by Renee George
Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by LATIN GODDESS PRESS INC.. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Sassy Ever After remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of LATIN GODDESS PRESS INC., or their affiliates or licensors.
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Mate of Honor
A Sassy Mates World Novella
By Renee George
Dedication
For my hot, hunky middle-aged alpha.
26 years of marriage,
and I am still yours,
and you are still mine.
Acknowledgements
A special THANK YOU to the vivaciously awesome Milly Taiden, a sexy chick, and an even sexier writer, for allowing me the privilege to write in her world. I have loved every minute of this world! I’m so happy to be an official Sassy girl.
Also, I must thank my BFF sister and most fabulous beta reader Robbin. You held my hand the whole way with gentle encouragements like, “Are your finished? Why aren’t you writing? Where’s my story? Get on it!” LOL. Also, my BFF and critique partner Michele Bardsley, who got to put up with all my whining about a rescuing the princess. Love your guts! You two helped me to create a story I completely fell in love with (and had to take a few cold showers during. *whew* This world is wicked hot).
To my Rebels, you all keep me going!!! Your support means everything. I love you like I love chocolate.
To my fans, I would not be anything without you. Seriously. If you keep reading, I’ll keep writing! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. If I were reviewing you all, you would get five-gazillion stars and a million-gazillion smooches.
Oh! And not to forget my writing partner: Thank you strong, black coffee. Without you, I couldn’t function (mostly because caffeine withdrawal mimics a brain tumor), let alone write a single word.
About Mate of Honor
Curvy fox shifter Bailey Corsac lost the man of her dreams to her childhood best friend. Though her heart still aches for the love that will never be hers, Bailey finds herself the maid of freaking honor for the wolf couple’s official union. At the wedding party’s scenting ceremony, no one is more surprised than Bailey when the groom’s older brother, and heir apparent to the alpha, decides to claim her. Forrest Blackthorn is maddening and grumpy and--okay, admittedly sexy.
It’ll take more than growl and an alpha attitude to tame Bailey, and Forrest has another thing coming if he thinks he can simply Big, Bad Wolf this vixen.
Forrest Blackthorn, the new alpha of the Blackthorn Pack, is instantly smitten with the sassy fox shifter, and the heat between them is nothing less than volcanic. So, he's understandably confused when she runs away from him.
Choosing Bailey as his mate puts her in immediate danger. But the bad guys better watch out, because this wolf will stop at nothing to keep his foxy woman safe.
Reader Note: This book is set in Milly Taiden's Sassy Mates world, and in that spirit, there is plenty of hot sex, a sassy plus-sized heroine, a hot, hunky alpha who will do anything to make her his own, and enough nail-biting action to keep you on the edge of your seats. You won't put this book down until you are done!
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
About the Author
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Chapter One
A hand slides along my thigh, up, up, until I feel callused fingertips wet themselves on my aching core. I lift my hips, spreading my legs for…him. His dark eyes drink me until my throat tightens, constricting the moan of pleasure as he slides a finger inside me. His other hand on my breast now, his lips wrap my lust-hardened nipple. He licks and sucks and teases as his fingers thrust inside me, his thumb rubbing my throbbing clit.
“Oh, God,” I whisper as the pressure builds to overwhelming pleasure.
“Not God,” he says, his breath a scorching fire of desire on my skin. “Just a man. Your man.”
The gold ring around his pupils mark him as more than a man. He is wolf. But why can’t I see the rest of his face? “Who are you?”
He moves his body over mine and settles himself between my thighs. When he enters me, I cry out as his girth splits me wide open. As he thrusts deep and with purpose, I hear him say, “Who am I?”
Bailey Corsac awoke with a whimper, her hands reaching out, groping for her dream lover. On finding her bed empty, as usual, she wiped at her eyes then curled into a ball under the blankets.
“It’s not real,” she reminded herself. “It’s not real.”
Her work cell phone rang, driving home just how unreal the dream had been. The number was “Unknown.”
“Corsac,” she said when she answered.
The voice was distorted. “I have information you want about illegal home seizures.”
She sat up, wide-awake now. She and her partner Tory Thames had been trying to catch a break on the class action lawsuit they were bringing against the state, but they’d had little to no joy in finding a kind of paper trail. Without hard evidence that hundreds of people were being evicted without proper notice so their properties could be resold to investment companies, they didn’t have a case.
“How did you come by this evidence?”
“No questions,” the voice sounded panicked.
Bailey tried another tactic. “What do you want for this information?”
“Nothing,” the voice said. “I…I’ve changed my mind.” The person on the other end hung up.
“Shit, shit, shit.” Bailey couldn’t even redial the number because of its “unknown” status. When the phone rang again, she didn’t even hesitate to pick up. In a desperate ramble, she said, “However you want to handle this, whatever you want me to do, I’m in.”
“That’s fantastic,” a woman replied. “I was hoping you’d say yes!”
“Uhm, to what?”
“To being my maid of honor. Oh, Bailey, I’m so happy you’ll be a part of mine and Evan’s big day.”
Oh, crap. “Hi, Lara.”
****
Forrest Blackthorn listened to the noisy conversations coming from the lounge. He didn’t focus on any one person, so the sounds blended into a droning buzz from where he sat in the library. His father, Burn Blackthorn, an imposing man at nearly six foot eight inches tall, sat across from Forrest in his favorite chocolate brown leather club chair with a deep, semi-curved back. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his hands steepled in front of his chin.
Thick brows shadowed Burn's dark eyes. He was a man who liked to keep his cards close to the vest, so Forrest still didn’t have any idea why his father had called him home.
“I want you to officiate your brother’s wedding ceremony.”
“What?” Forrest would have been less surprised if his father had told him he wanted him to wear a tutu and cluck like a chicken. “I don’t understand. That’s the alpha’s job.”
“Yes,” Burn said. “It is.” He narrowed his gaze meaningfully. “That’s why I’m asking you.”
“It doesn’t feel like a request.”
“My son,” Burn started, “You have been running Blackthorn Sport
ing Goods for fifteen years. You have almost single-handedly turned us into a billion dollar cooperation. We have more than fifty stores in a six-state area and close to twenty thousand employees. You oversee all of this with the deft hand of a strong leader. You have taken your place as the head of our business, and now, I want you to take your place as the head of our family.”
Forrest stared at his father, and without hesitation, he said, “No.”
“I don’t understand.”
“An alpha needs to be nurturing, diplomatic, and decisive.” Forrest shook his head. “I am only one of those three things. I know how to do what needs to be done, but I don’t know how to do it in a way that will make the pack happy.”
His father chuckled. “You do lack a natural approach to diplomacy, but you can learn, son. As I did.”
“Why don’t you let me shadow you for a couple of years? I’ll come home for the big meetings and watch you work.” Anything to postpone this terrible idea. His dad was still young. He could be alpha for another hundred or more years. Why was he doing this to Forrest? Why now?
“You have watched me your entire life. Now it’s your turn.”
“What if I fail?”
Burn’s expression sobered. “There is nothing like a trial by fire to prove a man’s mettle. You must show the rest of the pack that you are the alpha they can rely on you for more than just lining their pockets. You must show them you are the pack leader they need.”
“I’ll never be as beloved as you, Father.”
“There is more to leadership than being loved, Forrest.”
“But being loved helps,” he said, his words bitter on his tongue. He’d never been easy around other people. Sure he could assign tasks, make decisions that could cost or gain their business millions of dollars, and praise or discipline employees as needed, but personal relationships, the ones that were driven by emotion, had always been a weakness for him. He took a personality test once when he was in business school. It concluded that Forrest Blackburn didn’t like people. When he’d read the results, he hadn’t been surprised. The test only stated what he’d already known.
“So,” his father said. “You will officiate Evan’s ceremony and take your rightful place as the new alpha.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve promised your mother a trip around the world.”
Forrest’s released a hasty breath as if gut punched. “You’re leaving?”
“For a year, at least.”
“But…what if I need you?”
“Trial by fire,” Burn said again. “Now, your first duty is to see to attend Evan’s rehearsal dinner next week and oversee the scenting ceremony after.”
Forrest raised a suspicious brow. “This isn’t some big ruse just to find me a mate, is it?”
“Of course, it is.” Burn shrugged. “You need to pick a mate. Someone strong, either from one of the powerful families in our pack or a daughter from one of our rivals. And who knows, you might even find a woman that calls to your blood. Would that be such a bad thing?”
Forrest cringed. His last three relationships had ended badly. Like throwing-plates-and-expensive-vases-at-his-head badly. The last thing he needed was the possibility of finding a mate that his wolf would make him keep. “I can manage my own love life, Father.”
“You’ve done such a bang-up job so far.” A woman entered the room. Her chestnut brown hair was swept up into a soft bun, and her light blue eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled. She walked to Forrest, and he dipped his head so she could kiss his cheek. “You have managed to avoid the annual scenting ceremony every year for the last two decades.”
“Hello, Mother.” He kissed her cheek before she sat on the cushioned arm of his father’s chair. “I’m not looking for a mate.”
“Hello, Forrest.” She ignored his declaration as she turned her attention to Burn. Forrest watched as his father, the strongest and most powerful wolf shifter in the area became a lap dog in her presence. “Hello, my love.” She leaned over and briefly placed a tender kiss on Burn’s lips. “You are looking very handsome this evening.”
“And you, my dear, are more lovely every day.”
Forrest stood up. Their affection for each other had always made him uncomfortable. He was so unlike either of them. He often wondered if they’d found him on the side of the road somewhere. His brothers Luke, Dorian, and Evan were easy going. People gravitated toward them, which had made them popular with their peers. Even his sister, Blessing, seemed to have gotten the “people” gene. All of them were touchy, huggy, and feely. Everything that made Forrest want to find the nearest deserted island to get marooned.
A knock at the entrance captured their attention. Dorian, Forrest’s younger brother, stood just under the arch. “I can see by the pleased expression on your face that our parents have sprung the news on you. Congratulations, brother.”
Dorian’s blue eyes were a paler shade of their mother’s, and Forrest could see the glint of humor and amusement. Dorian owned Los Lobos Luxury Cars. A high-end dealership in Blue Creek. He had charm and bullshit for days, which made him a great car salesman, but an annoying little brother.
Forrest gave him side-eye. He curled his upper lip and snarled. “Nothing is done deal, yet.”
His father stood up. “Yes, it is. I’m stepping down, Forrest, and you will step up.”
“I can’t run the business from here.”
“Evan can take over for you.”
“Are you kidding? He just finished college.”
“And he interned with you for over a year. You said yourself he’s competent.”
“But not enough to take over.”
His father waved a hand, a growl on his lips. “I’ll hear no more. You’ll be the new alpha and Evan will run the business. After his honeymoon, of course.”
“And,” his mother added, “you will take part in the scenting ceremony, whether it results in a mating or not.” Lila Blackthorn stood up and gave him a look that stopped any argument on his lips. “The other families will be here, and it will go a long way toward their acceptance of you as the new alpha if you marry one of their daughters.”
He got up and strolled to the liquor cabinet and poured himself two fingers of brandy. The sweet liquid warmed him as he drank it down in a quick gulp then poured another. He turned to his parents, who couldn’t hide their amusement.
Dorian walked over and poured a glass for himself. He lifted his glass to Forrest. “Long live the Alpha,” he said.
Lila and Burn nodded their agreement. “Long live the Alpha.”
Forrest grunted then drank down the caramel liquid.
Chapter Two
“Son of a bitch,” Bailey swore at the ten extra pounds preventing her from squeezing into her size sixteen jeans. “Honest to God these things fit yesterday.” She gave her best friend and law partner Tory Thames a forlorn look of disgust.
Tory patted down her pulled back, black hair and shook her head. “Maybe the shoemaker’s elves took them in a size during the night.”
“Ha ha.” When Bailey finally managed to button the top button of the jeans, her fingertips red and slightly pained, she fist pumped the air in triumph. “Hah!”
“Congratulations,” Tory said dryly. “Bailey, I think you need a new a wardrobe.”
“My clothes are fine.” She put on a chocolate brown, button-down blouse. It was one of the few colors that really flattered her pale skin and hazel-green eyes.
“It’s ill fitting. The buttons are gaping.”
“You suck.”
Tory walked to Bailey’s bedroom mirror. She was the kind of woman who exuded confidence and grace. Tall, leggy, and with skin the color of dark honey. Regal and beautiful. “Did you ever hear back from that whistleblower? We’re going to have to drop the class action suit if we can’t get some physical proof. The judge is going allow the state’s attorney’s dismissal.”
Bailey shook her head. “He, or hell, for all I know, a she
, never called back. Using a voice modulator is some real paranoid crap.”
“It’s not paranoia if the man is really out to get you. I know this wedding stuff is going to keep you busy for the next couple of days, but if you hear from him…”
“I’ll call you immediately. No worries. I know what matters.”
“Good. And so do I.” She pulled a sea foam fitted shirt from Bailey’s closet. It was an extra-extra-large. “This V-neck is flattering.” She held the shirt out at arm’s length in front of Bailey. “And va-va-voom, you are one hot mamma in this outfit.”
“It’s a rehearsal dinner for a wedding, not a blind date.”
“Regardless, Bailey, you are a beautiful woman, so you might as well take full advantage of your assets.”
“You mean my ass.” Bailey smirked.
“If the shoe … or in the case, the Spanx fits, you--”
“Squeeze into them like sausage in a casing.”
Tory rolled her eyes. “You need to embrace those curves, baby doll.” She stood behind her as Bailey looked at herself in the bedroom mirror. “You are sexy as shit,” she said. “Evan Blackthorn is going to be picking his tongue up from the floor when he sees you.”
“So his bride to be can step on it?” Bailey sighed. She didn’t want to be jealous of Lara Hout. They’d been best friends growing up, and she supposed it wasn’t her fault that the guy they both had crushed on chose her. Tonight was the rehearsal dinner with a scenting ceremony to follow.
Bailey didn’t know if she’d be able to stand to watch him sniff all over her, but she’d made a promise that she wouldn’t hide away like some pathetic coward. She repeated the mantra she’d been chanting in her head since Lara asked her to be in the wedding.
I am human rights attorney. I fight against injustice for the little guy. I am bad ass. I don’t need Evan Blackthorn to complete me. “Besides, I’m not trying to steal the groom,” she said out loud.
“You know, there are other fish in the sea.”
“You mean wolves in the pack.”
