by Mina Carter
Table of Contents
Taken by the Billionaire Werewolf
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
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About the Author
Taken by the Billionaire Werewolf
MINA CARTER
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
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Copyright
Copyright 2015 Mina Carter
Cover Art by Mina Carter
Published by Blue Hedgehog Press: May 2015.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/).
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Author's note: All sexually active characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.
Chapter One
Holy shit. She was so screwed, and not in a good way.
Eva Tennant sat in the expansive granite and chrome foyer of Kingwood Consolidated and did her best not to hyperventilate. She really did. Honest. It seemed her body hadn’t got the memo, though and was currently heading on its merry way into a full out panic attack.
Shit. Taking a deep breath, she used the breathing exercises her therapist taught her and tried to calm down. Calm down? Her lips twisted wryly at the thought. Until three weeks ago, she’d never had a problem with stress, and panic attacks were things that happened to other people. Eva had always been independent and self-sufficient; a woman making her own way in the world of business.
She looked around and winced. Okay, maybe not the world of big business, like Kingwood Consolidated, but she rocked the world of handmade cupcakes. Weddings, small conferences, parties… She was all over that shit like white on rice and her client list was growing nicely.
Closing her eyes, she sighed. And thanks to one stupid decision by her little brother it was all crashing down. She could lose everything. Business. House. Worse… It could cost Davie his life. Unless she did something about it today.
“Ms. Tennant? Are you sure you have a meeting with Mr. Kingwood? I’ve checked his schedule and your name is not down.” The cultured voice of the receptionist behind the steel and glass desk in the middle of the floor broke through Eva’s musings. She opened her eyes to meet the woman’s gaze. Professional and disinterested, she’d assessed Eva with one glance when she’d arrived and apparently found her wanting. Eva didn’t blame her.
She didn’t fit in here. Not with her chain store dress—practical and hard-wearing, and her one pair of good shoes bought three years ago and still going strong. Her appearance was a far cry from the elegant sophistication of the perfectly groomed receptionist. She might not own designer clothes anymore, but she could spot them a mile off.
She lifted her chin, gaze hard and determined. “Yes, I’m sure. We have a one o’clock. Mr. Kingwood confirmed it himself.”
He hadn’t, of course. The last time Eva had seen Alex Kingwood had been ten years ago, when both were teenagers. Well, Eva was a teenager. He’d been about to hit his twentieth birthday when the relationship between her mother and his uncle broke down irretrievably. Somewhat of an understatement, considering they’d all been tossed out on their ears with little more than the clothes on their backs. Something her mother hadn’t stopped whining about since.
Outrageous, utterly outrageous… That Charles could treat me this way, she was prone to whining, often into her fourth drink of the day, as though she was some wellborn socialite rather than a waitress the wealthy werewolf had picked up one evening.
And wealthy the Kingwoods were. Excessively so. During her mother’s marriage to Charles, money had been no object. Wardrobes filled with expensive clothes, foreign holidays, jewelry… Her mom had had it all. Before she’d thrown it all away for a quick screw with a handsome pool boy.
That had been the last Eva had seen of any of the Kingwoods, in the flesh anyway. She’d followed them on the news like everyone else, but when her co-workers cooed over how handsome Alex, now the alpha of the Kingwood pack, was she’d always refused to give a comment. As nice looking as the man might be, looks didn’t help the fact that he was a ruthless SOB.
And one she had to charm into helping her. Shit. This was so not going to work.
“Really? One o’clock?” The receptionist pursed her perfectly glossed lips. Red gloss, really? Did Alex insist on his female staff looking like real-life sex dolls or did they dress that way on their own, hoping to snag the billionaire werewolf’s attention? “That’s funny because he has a one-fifteen with a client.”
“It’s a quick meeting.”
Yeah, like real quick. Probably about the amount of time it’d take for him to summon security and have her thrown out. Eva crossed her fingers and kept her expressions off her face. Mind you, if the woman in front of her were a werewolf, she’d smell the nerves leeching from Eva’s pores in a hot heartbeat. But while elegant, she didn’t move with the lethal fluidity that marked a werewolf so perhaps Eva was safe. For the moment.
Shit. Why couldn’t the woman have taken her word for it and shown her to Alex’s office? It would have been so much easier to waylay him then and get him to talk to her.
“Let me just ch—” The woman didn’t get to finish her sentence, cut off by a commotion at the doors. Eva shrank behind the line of potted plants as security guards swept through ahead of a small group. Unlike the girl at reception, these were lycan, their amber eyes and movements betraying them. A man walked behind them, and a slender brunette talking a mile a minute trotted after him in heels so high, Eva would have broken an ankle just taking a step.
She froze as recognition kicked in a moment before the man stopped, sliding his sunglasses down his nose as he turned to look at her.
Alex.
He’d grown up. Boy had he grown up.
All traces of the lean youth were gone. The body under the suit was broad-shouldered and powerful, despite the fact businessmen were known to push more paper than pump weights. His features had hardened, become stronger… more defined. The teenager he had been was the unformed version of the man who stood before her now.
The effect was devastating.
Taking the glasses off, he turned away, effectively dismissing her as he carried on across the floor. Eva was out of her chair and across the room like a shot.
“Alex? Alex, it’s me.” Dammit, she had to get him to talk to her. To help her.
He turned to spear her with a look, the amber ring offsetting the blue, just the
way she remembered. For a moment, she quailed under the hard gaze and almost lost her nerve. Then she thought of Davie’s name on a headstone if the vamps he owed money to left enough of his body to be found. The steel in her spine returned.
“Eva Tennant? My mother, Naomi, was marri—”
“I know who you are.” He cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand. Asshole. Hot asshole. That thought didn’t make her feel any better. “I’m more interested in what you want.”
“She claims to have a one o’clock with you, Mr. Kingwood,” the receptionist simpered. The breathy note in her voice was a new addition since Eva had spoken with her minutes ago. Sex appeal and availability practically dripped from her and she might as well dry hump Alex’s leg, she was so obvious. Eva clenched her jaw to avoid making a comment.
Alex nodded to the woman, not taking his eyes from Eva.
“I need your help. Please. For Davie.”
There, it was out. She waited for him to reply, and caught the look from the brunette in the heels. As the receptionist had, she glanced up and down Eva in assessment, the look bringing Eva’s hackles up. She gave her a hard glare in return, tempted to smooth her hands over her hips. That’s right, sweetheart. I’m your worst nightmare. A woman who likes her goddamn curves. So suck it up, sister.
“Davie? Why, what’s he done?” Alex asked, his lifted eyebrow plainly adding “this time” to the end of the sentence. Ten years wasn’t long enough to forget that her little brother, nineteen this year, had an unrivaled talent for attracting trouble. With a capital T.
She shifted from one foot to the other, unable to stop the small display of nerves, and flicked a glance at the group that surrounded them. “I’d prefer to discuss it in private, if you don’t mind?”
A small muscle jumped at the corner of his jaw and after a long moment, he nodded.
“Sylvia, rearrange my one fifteen for next week. It’ll do Stravos good to stew for a while,” he addressed the brunette as he turned, waving for Eva to follow him.
Anger welled at the arrogant gesture, but she fought it down. She needed his help. She couldn’t afford to get pissed off, or have any other emotion about Alex Kingwood, other than be grateful he would listen to her.
“Yes, Mr. Kingwood.” The brunette studiously ignored Eva as they both trailed him to the elevator. “Anything else?”
“Yes, I want details of the proposed Glenwood development compiling. Use this time from the rearranged meeting for that and have it on my desk by the end of play today. That will be all for now.”
He waved her away, standing aside to allow Eva to board the lift next to him. The brunette’s expression radiated surprise and annoyance at her path being halted. Eva hid her grin, ignoring the temptation to stick her tongue out at the woman. Stuck up bitch anyway.
Alex carried on talking to the men, all werewolves, around him while she did her best to make herself inconspicuous in the corner. This wasn’t business, it was pack business, and she’d long ago learned to tune it out.
Finally, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Alex turned to her, ignoring the men around them, an unreadable expression on his face. “Come into my parlor…”
*
…said the spider to the fly.
Only, he wasn’t sure which of them was the spider and which the fly. Alex stood to one side to allow Eva to disembark the lift before him. Of all the people he might have expected to see in his lobby today, he had to admit Eva Tennant wasn’t one of them.
She nodded, a graceful incline of her head and stepped out. Alex had never claimed to be a saint, so he took the opportunity to sweep his gaze over her while she wasn’t looking.
Fucking hell, she’d grown up nicely. The slender teenager he remembered, while pretty, had blossomed into an absolute siren. From the gentle arch of her neck, revealed by the messy updo, to the cello curve of her waist, she was absolutely stunning. A simple shift dress highlighted her voluptuous curves, not skin tight but far more appealing for its modesty, the wide neck revealing delicate collarbones he ached to stroke his fingers over.
His wolf growled with lust, his body on instant alert as heat flooded his groin. Biting back his groan, he schooled his reaction and walked after her. Hopefully, she wouldn’t turn just yet and notice his reaction. Damn the hold she had over him, always had over him, even back then. Back then, though, his father had been the alpha of the pack and Alex had to toe the line. Especially about no human-wolf fraternization.
Now though, he was in charge…
“This is nice.” She paused at the window, turning to look around. But not at him, thankfully. “Your office is this entire floor?”
“It is. I prefer the space.”
Turning away, he sat. There were no other chairs, which forced her to stand awkwardly in front of the desk. Leaning back, he watched her until she fidgeted a little. The scent of her nervousness and desperation filled the air, easily discernable to his lycan senses.
Interesting. This was obviously more serious than just Davie getting into another scrape. Way more serious if she’d broken years of silence to approach him. Whatever it was, he didn’t care. One thing he did know, though. She’d taunted him for years, in reality and his dreams, so she wasn’t getting out of here before he had a taste of her.
The fact she needed something from him meant he had all the power here.
“So…out with it. What’s he done this time?”
Resisting the urge to reach for the folder in the desk drawer, he watched her. He’d kept tabs on her all these years, telling himself it was in case her gold-digger mother tried to find another way back into the pack or to the Kingwood fortune. It was a lie. He’d wanted to know more about the woman in front of him.
Unlike her mother, she hadn’t decided to pay her way on her back, marrying well and living off a rich husband like Naomi. Instead, she’d gotten a degree in business, night school from what he could work out, while paying rent on an apartment in a quiet area of the city. Not flashy, but not run down either. Nice, middle of the road. Average. She’d raised capital and started her own gourmet cupcake store in the city center. All reports indicated it was a viable, profitable business with a good reputation.
Not a lot impressed Alex, but she did. Not that he planned on telling her that.
“He’s been a bit of a tearaway recently.” She wrung her hands, then appeared to realize what she was doing and folded them neatly in front of her to meet his gaze. “But he wanted to start a business, actually supporting himself and contributing to the household. Which, to be honest, we needed.”
“You live with your mother and brother?” he asked, knowing the answer before her hesitant nod. From what he could work out, Naomi Tennant was a leech who quit work as soon as her daughter began to bring money in.
“Yes. And things can be a little tight. Mom’s…well, she struggles to find work, so with Davie earning as well.” She sighed, flicking back a couple of escaped strands of hair that had fallen over her face. “It helped. It really helped. Especially when he started to earn well. Gave me a little bit of breathing room so I could get some savings behind us.”
He nodded as she spoke. As a Kingwood, most people didn’t expect him to understand the concept, but his father had ensured he did, keeping him on a tight budget through college. Everything he had back then, he saved for or earned working for his father. Luckily for him, he’d shown an early talent for business, so his earnings had been beyond most teenagers’ dreams.
“Then something went wrong?” He was into guesswork now. The regular agency he used to keep tabs on the Tennants had suffered an office fire, and he’d ordered them to pull coverage until they were back on their feet.
She nodded, her face paling. On instinct, he stood, moving to rest against the front of the desk, arms folded across his chest.
“Yeah. You could say that.” She gave a little laugh, but he spotted the tremble of her lip. She hadn’t worn perfume, even though he knew she favored a part
icular brand. A consideration because it made him sneeze?
“Turns out Davie wasn’t doing what he said he was, and he had a couple of ‘partners’ I wasn’t aware of. Ones who weren’t happy when he took their money and lost it. They want it back, with interest. Or…”
“Partners?” The hairs on the back of his neck rose. Secret partners weren’t good. Neither were secret business practices. “What did he say he was doing?”
“He’s an artist, really creative. He said he was doing custom murals for clients.” She studied the pattern on his carpet. A faint flush rode her cheeks. “Turns out he was using the studio I rented for him to run Faery Dust.”
Alex rocked back on his heels. Faery Dust was a highly addictive paranormal drug, usually pedaled by pixies and vampires. Both were vicious and highly territorial. Neither viewed humans as anything more than playthings.
“I gather he ran afoul of one or the other.”
She lifted her gaze to his and he could see the lines of strain around her mouth. Around full lips, he had the inappropriate urge to run his thumb against to see if they were as soft as they looked.
“I can’t meet the amount they say he owes. They said it is the money or a body.” She took a little step forward, then stopped, looking at him beseechingly. “I have savings, the house…a business. You can have it all, Alex. I’ll work for you for as long as it takes to clear the debt…just please help me.”
“I’m not interested in your house, your savings, or your business.”
At his words the light of hope in her eyes died.
“I see,” she nodded, and as he watched, pulled her armor back around herself. “Well, thank you for listening to me. I’ll see myself out.”
God, she was a strong woman. He felt a complete and utter shit but ignored the feeling. After watching her from afar for all these years, fantasizing about her, she was finally right where he wanted her. At his mercy.
