Primal Possession: A Moon Shifter Novel (Moon Shifter Series, Band 2) - Softcover

Reus, Katie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451237781 ISBN 13: 9780451237781

Verlag: Berkley, 2012

Inhaltsangabe

To protect her, he will unleash the beast within…
 
As his pack’s second-in-command, lupine shifter Liam Armstrong gives orders and takes what he wants—until he meets red-headed, blue-eyed December McIntyre. Liam knows the human beauty is his intended mate the moment he sees her, but December is far too strong-willed to accept his protection.

December, whose brother is the town sheriff, has every reason to mistrust shifters after one killed her youngest sibling. But the forceful and handsome Liam has gotten under her skin in a way she hadn’t thought possible, and the desire she feels for him is almost too much to bear.

When a radical hate group targets all humans known to sympathize with paranormal beings, December is attacked in her bookstore. Reluctantly, she turns to the only one who can help her: Liam. And he is going to take her to places within herself she never knew existed.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Katie Reus fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she'd pilfered from her mom's stash. After changing majors too many times to count, she finally graduated with a degree in psychology. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance.

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Chapter 1

December McIntyre managed to smile at her date as he pulled out her chair for her. Her cheeks hurt from all the fake smiles and forced laughter. She should never have agreed to this date when she’d rather be any¬where else. Withsomeone else. But she and Liam had no future, and going out with a random guy was the only way to show Liam and herself that she was serious about that.

“Have you been here before?” her date— Mike some¬thing— asked. As a tourist from the nearby ski lodge, he wasn’t a local of her smaller mountain community, so it made sense he’d never eaten at the cozy Italian restau¬rant.

She nodded. “The bucatini puttanesca is really good. So is the pollo caprese. Actually, everything on the menu is good.” The Russo family had settled in Fontana, North Carolina, decades ago, many years before she’d been born, and Russo Ristorante had become a staple in the mountain community. The locals loved it and so did the tourists. Occasionally they even got tourists from not just Fontana Mountain but their neighbors, Beech and Sugar mountains.

Almost immediately after they ordered drinks, her date excused himself. He was a broker or something and had to take an important call. Normally that would have bothered her in a date, but she didn’t really care about this one. The brief reprieve was fine with her. She wanted to get through the meal, get home, and just go to bed. Going out with this guy had been a colossal mistake no matter how nice he seemed to be. She’d known it the second after she’d said yes. Regret had surged through her, but it had been too late then.

All she could think about was Liam. Liam with his broad shoulders, dark hair, and coffee brown, deep, knowing eyes. When that man looked at her, she got shivers. The good kind. Heat bloomed between her legs when he was around. He didn’t have to do anything other than train that heated gaze on her and she wanted to melt into his arms. He might be built like a linebacker, but his hands were gentle. At least the few times he’d caressed her face, they had been.

Her image of him was so clear she could almost see him now. In front of her. As she stared into space, she frowned. Then blinked. Good God, he was in front of her. Walking straight toward her.

“Crap,” she muttered. Tensing, she braced herself. She’d thought if he saw her leaving her bookstore— because she’d seen him watching— with another guy on a Friday night, he’d get the hint and leave her alone. If it was anyone else, she might think he was acting like some sort of creepy stalker, but she knew him better than that. As one of the few lupine shifters who lived in their town, Liam had tried to warn her about some crazy fanatic group that wanted to hurt humans involved with shifters. At twenty-eight she’d been taking care of herself for a long time—and besides, they weren’t involved, so there was no reason for some fanatics to come after her.

Should have known Liam wouldn’t give up so easily. The maître d’ led him and another huge guy directly to the table next to hers. There was a decent amount of space between them, but for the way he was drilling his gaze into her, he might as well have been sitting at the same table.

“Hello, December.” Liam’s deep, intoxicating voice forced her to acknowledge him.

She flicked a quick look at his dark-haired friend, who cracked a small, almost amused smile until she glared at him— then she focused on Liam. “What are you doing here?” she asked through gritted teeth. It wasn’t for the damn food. That much she knew.

He shrugged as if it should be obvious. “Eating.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know what I mean. I’m on a date, Liam.”

At the word “date” those espresso eyes of his got even darker. Under normal circumstances she might have thought it was the light playing tricks on her, but she knew better. She’d seen him enraged once before when a man had tried to mug her. His eyes had changed then. The whites had almost disappeared and she’d found her¬self staring into not-quite-human eyes. He’d later ex¬plained that it sometimes happened when his inner wolf wanted to take over. It had scared her then but not now. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. Not physically. He might be dominating and sometimes too pushy, but he cared for her. In another world she might allow herself to care for him too. But they had no chance and she wasn’t going to risk getting her heart broken and losing her only family due to involvement with Liam. Especially when anything that happened between them couldn’t last. He barely looked thirty, but she knew he was over a hundred years old.

“Get rid of him.” He didn’t raise his voice, but there was a razor-sharp edge to it.

Maybe his tone should have made her nervous, but it just infuriated her. He infuriated her with all his arro¬gance. “Or what?”

“Or I’ll do it for you.”

She balled her hands into fists under the table. “You are so . . . so . . .”

In a fluid, graceful motion that reminded her he was more than human, he stood up and slid into the chair across from her. As if he had every right to do so. He half smiled and her traitorous libido roared to life. Why did the soft candlelight have to play off his features, making him even better looking? “Charming, handsome—”

His smart-ass response annoyed her even more, but it also allowed her to find her voice. “Arrogant and annoy¬ing,” she said in a loud whisper, barely containing the need to shout at him. “Why would you think on any level of normalcy that it was okay to interrupt my date when I’ve made it perfectly clear nothing is going to happen between you and me?”

His eyes darkened. “I’m not interrupting. I’m just eat¬ing. Or don’t you think shifters should be allowed in the same restaurants as humans?”

His words were like a slap. Shocked, she jerked back. She had issues with his kind— issues he didn’t even know about— but the thought of restricting someone, anyone, access to a public place was horrifying.

Her dismay must have shown because he cursed un¬der his breath. “I didn’t mean that, December. I know you don’t think like that.”

“Then why’d you say it?”

“Because you’re driving me crazy, woman. Why are you out with this loser?”

“He’s not a loser.”

“He’s a fu— loser for leaving you all alone. And he’s not me. He’ll never be able to give you what I can. I can smell how much you want me even now. Just give us a chance, December.” His voice dropped slightly, taking on that sensuous quality that made her legs tremble and heat spread across her lower abdomen.

“Liam, we’re—”

“Too different. Yeah, that line is getting really old, Red.”

A flush hit her cheeks. “Don’t call me that.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too . . . familiar.” Unfortunately she very much liked the intimate way the nickname rolled off his tongue. And that was bad.

“I plan to get very familiar with you soon, Red.” He reached out and fingered one of her bright red curls.

Her stomach muscles clenched with need as his knuckles brushed against her cheek. As his masculine, earthy scent rolled over her, she struggled to remind...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Berkley
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2012
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0451237781
• ISBN 13: 9780451237781
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 368
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar