“Was she alone?” Tate asked.
“She came by cab and was dropped off.”
“Did anyone else check in this morning?”
He looked over his paper again. “Just maintenance.”
Shit. Simon had worked in maintenance before getting fired. Maybe he still had his security pass. Kaden exchanged an uneasy look with Tate, then sped toward the back lot to the studio where Devious Women was filmed.
They parked, and Kaden fished the keys to the set out of his pocket. When they stepped inside the studio, he could hear voices coming from the dressing rooms. As worry raced through him, he ran down the hall. Through the crack in Janie’s dressing room door, he glimpsed Janie throwing her set’s costume clothes into a suitcase. Simon stood behind her, looking stressed and volatile, raking one agitated hand through his hair and calling her Samantha as he waved a gun around with another. Fire raged through him as every protective instinct he possessed came out full force. He pushed through the door and made a dive for Simon.
Simon turned, and the gun went off, just missing Kaden’s shoulder as Kaden dove for his legs, taking him to the ground. In the blur of activity, the gun clattered to the floor, and he caught a glimpse of Tate running to cover Janie. He drove his fist into Simon’s face, and while he wanted to stay there and pummel him into the ground for hurting the woman he loved, he rolled off him to retrieve the gun.
Sirens reached their ears, and Simon turned his head toward the sound, blood gushing from his nose. Gun in hand, Kaden climbed to his feet.
“She doesn’t want you,” Simon said. “She wants me.” He looked at Janie. “Tell him, Samantha. Tell him it’s me you’re in love with.”
“Get up,” Kaden said, gun aimed.
Simon hesitated for a moment and looked at Janie. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kaden stepped between the two and cut him off.
“You are never, ever to go near her again,” he said, the deadly calm of his voice belying his anger. “If you try, you’ll have to go through me first, and I will kill you.” He picked Simon up by the collar and shoved him out of Janie’s dressing room. He kept a firm grip, leading him outside to the approaching officers.
After an exchange of information, the officers put Simon in the back of a cruiser, and Kaden led them inside to take Janie’s statement. Once they were gone, Kaden walked out with them to see them drive off with Simon. The cruiser left the lot, and he went back to the changing room to find Janie in Tate’s arms.
“Thank you,” he said to his friend. Tate nodded and handed her over to Kaden, leaving the room to give them their privacy.
With adrenaline still pumping through his veins, he pulled her to him and took a long, slow breath to pull himself together. “It’s okay sweetheart. No one is going to hurt you now.”
She lifted her face to his. “He thinks I’m…he called me…he doesn’t know who I really am.”
“I know. It’s your character he’s stalking, not you.”
“He’s been watching us…following us.” She drew in a quick breath. “The text. He forced me to do it. I didn’t want to. Especially after Sondra…” She sniffed, tears pooling in her eyes as she continued to ramble. “After running out on you this morning, and then sending that text, I can’t believe you still came looking for me. I never expected you to…but if you hadn’t.” She visibly trembled, and he held her tighter against his chest.
“Janie,” Kaden began softly as he cupped her chin. “I thought you believed in me.”
“Maybe I just didn’t believe in myself.” She dashed a hand across her tear-stained cheek and met his eyes. “I left the bracelet behind. How did you know where to find me?”
“I just did,” Kaden said.
“But…”
“Don’t you see?” Kaden said. “I know who you are. And I know you came running here because you were scared, and being here, surrounded by props and costumes that you can hide behind, gave you that safety I talked about. What you have to understand is I’ll always be here for you.”
“I… I can’t believe you knew where to find me. I was so scared.”
“You never have to be scared again. You have my word on that,” Kaden added.
“This morning,” she began as Kaden brushed a tear from her face. “What happened between us… I wasn’t sure…wasn’t sure if it was part of aftercare or because…” she let her words fall off, like she was too afraid to say them out loud.
“Remember when Tate told you I was breaking all the rules with you?”
“Yes.”
“It’s because I want you in my life full-time, sweetheart. Not just in the dungeon. I want permanent with you,” he explained. “Just me and you, no one else.”
“Not Tate?”
His heart squeezed almost painfully. “Tate is my friend, and he will be there for us always. But the only hands I ever want on your body again are mine. Please tell me you want that, too.”
She went up onto her toes and gave him a soft kiss. “Your hands are the only ones I ever want on me again, too.”
He exhaled slowly, relief moving through him. “But it’s not just your body I want you to put in my hands, it’s your heart, too. I need you to trust that I will respect and treasure it always.”
Her eyes went wide and she shook her head.
“Janie?” he asked, his heart missing a beat. Was she having second thoughts? God, he couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever. “Whatever it is, we can work through it.”
She looked around the set. “But we work together. The director frowns on on-set romances.”
He laughed. “It’s not an on-set romance, sweetheart. It’s an off-set love affair, and if Cameron Phillips has a problem with it, he can deal with me about it.”
Kaden felt her body relax, the tension easing from her face as she smiled up at him. “When you put it like that, something tells me he’s not going to have a problem with it.”
He frowned at her.
“What?” she asked her eyes going wide.
“There’s still the matter of you running out on me this morning,” he said.
She shook her head. “I was confused… I didn’t…”
He grinned. “I believe your actions were very undisciplined. And you know what that means.” As Kaden looked down at her, his heart swelled with the things he felt for her.
She bit down on her bottom lip as a quiver moved through her, but this time, Kaden knew it was from excitement, not fear. “You…you’re going to spank me?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m going to spank you,” he said. He watched her cheeks flush with heat and knew this sweet, yet strong woman who had given herself to him was going to flourish under his care, and he, in turn, had found the woman who’d taught him how to love again.
About Cathryn Fox
New York Times and USA today best selling author, Cathryn is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.
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Other Titles: Other Titles by Cathryn Fox
Single Titles
Ha
nds On with the CEO
Torn Between Two Brothers
Spring Fling
Holiday Spirit
Breaking Free
Blood Ties
One on One
Dance of the Dragon
Unleashed
Sun Stroked
Knocking on Demon’s Door
Web of Desire
Firefighter Heat
Fever
Siren
Flash Fire
Firefighter Heat Trilogy
Stone Cliff
Crashing Down
Wasted Summer
Love Lessons
Wrapped Up
Breaking the Rules
Hold Me Down Hard
Pin Me Up Proper
Fire Me Up Fast
Tie Me Down Tight
Claimed and Captured
Yours to Take
Yours to Teach
Yours to Keep
Weekend Cowboys
Cowboy’s Way
Bedding Down
Riding Bareback
To discover even more titles by Cathryn Fox check out her website at
www.CathrynFox.com
Acceptable Risk
Candace Blevins
Bethany has joked for years that if she ever settles down, it’ll be with a harem of men, only it isn’t a joke anymore.
Mac is a new werewolf, and still must be watched at every moment to be sure he stays in control. His kink has always been ménage, so when he overhears the beautiful redhead at the bar wanting to take on not only him, but also the werewolf and wereleopard chaperoning his night out... he has to convince them to let him take her home. He might not be trustworthy with a human woman alone, yet, but with two powerful shapeshifters in bed with them, what could go wrong?
Acceptable Risk is part of the Chattanooga Supernaturals paranormal romance series, which is a sister series to the Only Human urban fantasy series, and the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club. You don’t need to have read the other books to enjoy Acceptable Risk, but if you enjoy the story and characters, you can learn more about the books in this universe at candaceblevins.com/kirsten-osheas-universe.
Prologue
Ranger pulled open the heavy wooden door and walked in from the damp, chilly day into the raucous laughter of a biker bar at noon, filled with more people eating than drinking at this time of day.
Men seated around several tables stopped and looked his direction, and he knew they were sniffing him. He wasn’t a member of the local wolf pack, he was an unknown wolf, and he’d walked into an establishment owned by a werewolf bike club.
Luckily, the president of the club was expecting him.
“I’m here to see Duke,” he told the bartender, and the man nodded towards a table with two men.
One of the men stood and offered his hand as Ranger approached.
“You must be Ranger. I’m Duke, this is Brain. Have a seat.”
There was no menu, and no one came to take his order, but he’d expected as much. Aaron Drake had gotten him the sit-down, but hadn’t told them what he wanted.
“I’ve been working at Drake Security a while, but they’ve had me out of the country most of the time, so there was no need to introduce myself.”
“We aren’t a pack. You aren’t obligated to get permission to be in the territory unless you’re wanting to start your own club.”
Ranger shook his head. “Courtesy visit, I know I’m not obligated. I talked to the local Alpha already, and he knows I have no intention of joining his pack. I plan to make my three obligatory full moon runs a year with my Texas pack so I won’t be a lone wolf. The local Alpha gave me leave to stay in this territory as long as I’m working for Drake and don’t cause problems.”
Duke smiled. “And can you behave? Will this be a problem for you?”
“There’s enough of a structure at Drake to give me what I need, personally, but I’m coming to ask for a little help with a new wolf.”
The two men looked at each other, and Brain asked, “What’s the story?”
“Drake said it’s safe to trust the two of you with the details.” He paused until they both nodded, and continued. “I’ve been handling jobs for Drake in the middle east. We were hired to rescue an American taken by the enemy, and when we got to him, the man had been tortured. They’d cut pieces of him off, but it hadn’t been more than a couple of days. We explained he could stay a human and do without his right hand, assorted left fingers, and ear…or we could turn him into a werewolf and there was a good chance everything would grow back. He chose wolf.”
“You turned him? Personally?” Duke asked.
“Yeah. He’s mine, so I’ll be working local for a while, until I’m sure he has his wolf under control.”
“What do you need from us?”
“He’s seven weeks in. Been through two full moons and has decent control. He has a serious case of cabin fever and wants to go out for a drink. We’re approaching the new moon, so now’s the time to try. Aaron suggested your bar might be the safest spot for his maiden voyage.”
“How fucked up is he from the torture?” Brain asked.
“He’s a seasoned operative, not his first time at the rodeo. It was bad, but Aaron’s making him talk to the company shrink and she tells us he has good coping skills.” Ranger shrugged. “I take responsibility for him. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think he could handle it.”
Chapter One
Mac pulled into the parking lot of the Rolling Thunder Bar and looked around to get a feel for the place. It was a typical biker bar — not his first choice, but he’d certainly been to much worse places, and right now he’d consider walking into hell if it meant he could go somewhere besides the Drake Security offices or the house he was sharing with Ranger and Jonathan.
He’d lost control of his wolf enough to know he shouldn’t go out in public alone, yet, but he was going crazy. He was a social person, and now a social wolf. He was never alone — either Jonathan or Ranger was with him, twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. However, he wanted to go out, have a beer, talk to women, cut up. He needed to know how his wolf would react in a room full of people.
Not to mention, it’d been close to ten weeks since he’d dipped his cock into a warm pussy.
They’d let him drive for nearly two weeks now, and he’d wondered why they made him start out on back roads, but soon realized with his enhanced senses and faster reflexes, the muscle memory he’d built up around driving no longer worked. He’d practically needed to relearn to drive and it was damned annoying.
Pounding music hit him like a sledgehammer when he stepped through the front door, and adrenaline flooded his veins as all the smells and sounds of the bar assaulted him. He stepped to the side, looked down, and took a breath — not because he was close to losing control, but to simply take a minute to acclimate, and to soothe the sometimes savage wolf now sharing a body with the human parts of him.
He looked around and noted rich, wooden paneling on the walls with gleaming motorcycle parts mounted around the room. The bar along the side wall looked expensive, complete with a brass foot-bar, and carved pieces on the corners. No live band, but a nice sized dance floor, and the music wasn’t the honky-tonk-hell he’d been afraid of.
When he’d collected himself, he nodded to Ranger and the three men walked through the bar to the back, where someone was supposed to be holding one of the VIP tables for them.
Chapter Two
Bethany pointed to her best friend’s margarita and told her, “You aren’t drinking fast enough. Cassie and I are on our second and you’ve barely started your first!”
Gen smiled, took a big drink, and asked, “So what happened with the hottie personal trainer? Oh, and the pro-football player? He hasn’t been back to town in a while, has he?”
“They were okay, but both were just a short, fun, fling.” Bethany said with a shrug. “I meant what I said about wanting a harem. Cassie has it fucking made with her three guy
s.”
“I don’t think that’s the kind of thing you can plan for,” Gen said as she rolled her eyes. “And besides, my brother’s a demented sexual freak. I love him…” She shuddered, then seemed to realize how her words must sound and she turned to her brother’s girlfriend and said, “No offense, I’m glad ya’ll found each other, but…” Another shudder, and both Bethany and Cassie laughed.
“No offense taken,” Cassie said. “I love him, too, but I won’t argue with his being demented. It’s one of my favorite parts,” she said with a happy smile.
Bethany smiled and laughed, but frowned on the inside as she realized her friend Gen was wrong, because Bethany would be in heaven if she could find a harem of sexually demented men to have at her beck and call. But, while Gen might not be anywhere near as naïve as she’d been before she started dating the president of a motorcycle club, she wasn’t likely to ever know much about kink.
Three men walked by, and Bethany thought her eyes might bug out of her head. They were all different, but each perfect in their own way. A brown haired bodybuilder type; a red headed wiry-muscled dude who was probably as strong as the first, just more compact; and a perfectly normal looking black haired man who might be the most deadly of the three. In her mind, she could see them as special ops guys taking it easy between assignments. Their confident strides weren’t bravado. These men didn’t have to think about looking macho — they oozed it without trying.
“Oh, my,” Bethany said, drawing the last word out into a half-dozen syllables. “Look at those three. If I were building a harem and had my druthers, I’d start with them. Shit-fuck-damn, but what I wouldn’t give to be under all three of them in a giant bed like your brother’s.”
“Stop reminding me of my brother’s giant bed. I love him, and I adore his partners, but I’d just as soon ignore whatever it is the four of them do in that dumb bed.”
Every Which Way Page 27
