Deceived (37 page)

“Anna, a moment,” he said.

What did I do now? Did I not stack the firewood to his liking? Was he going to make me move it around the house and watch me sweat while he sipped lemonade? Keeping my eyes to the ground, I walked over to where he stood and waited.  I swear the man got off on making me uncomfortable. Five minutes passed while I stood in front of him, and he didn’t say one word. I
didn’t dare move my eyes from the gravel driveway or grumble like I wanted to, which I suspected was what he was waiting for. I also
had
the suspicion he liked disciplining me.

“Follow me,” his deep baritone ordered. I hated to admit it, but the wolf inside me quivered from the sound of his masculine voice.

The crunching of his footsteps headed towards the house, and I followed obedient
ly
. I’d been delivering wood for three months and not once had Adam ever invited me into his house. All of the gossip floated through my mind, and my heart beat harder with each step. Was he planning on ravishing me? Could I say no? Would I say no? How long before Eve  ripped my throat out?

“Sit,” Adam ordered once we were standing in the kitchen.

I took a seat at the table and focused on my shoes rather than him. Being so close to him was like trying to breath underwater. Everything about him, from his broad shoulders to shoulder length blond hair, sculpted muscles, piercing
green
eyes and cocky attitude, screamed alpha male. He knew what he was and how the woman perceived him. He knew all he had to say was “open sesame” and legs would spread. It was barbaric, misogynist, and hot as hell, at least the beast within me thought so. The human part of me, the part I tried to white knuckle and hold onto like my life depended on it, thought it was as far from sexy as one could get.  

“Sawyer is looking for a female to settle down with,” he began, and I could see the walls of my world crumbling. “I do not force relationships, but seeing as there are more men than women in our pack, I do ask you to at least go on a couple dates. The future of the pack depends on its successors, Anna.”

He was asking me to have children? Before I even talked to the man? Oh he said it nice
ly
, but what he real
ly
meant was, “You
will
date Sawyer whether you want to or not.” Women fought for equality for years, and I was lucky enough to be born in a time of their success. Unfortunate
ly
, that didn’t matter in a werewolf pack. Men ruled while their mates supported. Adam wanted to turn me into a shadow of my former self, and he thought he’d get results by breaking me into submission. Boy, did I have news for him.

“And if I decline?” I asked nervous
ly
. No one ever declined his orders or even questioned his judgments. I was walking on thin ice and about to be submerged in the icy depths. I waited for him to growl in warning, a sign to remember my place. I waited for him to scream his demands as if raising his voice would help the order sink into my stubborn brain. I waited for him to show me exact
ly
where my spot was on the proverbial ladder through threats, violence and teeth wrapped around my throat. When none of my worst fears showed themselves, I glanced up and into the eyes of my alpha.

For a few moments, I stared into the eyes of the most powerful man, and my wolf devoured the sensation—strength, bravery and equality. My human side stomped down her fascination, and I averted my gaze, but for a mere speck in time I stared down Adam, and he didn’t shown the slightest inclination in correcting my discourtesy
.

About the Author

Unlike most authors, Stephanie Nelson didn’t dream
of becoming
a writer. Her interest laid in photography. It wasn’t until four years ago when she picked up her first paranormal romance book and fell in love. Books
quickly
became her addiction and the local bookstore her favorite place to visit. It wasn’t long before her own stories began to form and nag her to try her hand at writing. After countless attempts, Stephanie ended up giving up on writing for a while. But her imagination wouldn’t allow her to quit. Deciding to give it another shot, Stephanie began to write the Gwen Sparks series. The first book in the series, Craved w
as published seven months later
and reached #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and #6 on the Barnes and Noble bestseller list.

Stephanie resides in the Midwest with her husband and their furry children. When she manages to pull herself away from the computer, she enjoys traveling, fishing, playing board games and spending time with her family.

For more information on Stephanie Nelson’s books, visit her website:

www.stephanie-nelson.com

For more updates on what Stephanie’s working on, check out her author’s page on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Nelson/177640978961830

Devan
Stowe is a woman on a quest.  She has only one thing on her mind when she teams up with Kent Crosby and his associates—putting an end to her father’s child trafficking business. Her determination takes her on a journey to discover her true strength and… the one man she was destined to love. In his arms, she’ll learn the meaning of trust, honor, and courage. Old friends and new will come together to help
Devan
unlock an amazing gift that will free her from her past and open up a future full of magic, faeries and more things than she ever imagined possible.

Excerpt:
 
Now she looked hard into Kent’s eyes and nodded.
 
“I know about the Org,” she muttered, her hands clinched into fists.

“No,
Dev
, you don’t. But first things first, do you believe in magic?”

Devan
hesitated. To fill the space while she thought of an answer, she stood and moved towards the minibar. She found a diet soda and took a long drink, “Do you possess magic, Kent?”

“Do you,
Devan
?”

The question startled her and she shook her head immediately, “No, of course not. Why would you ask me that?”

“Auras. Do you see or sense auras? Have you ever had a premonition of something to come, not déjà vu, but a visible premonition? Dreams, have you traveled in your dreams? Have you ever touched someone and felt energy, a spark of who they are?”

“No, no, no! Of course not. What?
 
Do you think I’m a witch?”

Devan
watched the expression in his blue eyes as he approached her slowly. She was again stricken by the absolute refinement of each movement of his body, the swing of his arms and the subtle twist of his torso. He stopped in front of her and his mouth was so close to hers that she could feel the warmth of his breath against her lips. Their eyes searched each other for a moment, then in anticipation she closed hers just before he kissed her.

Her body dissolved against his as her arms clasped tightly around him. She wanted to be closer, to taste him more fully so she stood up on her toes to bridge the gap in their heights. As Kent’s arms snaked around her waist, he bent his own legs slightly and brought her tight between them. When one of his hands clasped her backside and ground her hips tightly to his, she moaned into his mouth, their breaths becoming one.

Available through: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and
Smashwords
.