My werewolf outlaw shift.., p.1
My Werewolf Outlaw: Shifter Dating App Romance, page 1
My Werewolf Outlaw
WEREWOLF DATING APP ROMANCE
HOWLING POINT WOLVES
V. VAUGHN
Contents
About This Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
More from V. Vaughn
About the Author
Copyright © 2024 by V. Vaughn
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover by Jacqueline Sweet
Editing by Red Adept
About This Book
Abby moved to the small coastal town of Howling Point to find love and start a family. When she lands a job creating a dating app for women like her, she thinks it’s a dream come true. Until she discovers the app is for werewolf men to find mates. And now she’s been tasked with finding a true mate for the most difficult werewolf in the pack. Kai ignites anger Abby doesn’t like to feel and desires she can’t control. Not only is the man— werewolf all kinds of wrong for her, but she suspects he’s also a criminal. Unfortunately, true mate love doesn’t care, and Abby must figure out if she can handle the truth her heart knows.
*This is a reworked version of a previous book called Hunter.
Chapter
One
The door to the conference room in Howling Point’s town hall should be red because it screams danger. I stand before it, my heartbeat pounding in my ears, while the urge to turn and run is strong. A big, menacing hulk of a man, who wears a scowl like it’s tattooed onto his face, is waiting for me. The guy also happens to be a werewolf, and I’m supposed to find him a mate.
My stomach churns as if I ate something bad, and I place my hand on the slightly round surface of my belly. A sudden image of me doing the same with a protruding pregnancy bump flashes in my mind. What I thought was going to be a dream come true is currently my nightmare. I swipe my sweaty palm over my fitted skirt and clutch my laptop tightly to my chest like armor before grabbing the doorknob.
When Mayor Kevin Black asked me to help him launch the dating app Life Shift, I believed it was a way to bring men and women to Howling Point with the purpose of finding life partners who wanted to start a family, something Charlie and Val, my two best friends, and I moved here to find. I was wrong. Recently, I learned that while the family part was right, the app was created to find mates for male werewolves.
My friends and I weren’t aware of that fact when, just before beta testing, Charlie initiated a match. It led her into a situation where a forced marriage was supposed to happen. I bargained to get her out of it, but she decided to marry her mate anyway. However, I was not able to get out of my promise. And now, I have to find a mate for the one man who, up until now, wasn’t allowed in the Life Shift database and most likely shouldn’t have been allowed in Howling Point.
I enter the conference room to find the guy I saw walking into the building earlier. He’s tilted back, his chair on two legs, his arms crossed behind his head, and his eyes closed like he’s taking a nap. “Ka-i,” I croak out.
The man’s eyes open, and his peaceful scowl grows into one that makes my heart stop. His eyes narrow at me, and he returns the front two chair legs to the floor with a thud. I jump, and I swear a hint of a smile flashes on his face.
A low rumbling comes from him. Did he just growl? Whatever it was, my body reacts with a twinge of desire. It’s too bad the man is a criminal because even with a scowl, he is the sexiest guy I’ve ever seen. If I weren’t so afraid of him, I’d struggle to control my sexual urges toward him. His body appears chiseled to perfection but doesn’t quite cross over into bodybuilder status. His green eyes make me think of mossy forest floors, and when I imagine him grinning at me... Yeah.
Kai continues to glare at me, and I squirm a little in my seat. I clear my throat as if that will ensure my voice won’t come out in a breathy tone. I don’t need a werewolf to know I have sex on my mind. Talk about unprofessional.
I lift my chin, preparing to keep my fear hidden. “Kai, I’m Abby, and I’m here to find you a mate. Now—” I flip open my laptop, and the screen lights up with the form for his profile. “I’m going to ask you some questions about—" I look up at him to see fire in his eyes, and I jerk back, instantly hating my reaction. My tone is angrier than it should be when I say, “You have a problem with this?”
My temperature ratchets up a few degrees as Kai continues to stare at me. If I didn’t know better I’d say an electric arc sizzles between us, and I suddenly get how closely fear is tied to desire. Kai’s chest heaves, making me wonder if he’s about to morph or whatever it is he does to shift. God, it’s sexy.
I take a deep breath and lean back to cross my arms in an attempt to show power. Which is what I must find so attractive about him. I bet the man does not do anything he doesn’t want to do. “Look,” I say. “I get this situation isn’t ideal for either of us.”
I take in the T-shirt straining to cover Kai’s massive chest, and I wish it were me wrapped around his rock-hard muscles. I blink to clear my mind. A feral man is great in my fantasies but not in my real life. I need to get this guy a human female. Fast. And that starts with getting him to speak. “I know this isn’t where you’d like to be, Kai, but for whatever reason, you are. If you choose to make the best of this situation, I’m sure you’ll like some of the perks our little town has to offer. I know your pack mate Ryan loves the food at the diner. I could get something delivered.”
He shrugs and follows the gesture by raising his eyebrows as if daring me. There’s something simmering in his eyes as his gaze falls to my mouth, and my first thought is that I’m what he’d like to be eating.
I lick my lips and notice his pupils widen. “You know,” I say as I reach in my purse for my phone. “I’m craving a burger now. No.” I grin at him like we’re besties. “Steak. That’d really satisfy, don’t you think?”
I retrieve my phone. It’s slick in my hand and clunks on the table when it slips from my fingers. I quickly pick up my cell again to pull up the menu for the steakhouse. “Want something? I’m going to order from Hungry—Hungry Chops.”
A small noise comes from Kai, and my cheeks heat up when I glance at him. He’s got a look on his face that makes me think he’s hungry, all right. It takes me a moment to focus, and I pretend I’m still searching as I imagine the hot werewolf across from me and his teeth. Ones I want him to—I gulp and wonder what has possessed me to fantasize about rough sex.
I look at Kai as I try to imagine him as someone unattractive while searching for my anger. “Perhaps a full stomach will help you with your speech problem?” He gives me a stone-cold stare. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
I survey the steak options as I decide what would have the most flavor and manage to satisfy the large werewolf sitting across from me. I consider ordering a whole cow but go with the porterhouse for Kai and a petite-cut filet mignon for me.
After I place the order, I say, “You might start talking after these steaks.”
Kai leans back to cross his arms and lets out that low growl that reverberates through my body, making me vibrate like a tuning fork. Heat rushes through me as I imagine his moans of pleasure, and I drop my gaze to the laptop. This situation is tempting me more than it should. I am a stickler for rules, and I don’t think a man like Kai follows them. No matter how much he makes me want to strip naked, scramble across the table, and tear his clothes off, I have a job I intend to complete.
I frown at the computer screen in an attempt to look busy, but it doesn’t offer much of a distraction. I take a chance and meet Kai’s gaze as I say, “Let’s recap what’s got to happen in the next few weeks.” The sexy werewolf’s chair creaks as he sits up straight. “We—” He lifts his shirt up slowly to remove it, and it thumps softly on the floor. I manage to squeak out, “Um—you—”
He sexily sweeps his tongue across his plump lower lip. I blink to keep from launching myself across the table at him, sucking in his delectable lip, and straddling his lap to feel him between my—
Kai chuckles, and the noise yanks me from my thoughts. Can he read my mind?
I shake my head to clear it. “We—you—” A strand of hair has fallen out of my bun, and I tuck it behind my ear, which doesn’t help my composure because I imagine shaking out my locks and letting them splay across his chest.
Kai feeds my daydream with a lazy, smoldering smile.
A breath catches in my throat. I’ve got to pull myself together!
“The form.” Items rattle in my purse as I search for something to write with. “We must fill out the form. Since you aren’t going to talk, perhaps I can ask the questions and you can write down the answers.”
I brought a yellow legal pad with me, and I slide it across the table as I hold out a pen. Big mistake on my part because Kai latches onto my wrist with a tight grip. I inhale sharply as adrenaline and lust surge in my bloodstream. “Hey!” I try to yank back, and Kai grins at me when he grabs the pen with his other hand before letting me go.
He’s taunting me. And I
Kai’s scowl is mixed with an upturn of his lips that makes me think he’s amused. I’m sure of it when he wipes at his massive, naked chest as if he’s brushing off lint. All it does is draw my eye to his perfect body and make my pulse pound in my head. My thoughts are clouded with peeling the rest of his clothes off. I’m a mess. I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly as I stand. “I’m going to go check on the food.” While I know an executive assistant would bring our takeout to the meeting room, I need to get away from Kai before I do something stupid.
The moment I get out of the room, the temperature feels like it drops ten degrees, which is crazy since our building is carefully climate controlled. I think about the way Kai’s presence is overwhelming me, and I’m embarrassed that I can’t get my desire under control. If anyone who works for me were this flustered, I’d pull them from the project so fast their head would spin. And then I’d send them to sexual harassment training for a week.
The door to the ladies’ room squeaks when I push, and I walk over to the sinks. My purse thumps on the counter, and I search for my brush so I can fix my hair. After two attempts, I achieve perfection and sigh. That hotter-than-Hades werewolf may think he has the upper hand, but he’s messing with the wrong woman. In a test of wills, I always win.
Chapter
Two
Kai’s table manners surprise me. He places his napkin in his lap and waits for me to be ready to eat before slicing into his steak. I put a piece of meat in my mouth and notice Kai watching me before he does the same. His eyes widen slightly when the rich taste of beef hits his tongue, and a slow smile forms on his face as he chews and savors the flavor.
His scowl may have had my blood pumping, but his smile warms my heart. “Pretty tasty, huh?” I scoop up more food, and stainless steel utensils clang against my plate.
Kai rewards me with a tight nod before he forks up a big bite of baked potato drenched in butter, sour cream, and chives. His eyelids fall for a second in what I think is pleasure at the flavor, and I imagine what werewolves usually eat. I wonder if it’s out of necessity instead of an enjoyable experience. I flash to a scene where the two of us are in bed and I’m feeding him waffles with strawberries and cream. The cream and red juice from the berries dribble down his chin, and when it drips to his chest, I lean in to lick… Oh my god, I’m doing it again! I chomp down on a green bean hard enough to make my teeth hurt.
I force myself to focus on a safer subject and begin to wonder about Kai beyond his sexy exterior. How does an angry werewolf whose physical presence screams “feral” end up being a graceful diner? Even more so, I’m dying to know why he’s not supposed to be a Life Shift participant.
Kai stops chewing and watches me with interest. The man is some kind of criminal and someone I shouldn’t fantasize about. I’ve got more important things to do, like find him a mate. Which means I need a new approach. So instead of blushing and dropping my gaze, I stare right back at him as I smile. If he’s not going to talk, neither am I.
I place a bite of potato in my mouth and remove the fork slowly, and I notice Kai’s chest rise with his deep inhale. He shoves a roll into his mouth, and when he bites down on it, melted butter drizzles onto his lip. He reaches up and swipes it with his thumb. Now I’m the one with a sudden need for oxygen because he sticks his thumb in his mouth to suck it clean.
I stab with my fork, which taps against my plate as I grab what I guess is a green bean, since I’m not willing to drop my gaze first. Nor am I going to back down from his taunting. I wrap my mouth around the end of it and suck it in slowly. Kai’s upper lip shines with sweat as he clears his throat.
Our interaction is interrupted by a single knock, and Sydney, my assistant, enters. The petite blonde smiles at me. “Can I clear things away for you?”
I don’t say anything because I’m afraid my voice would give me away. I offer a nod in acknowledgement instead. When I reach to clear Kai’s plate, he grabs it first. He stands and takes mine as well to stack in a neat pile before handing them to Sydney.
“Thank you,” Sydney says. The girl is gorgeous. Her eyes are big and a pale shade of blue, her hair has the perfect amount of wave to be either curly or straight, and she has a model’s full mouth. She flashes Kai her megawatt smile.
Surprisingly, he’s unaffected, and he doesn’t acknowledge her with more than a brief stare. After she leaves, I retrieve my laptop, and it thuds on the table. “Let’s get back to business.” I pull up the dating application, and I type, keys clicking, as I speak. “Kai.” I pause to scan the man with my gaze as if he’s a specimen in an experiment. “Six feet six?”
He stares at me without a word.
“O-kay,” I say. “I’m going to put you at two hundred and seventy-five pounds. Green eyes.” I stop typing to ask, “I don’t suppose you’d tell me your level of education, would you?”
Kai leans back and crosses his arms in response, which only makes his biceps look bigger, and my inner girl sighs in admiration. Who needs a guy with a brain? I could teach him to read in the morning.
“No problem. We can get to that later.” I frown as I read the next question because I’m afraid to find out I’m not Kai’s type. “Nod or shake your head for the following questions. You like a woman with intelligence.”
Kai offers a small nod as he stares at me. I keep my face expressionless and stare back.
“Blonde?”
He shakes his head.
“Ah, a brunette man then.”
The strand of hair my stylist cut too short flops down in my face again as if to remind me of its brown color. I squint at Kai. His eyes flash with a sexual heat that might set me on fire. He scans my body with his hungry gaze before he gives me a quick dip of his chin. I decide to let the lock hang in defiance so he won’t think he got to me. I hide a shiver of desire as I replay my earlier vision of me leaning over a naked Kai with my hair falling on his chest. I blink to push it away, but apparently I’m so far gone the vision remains.
“Does eye color matter?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“Do you want feisty or—” Where did these questions come from? My boss, Kevin, isn’t the kind of guy to prank me, and I assume he added the new query to the form for a good reason. “Or submissive?”
When Kai doesn’t reply, I say, “Sorry. Silly question. Feisty?”
The werewolf nods.
“Adventurous?”
Kai lifts his eyebrows at me. While I don’t tend to seek adventure, I certainly won’t back down when it comes to one. “Okay,” I say. “Does that mean it doesn’t matter?”
Kai shrugs, and I sigh. “This would be so much easier if you would just talk. We’re not getting good data this way, and you’re going to be hard to match.” I’m tired of the way Kai is wasting my time, and while our sexual dance has been fun, I have work to do. I stand, ready to walk out the door and let someone else deal with the guy. I say, “Even if I do manage to find you a woman with this incomplete profile, it’s not going to be very scientific and will probably fail.” I close my laptop, which snaps loudly. “Who’s going to want to be with a scary-looking werewolf who won’t talk, anyway? She’ll think you’re an idiot.”
Kai’s glare has tried my patience long enough, and I snap. “Are you stupid? Is that it?”
I huff and pace to the other side of the room. I hate losing control, and I manage to calm myself before turning around and moving back toward the table. “I get it. I don’t want to do this either. But I have to find you a mate, and you need to take one. Don’t you care about finding a woman you’ll like?”
Kai’s eyes flash with something that doesn’t appear natural, and his voice is steady and much deeper in tone than I expected when he speaks. “It’s you.”
