JUDE (Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (A Wood Haven Novella Book 1) Read online

  “You weren’t kidding when you said your car was trying to dig itself a grave,” he chuckled. Warmth streaked through my middle from the sound. “How the heck did you manage this?”

  “Just lucky, I guess,” I said. His gaze was playful, but there was something inhuman and hungry reflected in his icy blue eyes as well.

  I hadn’t been this close to a shifter willingly in forever. After what they’d done to my parents I tended to avoid them at all costs.

  “Well, let’s see if we can save it, Red.” The wiry hint of a smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

  I lifted my eyebrows up in silent question, wondering where he’d gotten the name red. My hair wasn’t red. My car wasn’t red. There was nothing on me red … except for my sundress.

  Jude winked as though he’d been privy to my thoughts and found it amusing it had taken me so long to figure out where his nickname stemmed from.

  “The color looks good on you.” He stepped to the front of my car and connected the chain to my bumper. “Get back behind the wheel and press the gas when I tell you to.”

  My gaze trailed along his backside as he sauntered toward his truck. It should be against the law for any man to look as good as him.

  “Okay.” I slipped into my driver’s seat and waited for Jude’s signal.

  He tugged on the chain once he’d secured it and I was mesmerized by the sight of his bulging biceps. The guy was ripped. His collared shirt clung to him in just the right way, accentuating his muscles. His cargo shorts hung loosely off his hips. My teeth sank into my bottom lip. I’d never been a butt girl, but Jude had one that was drool worthy. Lust and need kindled through me as I continued to stare.

  Jesus, what was wrong with me?

  Jude was a shifter, for crying out loud. I shouldn’t feel this way about him. Something sick and twisted must fester inside of me. Shifters were selfish and vile. They always did more harm than good wherever they went. They were careless with their strength and ruthless in their sense of superiority. And Jude Wilder would be no different. He was an alpha, after all.

  “Go!” he shouted, pulling me from my thoughts.

  I pressed the gas. My car fishtailed slightly, rebelling against the removal from its early grave. The metal chain linking my car and his truck pulled tight. Mud slung behind my car as my tires continued to spin out, not able to gain the traction they needed. Jude’s truck seemed to do the same as he continued to put steady pressure on his gas pedal. My front bumper groaned and I squeezed my eyes shut, praying it wouldn’t rip off. That was the last thing I needed.

  “Keep roasting ‘em!” Jude yelled. “Give it more gas.”

  I did as I was told. My car lurched forward and I was jostled around in my seat as I made it out of the pothole of death. I slammed the brakes inches before smashing into the front of Jude’s beautiful truck. My heart leaped to my throat. I shifted into park and released both hands from the steering wheel. A shaky breath exhaled past my parted lips. That was close.

  Jude climbed out of his truck and sauntered toward me. “See, I knew your old brute wasn’t ready to die just yet. This life is worth living.” He leaned in my window, his cologne invading my senses, and glanced in my backseat. “Looks like you brought all kinds of tasty treats for me today, Red. I’m starved. Ready to head on up to my place?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “Don’t look so nervous, I’m not like the wolves in fairytales. I’m don’t plan on eating you.” He pushed himself away from my window as a devilish grin twisted onto his face. “Unless, of course, you want me to.”

  My face flamed through twenty shades of red as I stared into his icy-blue eyes. Holy shit. This man was trouble. Sexy, but trouble.

  He unhooked the chain from the front of my bumper and wrapped it around his hand. As he backed away from my car his eyes remained fixated on mine. I swallowed hard, unable to break our eye contact.

  Jude unhooked the chain from the bumper of his truck and walked to the side of it. He tossed the chain into the cab before slipping into the driver’s seat. I watched as he did a three-point turn and was on his way. I followed behind him, knowing his house was close. My throat grew dry and my hands clammy.

  I could do this.

  All I had to do was thank him for getting my car unstuck, show him the food I’d brought, and get the hell out of there. I couldn’t risk spending time with him, knowing my body was so attracted to him. My thighs quivered because that was all my body wanted—him.

  Jude Wilder was too sexy for my own good.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  JUDE

  Sophia was flustered. I could tell by the way she gathered her grocery bags of Tupperware containers from the backseat. Was she nervous because of what I was? Did it scare her to be alone with a shifter?

  She dropped one of her bags and bent at the waist to retrieve it. My gaze trailed along the smooth, supple skin behind her knees before taking in her ass. My wolf let out a low growl. We both enjoyed what we saw. When Sophia lifted back up she caught me staring.

  I cleared my throat. “You need any help with those?”

  “No, I’ve got it, but thanks.” She slammed her car door shut with her foot, rocking the tiny two-door car.

  “You sure? It looks like you brought a feast.”

  Sophia puffed out a breath of air, blowing a few stray strands of hair from her eyes as she stalked toward me. “I said I’ve got it.”

  I tossed my hands up in surrender as a wide grin sprang onto my face. “Okay. Can I at least get the door for you?”

  “Yeah, and you can tell me where you want me to set this stuff.”

  “The kitchen is fine.” I jogged up my porch steps and swung the door open for her. “It’s straight back and to your right.”

  Sophia slipped past me, wafting her sweet scent to my nose. It was some sort of berry—strawberry, raspberry, something. Whatever it was, it made my mouth water. I closed the door and followed after her, listening to the sound of her heels as they clicked across my hardwood floors. My eyes dipped to her shapely ass again and my wolf stirred to life. There was something about her that called to us both. I’d known it the second I’d heard her name. And now that I’d seen her face to face, I knew whatever it was wouldn’t be easy to shake.

  Hell, I wasn’t sure I wanted to shake it.

  Sophia set her bags on the counter and began pulling out the Tupperware. Her movements were swift. A rich, sickeningly sweet, buttery aroma saturated the air. It chased away her tantalizing scent as she opened the containers, causing my wolf to release a low rumble in protest.

  “I’m not sure where you want to start.” Her honey-brown eyes locked with mine. “I brought a variety of my best pastries and some samples of a couple pies and cakes. Are you a cheesecake or muffin kind of guy? I brought both.”

  I laughed. Didn’t she realize what I was? “Darlin’, I’m not much of a sweet eater. Being a wolf and all, I generally prefer meats.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh. Right. You’re a wolf. Wolves don’t eat sweets. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Generally speaking, no.” I leaned in closer, mainly because I wanted to smell her tantalizing scent again, but also because I needed to make a point. “Not unless you’re on the menu.”

  When her cheeks tinted a beautiful shade of pink, I felt my shorts tighten. Damn this woman had one hell of an effect on me.

  She made a scoffing sound from somewhere deep in the back of her throat as a frown worked its way across her face. She moved to stack up the containers she’d just set out. “This was a waste of time then.”

  “Hold up. Wait.” I snagged up one of the muffins before she could seal them up again. “I said I generally prefer meat to sweets, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy them from time to time.”

  I tore off a piece and popped it into my mouth. The sugary sweetness blasted across my tongue and I fought against the urge to spit it out. Sweets were not my thing. I’d been on a no-sugar kick since the day I was bor
n, but I would eat it if it made her feel better.

  “You hate it.” Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. My dick twitched at the sight. Wasn’t there anything this woman could do that I didn’t find sexy as fuck? She was stunning, even when it was obvious she was close to tears.

  “I don’t hate it,” I lied and popped the rest of it in my mouth. I tried to not gag. “It’s good. Sweet. Sugary.”

  “Too sweet for you, isn’t it?” Her lips twisted into a wicked smirk and a saucy look entered her gaze. She reached into the bag closest to her and pulled out a napkin. “Here.”

  “Thanks.” I spit the sugar coma out and wiped my mouth. “The menu should’ve been something we discussed last night in our conversation. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to feel as though you wasted your time or your money in preparing for this meeting.”

  “I don’t.”

  I tossed my napkin in the trash. “I’m willing to pay compensation for both.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “Maybe not, but I want to.”

  She tucked the same strand of hairs that had been falling into her face behind her ear and dropped her gaze to the tiles making up my floor. Her stance shifted and her chin quivered. I heard her heartbeat pick up and wondered why. Did she feel as though she didn’t deserve any money?

  “No, it’s my fault. I should’ve been professional about this gig and thought to ask. I should’ve realized your taste buds are … different.”

  I hated the way she’d said the word different, as though it was something bad.

  She spun around and resumed stacking her containers into the bags she’d brought.

  “I really don’t mind. Honestly, you’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t accept something as a token of my appreciation. I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to this job and coming out here.”

  Conflicting emotions passed over her face, but she refused to meet my gaze. A long sigh pushed past her full lips. “Okay fine, but we really need to talk about what you want for this party of yours.”

  “Sure, you want some coffee or something? We can discuss it now.”

  “Sure.”

  I stepped to the coffee machine and started a pot. The rich aroma of my dark roast erased the sweetness of her desserts lingering in the air.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed Sophia situating herself on one of my bar stools. She pulled out her cell phone and tapped at the screen. “All right, tell me what type of dishes you have in mind.”

  There was a serious air to her I didn’t like. She’d gone from saucy to business in seconds. How could I bring the other version of her back? “A whole lamb, an entire deer, a hog…” Her beautiful eyes snapped to me. I winked and flashed her crooked grin. “I’m only teasing. Southern staples will work. More savory and less sweet. Pulled pork. Cornbread with a little sage and ground sausage mixed in. Baked beans with crumbled bacon on top. Stuff like that.”

  “Now that I think I can do.” Her thumbs flew across her screen as she made notes for herself.

  I crossed the kitchen and sat at one of the bar stools beside her. My knee brushed against hers as I situated myself and an electrical jolt buzzed through me at the contact. My wolf woke, his curiosity sparked by what it could mean. The desire to touch her again and see if something similar would happen a second time rushed through me, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to frighten her; she already seemed so skittish.

  “Tell me a little bit about yourself.”

  Sophia glanced up from her cell. She licked her plump lips and a shiver slipped through me from the sight. “What do you want to know?”

  “Hmmm…” I rubbed my chin, stalling while I thought of a better question than whether she wanted me as badly as I did her. “Have you always been a cook?”

  “I’ve always had a passion for food, but no, I haven’t always been a cook.”

  “Touché,”

  “Sorry, that was snippy.”

  “It’s fine. So, what held you back?” Maybe it was too personal of a question, but suddenly I wanted to know what made this woman tick. It wasn’t just me either, my inner wolf craved information on Sophia Davis.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You said you’ve always had a passion for food but you haven’t always been a cook. Why is that? What held you back from reaching for your dream until now?”

  Darkness shifted across her face. I didn’t think she would answer, but she did.

  “My brother,” she whispered.

  Interesting. Most people would have said money, but she didn’t. She’d given me a real, honest answer. This only made me want to know more.

  “How?”

  She grabbed her bags and clutched her cell tight. “Look, I didn’t come here to be interrogated or interviewed. I came here to give you a taste test of what I can make. Obviously, it wasn’t anything you enjoy eating, but I’m willing to try again if you’ll allow me.”

  “Of course.” I’d pushed too far. I blamed it on my wolf. When I gave into what he wanted things generally went south. “I’m sorry.”

  She slipped off her stool and stood. “When should I come back? I’m available any day this week.”

  “Me too. Pick one.”

  “Give me two days,” she insisted.

  “You’ve got it.” I stood to retrieve my wallet from my back pocket. I pulled out a hundred and held it out to her.

  “That’s too much. I can’t accept it.”

  “It’s not. You deserve it.”

  Her face scrunched up in the cutest of ways. “Why? Because I made muffins and cakes you hated so much you spit them out in a napkin?”

  “No. Because you’re professional enough to be here, even when you don’t want to be.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  I leaned in. “I’m a wolf, Red. Remember? We can sense these things.”

  Her heart rate soared to an all-new level. It was obvious she was scared of me. No, not scared of me … It was something else, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. I inhaled to get a better grip, but her heavenly scent overshadowed everything.

  “Strawberries.”

  “What?” Her voice shook when she spoke.

  “You smell like strawberries.” I licked my lips, hoping her scent had tainted them in some way.

  The corner of her lips quirked into a smile that surprised me as she walked toward my front door. “I thought you didn’t like sweet things.”

  “I already told you I don’t mind sweets, as long as you’re on the menu.” I hurried to catch up to her so I could help her with the door.

  She swung it open, not needing my help, and cast a quick glance over her shoulder as she stepped outside. “And I already told you, I’m not.”

  My hands ran through my hair as I watched her descend the stairs and sashay her hips as she headed to her car. Could she feel my eyes on her? Because they were trailing over every inch of her backside as I burned it into my memory. She was the only thing I wanted to see when I closed my eyes tonight. There was something hypnotic about her.

  Sophia Davis had me in her clutches and I damn sure hoped she never let go.

  CHAPTER SIX

  SOPHIA

  “I am such an idiot,” I said. I took another sip of the white wine Liz had brought over. It was almost too sweet, but it was alcohol. After the day I’d had, any alcohol was welcome. Sweet or not. “I should have known wolves wouldn’t be as into sweets as the rest of us. What was I thinking bringing all those cakes and pastries?”

  “I can’t believe he made a pass at you.” Liz reached for the bottle of wine on my coffee table. She twisted the top off and poured herself another glass. “Did you nearly melt?”

  “No.”

  It was the first bold-faced lie I’d told Liz in a while. Of course I’d nearly melted. Jude Wilder was the sexiest man I’d ever come across in real life. The only problem was, he was a shifter. I didn’t date shifters. It was a rule I’d created for myself long ago. A rule based on the deaths of m
y parents. Shifters were unpredictable. Enough said.

  “Was he not attractive?” She balked. “Because I have yet to see a shifter who isn’t hot as hell.”

  I took a sip of my wine before answering, choosing my words carefully. While Liz knew how I felt about shifters, she easily forgot. It was a topic I cared to bring up, not because of how it made me feel, but because it generally bumped Liz from friend mode straight into work mode. She’d psychoanalyze the entire situation, and talking about my past or my feelings surrounding it wasn’t something I cared to do.

  “He was attractive,” I said with a shrug. “He just wasn’t my type.”

  “Why not? What did he look like?” She shifted on my couch to tuck her feet beneath her. “Oh, did he have a horrible personality? Arrogance isn’t attractive, no matter what men think.”

  “He had dark hair, solid muscles, icy-blue eyes, he was tall…” Gorgeous, I added in my mind. My thighs quivered at the mental image of him that popped into my head.

  “Umm … Sounds like the perfect male specimen to me.”

  I downed the remainder of my wine. “He was decent on the eyes, sure, but he’s also a shifter. You know how I feel about them.”

  “Oh, right.”

  I braced myself for whatever was about to come out of Liz’s mouth next, knowing it would be carefully worded and all too professional sounding. When seconds ticked away without a response from her, I risked a glance at her. Her blonde brows were furrowed together as she chewed her bottom lip. It was the first time I’d seen her hesitate to say something. Generally, she was quick to respond.

  “Okay, listen, this might be the wine talking, but I still want to stress something.” Her hand lifted to run through her blonde ringlets. “What happened to your parents was horrible. I am in no way disregarding the tragic way they died, but I am going to tell you holding on to all of your anger and emotions from that point in your life isn’t healthy. The war between the shifters happened years ago. Your parents weren’t the only humans killed in the crossfire. Time has moved on. People have moved on. Shifters have moved on. I don’t think you should hold a grudge against all of them for something horrific when only a handful were responsible.”