His Wolf's Desire
by Shannon Nydia
Date of Publication: April 12, 2016
Publisher: Loose Id Publishing
Cover artist: Syneca Featherstone
Genres: Contemporary, Multicultural, Paranormal, Shifters
From The Book Junkie Reads . . . His Wolf's Desire . . .
If you know nothing else about shifters not this. It is the thrill of the chase that keeps things going. Giving in and giving up is not the first response to a shifter wanting something or someone or vice versa. Stubborn shifters are the same way. Wanting to be strong and independent and standing on their own can be just what they think they want. This holds true especially for a strong willed shifter female. There is no way in the world that she is going to willing give up everything she is or strives to be. She is going to be that fighter to the very end.
Quickie education of the shifter over. Now let's get to the good part. This was a hot, lusty, ball to the walls shifter mating. Neither calling it what it was. Jayla and Brad are work frienemies. They work together but do not like each other. There was one thing that could bring them together and eventually bring out the best in both. That one thing is the mating call. That was one thing neither of them could deny. The pull was strong and fighting it was all either could do.
The struggle was there. The nature of the shifter was there. The passion and fire between the two was there. Their session off the chart. Shannan Nydia did a good job in immersing you in the world of shifter mating struggle to fight it. She gave both sides of the struggle. I could feel the level of tension.
Looking for a IRR? Looking for a Shifter romance? Looking for a combination? Get His Wolf's Desire.
**This
ARC was provided via Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.**
BLURB
Bradford Dalton and Jayla Stanton are
both shifters. Each has their own reason for not wanting to be in a
relationship with their own kind. Suddenly finding out that they are mates is a
shock to both of them. There’s no way in hell these work enemies will ever be
together.
Brad and Jayla are desperate to find a
way to coexist with their shifter sides. They just have to contend with the
fact they have sexual chemistry that is off the charts. Jayla can turn his body
to steel with just a smoldering look. Brad can make Jayla quiver in
anticipation with just one touch. You won’t hear either one of them complaining
about succumbing to their insatiable need for the other. Sure they can have hot
sex which knocks them on their ass, but that doesn’t mean they’ll ever fall for
the other. Right?
Holding a stick of
gum between his thumb and index finger, Brad vigorously tapped it against his
thigh as if he were snuffing out a cigarette. Aware of his neurotic action, he
shifted in his seat and braced his elbows on the conference table. He resisted
the urge to pound his fists on it. With deliberate care he removed the gum from
the wrapper. While his gaze darted back and forth, scanning the scene before
him, he crinkled the thin scrap of shiny aluminum foil in his large hand. He
squeezed until his forearm started to cramp, then popped the gum in his mouth
and shoved the tiny piece of trash into his pocket.
Brad felt it would be
best today to distance himself from his colleagues. Secluded inside the glass
conference room, he found it easier to control his inner animal. He could feel
the urge to shift coursing through his veins. He needed to stay calm.
So while his team
members were eager to welcome the arrival of the faction from the Seattle
office, he kept a safe distance from the chaos erupting. Chewing his gum, he
analyzed everyone coming together, shaking hands, behaving in a cordial
fashion.
Fuck cordial.
He wanted to strangle
Jayla Stanton with his bare hands. She’d succeeded in administering a major
blow to the momentum of his career. He’d worked too damn hard, made too many
damn sacrifices, for it all to come to a screeching halt because she chose to
be a conniving witch. He didn’t like her, didn’t trust her, and didn’t want
anything to do with her.
To add insult to
injury, he had a front-row seat to witness her invade his territory. One would
think a goddess had descended upon them. The pageantry that surrounded her
arrival in Albuquerque left a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn’t care less
that they were colleagues. They were no more teammates than they were friends.
Everyone else might kiss her ass, but not him.
He’d been able to
avoid Jayla for almost two years by finagling his way out of corporate event
after corporate event when he knew she’d be in attendance. Truth be told, he
couldn’t trust his control over his anger enough to be anywhere near her.
Unfortunately, Mr.
Graybar, the CEO of the firm, let it be known he wanted Brad and Jayla working
together for the next week, ensuring the smooth transition of the Maldonado
account. This happened to be the very account which began their bitter feud.
Years of research,
planning, development, building business relationships, it all went down the
drain when she swooped in, breaking every rule in business ethics and
etiquette. She’d snatched the account right from under his nose. Landing the
Maldonado account would have been his golden ticket straight to the executive
office. Instead, he would have to endure playing second fiddle to her.
Brad’s alpha-male
nature, too stubborn and prideful to even consider defeat, obliterated from his
mind any inkling of leaving the firm. Besides, he loved a good fight, and Jayla
had just started a war. He refused to let her ride off into the sunset with his
account. If she thought he would play nice, she was in for one hell of a week.
Brad eyeballed a few
female colleagues; his hunt came to a spellbinding halt when he zeroed in on a
breathtaking beauty. He was finally seeing Jayla in person, and she wasn’t at
all what he’d prepared for.
Her rounded nose was
balanced perfectly above her supple, pouty lips. Prominent cheekbones and a
long slender neck made for a stunning combination. Her rich mocha skin color
radiated warmth. Angling her head away from him, she unleashed a striking smile
while talking with and charming the pants off members of his team.
His jaw and chest
tightened as awareness settled over him. He’d spent so much time abhorring her
from afar, and her looks had never mattered to him. Since Jayla started working
for his firm, Brad had observed her photos printed in the company newsletters.
He’d viewed her profile page on the company website on numerous occasions. But
in no way did either of those publications capture the essence of her beauty.
She was absolutely
stunning, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He watched in an angry trance
as she swept her fingers across her forehead, feathering a loose strand of hair
into place. Then his mouth went bone dry when she faced in the opposite
direction. Her full, round, candy-apple bottom came into view, and a noise
sounding an awful lot like a groan scratched out from the pit of his belly. His
cock thickened with arousal, annoying the hell out of him.
His instant
attraction confused him, and he tried to shame his excited loins into calming
down. It would be a cold day in hell before he let her beauty distract him.
What was wrong with him? To hell with attraction; she was the enemy.
JAYLA FELT SOMEONE’S
eyes boring into her and stiffened in response. She turned in the direction her
wolf’s instincts guided her. Sweeping her fingers across her brow, she smoothed
the tendrils framing her face.
She found and locked gazes
with a fine-ass man sitting alone in a conference room. The blatant hostility
in his glare sent goose bumps traveling up and down her arms. If she didn’t
already know what he looked like, being the only person in the office who
hadn’t greeted her and her team would have been all the evidence she needed.
She’d just made eye contact with Bradford Dalton, her adversary.
Gunmetal-blue eyes
glued her to where she stood, so exceptional in color she felt hypnotized. She
could barely breathe. The intensity of his stare made her hands tremble. She
pressed her palms into her skirt in an attempt to steady them, mortified by her
reaction to him. There was no love lost between them, but the fact that she
literally shook in her high heels just by locking gazes with the man gave her
cause for concern.
She’d prepared
herself for a plethora of emotions spanning across the anger spectrum but not
for the instant attraction she felt for the man the second she laid eyes on
him. What was wrong with her?
Brad could spin the facts
all he wanted, but the truth of the matter was she’d landed the Maldonado
account fair and square. He’d dismissed her as nothing more than a joke when
she joined the Seattle office of their firm. For almost two years she’d tried
in vain to be a part of his team in Albuquerque.
While Brad plotted
his course of action for the Maldonado account, Jayla plotted her course of
action to try to get Brad’s professional attention. Ironically, she’d never
wanted the account for herself. She’d wanted to work with Brad. Learn from
Brad. Be mentored by Brad. Having the chance to work with him was the sole
reason she’d wanted to join Graybar and Associates. In the end he’d stayed full
of himself, letting the opportunity slip through his fingers. She’d landed the
coveted account on her own merit.
Breaking eye contact,
Brad’s gaze traveled the scope of her body. Tingles prickled her skin, making
her suit’s thick tweed material cumbersome and uncomfortable. His gaze crawled
along her curves, making her feel exposed. It irritated her how sensitive and
receptive her body seemed to be to his fixation. Just because Brad turned out
to be easy on the eyes didn’t change one damn thing between them. No matter how
handsome the face glaring at her was, he hated her, and the feeling was mutual.
She chastised herself
for behaving as if she’d never been given the once-over by a man before. But
Brad’s raw gaze unnerved her, fracturing her renowned poise.
She swallowed hard as
she willed her hands to stay stuck to her sides and not sweep across her face
again. Trying to gain control of the situation, Jayla decided two could play
this game. She wouldn’t let him intimidate her. Waiting until his eyes found
hers, she tightened her jaw, tilted her head and, with defiance, inspected him
right back.
Since he was sitting,
she could only appraise his upper half. But boy oh boy… What an upper half to
assess. His nose, a straight line from the top of the bridge to the slightly
aquiline tip, appeared almost regal. She studied his full bottom lip, larger
than the slimmer top half. Short, dark-brown hair, styled as if he combed his
fingers through it in the shower, completed his model good looks.
She bit the inside of
her mouth to keep from gaping. Never in a million years had Jayla imagined Brad
looked like that in person. His online depictions were a travesty compared to
his real-life appearance. Now she didn’t know what she found more
disappointing: the fact that someone she once admired turned out to be a
chauvinistic ass, or the fact that seeing him in person made her wish she
possessed naked pictures of his chauvinistic ass.
Brad personified the
self-centered ambition she detested about the business world. Men like him made
her blood boil. It didn’t matter one iota that he was too fine for his own damn
good. On an exhalation, she made herself refocus on the melee at hand.
Team members from
both sides began filing into the conference room Brad ruminated in, putting an
end to Brad and Jayla’s rubbernecking. Taking advantage of every extra second
to collect herself, Jayla lingered and waited to join the meeting last of all.
Blowing out a long, shaky breath, she felt her nerves kick into high gear.
Two quick vibrations
from her cell phone, indicating she’d just received an e-mail, gave her a valid
reason to delay her grand entrance. Grateful for the interruption, she pulled
the thin phone from the front pocket of her jacket, opened the e-mail app, and
proceeded to read.
The meeting should be
getting underway soon. Sorry I’m not there. I have both my phone and computer
on the ready if you need anything. Attached in this e-mail is a copy of your
presentation notes in case you misplaced them. This is your show. Don’t let
Dalton intimidate you. I’ll be in bright and early tomorrow. Remember, when it
comes to Brad…it’s on like Donkey Kong!
Holding back a smile,
Jayla wanted to thank Monica for e-mailing her, giving her the distraction she
needed to help settle her nerves. Monica was a brilliant corporate lawyer and
one hell of a colleague. The two of them were sisters in arms in the
male-dominated business world. Although they didn’t get to work together as
much as they would have liked, they always had each other’s back. Once Jayla
knew for sure she’d secured her transfer to the Albuquerque office, she’d done
everything in her power to ensure Monica would be part of her team. She’d
gotten her wish, but Monica had been bumped from their flight to Albuquerque.
Due to the airline error, she wouldn’t be arriving until very late that
evening.
Knowing she couldn’t
delay any longer, Jayla pushed her phone back into her pocket and headed toward
the lion’s den. She stepped into the conference room and took the one seat
available to her. Either by sheer coincidence or by intended design, the seat
across from Brad remained the lone chair left unoccupied. Person after person
passed it up, not even daring to look in its direction. As colleagues
intentionally avoided the hot seat, the tension in the room became so thick
Jayla thought they would become blinded by it. On-edge associates on both sides
of the fence exchanged anxious glances.
Noticing everyone
focusing on her, she set her briefcase on the table and offered Brad a tight
smile paired with a curt nod. The man had the audacity to arch one eyebrow in
response. The lights dimmed, and a video presentation began, directing
attention to the large projection screen. Camouflaged as she was by the
darkness, no one noticed her grip on her briefcase tighten and her plastered
fake smile slip a fraction. She fought the urge to lunge across the table and
choke him. Instead, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, turned off the
ringer, and placed it inside her briefcase. Once seated, she directed her
attention to the screen.
IT DIDN’T TAKE long
for Jayla’s subtle vanilla-orchid scent to settle upon Brad. His nose flared
the second her delicate and sensual fragrance hit him. He wasn’t one to react
to a woman’s perfume, yet her aroma caressed his attention away from the video.
Unable to help himself, he peeked out the corners of his eyes in her direction.
Once again she swept her fingers across her face, smoothing her hair.
Suspecting the action a nervous habit, he felt himself wanting to smirk in
satisfaction, knowing she wasn’t as confident as she tried to appear. She
crossed her arms on top of the table, and her hands captivated him as she
scraped her delicate fingertips across her jacket. Surprising himself, he
imagined what it would feel like to have her scoring her nails across his back
while she wrapped her legs around his waist, taking him to the hilt.
Without warning, his
canines lengthened. Flinching from the shock of his sexual fantasy and his
physical reaction to her, he drew unwanted attention to himself. A few of his
team members gave him concerned glances, peering at him through squinted eyes
in the darkened room. Placing his elbows on the table, he crossed one hand on
top of the other, hiding his mouth in his palms as he nodded, trying like hell
to appear normal.
Never in his life had
his teeth elongated around a group of nonshifters. He could recall a handful of
times in his youth when his canines had come out while in the presence of
shifters, but always in reaction to being provoked to fight. Now, in his
adulthood, once in a while his teeth had a mind of their own when he was alone,
but they knew better than to come out of hiding here. No one at his job knew he
was a shifter. In fact, no one he acquainted himself with knew he was a
shifter. He didn’t have anything against shifters; he just didn’t like living
as one. In his opinion, the disadvantages far outweighed the advantages.
Although the existence of shifters was a known fact, the misguided perceptions
were at times annoying. There were parts of his life Brad didn’t want to have
to explain.
His self-control over
his inner animal, something he prided himself on, approached a point of no
return. It would serve her right if he let her witness the beast inside him.
He’d be fired for sure, but at least he’d get to give her the scare of her
life. Growing angry that she continued to affect him, he turned his head,
giving the evil apparition sitting in front of him his full attention.
JAYLA’S PULSE SPIKED
the second she got her first whiff of the manly musk radiating off Brad. The
man smelled of carnal sin. His spicy scent delighted her nose, wreaking havoc
on her libido. Her thick jacket hid her pebbling nipples and swelling breasts.
She clamped her legs together underneath the table, trying to ward off the
twinges of lust tickling her pussy. Feeling Brad’s gaze on her, Jayla’s mouth began
to water as her canines extended. Panicking, she leaned back in her chair,
crossed one arm over her midsection, and rested the elbow of the other on her
fist; she covered her mouth with her free hand, trying to pretend to be deep in
thought. No one at her job knew she was a shifter. If she shifted into her
wolf, it’d be a hell of a way to out herself and probably get fired in the
process. The thought of Brad pissing his pants in terror when he found out the
person he’d been trying to bully was a she-wolf consoled her for a split
second. But she knew she couldn’t let that happen now. Unable to help herself,
she turned her head toward him, and their gazes locked.
Unexpected images of
the two of them making love flashed through her mind like a silent movie: She
imagined her naked curves draped over Brad’s body as she rode him. Depictions
of Brad pounding into her doggy style swamped her consciousness. The erotic
visualizations caused her animalistic nature to surface.
Deep from within the
inner intricacies of their wolves, she heard them both growl. To their human
colleagues sitting around them, it sounded like hungry stomachs calling for
food. But the low, distinctive sound vibrating from the heart and soul of one
wolf to another… Shifters knew this sonance—their bodies calling out to their…
Mate.
Brad’s startled gaze
met hers, and their eyes widened as the reality of the situation became obvious
to both of them. Jayla’s canines retracted once her human side understood what
her wolf had known from the second she’d made eye contact with Brad: they were
mates.
Jayla felt her
control over her wolf return, so she rose, grabbing her briefcase. Trancelike,
she headed out of the conference room, needing to get away from him. Once out
of sight she quickened her pace, speed-walking to safety.
Rounding the corner,
Jayla passed the elevators, seeking the heavy metal door leading to the
stairwell. She burst through, needing solitude to compose herself. The
thunderous sound of the heavy door clanking shut gave her a sense of relief.
Her gasps heaved in and out of her chest. Bending over, she dropped her
briefcase and clutched at her heart in desperation.
This…cannot…be…happening…
Of all the shifters
in the world…he was her mate? A man she despised. Dread tore through her body
at the thought of Brad Dalton being the supposed keeper of her heart. No effing
way. Not on her watch.
Shannon Nydia grew up in a military
family. Her father served in the U.S. Air Force and she was fortunate enough to
be stationed all over the United States. Her love of travel and experiencing
new places only encouraged her overactive imagination. Shannon is a
self-described dreamer and hopeless romantic. She thoroughly enjoys getting
swept up in a good story. Shannon loves reading, watching romantic movies and
food… not necessarily in that order! She adores strong but feminine female
characters and has a soft spot for hunky alpha males.
Shannon is a married mother of two,
and loves spending time with her family.
She loves hearing from her readers!
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