His Mating Mark

by Alicia White

  She walked over to her laptop, sitting on the small desk, and pushed the power button, letting it start. She walked into the kitchen and started making her morning coffee. In the light of day she began to feel better, humming as she went about her normal morning routine. When her coffee was ready, she poured herself a huge mug and went back to her computer. It was time to get to work.

  Nicole had always loved romance, even though her life was lacking. She loved to pretend she was a beautiful heroine with gorgeous men begging for her affection. That’s the main reason she began writing romance, that and the fact that she could make enough money for necessities without leaving her home.

  She opened up the latest book she was working on, Alpha’s Mate, and started typing. Most of the books she had written were about shifters, more specifically, wolves. Knowing the reason they haunted her yet not having the face to put with the man, she avoided everyone.

  Pushing herself back from her desk, Nicole looked out the window, taking a few sips of her coffee. For two years, she had been writing paranormal romance, and all because of the secret she knew and couldn’t tell. Did she want to meet him? That question was always running through her mind. He’d turned her into a hermit. She was afraid all the time. Why did he bite me?

  Shaking her head, she went into the kitchen, needing to eat. Her stomach was growling, and she hadn’t eaten anything the night before because she was locking up her house. Nicole opened up a few cabinets and realized that she would have to go to town today to pick up food. Her cupboards were bare.

  Nicole moved through her house and went into the bedroom to get dressed. She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and a sweatshirt. Slipping on a pair of ballet slippers, she grabbed her purse.

  Walking to the front door, she peeked outside, looking around before leaving the comforts of her home. The yard was empty, but she still studied the bushes, making sure she didn’t see any movement. Walking directly to her truck, she didn’t stop until she was securely inside the cab, locking the doors behind her. It took a few moments to get control of her breathing, but her heart finally slowed down.

  What the hell was her problem? She felt like she was being watched and tried to shake off the feeling. Nothing bad happened during the daytime. It was only during the night that she needed to worry. She started her truck and drove around the large circular dirt driveway, heading toward town. Driving slowly down the road, she looked around, taking in everything around her. She had also become more observant and a lot more careful.

  Driving down the mountain she began taking deep, cleansing breaths, feeling the cool mountain air blow against her face. She always felt more relaxed when she felt the air play in her hair like phantom fingers massaging her scalp. Goose bumps rose on her skin, and she smiled to herself, feeling better each moment as she drove closer to town. It didn’t take long before she arrived, pulling into a spot right in front of the small, country grocery store.

  This town was an ideal place, small and quant, so unlike what she was used too. Nicole climbed out of her truck and walked toward the store. A few people waved, and she nodded, wanting to quickly shop and then get home so that she could write. It seemed amazing that her books were doing so well. She couldn’t seem to write fast enough, especially since she had started writing shifter stories. She tried to not make them scary, but it couldn’t be helped. Every time she thought about the werewolves, she turned perfectly innocent scenes into something darker.

  The bell jingled over the door as she walked in. After grabbing a small cart, she headed down each aisle. She grabbed a ton of unhealthy snacks, chips, cookies, pretzels, heavily buttered popcorn. As she stared at her cart, she realized that it was probably a very bad idea to go shopping while her stomach was grumbling. She laughed and kept walking.

  “I love the way your laugh sounds.” The deep rumble of a man’s voice washed over her, and she stopped in her tracks. She gripped the cart handle and turned slightly, looking over her shoulder. She was stunned. There, leaning against one of the aisles, was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He stood tall at six foot three inches. It took her a moment to breathe, unsure if he had been talking to her. He stared at her, his eyes burning into hers, and she swallowed past the lump in her throat.

  He had shaggy, brown hair that hung down to his collar and the most amazing deep-brown eyes she had ever seen. In fact, she could see little slivers of green even from her distance. She licked her lips when she saw how kissable his lips were. She loved a man with full lips. He had facial hair that made him look rugged and wild. His body was magnificent. Huge muscles were showing through his tight white T-shirt, and it was obvious that he worked out on a regular basis. He wore jeans that hung on his hips, and she could see everything. His huge thighs flexed as she looked further down, spotting his large feet encased in black combat boots…yeah, black boots.

  “Thanks,” she squeaked and cleared her throat, feeling completely embarrassed. She turned and pushed the cart quickly down the aisle, wanting to get away from him before she did something she might regret. Her hormones screamed at her to go back, to climb up his body. She turned the corner and leaned her head against her hands, moaning to herself. She could hear him chuckle and moved faster, needing to get away from him and this stupid store. She stomped down the aisle, grabbing various boxes and throwing them in her cart. Finally, a great-looking man talked to her, and she couldn’t think of a single clever thing to say. What the hell? She had cruddy luck.

  Nicole walked to the checkout line and unloaded her cart. The sound of the beep had her moving faster, putting each item in a straight line. It was a silly habit but for some reason she couldn’t stop herself from doing it. All the frozen items were together, the fruits and vegetables were together and so were the dry items. It was easier to unload the bags and put her items away, at least that was her excuse.

  The girl at the counter stared at her and Nicole knew what she was thinking—OCD. Yup, that’s what most people probably thought.

  “Seventy-two dollars and forty-nine cents,” she said, chewing her gum. It was always the same, no small talk, no questioning how her day was going.

  She pulled out some cash from her pocket and put it on the counter. “I’m doing well. Thanks for asking. How has your day been? Anything interesting happening?” Nicole smiled as the girl took her money.

  “Fine,” she said, snapping her gum, and Nicole shook her head.

  “Great.” Nicole smiled, grabbed her change and her bags, and headed toward her truck. She really wanted to get home and change what her hero looked like to the sexy guy in the store. She knew she would be thinking about him tonight. Thank goodness she picked up batteries. She opened the passenger-side door and put her bags on the floorboard before walking to the driver’s side and buckling up. She put the key into the ignition while staring out the windshield.

  The gorgeous man from the store watched her closely, and Nicole stared back, not trying to hide the fact that she was looking him up and down. She turned the key, but the truck didn’t start. She sat there a moment and then tried again. No noise. It didn’t make any sense. She climbed out of her truck and opened the hood. She knew Mr. Hottie was watching her, and she was a little nervous, especially since she felt stuck after her obvious perusal of his body.

  “Do you need any help?” His deep voice washed over her, and Nicole froze. It took her almost a whole minute before she started moving again, fidgeting with the engine.

  “No thanks. I’m pretty handy when it comes to working on this truck,” she told him. She stared at the engine, not daring to turn around, knowing that it would be impossible not to stare.

  “I’m handy, too,” he said, and she swallowed. Oh lord, he was probably very handy. She could hear his heavy boots hit the ground as he walked closer to her, and she held her breath, wondering what he would do. A jolt ran through her body as she felt his hand move up and down her forearm through her shirt and sweater. Her body ached and her puss
y creamed. This man was making her body crave his. She pictured herself straddling his thick thighs, rubbing against him. Instantly, she pulled back, needing to create some distance from the mysterious man.

  “I’m sorry, let me introduce myself. I’m Joshua Wolff. Please just call me Josh.” He smiled and held out his hand, waiting for her to take it.

  “I’m Nicole Bell. Just Nicole will be fine.” She grabbed his hand and felt a jolt run through her arm, making her body tingle. She stiffened and moved back, trying to pull her hand away. He stopped her, holding her hand tighter, and winked before letting her pull away slowly.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Nicole.”

  She rubbed her hands together, cracking her knuckles, pretending that she hadn’t felt anything.

  She turned back to her truck and fidgeted around with the wires, trying to find the cause of the problem. Always being fairly self-sufficient, she tried to learn whatever she could so that she could take care of her own issues. She finally found a wire that had been unplugged from one of the spark plugs and pushed it back into place. It seemed odd that the wire had managed to disconnect.

  “That should do it. Thanks.” She slammed the hood down, smiled once more at Josh, and got back into her truck. She turned the key and the truck started immediately.

  “Drive safe. I’ll see you soon.” It sounded more like a threat than a promise, and Nicole shivered.

  She waved and reversed, wanting to get home. Josh waved back and smiled broadly at her. She stared at him in the rearview mirror on her way out of town. He walked out into the street and didn’t take his eyes off the truck. It seemed strange how intense he was and how he looked after her. She bit her lip, unsure how she felt about the situation, but shook her head, thinking that maybe she had read too far into it. Nicole pulled up to her house, grabbed her groceries, and walked inside. She threw the bags onto the counter and headed for her computer.

  * * * *

  Nicole opened her new story and changed the Alpha hero to Josh. She couldn’t help herself. The man was just too gorgeous. He fit the role perfectly, all those muscles and his deep, gravelly voice. She moaned as she started writing, changing the story to fit around him. She wondered what his hands would feel like. She imagined they would be rough from working outdoors since he had a magnificent tan. His facial hair, perfectly trimmed, framed his plump lips, and she wondered what they would feel like. She moaned, wishing that she could redo their conversation and wishing that she would’ve at least flirted with him a little bit.

  A knock on her front door drew her attention, and she looked up, noticing the clock on the wall above her computer. It was already four o’clock. Rubbing her eyes, she stood up and walked to the door. Stretching her back, she heard it pop into place and opened the door.

  “Hello again.” Josh stood there holding a bag and looking delicious. She stared at him. How did he know where she lived? Did he follow her home?

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I came to fix you an early dinner,” he said as he walked past her into the house. He went to the kitchen and moved around the room as if he owned the place. She stared at him and finally decided to close the door.

  “Listen…I’m not sure why you’re here. I don’t know you, and to be honest, it’s a little inappropriate,” she told him, trying to sound offended but glad that he did in fact show up. She had been given a second chance to talk to him and get to know him a little better, maybe even flirt. If she were going to be completely honest with herself, though, she would have to admit that she wanted to look at him. Her body was screaming at her to grab him and rub against him, but Nicole stayed strong, keeping distance between them.

  “Why is it inappropriate? Were you busy?” he asked as he glanced around. She wasn’t sure what he could be looking for.

  “I’m a writer. I’m always busy,” she told him.

  “Okay. You can write while I cook for you.” He gave her a wink, and Nicole bit her lip, preventing herself from smiling. “I do have one question, though. Are you a vegetarian?” he asked, and she rolled her eyes. It seemed silly that he would ask that question with such a serious tone.

  “No.” She giggled. She didn’t want to, but the cute look on his face made her.

  “Okay, then. I’ll put your groceries away because it looks like you got busy and forgot.” He smiled. “You go ahead and write, and I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” He started putting things away, and she had to be honest with herself that he looked good in her kitchen. She walked back to her computer and stared at the screen for a minute, realizing that she was at one of the steamy sex scenes. She thought about Josh as she got back to work, thinking of all the dirty things she wanted to do with him.

  Inhaling, Nicole realized that her small home smelt amazing. She smiled and kept typing, feeling a little better.

  “He lowered his face, and his teeth sank into her shoulder. The bite he gave her sent a shaft of pain splintering through her body and threw her into an overload of sensations. A scream burst from her as she came hard. Pleasure and pain blurred into oblivion as ecstasy ripped through her very soul.” Josh read aloud the last paragraph she wrote, and Nicole slammed her laptop computer down and shoved herself away from her desk. Jumping up, she moved away from him, unsure of what to say in that moment. She was shaking. His voice reading those words had affected her more than she wanted to admit.

  “Wow. That sounded sexy. I’m sorry. I just wanted to see what you were writing.” He stared at her, and she cringed. She didn’t want him to know what she was writing or even what she was thinking. Especially since her thoughts were consumed by him.

  “I’m a writer. I write romance. It’s private, and I don’t share it with anyone.” This was her secret, her way to let her imagination go wild and allow herself to fantasize.

  “Are you published?” he asked with a questioning look on his face, and she wondered for a moment if he had ever read her books.

  “Yes. I have a pen name. No, I won’t tell you. Let’s eat. The food smells delicious, and I’m really hungry.” Changing the subject quickly, she went into the kitchen and washed her hands. She started moving around, opening cupboards, but Josh stopped her. He grabbed her hand and led her to the small table, depositing her into a chair. She sat stiffly, unhappy with herself for letting him manhandle her. She seemed to crave his attention, his touch, and that confused her.

  “I’ve already got everything ready. Just sit and enjoy,” he told her. She didn’t understand him. She had just met him only hours ago and here he was, in her home, making her food. She didn’t want to think about it. In fact, she just wanted to eat so that she could get back to work. She wanted to finish the amazing scene she was writing.

  “Look at you? You’re itching to get back to work, and here I came all the way over here to cook you a nice meal,” he said as she sat back in the chair.

  “Why are you here? It does seem a little odd that a man like you would follow me home.” She stared at him, wondering what his motives were. Why was this gorgeous man cooking her dinner? Why was he in her home? It just didn’t make any sense.

  “Um, well, I saw you at the store, and I just couldn’t resist,” he said, but his tone didn’t sound confident, and she doubted he was being truthful.

  “You couldn’t resist? Why?” she pressed. She really did want to know what this man was doing in her home. It was completely unexpected. She didn’t think she was ugly, in fact, she was cute. She had always been a cute girl but still she never ended up with the most popular guy in high school. She didn’t go on dates with the quarterback, and the captain of the wrestling team didn’t come over and cook. Staring at him she tried to read him, hoping to understand what he really wanted from her.

  “I think you’re adorable, and I was hoping to get to know you better. If you feel uncomfortable, I’ll leave.” He stared at her unblinkingly, making perfect eye contact. She wasn’t sure if she believed him, but for some reason she did trust him.
She didn’t get any weird, creepy feelings, and she always trusted her gut. Nodding, she let him serve her a plate of food.

  “Wow. You cooked all this?” She was seriously impressed, especially since she usually heated up a meal in the microwave each night. He had actually made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and her favorite—a sourdough roll. Her mouth watered as she stared at the food, inhaling the wonderful smells that permeated the air.

  “Yeah. I love to cook.” He looked a little shy at that moment. Maybe he thought she wouldn’t think he was manly, but him cooking was a huge plus in her book.

  “It’s been ages since I’ve had a home cooked meal.” She smiled at him, more grateful than she could put into words. Maybe he really was just a nice man. She needed to believe that people were good instead of evil. She needed to have more faith in humanity.

  “Well, I’m available most nights and weekends. Anytime you want me to cook just give me a call.” He handed her a piece of paper, and she noticed that his phone number written on it. Ducking her head, she smiled, shoving his number into her pocket. Maybe he could come over and cook for her again sometime.

  “Good to know.” She didn’t want to seem too anxious to see him again, but she really did want to.

  Josh pulled out a chair and sat down, and she was glad that he was staying. Focusing on her plate, Nicole picked up her fork, taking slow bites, wanting to savor each taste. The flavors exploded in her mouth, and she moaned, quickly taking another bite. Every taste was pure perfection, and Nicole ate faster. She stared at her empty plate and wondered if it would be weird if she picked it up and licked it clean.

  Looking up, she found Josh staring at her. His eyes looked wild, and she wondered what he was thinking. “I’m sorry for staring. You…you make these cute little sounds when you’re eating.” He winked, and Nicole smiled.