Silver led him up the wide stone staircase that divided the wide entryway. At the top of the stairs, he turned down the hallway leading to the right. Nick counted three doors before Silver stopped and opened one on the right side of the hall.
Stepping inside, Nick found himself in what could have been a room in a midrange New York hotel with a Caribbean island twist. The bed to the left side of the room was queen-size and covered in with a tropical print bedspread. In the far right corner looking out the bank of windows was a desk and executive chair. In the left was a sitting area with a tan wicker loveseat and two chairs. The material covering the cushions matched the bed’s blanket. The vivid green carpet underfoot was thick and cushiony while the soft yellow paint on the walls had him smiling before he realized it.
“Oh, there is one other thing,” Silver said as he headed back to the door. “I’m afraid you’ll have to share the bathroom with your neighbor.”
Nick looked around, and for a second his gut clenched as he wondered if these people were moving him in and not just giving him shelter for a few days. Instead of demanding accommodations with a private bath, he took a deep breath. He knew he was staying in a private house and not a hotel. At least he only had to share with one other person and not the whole family.
“Thanks for the warning.”
“I’ll let you get settled in. If you’d like, I’ll come back and get you in an hour or so. We can get dinner and check out the ladies that arrived today.” Silver grinned and winked.
Nick nodded but did not answer one way or the other. Instead, he turned to the desk and began to unpack his briefcase. The door opened then closed behind him. When he looked up, he found himself alone. He sucked in a deep breath, held it for as long as he could, before releasing it on a long sigh. He was not sure making friends with Emerald Pyrate’s cousin was a good idea, but found he liked the man’s friendly, laid-back attitude.
It just made him more curious about what he would find when he finally met Emerald.
Chapter 2
Emerald shut down her computer before pushing from her chair. She spent a few minutes stretching as her stomach rumbled, reminding her she had not eaten since breakfast. With new guests coming in, she knew her cousins would all be busy working at the pub and restaurant so she would have to scrounge for something to eat.
Walking into the bathroom, she glanced at the long counter with double sinks. The only difference was on her last trip in there she found a men’s toiletry bag beside the sink closest to Goldie’s room. Silver’s guest had arrived and apparently settled in.
She growled low in her throat as the faint scent of fresh cut grass and spring rain wrapped around her. Her body responded immediately to the delicious aroma. Her nipples beaded, her clit jumped to attention, and her pussy gushed, dampening her panties. This was something that had never happened to her before. But then again, she had never come across her mate before.
“Mine,” she murmured softly to the empty room.
Though she wanted nothing more than to track her mate down and claim him, her body demanded she deal with it first.
After doing what she had come in there to do, she headed downstairs, hoping to find some leftovers she could heat and eat quickly. She was not surprised to find the house was empty and silent as she wound her way to the kitchen. After all, it was the first night for new guests on the island. Everyone would be at the Treasure, either working or checking out the latest crop of guests for possible mates or short-term hookups.
Opening the refrigerator, she sighed with disappointment. Ruby and Diamond must have gotten domestic and cleaned out the refrigerator. Turning to the freezer, she found it just as empty of anything that might make a quick meal for a starving writer who hated to cook.
“Guess you’re just going to have to suck it up and go down to the Treasure,” she said to herself as she closed the freezer door and walked out of the kitchen.
Her stomach rumbled long and loud in agreement.
Looking at her clothes, she sighed again. She had to go back up to her room to change into something more public worthy. Torn, faded panties under a three-sizes-too-big T-shirt she wore without a bra was great for a day of writing, but not for walking through a crowd of humans in search of food.
“Changing into something more appropriate will also keep you out of Grandfather’s doghouse,” she said to herself, “especially if you cross paths with your mate.”
Walking back upstairs, she exchanged her comfy writer’s clothes for a bra, white tank top, and a red and white ankle-length broomstick skirt that was years out of style. It was comfortable and almost dressy considering what some people wore while on the island. She took off her damp panties and on a whim decided not to replace them with dry ones. Slipping her bare feet into a pair of well-worn red Crocks, she left her room and reluctantly headed into the village.
On the front steps, she sniffed and picked up the faint residue of her mate’s scent. As if in a trance, she followed it into the village. She walked faster the closer she got to the business district as the scent grew stronger. Its trail led her to Pyrate’s Treasure. The closer she got to the pub, the tenser she grew.
Ever since her return to the island after graduation, she had avoided the village at night, during the season, and especially the first night for guests. Too much alcohol and giddy happiness at being on an adult-only island lowered the guests’ inhibitions and sometimes led them to do foolish things.
Stopping on the pub’s front porch, she hesitated then stepped out of the flow of traffic in and out of the door. A group of giggling women and several couples passed in and out while she took a few deep breaths and tried to talk herself into entering the building. Music, laughter, and voices spilled out of the open doorway as another couple pushed through the doorway and left. They were arm in arm and unaware that they were not alone in the universe.
“Your mate is in there. Food is in there. You can do this,” she murmured to herself.
Her comments drew the attention of a pair of good-looking men who apparently had already consumed a couple of drinks before leaving their cottage. They stopped and looked her up and down, then moved in on either side of her. Her skin crawled at the alcohol on their breath and the intentions in their eyes.
“Come on, honey. We’ll keep you company,” one of them slurred as the other wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her along with them through the front door.
Though she felt strangely thankful for their assistance getting into the building, once they were inside she slipped from the stranger’s hold and walked away without a word. She dodged several dancing couples, more flirting couples, and several small groups of men and women who seemed to be daring one another to go and talk to members of the opposite sex in the room. She worked her way across the room to the far end of the bar that sat on the right side of the room.
Though a dozen different colognes and perfumes in the air made her sensitive nose twitch, she could still make out the faint but particular scent that belonged to her mate. Her exceptional hearing picked up shocked whispers of the pack members who saw her.
Reaching the end of the bar that was just a few feet from the back door, she waved at her sister. Goldie turned, looked at her, and froze, apparently stunned at her appearance. A moment later, she blinked before smiling in welcome as she hurried down the bar.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she pulled a bottle of Emerald’s favorite cola from the cooler, popped the top, and set it in front of her.
“I need food. There’s nothing at home to eat.” Emerald lifted the bottle and, after raising it in a silent toast her sister, took several swallows before returning it to the bar.
“There’s lots of food. We just cleaned and restocked yesterday.” Diamond, one of her four cousins who waitressed at the pub when she was not running the island bank, slid in at her elbow. “You just need to learn how to cook.”
Emerald made a face at her cousin then turned back to Goldi
e. “Medium rare burger with everything and cheese fries to go. And maybe something sweet for dessert?”
Goldie nodded and turned to the computerized cash register to punch the order in. After that, she worked her way down the bar, refilling drink orders and taking more orders for food from the bar flies. Emerald took her drink and stepped back from the bar, allowing a skinny Barbie doll type with slicked back red hair to move into the space.
She tried not to be too obvious as she looked around the bar. Her mate was here somewhere. As soon as she ate her dinner, she would come back in and track him down. Then she would have to fight the building urge to claim him right here on the bar in front of Grandfather, God, and everyone.
Looking at the far end of the bar, she met her grandfather’s eyes. With a sigh she realized she had to go and say hello though she really wanted to escape out the back door.
She had moved several steps down the bar when someone patted her left ass cheek in an overly friendly manner. Her head whipped around, but she could not tell which one of the three half-drunk men behind her was the guilty one. They each returned her glare with a wide-eyed, innocent look.
Shrugging, Emerald walked away instead of confronting them. There was no need to piss off the guests just because she was afraid of crowds and overly flirtatious men. After all, Pyrate Island had a growing reputation as a swinging adults-only resort. Her family would disown her for killing a guest for making a pass at her when that was what the humans were here for.
She made it four small steps further when someone grabbed a handful of her right ass cheek and squeezed. Jumping in surprise, she dropped her half-finished soda. With a low-throated growl of fear and distress, she turned quickly, leading with her elbow, which she dug deep into her accoster’s midsection. Finishing the turn, she growled again when she found herself face to top of head with Silver.
“What the fuck are you doing?” she growled as he straightened. Now angry, she punched his chest again, this time hard enough to rock him back half a step. “Don’t you realize how hard coming in here is for me? Groping me like that is not helpful.”
It took several long seconds for Silver to regain his breath. “What the hell are you doing here? You weren’t supposed to meet until tomorrow,” he said. He looked over her shoulder and then paled. “Oh shit. Now you’ve done it.”
Before she could ask what he was talking about, he manacled her right wrist with his left hand. He pulled her behind him through the crowd toward the corner of the bar where her grandfather held court. She often wondered how many pack meetings were held here with the humans partying around them, oblivious to the shifters who inhabited the island and catered to their decadent wants, needs, and desires.
As they rounded the bar, her mate’s scent grew stronger until her pussy was dripping. All she wanted was to grab him and wrap herself around him. But which man was he?
As they stopped behind his specially padded and always reserved barstool, their grandfather, who held the position of village mayor as well as pack alpha, spun his seat to face them. At the same time, the man in the chair next to him swung around and the air around her filled with the scent of grass and rain.
Looking from her grandfather to the stranger, she got her first good look at her mate. He was beautiful in a wild, unkempt sort of way, though the slacks and dress shirt he wore told he was civilized. His deep auburn hair was shaggy, and her fingers itched to brush it into some kind of order. Meeting his eyes, she found herself lost in their deep green depths. His cheekbones were high, his chiseled jaw carried at least a day’s growth of beard, and his thin lips seemed to be begging her to kiss them.
Her inner wolf jumped up and howled. Not knowing who this man was, Emerald took a step toward him and declared, “Mine!”
“Excuse me?” The stranger looked shocked.
“Really?” Her grandfather appeared surprised.
“Oh, shit.” Silver sounded like he wanted to run and hide.
* * * *
Nick looked at the woman who seemed to have just claimed him for some reason or other. He could not tell if she was crazy or just overly definitive in what she wanted in a man. He got as far as looking in her eyes before he found himself wanting to go along with whatever she might propose. At first look, her eyes were a crystalline blue, but as he continued looking into them, their color deepened to a shade that reminded him of the deep blue sky he had seen as he’d gotten closer and closer to Pyrate Island. His cock that had found little to be excited about in months suddenly began to harden, shocking him even more.
He waited for someone to explain what in the hell was going on, but was not sure he would hear them even if they spoke. It was as if a bubble now encased him and this beautiful petite woman. The rest of the world had fallen away, and they were alone. Blinking, he dropped his gaze from her eyes to check out the rest of her.
She had an ethereal beauty that pulled at him to take her into his arms. There was a fragility about her that called for him to protect her from harm. Never before had he felt such an attraction to a woman. A manuscript yes, but not any of the women he had met in his lifetime. He wanted to take her out onto the beach and make love with her under the moonlight until there was nothing left of them but a co-mingled pile of boneless goo.
Her black hair and blue eyes were perfect foils. Her ivory skin held just a handful of freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose and upper cheeks. Rosy lips were full and kissable. He inhaled sharply when she bit the bottom one in what appeared to be a nervous gesture. Immediately he had to fight down an overwhelming urge to lean forward and soothe the abused skin.
Dropping his gaze, he took in her slight but curvaceous frame. Full breasts pushed at her tank top and a long skirt fell to her ankles. With her wild, wavy black hair that just brushed her shoulders, she reminded him of a movie image gypsy. His cock throbbed in his slacks as he wondered what she was, or was not, wearing under that loose, concealing skirt.
He did not care who she was. He wanted her. He swallowed back his own declaration of “mine.”
Lifting his gaze to her face, he found the woman felt the same way. She stepped closer, forcing his legs to spread farther apart. She moved to stand between them, her hips brushing against his inner thighs. His painfully erect cock was grateful for the additional room the move gave it. She slid her right hand behind his neck in a move he had used before but no one had ever used on him. With a half-smile on her lips, she pulled his head forward, closed the last few inches between them, and kissed him.
Like the woman herself, this first kiss was unlike any first touching of lips he had ever taken part in before. There was no getting-to-know-you hesitation or shyness in her touch. This was the coming together of two halves of a whole. Seconds after their lips touched, his sexual interest mushroom-clouded into an overwhelming need for the woman. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he pulled her even closer until her breasts brushed and then pressed more firmly against his chest. At the same time, he tilted his head to the side and sealed their lips together even closer.
She breathed a moan when he parted his lips and licked his way past hers. She dropped her jaw open, and her tongue eagerly welcomed him in. When she leaned more fully into him, he accepted her slight weight easily. He tightened the arm around her shoulder as his other drifted to her waist and pulled her as close as their current position allowed. Her hand, still cupping the back of his neck, tightened as her other arm slid around his back. Her fingers pressed into the muscles while she shifted against him, dragging her breasts across his chest as she tried to get even closer.
Just when he absently wondered if they would spontaneously combust from the single kiss, she jerked her lips from his. Breathing harshly, he opened his eyes to find her wide-eyed with what he could only assume was near panic.
“Oh, my,” she murmured. She then closed her eyes and dropped her head forward until he could no longer see her face.
“Indeed,” he whispered, brushing his cheek against the
side of her head.
The sounds of catcalls and whistles shattered the cocoon that had encased them just seconds before. Loosening his hold on the woman, he allowed her to step back a few inches for propriety’s sake.
Only then did he realize that the hand that had slipped down her back now cupped her right ass cheek. With only a second of recrimination at the forwardness of his act, he lifted the hand from her body. He slowly brought it between them and up to her chin. Using two fingers, he lifted her face until he once again looked into her eyes.
“Who are you?” he whispered, fighting the need to kiss her again before throwing her over a shoulder and running out of the pub to find somewhere they could be alone to finish what had just been started.
“Emerald Pyrate,” she returned softly. Her gaze dropped to his lips in a shy, almost submissive move that he found endearing. “And you are my mate.”
It took a moment for her name to sink past the arousal fogging his brain. His heart stuttered as he processed that this beautiful, sensuously enticing woman was the author of a series of what had to be the best children’s books to come across his desk in the last ten years. The rest of her words were lost on him as he reacted to her name.
“You’re Emerald Pyrate?”
His gut clenched when she nodded once. He had had authors come on to him in the past, but never had he reacted so strongly to a woman before. Not even his ex-wife or two former fiancées had wrung this strong a reaction out of him.
Then the rest of her words sunk in. “I’m your mate? What the hell does that mean?”
Chapter 3
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Emerald knew she had made a mistake. The middle of the pub on a first night was not the ideal time to start what would no doubt end up being a lengthy conversation. She looked into his eyes and saw interest, arousal, and an underlying fear swirling in their intense green depths.
Emerald [Pyrate's Treasure 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 2
