Claim Me (Curves For The Alpha) (BBW Erotic Romance) Read online

  Claim Me: Curves For The Alpha

  BBW Werewolf Erotic Romance

  By Adriana Hunter

  Alpha Mates #1

  Copyright © 2013, Adriana Hunter

  http://www.AdrianaHunter.com

  All Rights Reserved.

  Published by Wet Ink Publishing

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  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations and places are solely the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, including events, areas, locations and situations is entirely coincidental.

  This book or any portion of this book may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  The wind was biting cold, but Braum hardly noticed it against his blistering hot skin. Dressed only in a t-shirt and jeans, he crouched on the tiled rooftop of the house, his golden eyes trained avariciously on the hot, sexy woman fingering herself in the bedroom of the house next door.

  Sometimes he wondered if she knew he watched—after all, she made no attempt to draw the curtains down. But from the way she pleasured herself with such complete and utterly unselfconscious abandon, he seriously doubted it. Her curly red locks were spread across the pillow like an inviting inferno as she kneaded her large breasts with both of her hands. Long, manicured fingers pinched rose-colored nipples, and he fought back a snarl. Didn’t she realize that anybody could be watching her? He didn’t like the idea of another man’s eyes taking in her ample charms.

  But then, he couldn’t really complain, could he? She wasn’t his to possess, to protect, to pleasure, much as he wished it were otherwise. This was as much of her as he was ever going to get… a pretty sad state of affairs considering he was one of the most eligible bachelors of his shifter clan. His peers always looked up to him with a certain amount of envy, thinking that he could have any woman in the clan he wanted. It would be so much simpler if he wanted any of them… but anytime he took one to his bed, visions of a redheaded siren with killer curves and a wicked smile filled his head.

  He’d learned from experience that a woman could nearly always tell when you were thinking about another woman in your bed. As a result, he hardly ever got laid anymore… which was really playing havoc with his hormones. Wolf shifters needed regular sex as an outlet; a shifter who was stark raving mad with lust was not a pretty sight, and he had no intention of embarrassing himself like that. He needed to fix this before it got out of control.

  A whimper escaped his gritted teeth as he watched Jade reach for the hot pink vibrator she always kept by her bedside. He popped the top button on his jeans as she slid a hand between her legs, coating her fingers in her own creamy wetness. Because her window was open just a crack, he could hear her moans as she slid the vibrator over her pink, glistening folds. Panting, he wrapped a fist around his cock as he watched her body tremble, her tongue darting out to lick her parted lips. Her creamy thighs were spread wide, and his desire to be the one between them instead of that sex toy was so great he might have been able to teleport himself there if he tried hard enough.

  Not that teleportation was a shifter ability. But he could dream, couldn’t he?

  He knew she was about to come when her eyes fluttered closed, when her hips arched high and the hand between her legs began to rub faster and more insistently. She screamed his name, the way she always did, and his hot seed jetted out, coating his fingers with the sticky moisture. A snarl erupted from between his lips before he could stop himself, and Jade’s brilliant green eyes popped open in shock, her head whipping around towards the window.

  Fuck.

  Braum dropped off the rooftop faster than a soldier being shot at ducks behind a building. Heart pounding, he wondered how the hell Jade would have heard that. After having known her for eight years, four of those in high school, he was pretty damn sure she was just a normal human. Then again, even normal humans had varying degrees of a sixth sense. Or maybe it was just bad timing.

  Besides, her eyesight wasn’t nearly good enough to have spotted him without actually going up to the window. He was safe. She couldn’t have known he was there. No way in hell.

  Even so, he let out a regretful sigh as he quietly stole from the yard and back to his apartment a few blocks away. There was no way she’d be leaving her curtains open now that he’d spooked her, at least not for a few weeks. .

  * * *

  Shaking her head, Jade drew her window curtains closed and stepped away from the windowsill. Obviously her imagination was running wild. Slightly grumpy, she plopped down on her bed and gazed resentfully up at the ceiling, wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

  She’d been in the blissful throes of an orgasm when all of a sudden a hot tingle had washed over her, and her eyes had snapped open and fixed on the window, almost of their own volition. Something in her subconscious had fully expected to see someone there, and before she knew it she’d been rushing to the window, stark naked and wide-eyed. But though she’d pressed her face to the glass, she saw nothing but rooftops and city lights in the blackness.

  Maybe if you had actually remembered to close the blinds beforehand this wouldn’t happen to you.

  She scowled, burrowing under the covers as if to hide away from the world. It wasn’t as if it had ever happened to her before. It was probably stupid of her to leave her curtains open so that anyone with a pair of binoculars could see her, but it gave her a secret kind of thrill to think that someone might be. To think that a certain someone might be…

  Don’t be stupid. I’m sure he’s got better things to do than watch you touch yourself and pretend it’s his hands on your body.

  With a sigh, she closed her eyes, hoping to shut out her scathing internal monologue. Instead, Braum’s face floated to the surface of her mind’s eye—sinfully gorgeous, with wavy black hair and gold-flecked brown eyes that could glint with unholy humor or soften with unexpected kindness. His nose was slightly off-center from having it broken when they were in their sophomore year, but she found that only added to his bad boy appeal. And those lips, with their slightly cruel tilt…

  Oh Jesus. She wasn’t ever going to get any sleep if she kept thinking about him like this. With a sigh, she looked longingly at her vibrator, wondering if she should go another round… but the clock beside her bed reminded her that she couldn’t afford to stay up late tonight. She had to be at the courthouse early tomorrow morning. She set her alarm for six a.m., then snuggled underneath her covers, wishing not for the first time there was someone next to her to keep her warm.

  * * *

  “Braum, you’re going to be late.”

  “I know, dammit.” Where did he put that file? With a frustrated growl, he pawed through the papers on his desk, hoping to find it. He’d had it here just last night…

  His assistant, a slim brunette named Shana, shook her head. “I told you that you should have given it back to me before I left for the day yesterday. You always lose s
tuff when left to your own devices. That’s why you hired me.”

  “Yes, and most assistants don’t talk to their bosses with as much sass as you do,” Braum pointed out. “Not to mention I outrank you in the pack.”

  “Yes, but I’m your cousin,” Shana said sweetly, “and I can get away with it.” Deftly, she pulled the file he was looking for out from underneath a phone book on his desk and handed it to him. “Now, go away and let me do my job.”

  “The guards all have their schedules? And have you checked with Daisy on those invoi—”

  “Quit procrastinating and go. I know how much you hate going to the court, but if you’re late the DA will kick your ass.”

  Braum snapped his mouth shut, swallowing a retort. She was right, and he knew it. “Alright. I should be back before one o’clock.”

  File in hand, he left the security firm and headed downtown to the dreaded courthouse. As he drove, he couldn’t help but wonder if he would see Jade at the courthouse today. As a lawyer, she was often there, and as such their paths crossed quite frequently. Every once in a while he would drop in on a public trial just so he could watch her stride around the courtroom in those sexy heels, her eyes full of fire as she ruthlessly and aggressively defended her clients. Part of what drew him to her was her intense passion—she tackled everything in her life with that same inner fire, and he knew she would be just as ferocious in his bed.

  Not that he would ever be able to take her there. Adam, the clan leader, would skin him alive if he took a human mate. It was becoming more and more acceptable amongst shifters to do so, but he ranked too high in the pack to be allowed such a choice. And he knew that neither of them would be satisfied with a fling, which meant he had to keep his distance.

  Checking the time, he realized he only had two minutes to spare. Quickly, he squeezed into a parking spot on the street and jogged up the steps to the courthouse. Amelia James, the DA, was waiting for him inside… and Jade was with her. Braum nearly missed a step as their eyes locked, a sizzling current passing between them at the ocular contact. Ignoring the way his stomach flip-flopped, he approached the two women while managing not to show the shock and excitement that he knew was sprawled across his face.

  “It’s about time, Braum,” Amelia snapped, her pale brow furrowed and her eyes narrowing with every word.

  “Nice to see you, too.” He flashed her a professional smile, then turned to Jade. “And you, Jade.”

  Jade’s lips, painted cherry-red to match her suit, curved as she gave him a quick once-over, reminding him that he was a far cry from the boy she’d gone to high school with, standing in the courthouse in a suit of his own. His nostrils flared as he scented her arousal, a heady perfume that was a danger to his sanity, and he bit the inside of his cheek to try and control his reaction. The last thing he needed was to go up on the witness stand with a lust-fogged brain. Amelia would have his head, for sure.

  “It’s nice to see you too. I’m representing the prosecution on this one.”

  “You two know each other?” Amelia asked.

  “We went to high school together,” Jade explained. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and greet my client.” She winked at him. “I’ll see you in the courtroom, Braum.”

  Braum struggled to control himself as he watched her walk away, but the way her hips swayed in that suit held his gaze like a powerful magnet. Amelia, sighing with obvious annoyance, gripped him by the elbow and steered him into the courtroom.

  “If I catch you making goo-goo eyes at her while she’s questioning you on the stand, I’m going to seriously hurt you.”

  “Goo-goo eyes, Amelia? Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

  * * *

  When the courtroom trial was over, Jade made a beeline for Braum before he could get away. This wasn’t the first time they’d run into each other at the courthouse, but they’d never actually been in on the same case before and so he’d always managed to slip away from her relatively quickly before she could sink her tenterhooks in and actually ask him out for coffee.

  She’d returned from Purdue nearly a year ago after finishing her degree to find out that the boy she’d gone to high school with had launched a successful private security firm and was making his way in the world of business. She’d also discovered his sex appeal had quadrupled—something she hadn’t thought possible considering she’d had a major crush on him since college. The first time she’d seen him, dressed in a suit that was perfectly tailored to his powerful body, her jaw had nearly dropped, and her heart had kicked into overdrive.

  So much for the hope that four years of college would have helped her to get over him. If anything, she wanted him even more than she had before she’d left to pursue her degree. But the time away didn’t seem to have affected him at all. He still kept his distance between them, the same as he always had.

  “Braum.” She hooked her arm companionably through his as he was stepping out of the courthouse, making sure that he couldn’t get away. “You did a fantastic job on the witness stand.”

  She felt the muscles in his arms tense, but rather than pulling away he flashed her that signature smile of his that had always had the power to leave her weak in the knees. “Thanks. I’ve had some practice at it in the last few years.”

  “I’ll bet you have.” She smiled to herself when he kept his arm tucked in hers as they made their way down the steps. Maybe she’d been reading him wrong and he wasn’t trying to avoid her after all. “You know, I’ve been meaning to get you alone to myself for a few hours.”

  “Oh?” She couldn’t believe something as simple as the arch of a brow could be so incredibly sexy.

  “To catch up. It’s been a long time. What do you think about dinner tonight?”

  His eyes flashed, and for a moment there was a look of such powerful hunger in them her panties were instantly soaked. His nostrils flared, and she knew right then, beyond a doubt, that he wanted her. But it was gone, replaced by something akin to turmoil, and he looked away, his jaw flexing.

  “I can let you pick the place, if you want,” she ventured cautiously, not sure what she’d said to make him react this way.

  He shook his head. “No, no, it’s fine… I was just thinking. What do you think about La Primavera? I’ll come pick you up at six.”

  Fancy Italian? And he was picking her up? “That sounds fantastic.” Her heart was thudding loudly in her chest, echoing in her ears, but she gave him a wink and a flirtatious smile with as much calmness as she could muster. “Don’t be late.”

  She could feel his hot gaze on her the entire way back to her car.

  * * *

  The rest of the day seemed to go by painfully slow. Braum tried to keep his mind occupied by being more productive, and he was like a fiend in the office, constantly badgering his employees, double and triple checking details until Shana was about ready to lock him in the supply closet.

  “Braum, I swear if you ask me about that invoice one more time, I’m going to stuff it in your mouth,” she snapped. “Why don’t you just go home early?”

  “Go home early?” He never went home early. Even though he was the boss and could come and go when he liked, he didn’t believe in finishing his workdays before his employees did unless there was a very good reason. Like, if a family member was dying. Or his pack leader was sending him on a mission. Or if he needed sex.

  You made that last one up, you bastard.

  Okay, fine. But it was sounding more and more like a good idea the longer he thought about it.

  “Yes. We’ve got it under control here, and it’s clear you’ve got something on your mind.” Shana wrinkled her nose. “Sometimes I wish shifters didn’t have such great senses of smell. But the testosterone level in here is going through the roof.”

  Braum glanced at the clock. It was going on five o’clock. “I guess I can leave the office in your hands. You didn’t blow anything up when I was gone this morning, after all.”

  Shana smirked at him
. “Go enjoy your date.”

  “Am I that transparent?”

  “No, I’m just that good.”

  “Smartass.” But he tousled her hair affectionately as he walked out the door.

  Half an hour later, he was pacing in his apartment, dressed and ready to go, and driving himself out of his damn mind. He’d tried to distract himself with the TV, but he couldn’t focus on the basketball game that was on. Jade was all he could think about—the way her arm had felt hooked through his, the sound of her voice, her sexy smile. He wondered what she would be wearing tonight.

  This is insane, he thought. You shouldn’t be going anywhere near her. In fact, you should just call and cancel. Make an excuse. Tell her something came up. Anything.

  Except the problem was, he didn’t have her phone number. And even if he did, he wasn’t sure he could have followed through. She had looked at him with her big green, so challenging and direct, and yet he could smell a tinge of nervousness, as if she was afraid he would refuse her. As if that were even possible. He could avoid her, try to put some distance between them, but any time she asked for anything… he was unable to refuse.

  He remembered the one time she’d sat next to him in class during a test day back in school. She’d forgotten to bring a pencil for the exam and had asked him if she could borrow one. He hadn’t brought an extra, so he’d ended up giving the one he’d had to her and failing the test as a result. Not that he’d cared much about that—she’d been so distraught about not showing up with a pencil he would have done anything to make her happy again. And the grin she’d had on her face when she got the test back the next week with an A had made it completely worth it. He’d do it again in a heartbeat.