Taryn’s Wolf
Marisa Chenery
Published 2008
ISBN 978-1-59578-474-2
Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2008, Marisa Chenery. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Liquid Silver Books
http://LSbooks.com
Email:
[email protected]
Editor
Devin Govaere
Cover Artist
April Martinez
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks go to Nancy Bialek, Executive Director at Stags’ Leap District Winegrowers, and Kevin Morriesy, Winemaker at Stags’ Leap Winery, for taking the time to answer all my questions about Stags’ Leap and growing wine.
Chapter One
Down in the cellar at Wulf’s Den, Wade was keeping himself busy taking stock of the liquor for the night club. He was actually serving a dual purpose by doing this instead of letting his brother, Beowulf, do it himself. It kept Wade busy, but it also kept him away from Beowulf and his mate Roxie.
He loved them both, but being constantly around a mated werewolf couple, and not having a mate of his own, was starting to wear on Wade’s nerves. He was happy his older brother had finally found his mate after spending many, many years alone. He only wished he could find a mate of his own. That was something most unmated werewolf males long for. Even though he was much younger than Beowulf, Wade was starting to wonder if that special female was out there for him. So far none of the werewolf females had set off his mating urge, the one true sign that he had found his mate.
Having completed the task at hand, Wade took a deep breath and prepared to go back up to the club. Both Beowulf and Roxie were up there. They had arrived earlier because Beowulf had scheduled a meeting with the owner of one of the local wineries. Apparently, the woman had inherited the winery from some relative and wanted to expand the business. She was dropping off a sample of her wine for Beowulf to try before he made his final decision to serve it at Wulf’s Den.
Wade climbed the cellar stairs and pushed open the door at the top. That’s when it hit him. The scent slammed into him, causing the wolf side of him to come to instant attention. Taking in big drafts of air, he let the scent fill his lungs, his very being, until it was imprinted on him forever.
As he headed to where Beowulf and Roxie stood by the bar, the scent grew stronger. He had to fight the urge to snarl at Beowulf just because his brother was near the female whose scent told Wade she was meant for him. Reaching the bar, he searched the club for the woman he sought, but she was nowhere to be seen.
He brushed past Beowulf and picked up the sheet of paper that sat on top of the bar next to an uncorked bottle of wine. Holding the paper up to his face, he took in another deep breath. It was covered with her scent. Without taking the paper away from his face, Wade asked, “Where is she?”
Roxie spoke up. “If you mean the woman from the winery, she just left. And I have to say this is a new one for you, Wade. If you don’t stop manhandling that piece of paper, I may just start thinking you have some kind of new weird fetish. Let me take it before you make such a mess of it we won’t be able to read it anymore.”
When Roxie tried to pull it away, Wade gave a warning growl and pressed the sheet of paper against his chest. “I have to find her.”
Roxie smiled broadly. “Oh, now I get it. If the growling didn’t give you away, your glowing eyes sure do. So she’s your mate, is she? Well good luck with that one. You’re going to need it.”
“I don’t need luck. She’s my mate and that’s all that I need to know.”
Roxie rolled her eyes. “Typical male werewolf response. I think the rush of testosterone has messed with your brain, Wade. Going all caveman will not work on that woman, or any woman for that matter.”
“It worked on you.” Beowulf was rewarded for his comment by Roxie’s elbow jabbed into his ribs. Before she could jab him again, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back up against his broad chest. He then turned his attention to Wade. “What Roxie is so eloquently saying is, step carefully. The woman is mortal and I can guarantee you she has no idea what we are. From our meeting, I got the feeling she won’t just fall into your open arms because you feel she is your mate. There’s a strength about her as if she’s used to taking care of herself.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go hunt down my mate.”
Cramming the piece of paper into his jeans’ front pocket, Wade took off at a run. Once he was outside, he took a deep breath of the early evening air. Smelling her scent on the light breeze that hit his face, Wade turned into the wind and went in search of his mate.
* * * *
Taryn Davies was pleased with the results of her meeting with Beowulf, the owner of Wulf’s Den. She had high hopes he would be placing an order for her White Zinfandel wine in the not too distant future. If he did, then a lot of her financial problems would be over. After her uncle had died and left the vineyard for her to run on her own, Taryn had been a little surprised to see how much in debt he had been. She wasn’t by any means strapped for money, but it would be a little tight if she couldn’t drum up a few more clients. Wulf’s Den had been number one on her list. The night club had been around for years and was reputed to be one of San Francisco’s hot spots in the club scene.
Lost in her own thoughts, Taryn at first didn’t notice she was being followed. Hoping it was just someone who happened to be walking in the same direction as she, Taryn quickened her pace as she headed for the parking lot behind Wulf’s Den. The footsteps coming behind her kept pace.
Before she could reach her car, the person called out to her. Turning around, she found herself face to face with the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. Actually he was the second gorgeous man she had seen this evening if she counted Beowulf who was similar in looks, but this man appealed to her senses more.
As he stood before her, staring down at her with stark longing in his ice blue eyes, Taryn took the opportunity to get a better look at him. He was tall, probably close to six feet seven in her estimation. At five feet eight inches, she still had to crane her neck to look him in the face. And his face was all planes and angles. His chestnut, shoulder length hair only added to his good looks. Letting her eyes drop, she couldn’t help but notice he was built. Her uncle would have said this guy was built like a brick shithouse. He wore a tight black t-shirt, which showed off his broad, well muscled chest and arms that bulged in all the right places. Taryn’s mouth went dry as her eyes moved down further still. There was a telltale bulge in his tight fitting jeans as well.
Jerking her gaze back up to his face, Taryn asked, “Can I help you?” He took a step closer and her heart began to beat a little faster. There was something about him, about the way he was looking at her that caused her body to stand up and take notice. She was getting more turned on the longer he stared at her.
“You already have. Come back into the club with me and you’ll help me even more.”
His voice was deep and seemed to hit a chord deep inside her. Taryn swallowed. “Ah, okay. Do you work at the club? I didn’t see you in there.” She had no idea where he was going with that one. She didn’
t think he was hitting on her. Guys as good-looking as him didn’t usually hit on her. She was passable in the looks department, but there wasn’t really anything about her that made her stand out. With her long brown hair, which she mostly kept pulled back in a ponytail, and her brown eyes, she thought of herself as mousy in appearance.
“Yes. My name is Wade. I was down in the cellar when you had your meeting with my brother.”
That explained why Wade looked so much like Beowulf. It was obvious good looks ran in the family. Taryn stuck out her hand to Wade. “Nice to meet you. I hope your brother and I can do business together.”
Wade took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he pulled her closer to him. Before she realized his intent, he bent his head and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. And he wasn’t just kissing her, he was devouring her. His tongue pushed past her lips and tangled with hers. Desire slammed into her, causing an ache to build between her legs as her pussy grew wet. Taryn knew she was acting like an idiot for allowing him to kiss her. She usually didn’t make it a practice to get this close to a guy she had only met just seconds before. She hadn’t even told him her name, and here she was swapping spit with him. And if that wasn’t bad enough, she didn’t want him to stop.
But that soon changed when Wade took on the dominant role and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly to him as he ground his erection against her. With images of the ugly part of her past flashing through her head, Taryn whimpered and pushed at Wade’s chest. When he didn’t release her, she acted on instinct.
Using all the dirty fighting skills her uncle had taught her, Taryn grabbed a fistful of Wade’s hair and pulled his mouth off hers. With the flat of her hand, she hit him in the nose. She then brought her knee up and kicked him in his most vulnerable spot. He instantly let go of her and dropped to the ground as he cupped his manhood in one hand and his nose in the other.
Without looking back, Taryn quickly raced to her car. As she pulled out of the parking lot, she realized she had just unmanned the brother of a prospective client. She guessed she wouldn’t be hearing back from Beowulf anytime soon.
* * * *
Still down on the ground trying to catch his breath, Wade groaned when a recognizable pair of women’s shoes came into view. It would have to be Roxie who found him in this undignified position.
“I told you, you would need luck with that one, Wade. Taryn is one tough cookie. What did you do? Try to overwhelm her with your male werewolf sex appeal? I thought you were the romancer of the family.”
“Go away, Roxie,” Wade snapped. He really wasn’t mad at his brother’s mate. He was just mad at himself for doing the one thing he had advised Beowulf not to do with Roxie when he had been trying to win her over.
“Fine. Do you want me to get some ice to put on your…?”
Beowulf, who had come outside in search of Roxie said, “You’ll not be going anywhere near Wade’s crotch. The only crotch you can touch is mine, and don’t forget that.”
Roxie stepped into Beowulf’s arms. “Don’t worry, love. How can I forget what you have in those tight pants of yours? There is more than enough of you to keep me coming back for more.”
Wade groaned again. “I think I’m going to be sick. Would the two of you please go somewhere else and let me suffer in peace?”
Beowulf chuckled. “We’ll leave you alone. Pull yourself together and come back inside the club. The doors are opening in a few minutes.”
Once he was alone, Wade slowly got up on his feet. He rubbed the small trickle of blood from his nose with the back of his hand. Taryn was more than capable of taking care of herself, which was something that was highly regarded in a female in werewolf society. But it also meant he wouldn’t have it easy trying to win her over. As he brushed off his jeans, he felt the lump of paper inside his front pocket. Taking it out, he opened it. As he read the information on the page, he had an idea. Stepping through the back door of the club, a plan quickly formed in his head. One Taryn wouldn’t be able to refuse.
Chapter Two
Taryn drove the fifty miles back to Napa Valley calling herself three times a fool. Now that she had a chance to settle down, she knew she had overreacted. Yes, Wade had come on a little strong, but she couldn’t deny she was attracted to him. If he hadn’t become so dominant, she probably would have been tearing at his clothes. But there was that one part of her that couldn’t get over what had happened in her past.
She had been nineteen when she had decided she wanted to leave the winery where she lived with her Uncle Colin and move to Los Angeles. Having lived with her bachelor uncle since the age of three after her mother, his older sister, had died, Taryn had thought about nothing else but moving to that big city. Thinking back now, she knew she had been rebelling against the only father figure she had ever known. Her real father had left her mother soon after he had found out she was pregnant with Taryn. That was the only information her uncle had told her about her father.
It had only taken a few months in Los Angeles for Taryn to realize she had made a mistake by moving there. She missed her uncle terribly, but her pride wouldn’t let her go back until she figured she had proved to him she could live on her own without his guidance. Then she had met Nigel.
One night he had come to the diner where she waited tables. He had charmed her, and against her better judgment, she had agreed to go out on a date with him. He had the whole bad boy persona going on, trying to break free from his rich parents who liked to keep him on a tight rein. Taryn had fallen for him, hard, and thoughts of returning home soon came few and far between.
It wasn’t until they had been seeing each other for six months that Taryn began to see the changes in Nigel. He started wanting to know exactly what she did when he wasn’t with her, demanding minute details. Then it was phone calls. He would call to make sure she was home when she said she was going to be. If she happened to be late getting in from work, he would yell at her, accusing her of seeing someone else. Finally, after putting up with Nigel’s jealous fits for two months, Taryn couldn’t take it anymore. She had decided to end things with Nigel.
Not wanting to end their relationship over the phone, Taryn had invited Nigel over to her apartment. He had flown into a rage. That was when he had hit her. He didn’t stop until he had pounded her down to the floor. After he had left, promising to return the next day, Taryn packed up her belongings and had fled back home during the night, thankful that she hadn’t told Nigel anything about her uncle or where he lived.
Battered and bruised she had arrived at The Pines, her uncle’s winery. He had taken one look at her face and had pulled her close, welcoming her home.
Now at twenty-six, that was long in the past, but it had left her scarred. She could only be with men whom she could control, who never tried to assert their authority over her. At the first sign of such behavior, she cut them out of her life.
Turning onto The Pines’ long drive, Taryn pushed the painful memories of her past aside. A feeling of pride swept through her. She loved the winery, and felt a sense of accomplishment whenever she returned to it. The winery wasn’t large by any means, but it was all she needed. She loved it all, the sweeping hillside filled with tall pine trees, the large stretches of land planted with grapes. But it was the cave set in the hillside that drew her the most. As a little girl she liked to sit for hours inside it escaping the heat of the summer. Being a hundred feet underground, the cave was always cool no matter what time of year it was.
Arriving at the modest two-story brick house at the end of the drive, Taryn decided to make it an early night. Tomorrow would be a busy day for her. Harvest was due to begin any day now, and there were a lot of things that had to be done in preparation for it. And now that she had probably blown any prospect of having Wulf’s Den as a client, she also had the added burden of trying to find some other night club where she could sell her wines. Still feeling as if she needed a kick in the rear end, Taryn walked into the house. As she fell asleep, she cou
ldn’t stop thinking about Wade and how good it had felt being kissed by him.
* * * *
It was early the next morning when Wade found himself driving to Napa Valley. Shortly after dawn he had finally given up trying to sleep. When he did sleep, his dreams were filled with Taryn naked on his bed, holding him close as he rode her. He had awakened with a raging hard-on. Now that he knew Taryn was his mate, the dreams would grow more erotic until he claimed her as his. All male werewolves suffered through this when finding their mates.
As he drove by wineries, Wade smelled the grapes’ ripe sweetness. Having an acute sense of smell, something all of his kind possessed, he could tell they were at their peak, ready for the harvest. Since it was nearing the middle of October, he had been counting on such an instance.
Entering the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, Wade picked up the map he had printed off from the internet that showed how to get to Taryn’s vineyard, which was on the Silverado Trail. In a matter of minutes, he was pulling onto the large drive of The Pines Winery. Lowering the window on his metallic grey Infiniti G35, Wade took in a deep breath. He smelled the large pine trees that grew on the property, as well as the different kinds of grapes growing in the vineyard.
He arrived at the house at the end of the drive and turned off the car. Wade hoped Taryn would be out of bed, but he thought she would be since she had a vineyard to look after. He took a few deep calming breaths before he got out of the car. He had to take it slow with Taryn, or he was liable to end up with a broken nose again. Luckily for him, werewolves healed at a fast rate and his nose showed no signs of the trauma from the evening before.
He climbed the two wooden steps up to the screen door, and was about to knock when Taryn pulled open the inner door. Wade realized she hadn’t noticed his presence when she pushed open the screen door, which in turn connected with his nose hard enough to cause it to bleed.
Cursing under his breath, Wade cupped a hand under his nose. “What do you have against my nose?”
At the sound of his voice, Taryn jumped. “Oh!” When she saw he was bleeding, she said. “Oh god, Wade, I’m so sorry. Here, come inside so I can take a look at it. I didn’t see you there.”
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