SizzlingInsanity

Lorna
Jean Roberts

Book five in the Shadowpeak Wolves series

Shelby had only one mission in life—to kill Senator
Garrison. And no one would get in her way, including the sexy, gorgeous Brady
brothers.

Cade and Connor were charged with protecting the senator.
They never expected a threat in the form of a tiny, blonde werewolf. Taking
Shelby into their custody, they soon realize that normal interrogation
techniques aren’t going to cut it.

So they set out to seduce the answers from her, to make her
so hot that she’ll beg them to take her, and she’ll willingly spill her every
thought.

Shelby needs them. She wants them. She lusts after them with
every breath. But she knows if they ever find out the secrets she’s keeping,
then her very life is in danger.

A
Romantica®
paranormal erotic romance
from Ellora’s Cave

She desperately had to pee.

Try as she might to ignore the urge, it wasn’t going away.
Dry mud and rotting vegetation itched against her skin and her nose twitched as
she held back a sneeze.

Yeah, some spy she was. First sign of discomfort and she was
ready to turn tail and head home to her bathtub. What she wouldn’t give for a
cold glass of Riesling, some soft music, and a long, hot soak.

Biting back a sigh, Shelby resisted the urge to fidget and went
back to concentrating on what she was here for—gathering information. She
focused her high-powered binoculars on the large house below.

The house was three stories high with extensive grounds, a
swimming pool, and tennis court. What the hell did a single man need all that
space for?

It was all about appearances, she guessed.

He also had to house the security detail that followed him
around like puppies. The human guards slept offsite and worked in twelve-hour
shifts. But the werewolf guards lived on the grounds, providing round-the-clock
security and surveillance.

Since the werewolves had joined Senator Garrison’s security
detail a month ago, Shelby had been forced to move farther up the hillside.
Luckily, they didn’t bother to patrol this far away from the main house.
However, she couldn’t afford to let down her guard. The mud and vegetation
she’d coated herself in would hide her scent and hopefully help her blend into
her surroundings.

She wondered where the werewolves actually slept. Garrison
probably made them sleep outside or in the basement, as far away from him as he
could manage and still keep up appearances.

What she didn’t understand was why Senator Garrison wanted
everyone to think that he was opposed to the Werewolf Registration Bill
currently before the committee. If the bill were passed it would mean that all
werewolves would have to be registered, their details kept in a central
database.

Like dogs.

Shelby bit back a growl of disgust. What would be the next
step? Collars? Cages? Euthanasia if they bit someone?

For his own reasons, Garrison was pretending to side with
the werewolves, to oppose the bill. He’d even let them into his home to protect
him against threats from those zealots who supported the bill. She didn’t know
why, but she did know that Garrison was lying.

He hated werewolves. He’d murdered at least one.

Her mother.

* * * * *

Connor moved stealthily through the forest. He paused for a
moment, taking in his surroundings. He took a deep sniff. He couldn’t smell
anything out of place. His gaze roamed the forest, searching for the reason for
his uneasiness.

Something was off.

Cade wanted to extend their security this far up the
hillside, but so far Connor had resisted. His brother was paranoid. Humans
would have to hike for miles to get this far into the forest. It was a long
hike, uphill, and would take hours at the pace humans moved.

Plus, they couldn’t do any real damage from this far away.

Their biggest threat to the senator’s safety was HAW, Humans
Against Werewolves. They had a number of followers, many of whom were zealous
in their hatred of werewolves.

That’s why Connor, Cade, and their team were here, guarding
the senator. To ensure his safety so he could vote against the bill.

Connor knew he was damned good at his job. He was tough and
he was smart. His brother Cade was a near genius, particularly when it came to
security. Add in their hand-picked team and they weren’t going to let Garrison
fall victim to some hate-filled group of humans.

Connor had come up here today to prove to Cade there was no
reason for them to extend their patrol this far up the hill.

So why did he feel so uneasy?

He pulled on his wolf’s enhanced senses. Nothing seemed out
of place.

Except…over there. There was a slight disturbance on the
ground that didn’t look entirely natural. Someone was there. He moved slowly
forward.

The rank smell of rotting vegetation grew stronger. Had they
found the smelliest patch in the forest to roll around in? They were buried so
deep in mud and dead leaves it was a wonder they could breathe.

Smart, very smart.

They’d chosen their spot wisely. Far enough away to escape
detection… Or it would have been if Cade wasn’t paranoid.

Connor leaned back against the trunk of the tree as he
observed the person lying about ten feet away from him. They had barely moved,
instead they seemed happy to just lie there and watch the house through a pair
of binoculars.

Well, he’d had enough of waiting around. He had other things
to do, like listening to his brother gloat about how he’d been right. Connor
grimaced then stepped forward.

“I’d have thought climbing a tree would have given you a
better viewpoint to spy from. Less smelly too.”

Shelby froze. Shit! How had she not heard someone approach?
Her mind scrambled frantically.

Who was he? A hiker? Unlikely—she’d been staking Garrison’s
place out for a few months and she’d never once seen hikers. This was private
land and it was rough terrain.

One of Garrison’s security team? But they never came up
here.

Well, she couldn’t just lie here forever, no matter who he
was. Setting down her binoculars, she rolled onto her back, cursing the thick
mud that had become more of a hindrance than a help.

“Who are you?” she asked, the sun glaring in her eyes as he
loomed over her. Fuck. He was huge. Shelby blinked, trying to bring his
features into focus. She sat up, raising one hand to block the sun from her
eyes.

Oh shit. He was one of Garrison’s werewolf guards.

Shelby lurched to her feet, cursing the mud as she took a
defensive position. She wasn’t going down without a fight. She might not win,
he had to be about a foot taller than her and a good hundred pounds heavier,
all of it muscle by the looks of him, but Shelby wasn’t defenseless. Her
cousins had taught her every dirty trick they knew and she was prepared to use
them all.

The bastard folded his arms over his chest as he raised his
eyebrows. He stared at her in amusement. He thought this was funny? Shelby
clenched her hands, feeling her temper sparking. She couldn’t lose her temper.
Not now. Losing her temper would give him the advantage because Shelby tended
to act before thinking when she was mad.

Keep your cool, cuz.

Her cousin Owen’s voice in her head helped her regain some
control.

“Who are you?” she asked again.

“I believe I should be the one asking that question,
sweetheart.”

She shrugged and lied. “I was hiking through the woods.
Thought I’d stop and do some bird watching.”

“That so? I can think of better hiking spots, ones that
aren’t on private land.”

“Oh, this is private land?” she said, trying for an innocent
voice and knowing she’d failed when his grin grew larger. Did this guy take
anything seriously? Or was it that he didn’t see her as a threat?

The large werewolf stared at her in interest. “What are you
doing, spying on Senator Garrison? Who are you gathering intel for? HAW?”

HAW? Was he joking? He honestly thought she was associated
with that bunch of idiots? What self-respecting werewolf… But wait, maybe he
didn’t realize she was a werewolf. Her scent was probably still masked by the
vegetation and mud she’d rolled around in.

If she could just get away from him before he caught her
scent…

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied,
trying for nonchalance as she reached down for her binoculars. “I’m just a
simple hiker, doing a little bird watching. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Shelby braced her shoulders and stepped forward, keeping
watch on him from the corner of her eye.

He moved quickly and if she hadn’t been watching for it, he
would have caught her completely by surprise. As it was, she felt his
fingertips whisper across her bare arm as she took off at a fast run.

She darted her way around a clump of trees, jumping over the
large, downed log that was half-hidden by branches. She grinned slightly as he
cursed. He might be taller and stronger, but she was fast and she knew this
terrain well.

She kept a tight hold on her binoculars as she continued to
weave her way through the forest. A few times she could swear she felt his
breath on the back of her neck, but if he were that close he’d have grabbed
her.

Not daring to look back in case it slowed her down, Shelby
made a quick decision and took a sharp left, heading toward the caves. Her
uncle had taken her to the caves a lot when she was growing up and she knew her
way around them.

A shiver of dread ran through her at the thought of entering
them again. She hadn’t been inside them since her uncle had died. She shook
that thought out of her head. She had more pressing things to worry about right
now.

Just a bit farther…if she could push herself just a bit
faster…

Slam!

Her breath rushed out of her, leaving her gasping as she lay
on the ground with over two hundred pounds of angry werewolf on top of her.

“Gotcha.”

Connor spun the woman over onto her back. Damn, she might
smell like rotting garbage and no doubt she was up to no good, but there was no
denying his body’s reaction as she wiggled beneath him. He had to grit his
teeth as his cock hardened, pressing against his pants.

He’d never reacted so instantly to a woman.

Sweat had created rivulets through the dirt on her face. She
stared up at him, her large, brown eyes filled with a mix of fury and fear.

“Let go of me, asshole!” she screamed.

He caught her hands, holding them above her head.

“I don’t think so, sweetheart. I’m really not in the mood to
chase you halfway across the county.”

“Then don’t chase me at all! You have no right.”

“You were caught trespassing and spying. I have every
right,” he told her. With his free hand, he brushed her hair back off her face,
rubbing away more dirt.

He could finally catch her scent beneath all the mud. She
smelled like sweat, fear and…wolf!

“You’re a werewolf,” he growled at her. What the hell was a
werewolf doing spying on Garrison?

Her eyes widened and the scent of fear increased. “Get off.
You’re hurting me.”

“No, I’m not.”

“I can barely breathe!”

“If you still have enough breath to shout at me then you’re
fine,” he said in a hard voice. He’d had enough. She was going to tell him who
she was. Now.

Connor dropped his head toward hers. Big mistake. Her lips
parted and he couldn’t resist the invitation. He took her mouth with his,
slipping his tongue between her plump lips. Heat engulfed his entire body as
need blazed through him. He ground his hips against hers, groaning as his cock
grew even harder. Damn, she tasted good. Like strawberries and chocolate.
Irresistible.

Gradually, she relaxed beneath him. He reached between them,
cupping her breast, squeezing lightly.

He leaned back, letting go of her hands so he could lean his
weight on one hand while he used the other to ease up her T-shirt. Her
lace-covered breasts came into view, plump and full. He pushed the lace cup
aside then dipped his mouth down to her nipple, licking it twice before taking
it between his lips and sucking strongly.

She groaned, arching up against him, her hands slipping
through his short hair.

God, he’d never wanted a woman the way he did this one. He
moved to her other breast, pulling the bra cup down and engulfing her nipple
with the heat of his mouth. Leaving her nipple, he kissed his way down her flat
stomach.

He couldn’t wait to taste her.

She shifted beneath him and he could smell her arousal.
Knowing she was as affected as he was had his desire for her rocketing higher.
He reached down with one hand to undo the button on her jeans.

Slam!

Pain screamed through his head before he slumped forward,
darkness drawing him under.

* * * * *

Connor leaned against the tree behind him, wishing his head
would stop ringing. What the hell had she hit him with?

Moving his head carefully, he looked around and saw the
binoculars she’d been carrying lying on the ground.

Christ, he was an idiot. He’d had her in his grasp and he’d
let his need for her overwhelm his good sense.

Fuck. Cade was going to kill him.

He groaned, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the
tree. Good news was that he had her scent committed to memory. Tracking her
shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

His phone rang and he reached into his pocket.

“You’re alive then,” Cade said abruptly. His twin wasn’t
much for social niceties.

“Yes, I guess I am. I’m coming in now.”

“Don’t bother. I’m tracking you. Just checking if you were
okay. I found another set of footprints with yours.

Connor sighed. “I’ll explain it all when you get here.”

Ten minutes later Cade stepped silently into the clearing.
Connor held a hand against his head as his brother ran his gaze over him then
around the clearing.

“So, what happened?”

Connor explained what had transpired over the last hour as
Cade listened silently. By the time he was finished, his twin brother was
staring at him incredulously.

“You had her pinned down and you let her get away because
you wanted to fuck her?” he asked. “You need to get laid that bad?”

“It wasn’t that,” Connor said irritably. “Well okay, it has
been awhile. But it was her scent, her eyes, the way she moved. There was
something about her I couldn’t resist.”

“Maybe you’re just attracted to mud and rotting vegetation,”
Cade said.

Connor rolled his eyes. “That wasn’t it,” he replied. “I’m
telling you there is something about this girl.”