by Lucy Leroux
Eat You Up
A Shifter’s Claim Novel
Lucy Leroux
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Eat You Up © 2019 Lucy Leroux
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Created with Vellum
Titles By Lucy Leroux
Making Her His, A Singular Obsession, Book One
Available Now
Confiscating Charlie, A Free Singular Obsession Novelette
Available Now
Calen’s Captive, A Singular Obsession, Book Two
Available Now
Take Me, A Singular Obsession Prequel Novella
Available Now
Stolen Angel, A Singular Obsession, Book Three
Available Now
The Roman’s Woman, A Singular Obsession, Book Four
Available Now
Save Me, A Singular Obsession Novella, Book 4.5
Available Now
Trick’s Trap, A Singular Obsession, Book Five
Available Now
Peyton’s Price, A Singular Obsession, Book Six
Available Now
***
The Hex, A Free Spellbound Regency Short
Available Now
Cursed, A Spellbound Regency Novel
Available Now
Black Widow, A Spellbound Regency Novel, Book Two
Available Now
Haunted, A Spellbound Regency Novel, Book Three
Coming Soon
***
Writing As L.B. Gilbert
Discordia, A Free Elementals Prequel Short,
Available Now
Fire: The Elementals Book One
Available Now
Air: The Elementals Book Two
Available Now
Water: The Elementals Book Three
Available Now
Earth: The Elementals Book Four
Coming Soon
Kin Selection, Shifter’s Claim, Book One
Available now
Eat You Up, A Shifter’s Claim, Book Two
Available now
Introduction
Eat You Up
A Shifter’s Claim Novel
Dmitri, a werewolf and thief-for-hire, finds his true mate under the worst possible circumstances—at 35,000 feet.
Dmitri, a high-end thief, is flying cross-country for a lucrative job when the woman destined to be his mate is seated next to him. Her scent drives him to the edge, but he manages to control himself on the flight by the skin on his teeth and fate—by way of the flight being diverted because of a terrible storm.
Nina isn’t sure why she’s trying so hard to get home in time for her sister’s wedding, given that the groom is her ex. But indulging in an affair with the aggressive and attractive man who has come to her rescue brings worse problems to her table. It’s just supposed to be a fling, but Dmitri clearly has no intention of leaving—ever.
When Dmitri’s new employer turns out to be Nina’s ex’s father, the line he spent a lifetime blurring becomes crystal clear. Unfortunately, by the time he realizes this, it may be too late to save his mate.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
About the Author
Other Books by Lucy Leroux
Making Her His
Confiscating Charlie
Calen’s Captive
Stolen Angel
The Roman’s Woman
Save Me
Take Me
Trick’s Trap
Peyton’s Price
Cursed
Black Widow
Writing as L.B. Gilbert
Discordia
Fire
Air
Water
Earth
Kin Selection
Eat You Up
Chapter One
The stewardess leaned over Dmitri, exposing the maximum amount of cleavage as she served him an ice-cold vodka.
“We are so sorry we didn’t have any more first-class seats available, Mr. Ivanov. They oversold the flight. Hopefully, though, the seat next to you will stay empty so you can stretch out a little.”
The woman’s baby blues lingered on his broad shoulders and muscled arms as if she wanted to lick them.
Shifting in the too-small seat in the economy section, he nodded politely. The woman was blatantly broadcasting her interest, but he couldn’t summon the will to bed another human woman right now, no matter how silicone enhanced her curves were.
Once upon a time, he would have taken the unspoken offer. As a werewolf, he was used to taking what was offered. And being as he was well-groomed, over six foot, and built like a brick shit-house, he was offered quite a bit. But fucking yet another stewardess in one of those tiny cramped stalls had zero appeal, even if it had been months since he’d gotten laid.
Was it him or were human woman getting boring?
Dmitri dismissed the still-hovering woman, waving away her offer of a second drink and everything else that came with it. He lifted his phone, checking the notes Cassandra, his booker, had sent him on the upcoming Boston job. It was a simple in and out, but he was hoping for a little twist, something to pique his interest. Cass knew that, but after what happened on the last job, she was throwing him a softball, one with a large paycheck.
If it happens again, I’m going to have to talk to her about it. It wasn’t as if Dmitri needed the money. His years of high-risk work had come with substantial rewards. Now
he only worked to break up the monotony of his too-comfortable lifestyle.
A fresh challenge. That was what he was missing. To a were of his age and experience, novelty of any kind was harder and harder to come by. He sighed, wondering what he would find to entertain himself after this job wrapped up.
The scent of a woman—the woman—hit him like a freight train. Dmitri tensed, his muscles locking as his heart raced in reaction.
Mate, his wolf growled from inside his mind.
His head told him it was a lie. True mates didn’t exist. It was only a human woman, one who possessed an outrageously appealing scent. He’d met a few whose natural perfume attracted his interest before even seeing them. The first had been a grandmother in her sixties, an effective and very quick death blow to his stirring libido. A short but intense affair had followed after meeting the second woman, a young bike courier. But that lady’s scent had been nowhere near this…potent.
He took a deep breath to calm down, but immediately regretted it. Shit. This couldn’t be happening—not when he was about to be trapped for a six-hour flight.
It wasn’t the stewardess, of course. Nor was it anyone crammed into the seats behind him in the bowels of economy class. This intoxicating perfume was new. It belonged to someone who’d just stepped on the plane—at the last minute, no less.
His acute hearing heard the airplane door latch as the scent grew stronger. Dmitri gripped the armrests, his fingers digging into the metal frame to keep himself in place. It was necessary. In order to keep from jumping up and tearing the plane apart to find her, he had to exercise complete control.
She came through the door with the stewardess, who threw him an apologetic grimace behind the newcomer’s back as she gestured to the empty seat next to him.
At first, all he saw was red wool. The siren was wrapped in a scarf big enough to be a blanket. Then she unwound it, taking off her coat as well as she lowered into the seat next to him.
Her slow-motion descent was like something out of a movie. The woman possessed a mass of dark shiny curls that smelled faintly of almond and vanilla. She was also a trifle more lush than average. Succulent curves were encased in denim and cashmere wool, protection against the blustery San Francisco weather. Perfect creme-au-lait skin peeked out from over the edge of a boatneck sweater. The neckline exposed down to the edge of her shoulders…the area a Were would place his bite.
Her brief smile and nod damn near stopped his heart. Hell. She was perfect.
Dmitri released a shaky breath as she settled in. Their two seats were separated by the aisle from the others in this row, just after the bulkhead. It was the only coach seat capable of accommodating his height. It made for a cozy space, a bubble that would hurtle through the air at six hundred miles an hour. Nevertheless, it wasn’t private enough for him to get away with pinning his seatmate to the bulkhead and fucking her brains out.
The woman sat blissfully unaware of his intentions. After buckling in, she sat drumming her fingers on her thigh as the plane taxied and took off. Once they were in the air and reached altitude, the fasten seat belt sign dinged off. Once it did, she took out her phone and checked emails for a few minutes until her eyes grew heavy and she dropped off to sleep.
He glanced down, watching the small rise and fall of her chest. Fuck, another bad idea. He was full of those.
Dmitri had stared down the barrel of a gun more times than he could count without breaking a sweat. He’d even been on the wrong end of a grenade launcher once. His mercenary stint had been filled with pulse-pounding danger, but he’d been notoriously cool under fire. Enough to earn the ‘Ice Man’ moniker from his associates.
If they could see me now… A solitary woman had just done more to undermine his equanimity than a warlord’s horde. Sweat was literally beading on his upper lip.
He was also hard as a rock. Dmitri focused on his breathing, trying to stay calm as his neighbor shifted, sending a waft of light honey musk over him. A few minutes later, he nearly bit through his tongue when her head landed on his shoulder.
Dmitri side-eyed the girl sleeping half on his chest as if she were radioactive. She might as well have been. There was no way he was going to make it through this damn flight without doing something unspeakable.
Nina Briggs raised her head slowly. Her week-long conference, along with the sleepless nights that accompanied it, had taken their toll.
Her head was resting on her neighbor’s shoulder. Dear Lord, was she drooling on a stranger?
This isn’t completely your fault. The massive man spilled over the narrow seat. He wasn’t overweight, but he was built a magnitude bigger than average. Perhaps two. Blushing, she leaned away.
He was awake, staring straight ahead at the tiny screen fixed to the bulkhead just in front of them, but it wasn’t on. The plane was dark, the lights dimmed so passengers could sleep.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He was silent a beat too long. “It’s fine,” he growled.
The rude man didn’t even glance her way as he said it. That was all right with her. Chatting up the passenger next to her wasn’t on her to-do list, even if this one happened to be an attractive man with more muscles than seemed humanly possible.
She stifled a desire to check him out again. You have enough problems.
Nina touched the bare space on her ring finger with her thumb. It had taken a while to get used to wearing the engagement ring, especially one with a stone that large. Removing it regularly to perform surgery had ensured she never got too comfortable with it, but now, six months later, not wearing it was just as odd.
I wonder if Matt gave it to Kate? She wouldn’t put it past her ex to recycle an engagement ring, especially since his flamboyant choice cost more than the average car. Plus, she knew Kate had coveted it. That much had been obvious when Nina had shown it to her, the way newly engaged women were supposed to.
What was it they said about pride? It cometh before a fall.
She snorted and pulled out her computer, intending to make a few notes about the conference. As the keynote speaker for the cardio-thoracic panel, she’d been too busy to do it before. Everyone had wanted to talk about the Brigg’s technique, a new surgical method she’d developed, the one that almost guaranteed her the prestigious Downey Fellowship.
Conversation with her peers stimulated a few interesting questions, things she wanted to make note of before she forgot them. She had to do it now because the minute she went back to the hospital, she’d be sucked up in work at the breakneck pace required of a surgeon.
If only work was the only thing waiting for her in Boston…
A wave of pain rose unbidden. Closing her eyes, she counted to ten and focused on what she wanted to jot down until it went away. Nina excelled at compartmentalization. It was part of her professional toolkit, as necessary as her scalpel or stethoscope.
She worked for a few minutes more until the beverage service started. The stewardess took her order by rote.
“Here you go,” she said, extending the cup of black coffee without looking at her. The woman’s attention was fixed on the man next to Nina. The stewardess was so engrossed that she let go of the tiny Styrofoam cup before Nina had a grip on it.
The coffee spilled all over her tray, running off the sides to puddle in her lap.
Swearing, Nina tried to mop up the mess with a tiny paper towel. Fortunately, the hot liquid lost some of its heat as it ran across the plastic folding tray.
“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry!” She had the stewardess’ attention now. The woman fished out a towel, helping Nina clean up. When the worst of it was taken care of, she tucked the tray back in and blotted her jeans.
She glanced at the man next to her. He hadn’t moved at all during the incident. He just sat there, holding something to his mouth and nose. Nina raised an eyebrow as the man cleared his throat, extending the item with a little here-you-go nod. It was a handkerchief.
“No, but thank you.” Standing, she hea
ded to the bathroom to clean up.
Despite her catnap on her neighbor, she was still exhausted. Her dark skin appeared grey under the harsh fluorescent lighting.
It’s official. Her outsides now matched her insides. Hanging her head, she let the tidal wave of feeling she’d been holding at bay flood back. A few tears squeezed past her tightly closed lids. Ruthlessly, she scrubbed them away and took a deep breath.
I just need to get through this week. Less than that. Matt’s wedding would be over and done in five short days. Once it was, she’d pick up the pieces of her shattered ego and go back to work. In the operating room, she was in total control. That would have to be enough.
Of course, according to her friends and mother, her job was part of the problem. Some doctors, even those who claimed to be madly in love, couldn’t take the competition.
And on top of everything else, she was going to have to go through this entire flight with a wet lap.
When she was done feeling sorry for herself, she wandered back to her seat. Her odd neighbor didn’t spare her a glance. He did, however, slam the handkerchief back up to his face before turning away.
