by Jodi Vaughn
CONTENTS
Desires of a Full Moon
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
About the Author
Copyright
CHAPTER ONE
Just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas
Present Day
“Penises are like shoes. They come in all shapes and sizes. When you find the right one, no matter how hard you try, you will never wear it out.”
Jayden Parker stumbled to a halt as the unmistakable sound of Granny’s voice lilted in from the other side of the living room door.
He closed his eyes, fought back a shiver and whispered a silent prayer that Granny wasn’t actually talking to someone.
“Please let her be reading Cosmo out loud.” The magazine was like her morning devotional. She had this bad habit of sharing sage advice she found in the magazine with him whenever he came over for breakfast. When she’d read the article about oral sex, Jayden had almost tossed his eggs and bacon on the tile floor.
He scrubbed his hand over his face as his gut twisted in anticipation.
He shouldn’t have come. He should have given her another excuse as to why he wasn’t visiting her as much as he once did. He tried to play it off by telling her how he was busy with his new job as a Guardian for the Arkansas Werewolves. He’d always say he was on some new mission or some other bullshit answer to keep her from complaining so much.
Usually she bought it, but now, not so much.
Jayden opened his eyes and steadied himself. Before he could change his mind and escape out the door, he sucked in a breath and turned a corner, forcing his feet to carry him into the living room. The scent of cinnamon and sugar hung heavy in the air. Maybe Granny had baked his favorite cookies in an attempt to bribe him into visiting more often.
The second he stepped into the living room he froze. About twenty women of all ages were crowded into his Granny’s tiny living room. Some were perched on the couch and chairs while other sat on the floor. There wasn’t even enough room for him to walk through to get to the kitchen.
Granny stood at the front of the room like a gray-haired Vanna White holding a neon green dildo in her hand.
“I’m in hell,” Jayden murmured under his breath as his stomach turned.
When Granny had started selling sex toys in Louisiana as a way to make some extra income, he’d tried his best to talk her out of it. But she was a persistent old goat and so he had stopped nagging her about it. He figured that no one would be interested in some old woman peddling her merchandise and she would eventually give it up.
What he didn’t take into account was Granny’s tenacity. When she got something in her head she didn’t give up. And in less than a year she was pulling in a six-figure salary. She was like a dog with a bone, refusing to give up her status as a self-made entrepreneur. Now, after their recent move to Arkansas for his newly acquired job as a Guardian, he had hoped that Granny would give up her sex toy industry in an attempt to fit into the conservative state.
Boy, was he wrong.
He’d needed a fresh start and Arkansas had offered him an opportunity. Louisiana held too many bad memories.
A few months ago, Jayden had helped Arkansas werewolf and friend Damon Trahan find a kidnapped college girl. That led to Jayden ending up on the wrong side of a pack of rogue red werewolves. What happened that night had been worse than the bruises and broken bones his Granny could see. Because of his werewolf blood, those injuries had healed. But some scars he carried went deeper. Way deeper. Those were the things he could never tell his Granny, or anyone for that matter, despite how hard she tried to get him to talk to her.
Since then, Granny started watching him, looking at him like she could see what was rolling around in his head. The last fucking thing he needed was his Granny seeing how fucked up his brain had gotten from his one night of torture.
He eased back a step, hoping to escape out the front door before Granny saw him. He made a quick turn just as his foot caught the corner of the rug. He stumbled and his hip bumped the corner of the sofa table, rattling the ruby red bowl that held decorative colorful glass balls.
Granny turned. A smile stretched her weathered face. “Jayden. I didn’t hear you come in.” She waded towards him through the puddle of people on the floor.
“I didn’t know you were having a party. I can come back later.” Jayden smiled tightly and turned to go.
Granny latched onto his arm, her smile growing wider. She turned and faced the room. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet my grandson, Jayden. He’s single, you know.”
Jayden gritted his teeth and wrestled his smile into place as a collective giggle went up in the room. The last thing he needed was a date. Hell, he could get a piece of ass anytime, anywhere. It was just lately, since that night in Louisiana, he really hadn’t felt the urge to be with a female. Maybe he was too fucked up to be fixed.
Jayden gently pried Granny’s hands off his bicep. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your little … sex party.” Boy, did those words not want to come out.
“Now was that so hard so say?” Granny rolled her eyes and faced the room.
“You have no idea.” Jayden ran his hand across the back of his neck. Laugher erupted in the room and he flashed them all an apologetic smile. From the corner of his eye, someone caught his attention, causing him to do a double take.
It was her. Haley Guthrie. The girl he’d rescued in Louisiana. What the hell was she doing here?
The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. He would know her by her scent alone, even if he weren’t looking dead at her. His gaze lingered a few seconds too long before he forced himself to look away.
Granny must have followed his gaze, the eagle eye detective that she was, since the next words that came out of her mouth were directed at him.
“You remember Haley, don’t you?” Granny smiled as she glanced at her.
“Of course.” Jayden flashed Haley a polite smile, though his gut felt like ice. “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you would be busy with your classes at LSU.”
Haley blushed as she squirmed in her seat on the floor.
“Oh, she transferred to University of Arkansas. She’s just here visiting for the weekend,” Granny offered before Haley could open her mouth.
Haley quickly averted her gaze. It was obvious that she was trying her hardest to look anywhere but at him. She didn’t want to be reminded of that night either.
Did he blame her? No. Did it still hurt him to know he’d failed her? Hell, yes.
“Well, I really have to get going. I’ve got a meeting in”—Jayden glanced at his Luminox watch—“about ten minutes.” He kissed Granny’s wrinkled cheek and gave the women a wave, his gaze effectively floating over Haley as he made his way to the kitchen. Since he was here he might as well grab a couple of cookies on his way out since he’d missed both breakfast and lunch.
Jayden snagged a handful of snicker doodles and had his hand on the knob of the backdoor by the time Granny caught up to him.
“Will you be back for dinner? I was going to make pot roast.” Her hopeful voice made him feel lower than dog shit.
Jayden plastered that fucking smile on his face and glanced over his shoulder. “I’m not sure. It sounded like this meeting with Barrett may take a while. I’ll let you know.” He snatched opened the do
or and hurried out into the brilliant sunshine of the spring day. The breeze ruffled his hair as he hurried to his Harley Davidson Breakout. He took a bite of his cookie as he contemplated why Haley Guthrie was here. His stomach clenched and he quickly lost his appetite. He tossed the remaining cookies to the ground before straddling his motorcycle.
With Haley now living in Arkansas, Jayden was certain of one thing.
His hellish past he’d thought he left behind in Louisiana had just followed him straight to Arkansas.
#
“Haley, you lied.” Dana, her college roommate shot her a frown and playfully elbowed her in the side. Dana’s dark brown hair cascaded over her shoulders as her caramel brown eyes twinkled with amusement. “You said you didn’t know anyone in Arkansas.”
Haley swallowed and avoided her friend’s gaze. “I didn’t know Jayden lived in Arkansas. I only met him once and that was in Louisiana.” She shrugged and buried her nose in the catalogue of sex toys, hoping Dana would drop the subject of Jayden Parker. Jayden was one topic she didn’t want to discuss. Not with anyone. Judging by the glare he’d shot her, he didn’t want to be anywhere near her. She’d caused him enough pain for a lifetime.
She should have never come with Dana, but she needed help and was out of options. Coming to the sex party gave her an excuse to visit the compound where the Pack Master of Arkansas lived.
It had been over almost five months since her parents had forced her to transfer colleges. She had spent those five months going from classes to her room, essentially functioning on the basic level of eating, sleeping, and studying.
Haley Guthrie had gone from being the apple of her parents’ eyes to dog shit on the bottom of their expensive shoes in the matter of a single night. Her kidnapping had changed the course of her life forever.
It was startling to her that the people who raised her, who spoiled her, who bragged on her could change their affection at the drop of a dime. It was only after she’d been rescued and brought home that she discovered that her parents’ love was conditional and shallow. She expected them to rejoice in her safe return home, but what she got was disappointment that she had brought shame upon their family name.
“Damn, girl, Jayden is fine. I heard he’s built like a stallion, if you know what I mean.” Dana waggled her eyebrows as she passed Haley an enormous red dildo.
“I wouldn’t know.” Haley’s heart beat loudly in her ears and she quickly passed the obscene toy to the woman sitting next to her. Sex was the last thing on her mind. She really didn’t see the appeal of all these plastic gadgets and candy-flavored underwear. It wasn’t like she was in a relationship. Not anymore.
“You need to start dating again.” Dana’s brow furrowed as she turned on the spinning dildo shaped like a sea lion. “You’re last relationship was what? Four months ago?”
“Five.” Five months, two weeks, and three days. The night she was kidnapped, a pack of rogue red wolves said they needed to repopulate their scarce numbers. And they wanted her to be their sex slave. Lucky her. It was the night her boyfriend and her parents had deemed her damaged goods. After all, who would want to mate her now, right? She came from a wealthy werewolf family and reputation meant everything.
“I don’t think I’m ready.” Haley pretended to read the ingredients of a cherry-flavored lubricant. No way in hell was she ready to date right now and it didn’t have anything to do with a broken heart.
A few weeks after moving into the dorms, Haley started receiving handwritten notes under her door once a week. They had started innocently enough with things like, “Hello pretty girl” and “You blind the sun with your smile.” At first Haley had thought they were meant for Dana.
But then she began receiving them every day and the messages had been more personal, more intense. Whoever left them made sure to write Haley’s name on the outside so there would be no mistaking who they were intended for.
“I see how the all the guys look at you, Haley. You could have any hot guy on campus.” Dana shook her head. “Hell, if I were single and looked like you I’d be exercising my options.”
“Whatever. I can’t imagine you and Mark not together. You guys look like the perfect couple, Ken and Barbie.” Haley smiled.
“Yeah, but it gets a little boring. He’s always studying and striving to keep his four point oh. This leaves very little time for me.” Dana pouted.
“Well, order this little number. “ Haley pointed to a red lace teddy that hardly covered anything. “I’m sure he’ll make time for you then.”
“Oh, I like that one.” Dana scribbled the item number in her order form and cut her eyes to Haley. “Shall I put you down for something? A vibrator, maybe? It could be an early Christmas gift.”
“No, thanks.” Haley scowled and glanced at the empty doorway. The minute Jayden had locked eyes on her, she’d struggled to remain sitting. All she wanted to do was get up and go after him. She still hadn’t had the opportunity to thank him for what he had done for her that night in Louisiana. If Jayden hadn’t shown up, she would have ended up being repeatedly raped and eventually killed. A shiver ran down her back as she wrapped her arms around herself.
She tried to tell herself that was the only reason she wanted to go after him. That she didn’t feel anything other than gratitude for the male who’d risked everything to save her.
She’d seen how his eyes iced over when they landed on her. Though he covered easily and managed to hide it from everyone else in the room, Haley knew that Jayden was not pleased to see her there. Apparently this was his town and his state now and he didn’t approve of sharing that territory. She was as offensive to him as she was to her parents.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said softly, swallowing back the bitterness rising from her chest
“What doesn’t matter?” Dana didn’t look up from her catalogue.
Haley chuckled nervously, not realizing she had actually spoken out loud. Damn, she needed to stop doing that. It was a habit her parents hated and she had made an effort to not do it. But since they distanced themselves from their only daughter, she’d not really cared who she pleased. Not anymore. She was going to make only one person happy. And that was herself.
Haley opened up her catalogue with a renewed interest. No time like the present.
“It doesn’t matter which one. Just pick me out one. But I’m buying it. I’m sure you’re going to break the bank ordering all those edible panties for your guy to enjoy.”
#
Granny watched with a heavy heart, as Jayden tore down the street on his new gray Harley Davidson motorcycle. Since they’d moved to Arkansas, he didn’t drive his Mustang much anymore. These days he always seemed to prefer riding his motorcycle on every mission that Barrett sent him. But that wasn’t what worried her.
Jayden was working too much. She could see the strain in his eyes when he walked into the room. Usually when there were women around, Jayden hung around and flirted. He’d always had his share of admirers growing up. That was no different now. At the age of thirty Jayden was as handsome as ever. And she wanted him to finally settle down with a mate of his own. But since that one night in Louisiana something about him had changed. Though he tried to hide it, she still saw it. He was different now, harder.
Life was too short to live with regrets and pain of the past. This she knew. But she wasn’t sure that this time she would be the one to help her grandson heal.
#
Jayden walked into the gray concrete building that housed the training facilities of the Arkansas Werewolf Guardians. The building also housed the office of his, “don’t fuck with me” Pack Master, Barrett Middleton.
He’d met Barrett years ago when he’d asked him to find out some Intel on a suspected werewolf who was dealing meth down in Louisiana. After he provided the info to the Arkansas Pack Master, Barrett had continued to call on Jayden throughout the years whenever they needed some Intel. They usually spoke through a third party, up until a few months ago when Ark
ansas Were female, Ava Renfroe, had been kidnapped by the same rogue wolves that had taken Haley. Jayden had been called upon by his childhood friend Damon Trahan to help. After both women had been rescued, Barrett had offered him an official position with the Arkansas Pack. Jayden welcomed the opportunity to get away and make a fresh start. He didn’t need any reminders of what had happened that night in Louisiana. Maybe with a change of scenery he could get his head right. Until he had spotted beautiful blonde-haired blue-eyed Haley Guthrie sitting in his Granny’s living room.
“Maybe I’m not supposed to get a fresh start. Maybe I’m going to have to deal with this shit for the rest of my life.” Jayden plowed his fist into the cinderblock wall. The sting bit into his knuckle for a brief second before the healing properties in his blood regenerated the bruised flesh.
“You already bitching about the job, Jayden? Is all this work cutting into your dating time?” Damon stepped out from the locker room wearing low-hanging gym shorts and a whole lot of sweat. He had one boxing glove tucked under his arm while he untied the other with his free hand and teeth.
Jayden crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Just trying to keep the ladies happy.” Jayden smirked as he told the lie without flinching. It was a talent he had recently learned to master.
Damon snorted. “You keep showing up for work looking like a female has kept you up all night and Barrett just might ship your ass back to Louisiana.”
Jayden straightened, his smile slipping a little before he remembered to adjust it. “Has Barrett been complaining about my job performance?” He needed this job more than anything.
Damon pulled his other glove off and shook his head. “Hell, no. He’s pretty impressed that you’re taking the job as a Guardian so seriously.” Damon narrowed his eyes. “Plus the fact that you’re the first one to volunteer for overtime has him drooling at the mouth. But if I were you I’d go easy on the brownnosing, brother.”
Jayden laughed. “It’s called taking up the slack, not brownnosing. You’d do well to learn the art, my friend, and pick up some overtime yourself.”
