backyard. Golden hair framed a narrow face, making her skin glow. A blue silk robe did little to conceal her lush curves. Aidan held out his hand.
“Come here, Sydney,” he said.
She strolled across the room, her hips swaying teasingly with each step. When she was within arm’s length, she reached out and placed her fingers into his hand, allowing him to pull her into his arms.
Soft breasts met his hard chest and Aidan inhaled. Sydney’s warm scent tickled his nose. She smelled buttery like fresh baked bread—and all wrong. Aidan inhaled her delicious scent again. This time he sneezed, wrinkling his nose.
“Bless you,” Sydney said in surprise.
“Thank you.”
She rubbed her hand over his chest, trailing her fingers down until she found his soft shaft. Sydney stroked him, then waited for a response. There was none. She ran her palm over his length again and squeezed.
Aidan’s cock twitched, but remained flaccid. Fear crept from his gut to his head, leaving tension in its wake. He took an awkward step back. This had never happened before.
He’d been with three women yesterday and hadn’t experienced any problems. Maybe that was it. Maybe he’d overdone it yesterday. Or maybe he was ill. But even as the thought whispered through his head, Aidan knew that wasn’t the case.
Werewolves didn’t get sick and they certainly didn’t have performance issues. Their hormones ran hot year around.
Aidan cursed under his breath and glanced down at his limp dick. What the hell is the matter with you?
Sydney took a step back. “Alpha?”
“I’ve changed my mind,” he said. “I want you to leave. Now!”
Her face reddened. “I understand.”
Aidan gritted his teeth. “You understand nothing.” How could she, when he didn’t understand what was happening? “Go!”
Sydney rushed to the door and slipped out of the room, before he could say another word. No doubt she’d report his ‘condition’ to the others.
Aidan swore again. This was the last thing he needed. First his cousin, then the challenge, now this. Aidan’s chest squeezed. He needed to get outside. He couldn’t breathe.
He shed his clothes and leapt off his balcony, transforming into a massive black wolf in mid-air. With silent paws, Aidan landed on the grass and took off running for the trees.
He ran hard, until exhaustion took him.
No longer on estate property, Aidan loped through the woods, searching for a place to bed down for the night. He couldn’t bear to return to his room. He wasn’t ready to face the shame or the failure.
He settled on a spot in the park under a canopy of trees, not far from a campground. Aidan scented the area for danger one final time, then dropped down onto the soft ferns. For a moment, he thought he smelled lilacs. First his body, now his nose was betraying him. He shook his head in disgust, then rested his muzzle upon his paws.
Aidan slept fitfully, dreams of curly, strawberry blond hair and the smell of fresh lilacs, haunting him until dawn.
* * * * *
Through the thick trees, in a secluded campsite nearby, Jenna tossed and turned in the backseat of the Range Rover. For the first time in three months, Ethan Manning wasn’t taking center stage in her dreams. He’d been replaced by a dark-haired demon with amber eyes, whose smile could quite literally melt the clothes off any woman.
* * * * *
CHAPTER FIVE
Ethan Manning nodded patiently at the bloated banker sitting across from him. On the outside Ethan appeared calm, but inside, his anger roiled, churning with the need to smash something.
“You have until Monday,” the banker said. “After that, we’ll have no choice, but to remove our offer.”
“I need more time,” Ethan smiled through clenched teeth. Only a fool would mistake it for a friendly grin. How much cash had his family stored within those re-enforced walls? How many investments had they made?
Too many to count. Certainly enough to afford him some leeway and
Serenity King, Pepper Pace, Aliyah Burke, Erosa Knowles, Latrivia Nelson, Tianna Laveen, Bridget Midway, Yvette Hines