Stanley, Gale - Hellfire [Southwest Shifters 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Free Page A

stiletto-heeled black leather boots made her almost as tall as Shiloh .
    As Shiloh greeted fans and signed pictures, Kate sensed she was being watched. Her skin prickled with heightened awareness, and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. Trying not to be obvious, she sniffed, discreetly scenting the air around her. The unknown yet weirdly familiar scent of the stranger she’d seen earlier wafted to her nostrils and tightened her chest.
    Glancing over the crowd, her pulse quickened at the sight of the mysterious man who stood head and shoulders above most of the others. He was staring at her and she quickly lowered her eyes to the floor. Shit! He was coming this way, and he was no rodeo fan looking for an autograph. He might be dressed like a cowboy, but he didn’t walk the walk.
    She wanted to plead indigestion and make a quick exit, but he was already close, and she was afraid he’d catch her on her own. At least here she felt a little safer. He couldn’t do anything with Shi and a crowd of people surrounding her. She hoped.
    The stranger stood patiently waiting until Shi spoke to those in front of him. Midthirties, six foot five, at least— and my God, those eyes! Amber and slightly slanted, the eyes of a predator, wolf eyes, like her own. And they were locked on her. H er nipplestightened into hard little aching buds, and her pussy leaked, reactions she’d never had with any other man. His nostrils flared, and his lip curled, as if he could smell her arousal. Kate took a deep, stuttering breath, and his scent imprinted on her wolf.
    He’s one of my kind!
    Why hadn’t she recognized his scent earlier? Why should she have? She hadn’t seen another Lycan in sixteen years. Her heart hammered in a staccato rhythm. What did he want with her? Maybe it was only curiosity that drew him and he would go back to whatever den he had crawled out of and leave her alone. She really liked it here, and she didn’t need some strange wolf showing up now and ruining the life she’d made with Shiloh .
    She always figured the West and the rodeo would be the last place anyone would look for her. She figured wrong. Escaping scrutiny indefinitely was impossible, especially when your fiancé was a rodeo champion.
    “Tell me again why I let you talk me into this?” Kate muttered to Shiloh .
    “How would it look if you weren’t here? You’re my fiancée, remember?” Shi whispered in an aside. “Hey, you’re shaking. What’s wrong?” His gaze followed hers, he caught the man looking at her, and he grinned. “And I thought he was here for me, looks like you have an admirer. Interested?”
    “No!” Shi never lied about his not-so-secret one-night stands, and he made it clear she had the same option, but she had no intention of using it, especially with this man.
    Shi looked at her funny. “Is he bothering you?”
    Kate forced a grin and shook her head. “It’s a free country. He can look, but I don’t have to bite.” Unfortunately, her wolf wanted to bite, and that bothered her more than anything. She didn’t know her wolf well, and she had always believed the animal would lead her astray if she let it.
    At last, the stranger stood directly in front of them, and he reached out a hand to Shiloh . Shi held their connection a beat too long, and the stranger didn’t try to retrieve his hand. Finally, Shi relinquished his hold, almost reluctantly. The handshake might have seemed innocuous to others, but Kate smelled arousal—on both of them. She knew that look in Shiloh ’s eyes, and she saw it mirrored in the stranger’s eyes. Could it be Shi the man was after and not her?
    Through the buzzing in her ears, she heard the man introducing himself and chatting with Shiloh .
    Shi gave her a little shake. “Kate?”
    She pasted a smile on her face and turned.
    “Gage, this is my, uh…my—”
    “Fiancée,” Kate offered. “Kate.”
    Gage smiled knowingly. “A pleasure.”
    Kate took the offered hand, ignoring the