The Werewolf Cowboy (Moonbound Book 1) (8 page)
Read The Werewolf Cowboy (Moonbound Book 1) Online
Authors: Krystal Shannan,Camryn Rhys
Marco’s jaw fell open just a touch and he let her see his tongue working inside his mouth, letting her imagine all the things he might do to her with that tongue. Her eyes seemed to twinkle, almost in amusement, and Marco felt the challenge rise inside him.
He put on his best sexy-playboy-chef ice stare and kept stalking through people, toward her. When he got a little closer, he could hear her back-and-forth with the waiter, although her eyes didn’t leave Marco’s.
“And don’t give me any of this bullshit cucumber water with extra oxygen, or whatever the fuck y’all pump into this place to make me spend money. Just open the tap into a glass, like a human being, and bring me some fucking water.” She handed the menu to the stunned waiter. “No fuckin’ sparkles, okay?”
The waiter stuttered and took the menu. “Y-y-yes, ma’am.”
“And I want the tasting menu. The secret one. With all the wine pairings.”
“Of course, yes. Certainly.” The waiter saw Marco approach and his eyes went wide, begging to be saved.
Marco approached the table with languid ease, sliding his arms onto the back of the chair opposite her like he might be caressing a lover. “
Ciao, Signorina
. And what-a brings you to
mi
Amare
this eve-ning?”
Her eyes flickered between him and the silent waiter, still holding the paper menu like a shield. She shook her head.
“If this is the
chef
that I’ve heard so much about, he can drop the fake Italian bullshit. I can smell an actor from the Million Mile Mall. Just make my food and leave me the fuck alone.” She narrowed her gaze. “This isn’t the Olive Garden. I don’t need you to make salad on me or any shit like that.”
With a dismissive wave of her hand, she turned to her phone, swiping angrily at some letters on the screen. Marco nodded at the waiter and switched to his flat Nevada accent.
“Please put in the lady’s order.”
Without looking up, she called out, “And remember what I said about the sparkles.”
Marco studied her as she texted. She was drop-dead hot, easily the most beautiful woman in the room—which probably meant she knew she was hot. No one had that kind of skin and cheekbones and lips and tits and didn’t know she was a goddess.
But all her energy read
unavailable
. Like blaring lights and sirens,
una-fuckin-vailable
.
Normally, Marco rose to a challenge, but something was different about this woman. Well, for starters, he was pretty sure she wasn’t a woman. No one made his wolf growl inside like another shifter, and the one male shifter he’d met in his life hadn’t come anywhere near this woman. She was the Disneyland firecracker show of shifters to the beast inside him.
Plus, it wasn’t her wolf that was on the offensive. There was something distinctly normal about her anger, if he could just find out what it was.
Marco pulled the chair out and sat down across from her.
Her icy eyes slid up his body and landed on his face. He saw the nostril flare, the pupil dilation. She felt something, too. Instead of more bullshit, he opted for the head-on approach—she appeared to be the kind who wouldn’t fall for a game.
Those were his favorite.
“What made you pick
Amare
?” he asked, nodding at the ceiling as though it represented the entire empire he’d built.
She regarded him with fire in her eyes, pursed her lips, and shook her head. “Nope. That’s not working, either.”
But she couldn’t fool Marco. He recognized this façade all too well. It was the same one he put up when someone had reached too deep and plucked too hard on something inside. It was the wounded animal defense.
He softened. “Come on, you have to know you’re the most beautiful woman in this place…maybe in this building—I don’t know, I haven’t seen all of them. You’re not going to fault a guy for trying.”
A smirk curled her lips into half a smile. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.”
Marco leaned forward and pitched his voice down to gravelly. “It was.”
There was the full smile.
She put her phone down. “You really want to know why I came here? Because you won’t like the answer.”
Marco settled his arms onto the table. “Try me. You’d be surprised what kind of punishment I can handle from a woman as beautiful as you.”
No blush, no response, nothing. Wow. Even the brash ones usually folded with that kind of intentional innuendo. This woman. He needed to know this woman.
“Okay, then.” She crossed her arms. “I make it my business to try all the so-called best in whatever city I visit—my job, we don’t get to travel much.” A pause and the briefest glance of a wince across her features. Pain. Her job, or family, or something, and it was visceral enough that she felt it in her body.
Damn, he wanted to strip her down and nuzzle her straight into orgasm, right there in front of Joe and everyone. No woman that beautiful should be hurt like that.
“So whenever I travel. I make a point to try all the best chefs.” She finished with a flick of her head.
“How many of these
best chefs
have you tried?” Marco asked.
She eyed the waiter as he set down her tall, slim glass of plain old water. “Enough.”
“And how many times have you been pleased?”
A down-turn of her eyes, a curl of her mouth. “Not enough.”
Marco’s wolf practically rose up and jumped across the table. He wanted to get her up to his suite and eat her. But first, he was going to make her eat those words.
T
his guy was trying so hard
, but she’d heard every line in the book.
He was hot. In an arrogant I’m-awesome-and-I-know-it kinda way. The Italian shtick was lame, but this was Vegas. Everyone played a part. If she hadn’t been so pissed about not being let into the summit meeting with her alpha, she might’ve played along with his Romeo-bullshit-attempt at flirting with her.
As it stood, Rain, the almost-brother she hadn’t seen in years, was in the summit as her alpha’s enforcer and she was out here. The least she could do is enjoy some good food. Maybe riling up this fancy-pants chef would get her some really good cooking. It’d been a long time since she’d had something fresh that really knocked her socks off.
Still…the chef was a wolf. That was new. And intriguing. She’d been under the impression that the Vegas pack pretty much stayed off the grid. In fact, they hadn’t even come to the summit at all.
“Why don’t you come up to the VIP table and let me show you why
Amare
is the best restaurant you’ll
ever
eat at.” His voice was like honey and she was hungry for something sweet.
Aria raised an eyebrow. That was one hell of a proposal, too. She’d dropped a couple grand just to get this table. Getting to sit at the VIP table would be a true treat. Even if the food wasn’t as good as he claimed, she wasn’t about to pass up the invitation. She loved the energy and the passion of a good restaurant kitchen.
Although her mind was wandering in a dirtier direction as his scent filled her lungs. Chefs were good in bed. She would know, having slept with several. They wanted everything to be perfect and they worked hard to make sure guests were satisfied. Plus, they didn’t cling or call after she left. It was a win-win.
Fabulous sex.
No strings attached.
Damn, she could use a good lay tonight. Watching Reyna and Allan in the coat closet earlier this week had really gotten her juices flowing. And as of yet, she hadn’t found an outlet for her building libido. But with Chef McHotty, as Reyna would promptly nickname him, right in front of her, she might be able to scratch that particular itch.
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Book 2: The Werewolf Bodyguard
C
OMING
IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH
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K
rystal Shannan
, also known as Emma Roman, lives in a sprawling ranch style home with her husband, daughter, and a pack of rescue Basset Hounds. She is an advocate for the American Society of Autism and shares the experiences and adventures she’s been through with her daughter whenever she can.
Needless to say, life is never boring when you have an elementary-aged special needs child and half a dozen 4-legged friends roaming the house. They keep her and her husband busy, smiling, and laughing.
Krystal writes magick and Emma doesn’t. If you are looking for leisurely-paced sweet romance, her books are probably not for you. However, for those looking for a story filled with adventure, passion, and just enough humor to make you laugh out loud. Welcome home!
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A
uthor
of hot historical romance with paranormal elements and co-author of the Moonbound series--a spinoff of the VonBrandt Werewolves from Somewhere, TX.
Loves Florentines and lightbulbs. Writes about cowboys who cook and demons who captain airships and werewolves who save the world. Once met Queen Elizabeth. Can swallow a sword. Eats jalepenos by the handful. Former chef, turned writer. Currently living in Canada. Owns a falcon. Not all parts of this bio are equally true.