A Mate's Bite(2)

Her infatuation with him wasn’t healthy, and it bordered on pathetic. Tired of feeling like a failure in the relationship department, tired of waiting on a man who might never be, she needed to start dating. She wanted a family of her own. She wanted a man who would be there long term. She wanted more.

Of course, none of her other friends ever mentioned her lack of social life, but that was because they didn’t have much of one either. Emma didn’t think they noticed how obsessed she was with Mason, and Nic tried to hide her attraction to Jake to no avail.

Besides, Karla had never dated much anyway. And unlike what her sister believed, it wasn’t because she was curvy. Not at all. She loved her smaller waist and bigger hips. Heck, most men loved her big boobs and ass. Latinas were proud of their bodies, and she was no exception. But she didn’t have much of a social life because her mind was always running rampant with thoughts of Ellie’s older brother. No matter what she tried, her brain didn’t listen and focused on Nate and all his sexy tattooed glory for most of her daydreams.

A warm breeze ruffled the trees, and she glanced at her camera. The stupid tripod didn’t want to stay in place. She grumbled under her breath. Squatting down, she jiggled the tiny metal legs into the earth, hoping to steady it. A couple of rocks would help. She grabbed a few of the biggest ones and circled the tripod legs with them to keep it stable.

Long strands of frizzy hair kept falling forward out of her ponytail, tickling the side of her face. She tugged the annoying hair behind her ear and continued to mess with the tripod.

“Stupid, friggin’, piece of—”

A low growl sounded close. Too close. She whipped up to her feet, still holding one of the rocks in her hands and turned in a flash. Unfortunately, she was also one of the clumsiest people and tripped on her own feet. She lost her balance, and she fell on her ass.

“Carajo!”

A howl sounded from the ceremony site, and she scrambled to her knees to watch one of the wolves, she'd guess it was Marco because he was bigger, sniffing Kelly’s behind.

“Just like a man to go straight for the goods.” She snorted.

But she didn’t get a chance to keep watching. Something bumped her backside, pushing her forward. She tangled on the tripod and fell on her face.

“Oh, for crying out loud.” Clearly, she sucked at being inconspicuous. Strands of hair fell forward, covering her vision. She lifted on all four and flipped to sit on her ass. There he was, the one shifter that drove her absolutely crazy in every way possible.

“Spot? What are you doing here? And why did you bury your nose in my ass, you pervert?”

Not that it turned her on that he put his nose in her ass. It was…weird. He growled. The low deep sound twisted her belly into all kinds of knots. Oh, boy. She was in trouble. Staring at his cute furry face, she was very tempted to lift a hand and pet him.

Nathan, big, bad, sexy, pierced hunk of male candy stood not more than five feet in front of her in his wolf form. The form that looked like a cute Dalmatian-wolf with a white spot over his muzzle, hence the name she’d given him, “Spot.”

His eyes glittered in that golden shade from his animal. A shiver raced down her spine.

“I know how this must look, but it’s not what you think.” She felt like a moron talking to him when he was a giant wolf. He took a step toward her. She squiggled an inch further away. With a quick swipe, she moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. “We were invited to be here. I swear.”

Where the hell was the conviction she always spoke with in front of him? Oh, gone into the depths of hell it seemed. He took another step closer, between her open legs.

“Spot? Nathan—Nate,” she murmured, hoping he’d forget she was there and not tell the others he’d found her. “I’ll go now. I…I’m here for research purposes only.”

Her mind ran a million miles per hour. What should she do? Another step. His muzzle got too close to her crotch for comfort.

What was he doing?

“Hey!” She instinctively slapped his nose and scooted back. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Her temper rose and deflated as she watched him shift in front of her. Wow. She’d never actually seen him do this up close before. Okay, she’d never seen him go from wolf to man, only man to wolf and that had been one time. This was…new. Different. And very interesting. There was no looking away. Bones popped, fur receded, and oh dear God, what was left behind should be on a calendar of lickable hot bodies. Hell, she wouldn’t mind having a photo of him on the ceiling of her bedroom like a teen heartthrob. That body was one she wouldn’t mind panting over for hours.