dragged in a lungful, liking the smell.

Outside, her friends gave her encouraging smiles and said their goodbyes, leaving Kareena alone with the hottie. She was sure she’d get phone calls from all of them tomorrow.

She looked at the hunk and found him intently watching her. Her pussy clenching with need, Kareena said the first thing that came to her mind. “I’m Kareena. Why don’t you take me to your place?” Of course all her words kind of slurred together, but the smile he flashed her said he didn’t seem to mind.

“I’m Miles,” he said in his deep voice. “Are you sure you’re in any condition for that?”

“I’ll admit I’m a bit drunk, but I’m good.”

“How about I drive you home instead?”

“Okay. You can spend the night with me.”

He chuckled and walked her over to the parking lot and a fancy black Audi. With a push of a button, he had the car unlocked. Once he had the passenger door open, he helped her onto the leather seat and waited until she’d buckled her seatbelt before he closed her inside. In a matter of seconds, he was behind the wheel and starting the engine.

Kareena settled deeper into the seat as Miles backed up and then drove out of the parking lot. Her eyes grew heavy as he merged with the traffic. Unable to keep them open any longer, she fell into a deep sleep.

LIKED THE EXCERPT?? CLICK HERE TO BUY THE eBOO

MILES'S REDEMPTION by Marisa Chenery

MILES'S REDEMPTION by Marisa Chenery

Roxie's Protectors

Miles knew using Dirk’s online dating service wouldn’t be the best way to find his mate and is proven right when his date stands him up. But his bad luck turns to good when his would-be mate walks through the restaurant’s doors.

Kareena has been on a dating dry streak since her fiancé of seven years dumped her the year before. She wants the hottie who sits close to her and her friends’ table to be the one to end it, but she doesn’t have enough nerve to go up and talk to him. But after meeting Miles, her life ends up going in a direction she never thought would exist. And she soon learns she is the only thing that can secure Miles’s redemption.

BUY THE eBOOK *** BUY IN KINDLE *** READ THE EXCERPT

Chapter One

Shutting off the engine on his black Audi, Miles let out a loud breath. He looked at the building in front of him. He had no idea why he’d allowed Jaden to talk him into this. It wasn’t going to work, no matter how accurate Dirk thought his online dating service was. There was no way in hell Miles would find his mate this way.

He got out of the car then pushed the button on the remote on his keychain to lock it. To make Jaden happy, and to make her stop bugging the crap out of him, Miles had finally caved in and set up a date with the mortal woman who was supposedly his closest match. From her picture on the dating service’s website, this Gail looked attractive enough, but he really had his doubts she’d end up being his mate. For one thing, she was mortal. Her lifespan was so much shorter than his. He was almost a thousand years old and was guaranteed to see another two thousand birthdays. And Miles knew, along with the rest of the werewolf population, there was no way to turn a mortal into one of their kind. He’d prefer his mate to be a werewolf so he wouldn’t have to suffer through losing her too early.

Miles headed for the entrance to the restaurant slash bar he’d chosen to meet up with his date. He snorted. He’d never thought he’d “date” anyone again. Ever since his relationship with Jaden’s mother—who hadn’t been his mate—had ended, he’d only sought out women who would be happy with a quick tumble in the sack and then move on. He hadn’t wanted anything else until Jaden had brought up the subject of him finding his mate. Deep down inside, he’d wanted what his daughter had with her mate, Leif.

He stepped inside the restaurant and went over to the hostess who smiled as he approached. “I have a reservation for two,” Miles said then gave her his name.

She took him to a table in the center of the room and placed two menus on its surface before she left. As Miles snagged one and pulled it in front of him, he hoped his date wouldn’t keep him waiting long. A quick look at his watch told him he was a few minutes early.

A waiter appeared and asked if Miles would like to order a drink. Miles decided he might as well and asked for a beer. A minute or so later, the waiter came back with his drink before leaving Miles alone once again.

More people came into the restaurant, but none of them was his date. Having an excellent view of the entrance from where he sat, Miles looked in that direction each time the door opened. And each time he didn’t see the mortal who was to meet up with him.

Fifteen minutes went by and then a half hour. Miles was already on his second beer when he reached the conclusion that he’d more than likely been stood up. Just to make sure, he took out his smart phone and checked the email account he’d set up just for communicating with his would-be “dates.” Sure enough, there was an email from Gail sent forty-five minutes earlier, saying she had to cancel and asking if they could arrange to meet another time.

Miles mentally crossed her off the list, not that there were any others on it besides Gail. This also gave him another reason why the online dating service wasn’t for him. He didn’t like being stood up by a woman he hadn’t even met and had only communicated with through the Internet.

With a sigh full of disgust, Miles lifted his bottle of beer to his lips and took a swallow. He’d finish this then go home. There was no point hanging around. Maybe he’d even order something from the restaurant for take-out.

He’d just looked down at the menu in front of him to see what he’d like when a new scent barreled into him like a speeding train. His head snapped up, and his gaze focused on the entrance. His grip on the bottle he held tightened as his cock went instantly rock hard, his mating urge slamming into him and riding his ass hard. Miles had to hold back a growl that threatened to punch out of him as he spotted a group of four women who’d just come into the restaurant. One of them was his would-be mate. He separated her scent from all the others in the large open space and dragged it deep, memorizing it.

As the hostess led the small group farther into the room, Miles kept his gaze glued to them. They came closer to his table. It was then he was able to zero in on which woman was meant to be his. He focused solely on her. The urge to go to her and drag her into his arms was hard to resist.

Instead, he settled for taking in everything about her. Shoulder-length light brown hair shined in the overhead lighting. Miles guessed her to be around five-foot-seven, tall for a mortal woman. Her dark brown eyes flashed as she laughed at something one of the other females said. He ran his gaze down her body from her beautiful face to a slim, curvy body and long, toned legs showcased in a pair of snug-fitting black jeans.

Miles’s cock jerked as he drew in another lungful of her scent as she walked past his table. He continued to follow her with his gaze, pleased to see the group snaked around tables and ended up sitting at a booth straight across from where he sat. He had an excellent view of his would-be mate as she slipped onto the bench seating.

He drained the last bit of his beer then set the bottle on the table. A short while later, his waiter approached him. This time Miles ordered something off the menu, not for take-out, and another beer. He’d be staying right where he was until the woman who was meant for him showed signs of leaving the restaurant. Drawn to the female who was meant to be his, the mating urge making it hard to focus on anything but her, he wouldn’t be going home until he’d taken steps to have them on the road to becoming mates.

*

“Here’s to the birthday girl,” Kareena said as she lifted her glass of wine toward her friend, Alice. “And to Lacy, who finally woke up, realized how much of an asshole her boyfriend was, and dumped his ass.” Kareena, Alice, Lacy, and their other friend, Natalie, took sips of their drinks.

“I guess that is something to celebrate besides me being one year older,” Alice said. She looked at Lacy. “Kareena is right, though. Evan was an asshole, and you can do so much better.”

Lacy sighed. “I know, I know. All I can say is the sex had been pretty damn good, and I stupidly turned a blind eye to Evan’s bad points because of it.”

“At least you came to your senses before you wasted years with him,” Natalie said. “He was the type of guy who would keep you around until he’d found something better.”

Kareena nodded. “Yeah, count yourself lucky. From firsthand experience, it’s not fun having to go through that.”

Up until last year, Kareena had been engaged for seven damn long years. Her ex had asked her to marry him when she’d been twenty-four. They’d been together for a year at that point. She’d been so happy and had agreed when Victor suggested a long engagement. Kareena had figured it would give her plenty of time to plan the wedding of her dreams. She’d never expected it to be quite so long. After a while she’d wondered if Victor actually really wanted to get married. She’d put some pressure on him to settle on a date. That had blown up in her face when he’d suddenly decided he didn’t want to be with her anymore. Now at thirty-two, Kareena figured Victor had taken some of the best years of her life. Ones she’d never get back.

Lacy, who sat next to Kareena, patted Kareena’s hand. “Your ex was an asshole too. And he has no idea what he gave up, but it’s his loss.”

“Thanks, Lacy,” Kareena said. “Now no more negative thoughts. Let’s get this celebration going.”

With their food and second round of drinks served, Kareena relaxed and set out to enjoy herself. She and her girlfriends didn’t get together like this as often as they used to. With all of them busy in their jobs, it was hard to find time when they all could meet up without someone’s schedule coming into conflict. Being an ER nurse, Kareena’s was the hardest one to work around.

On her fourth glass of wine and feeling a bit on the drunk side, Kareena figured one more drink would be her limit. She’d take a cab home, so it wasn’t as if she had to drive. After a week of twelve-hour shifts at the hospital, she needed to let her hair down and unwind.

Natalie, who sat on the opposite bench and on the outside like Kareena, cleared her throat. “Ah, Kareena, I think you’ve caught the notice of the hottie sitting alone a couple of tables away.”

“What?” she asked as she went to turn her head to look. Natalie stopped her before she could even get a glimpse.

“Don’t look,” her friend said. “At least don’t be blatant about it. Don’t make it appear as if you’ve noticed him. Make him work for it.”

Kareena rolled her eyes. Natalie was the type of woman who liked to make a man practically jump through hoops before she agreed to go out with him. Kareena wasn’t like that, but to make her friend happy, she did a slow sweep of the room, her gaze lingering for a few seconds longer on the table Natalie had indicated before finishing up with the rest.

She met her friend’s gaze. “Holy shit. You weren’t kidding when you called him a hottie. He’s freaking gorgeous.”

Natalie smiled. “I told you. And he’s stared at you since we sat down.”

Her other friends made sounds of appreciation when they too looked at the man. He wasn’t hard to miss with his blond hair so light it almost appeared white and his cover model face. And from what Kareena had seen of his upper body, the guy was really muscular, his wide shoulders and chest filling out the dark blue button-down shirt he wore to perfection.

“Who is to say he’s looking at me?” Kareena asked. “He could be watching any of you as well.”

Alice shook her head. “Nope, his gaze is right on you.” She moaned. “Oh god, he just smiled, which makes him even better looking.”

Kareena had to look again to see if Alice was right or not about him only focused on her. She turned her head in his direction then had to bite back a groan. He did indeed seem to stare at only her. Their gazes met, and her body responded with arousal. Her pussy clenched, and her nipples grew taut when she thought she saw hunger flash in his eyes even from the distance between him. Her blood heated, and she felt her face grow flush. She had a hard time tearing her gaze off him.

“I think you should go pick him up,” Lacy said.

Kareena stared at her friend as if she’d lost her mind. Kareena was drunk but not that drunk. “No,” she said firmly. “I’d have to have a hell of a lot more than this to drink to even consider it.”

Natalie pushed her drink over to Kareena. “Here, have mine. Pound it back, then go over to his table.”

“Go on,” Alice added.

“You can’t let him get away,” Lacy said, making it so all her friends had ganged up on Kareena.

She couldn’t believe she even considered doing it. Kareena reached for the drink Natalie had given her and drank it down in a few swallows. She then grimaced at the taste. Her friend’s drink had been vodka mixed with cranberry juice. Kareena hated cranberries, but the vodka would hit her harder than the wine.

“All right, here I go,” she said as she slid off the bench and stood.

Kareena found she wasn’t very steady on her feet as she slowly headed in the hunk’s direction. She was thankful she hadn’t worn high heels. She would have already ended up on her ass if she had. And wouldn’t that made a great first impression?

Her heart beat faster as she neared his table. You can do this, she told herself as a pep talk. But as his gaze latched on to her and didn’t waver, Kareena lost her nerve. She quickly changed direction and walked as fast as she could in her drunken state to the women’s washroom.

Once she was closed inside, she groaned as she silently called herself all kinds of vile names. While she was there, she used the toilet. Kareena was sure her friends were all shaking their heads at her. She hadn’t always been like this. Before her ex, she’d been more outgoing with the opposite sex. But since her breakup, she’d found she couldn’t get back into her old groove. Even though it’d been a year, Kareena hadn’t been out on a single date. With her busy work schedule, and trying to get over being dumped by her fiancé, she hadn’t made a point of getting back into the dating world. And being over thirty, she didn’t think that would be an easy task, anyway.

She washed her hands and took some deep, calming breaths. She’d march back out and walk straight to the guy’s table. She’d introduce herself then ask him to take her back to his place and screw her brains out. No. Kareena wouldn’t say that. Maybe he’d be more interested in sneaking her into the men’s room and taking her against the washroom stall door. She shook her head, which only made the room spin a bit. Where the hell had that idea come from? The men’s room? Ah, gross. She had to be drunker than she thought. Or horny enough to do the hunk anywhere. It had been a year since she’d last done the horizontal mambo, after all.

Kareena left the washroom and headed once more in the direction of the table where, thank god, the hottie still sat. His gaze latched on to her, and it felt as if he physically touched her breasts when it lingered there. She forgot to breathe as her pussy grew wet, an ache building deep inside it.

In her inattention, she stumbled into a chair, which made a screech as the legs dragged across the hardwood floor. Embarrassed by her klutziness, Kareena lost her nerve again and made a beeline for the table where her friends sat. She couldn’t even look over at the hunk to see what his reaction was.

Sliding onto the bench seat, she was grateful to see a full glass of wine on the table in her spot. Kareena picked it up and took a big sip. She looked at all her friends and found them giving her disappointed looks.

Kareena shrugged. “All right, I’m chicken shit and couldn’t do it.”

“You need to get out of the slump you’re in,” Alice said.

“I will. It just won’t be with him unless he comes over to talk to me.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then it wasn’t meant to be.”

There was still disapproval on her friends’ faces, but they didn’t say anything else. Kareena finished her wine, knowing full well she’d gone over her limit and would probably come to regret it in the morning. Right now, she just felt way too good to care.

Once they’d taken care of the bill, all four of them slipped off the seats then headed for the restaurant’s entrance. Kareena was definitely not very steady on her feet, but she managed to keep in a straight line.

It didn’t remain that way when she reached the doors. She stepped back so Lacy could open them, and Kareena felt her sense of balance go all out of whack. She would have fallen, but a set of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her against a hard, male body. She turned her head to look up at who held her and saw it was the hunk. Her mouth suddenly went dry, especially when she felt the unmistakable ridge of his erection pressing into the small of her back. Arousal tore through her, making her knees feel even weaker.

He smiled. “I’ve got you.”

“Hi,” she said, the one word coming out a bit slurred.

“Let me help you outside.”

Kareena didn’t say a word as he shifted her to his side and tucked her under his arm. He was tall, had to be at least six-foot-three. She liked tall men since she was no munchkin. The heat from his body seemed to envelope her as she put her arm around his waist to anchor herself. The scent of his cologne hit her nose, and she dragged in a lungful of it, liking the smell.

Outside, her friends gave her encouraging smiles and said their good-byes, leaving Kareena alone with the hottie. She was sure she’d get phone calls from all of them tomorrow.

She looked at the hunk and found him intently watching her. Her pussy clenching with need, Kareena said the first thing that came to her mind. “I’m Kareena. Why don’t you take me back to your place?” Of course all her words kind of slurred together, but the smile he flashed her said he didn’t seem to mind.

“I’m Miles,” he said in his deep voice. “Are you sure you’re in any condition for that?”

“I’ll admit I’m a bit drunk, but I’m good.”

“How about I drive you home instead?”

“Okay. You can spend the night with me.”

He chuckled and walked her over to the parking lot and a fancy black Audi. With a push of a button, he had the car unlocked. Once he had the passenger door open, he helped her onto the leather seat and waited until she’d buckled her seat belt before he closed her inside. In a matter of seconds, he was behind the wheel and starting the engine.

Kareena settled deeper into the seat as Miles backed up then drove out of the parking lot. Her eyes grew heavy when he merged with the traffic. Unable to keep them open any longer, she fell into a deep sleep.

LIKED THE EXCERPT?? CLICK HERE TO BUY THE eBOOK

DIRK'S LOVE by Marisa Chenery

DIRK'S LOVE by Marisa Chenery

Roxie's Protectors

Dirk has worked tirelessly to create an online dating service to help male werewolves find their mortal mates. Having hired a mortal female to assist him, when he meets her face-to-face for the very first time, Dirk is smitten with her beauty and finds himself breathless as he realizes the very thing he's spent a lifetime looking for - his mate - is finally within his reach. Her proximity alone sets his mating urge off in an instant.

Ryann, completely absorbed with raising her precious son for the last two years, has been without a man in her life for far too long. But when she sees Dirk in person for the very first time and he reawakens the sexual cravings of her neglected body, Ryann hungers not only for his touch but also yearns for the day her new boss will think of her as more than just his employee. She doesn't have long to wait because it turns out Dirk has been searching for her his whole life.

BUY THE eBOOK   ***   BUY IN KINDLE   ***   READ THE EXCERPT

Excerpt:

Chapter One

Dirk walked into the upstairs room Roxie used as her office. He and Roxie had spent so many hours working on his secret project—including the time he was on duty protecting her—he felt as if he practically lived in this beautiful mansion Roxie shared with her mate, Beowulf. Now that they’d completed what they’d worked so hard on, Dirk didn’t know if he should feel sad about it or not. He’d rather enjoyed his time brainstorming with Roxie.
Watching her typing away on her desktop computer, he smiled. Roxie was just as much an Internet junkie as he was. She was also an exceptional web designer. She’d taught him everything he knew about HTML and coding pages.

“Hey, Rox,” he said as he stepped farther into the room.

She turned her head away from the computer monitor, her hands still moving on the keyboard. “Hi, Dirk. Are you ready for your big reveal?”

He groaned to himself. He still didn’t think this was such a great idea, but Roxie had insisted. And since she was the foretold one who ruled over all the werewolf packs, he pretty much had to do whatever she said. Dirk was just one of her Protectors.
“I’m still not keen on it,” he said. “The others are going to think I’m an idiot for doing this. You know that’s the main reason why I’ve kept my mouth shut about this project for the last year. And why I swore you to secrecy.”

Roxie rose and walked around the desk until she stood in front of him. “There’s no backing out. You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished. I think you came up with something that will help a lot of male werewolves. If your brothers-in-arms can’t handle it, then they’re the fools. And I left Saskia out of that group on purpose. I know she’ll side with me.”

Saskia was the leader of the Protectors, while Roan, Jager, Leif, Skylar, Kye and he made up the rest of the group. They were so close they’d basically formed their own pack and lived together in a mansion in Marin County.
“It’s a given that Leif will say something. He won’t be able to help himself. Jaden may have reined him back a bit, but Leif still talks shit when the mood strikes him, or if he wants to rile one of us up.”

Roxie waved his concerns away with a flick of her hand. “Forget about Leif. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep his comments to himself. You’ve worked very hard on this, and I won’t let him spoil your moment. If he does try to be a jackass, I’ll order him to shift into his wolf form, then use my magic to keep him like that for a day so I can chain his butt outside in the backyard.”

Being the foretold one, Roxie had more magic inside her than the typical werewolf. Her trick of chaining a werewolf out in her backyard like a dog had been put to use a few times already. To be on the receiving end was humiliating, to say the least.

“That still doesn’t make me feel any more confident,” Dirk said.

Roxie punched him in the arm. “Stop doing that to yourself.”

He rubbed the spot where she’d hit him. “Ow. And doing what to myself?”

“Feeling as if you should be ashamed. You should feel proud instead.”

“Fine. I guess I’ll do it your way, not that you’ve left me with any choice in the matter.”
“No, I didn’t. If I had, you wouldn’t tell them.”

Damn right he wouldn’t have. He was nine hundred and fifty years old and had spent most of his adult years—which were many—fighting with a sword in his hand. His little project was so beyond that it wasn’t even funny. He was a warrior through and through, but this could quite possibly make him look like a big wuss in his brothers-in-arms’ eyes.
Roxie turned back to her desk and picked up the closed laptop resting on its surface. “Come on, let’s go downstairs and make your big reveal.”
She brushed past him and headed out the door. Dirk slowly followed behind Roxie. He’d bite the bullet and get it over with as quickly as possible.
Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, he fell in behind her as she walked toward the living room where his entire “family” sat waiting. More than one of them had asked him what this “meeting” was all about, but he’d given nothing away.
“About time you two came down,” Kye said as Dirk and Roxie came to a stop in the middle of the room.
Kye sat on one of the couches while his mate, Michaela, sat next to him. They’d been mated for only the last six months. The others in the room were Saskia and Eli, Roan and Ansley, Jager and Daylen, Skylar and Braelyn, and Leif and Jaden. Jaden sat on her mate’s lap while Leif’s large hand rubbed her six-months pregnant belly. Roxie’s mate, Beowulf, sat on the floor playing with their nine-month-old daughter, Nevaeh, and her toys. The gang was all here. There would be no getting out of it now.

“Yeah, we were wondering if you two got sidetracked upstairs and forgot about us,” Roan said. “And it wouldn’t be the first time.”
Roxie gave him a pointed stare and cleared her throat. She refused to respond to Roan’s comment, and said, “You’re all probably wondering why I asked you to come to this meeting.”

Jager groaned. “Please don’t tell me you’re pregnant again.”
Roxie sighed. “No, Jager, I’m not expecting another baby. This has to do with Dirk, not me.”

Dirk felt all eyes turn his way. Stupidly, a wave of uncertainty washed through him. He had a feeling this was going to blow up in his face. He just knew it. He opened his mouth to tell Roxie to forget about what she’d planned, but she spoke again.

“It’s finally time to reveal the project I’ve helped Dirk bring to fruition,” she said with a smile.
She opened the laptop and shifted to a spot where everyone in the room would be able to see it. The others leaned in for a closer look as Beowulf picked up Nevaeh then stood so he was nearer.

“Mate Connection. What the hell is that?” Jager asked, blunt as usual.
“Oh. Oh, I know,” Ansley said. “It’s an online dating service. Right?”
At Dirk’s nod, Leif burst out laughing. And it didn’t help that the rest of his brothers-in-arms laughed along with him. The only males in the room who didn’t were Beowulf and Eli, mostly because their mates looked at them, just daring them to join in. Dirk felt as if he should go climb under a rock somewhere.

“Oh, god,” Leif said between laughs. “An online dating service? Really? Couldn’t you come up with something better than that?” He then started to laugh again, but harder.
“Shut up,” Roxie said with a loud growl. “All of you.” The room instantly went silent. “Listen up, boneheads. No more laughing at Dirk or you’ll get better acquainted with my backyard, if you know what I mean? It was seeing each one of you find your mates—your mortal mates—that prompted Dirk to come up with this idea to have a website where male werewolves can look around to find potential mortal women.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Jaden said as she gave her mate a smack to the back of the head. Leif cringed in response.

The rest of the women quickly agreed, which made Dirk feel a trifle better. At least the females of his family sided with him. It was a start.
“Okay, I can see that having some merit,” Skylar said. “But what makes your service any different than the mortal ones already out there? Male werewolves could search them just as easily as yours.”
“Good question,” Roxie replied. She then turned to Dirk. “Well, Dirk, why don’t you answer Skylar since you haven’t said a word yet.”
He took a deep breath. “All right. What makes mine different is that the questionnaire the females have to fill out is geared more toward a male werewolf. It isn’t obvious, but the answers the women give will determine whether or not they would be acceptable to one of our kind.”

“How did you go about compiling those kinds of questions?” Beowulf asked.

Dirk smiled. “It was easy enough. I hired a psychologist, who also happens to be a werewolf, to write them up for me. And I think she hit the nail right on the head.”
“So I take it you’re going to somehow get word of the website out to the packs,” said Roan. “If it starts to take off, aren’t you going to find it hard to keep up with your protection duties as well?”
“Not really. I’ve already hired an employee. She’ll be working from home and taking on some of the responsibilities.”
“You’ve hired a woman?” Jager asked. “A mortal woman, I take it?”

Dirk nodded. “Yes, she’s mortal. Her name is Ryann. Every time I’ve talked to her on the phone she seems like a real go-getter.”
“You gave her the job without meeting her face-to-face?”
“Nowadays, especially with an internet business, everything is done online. Even the hiring of employees,” Dirk said. “Not that I should have to explain myself to you, Jager.”
“Dirk, are you hoping you can meet your mate through it as well?” Daylen asked softly.
He nodded again. “Yeah, I am.”
Being the last member of his family to become mated sucked. He hadn’t said anything to any of them, but he yearned for what all of them had found. He hated being alone. Dirk had been doing a lot of searching for the one woman meant for him ever since his brothers-in-arms started finding their mates. So far, he’d come up empty-handed. Even Beowulf’s nightclub, Wulf’s Den, hadn’t worked for him. Longing for his would-be mate and wanting to find her was just part of the reason why he’d come up with the idea for his online dating service. He’d been the first person to fill out a Mate Connection questionnaire.
Ansley sighed. “I think you’ll find her, Dirk. It sounds as if you have the whole site well on its way to doing what you set it up for. I wish you the best of luck with it.”

“Thanks, Ansley.”
Roxie closed the laptop. “Now that you all know, I guess this meeting is over.” She turned to Dirk. “Don’t you have another one to get to soon, Mr. Boss?”

He smiled. “I do. I’m meeting Ryann for lunch in about twenty minutes.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Get going.”
More than relieved to have this part of his day over with, Dirk nodded then turned and walked out of the room. He headed for the front door, thinking he’d have plenty of time to get to the restaurant ahead of Ryann. He wanted to be there before she arrived to organize his thoughts on how he wanted their first meeting in person to go.

It wasn’t too far of a drive from Roxie and Beowulf’s place. It also was a nice and bright San Francisco day. Dirk slipped on a pair of sunglasses and took the top down on his gray metallic BMW 335is convertible. He actually looked forward to seeing Ryann. They’d talked so much over the phone since he’d hired her two weeks before, he felt as if he’d known her for a lot longer than that.
They also worked well together. And with her background, Ryann was just the kind of person he needed to help out with the service.
He pulled into the lot of the Japanese restaurant he’d chosen and parked the car. Dirk had become hooked on sushi about six months before and couldn’t get enough of the stuff. He found himself coming to this place at least once a week to feed his new addiction.
After getting out of his car, Dirk walked to the entrance of the restaurant, stepped inside the vestibule, then pulled open the glass door that led to the main section. The place had a definite Asian flare to it. As usual, already quite a few people were there eating. He’d learned early on to make sure he had a reservation.
Greeted by the hostess, he gave his name, saying he would have another person joining him shortly. The woman led him to a booth and left two menus on the table. Dirk’s stomach growled as he looked one over, promptly deciding what he’d order first. The thing he loved about this sushi place was that it was all-you-can-eat. Each menu item had a number, which had to be filled out on a form with the amount desired on a small slip of paper. The wait staff—whoever happened to see it first—picked it up, and shortly after that, the freshly prepared food arrived at the table. Someone could order as much and as many things as they wanted, so long as they finished everything before ordering more. Not that Dirk had any problem in that regard.

Dirk pulled in a deep breath, his mouth watering at the smell of raw fish, rice, and the other items the restaurant served. Being a werewolf, he liked any kind of meat practically uncooked, so raw fish was right up his alley.
As Dirk tried to think through what he wanted to say to Ryann, he drew in another breath then one more quickly after that. His whole body stiffened—along with his cock—when he detected a new scent added to the mix of others around him. Dirk held the menu tighter as the one thing he’d longed to feel surged through him, roaring to life—his mating urge.
He looked up to find a woman standing at the side of the table, smiling at him. Dirk latched his gaze onto hers, unable to do anything but stare. She was gorgeous, with long black hair that fell over her shoulders. Friendly looking light blue eyes gazed back at him. He filled his lungs again with her scent, reveling in the fact she was the one meant for him. His mating urge rode his ass hard, making it almost impossible to think beyond the need to claim her as his.
She stuck out her hand. “You must be Dirk. I’m Ryann.”
Dirk stood and wrapped his much larger one around hers and shook it. He had to fight with himself not to yank her forward and devour her with his mouth. His cock throbbed in time with his rapidly beating heart, pushing against the zipper of his jeans.
“Nice to finally meet you, Ryann,” he said in a voice that had gone husky as he forced himself to let go.
“And it’s nice to put a face to the voice. Just to start off, I have to apologize. My sitter bailed on me at the last minute. I hope you don’t mind that I had to bring my son along. This is Tyler.”

Dirk’s gaze dropped to the small boy who stood next to Ryann, clutching her hand. The first thing that popped into his mind was: Oh, shit. My mate is already married.

LIKED THE EXCERPT?? CLICK HERE TO BUY THE eBOOK