Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
* * *
Every muscle in her body ached deliciously. Hazel would have groaned if she hadn’t been afraid it would hurt. Still, she couldn’t keep the silly grin off her face. She’d just made love to the most stunningly sexy man she’d ever seen, and he’d not only seen to her pleasure, but he’d pushed her boundaries farther than she’d ever imagined.
Drake’s warmth seeped into her back, and she sighed. His arms flexed around her, and he mumbled, and she realized he was still asleep. Carefully, she turned over to look at him. God! He took her breath away. He was the most perfect specimen of what the male form should be that she could have ever imagined.
God help her, what was she doing here? Self confidence she had in spades, but this man could have any woman he wanted -- probably did have any woman he wanted. What was she doing falling in love with him? It was a surefire way to get her heart broken.
But God help her, she did love him. Had loved him since the first time she saw him, at Laura and Jake’s wedding. Fantasies with Drake as the star had taken over her dreams since that day, and she was helpless to resist.
The fantasies paled in comparison with the real thing, though. Within Drake’s arms, Hazel felt… protected. Complete. It was like they were two halves of the same whole. But did he feel the same way?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of the doorbell. At first Drake didn’t move, but when the unwanted guest kept up the persistent buzzing and punctuated it with several knocks and shouts, he had no choice but to wake.
“Drake Cole! I know she’s in there. Open up!”
Well, shit.
Ralph Price, sheriff of Mount Bell, had come to claim his prisoner.
* * *
I’m going to kill him. Drake couldn’t believe this was happening. That bumbling oaf Price dared to try and take his mate! Never mind that he had absolutely no reason under the law to do so, but the man was a damned coyote. Drake hated coyotes. Coyotes were werewolves who chose not to follow the code of honor they swore when they took a mate. They never mated for life. They were sneaky. And they stank. Ralph was no exception. In fact, he probably smelled worse than most. Drake considered not letting him in, but thought better of it. Like it or not, Hazel was still under arrest and he’d broken her out of jail.
“Make it quick, Ralph,” Drake growled when he opened the door.
“Where is she?” Ralph looked over Drake’s shoulder, trying to see inside the apartment.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s not leaving.”
“She’s an escapee.” Ralph’s smile was as oily as his hair. “If I say she’s leaving, she’s leaving.”
“How about I sue your ass for false arrest? Aren’t you up for re-election this year?”
Ralph flinched, but Drake knew that coyotes were nothing if not persistent. They simply backed up and came at you from a different angle.
“Go ahead. In the meantime, I’ll keep the little witch under lock and key where she belongs. You know how long it can take for the judicial system to work. It could drag on for months and with her lawyer the one holding up the system, I doubt I’ll have to release her.”
“No judge in his right mind would remand her to custody on a charge like this.” Drake paused a second, thinking. “What the hell is she charged with, anyway?”
“Bootlegging and disturbing the peace. Not to mention she already has one escape attempt on the books. The bootlegging charge should hold her, while the attempting escape should be enough to get her bail denied.” He grinned. “Nothing you can do about it, wolf. She’s going with me. Maybe she’ll decide to live on the wild side. I need a new bitch, and I can already see her strapped down to my cross.”
Drake wanted to lunge at the scrawny sheriff and break his fool neck, but he knew that would only land him in more trouble and he had to be free to get Hazel out of trouble.
“If you so much as even think about that again, I’ll show you the meaning of the word ‘wild.’ You do not want to push me on this, Ralph.” Drake deliberately didn’t mention that he’d taken Hazel to mate. Hazel didn’t know yet, and if she didn’t want him, he had no intention of announcing that fact to the world. It was the only prudent thing an alpha wolf could do. “You just better pray she doesn’t come into her power before I get her legally released.”
Ralph’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”
Drake grinned. “She was a virgin. Was being the key word.” God! An alpha wolf did not have to stoop to such vulgarity! Hazel would probably kill him. “She has no idea of her power potential. I figure you’ve got until nightfall before things start happening. After that, it’s either get her to the Witches’ Coven or watch your jail come down around your ears. Me personally, I kind of hope you choose the latter. I’d like to see you explain that to the city council. Most of them aren’t creatures of the night and those that are really don’t want to be exposed.”