Charming the Wolf: A Paranormal Shifter BBW Romance Read online

  Charming the Wolf

  Mate in a Minute

  Flora Dare

  Contents

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  About the Author

  Also by Flora Dare

  Blurb

  After losing a bet with her bestie, fox shifter Zanea 'Zane' Russell must endure a night of speed dating all the local rabbits, hounds and squirrels. Not exactly the recipe for getting swept off her feet...until HE sits down across from her.

  Wolf shifter Josh Landry agrees to one night of speed dating to get his nagging brothers off his back. Little do they know that he's not going to accept or ask for any dates. Even if they're curvy, foxy bombshells who make every part of him tingle.

  But when Zane gets her list of date requests the next day, Josh isn't on it...

  Charming the Wolf is part of the Mate in a Minute series of sexy short stories that deliver a happy ending right before bed. You're welcome. ;)

  One

  Zane struck a pose in front of the mirror.

  Hair: sleek.

  Lips: bright red.

  Eyes: smoky.

  Shoes: stiletto perfection.

  Inner vixen: ready for some action.

  She reminded herself that even if losing the bet with her bestie was a terrible thing, at least it should end up being a good story. Zane hollered at said bestie, Jolie, who was sitting in a chair, furiously texting. "Put down the phone and tell me how smoking hot I look. You can talk to your man later."

  Jolie just gave her the finger before she finished typing the message to her mate, making Zane tap her foot in mock annoyance.

  Zane turned to the other woman lounging on the bed and said, "Des, is this not enough cleavage? Because I think the gray dress gives me a little bit more cleav." She cupped her hands under her bust and heaved it towards Des.

  Des, Jolie's future sister-in-law, took a long sip of her gin and tonic said, "I think if you show any more skin, you'll need me in my lawyerly guise. You are dressed to start a riot."

  Jolie finally tossed her phone to the side and said, "You look amazing, and remember, the bet isn't just to do the whole speed dating thing. It's to actually go on a date with guys you might fall in love with."

  Zane's eyes rolled so hard they hurt a little. "Oh please, just because you got lucky with Gabe doesn't mean the rest of us could get such an epic score."

  Jolie wagged her finger at her friend. "Seriously, you know the rules. You say yes to all of them."

  "Ugh, even the drool-dripping canines? And the twitchy little rabbits?"

  "Especially the wolves and the rabbits! They're the loyal ones who want big families and a cozy mate." Jolie flopped down next to Des. "Maybe if you'd stop dating shifters who just want to build a harem, you'd find someone you want to have a family with."

  "Anyways, rather than talk about the family I don't even know if I'm ready for, when is Des going to get herself set up? I'm not the only one who lost a bet."

  Zane waggled a finger at the sleek woman, who groaned at her. Des said, "I've just been very busy, with setting up my new practice and trying to find a new place to live." She poked Jolie with her toe. "This one has basically moved in already, and I've walked in on them naked in the pool three times. Just this week!"

  Jolie buried her face in her hands, giggling. "It's not my fault, I swear I start in a swimsuit."

  Des held her hands up, waved them in despair, and said, "Please, for the love of all that is good and right in the world, do not tell me things about my brother's sexy time proclivities. I've already stocked up on ear plugs and hired three more real estate agents."

  Zane laughed at the two women. She'd known Jolie since they were kids, but Des was already growing close to both of them. They were three peas in a pod. "Anyways, ladies, Des needs to stop making excuses already and I need to impress the hell out of all the nice boys so I can have all the nice dates and you guys will get off my back about finding nice men."

  She looked in the mirror again, twirling to make sure the dress didn't show off anything she wasn't expecting, before facing her friends. "I mean, it feels kind of like a waste to wear such a killer dress for such a short event and then come home."

  Jolie said, "Who knows, maybe you'll get really, really lucky."

  Zane snorted, "Please, it's a school night. I have to be up at the crack of dawn, because not only are we starting major work on Gabe's land, but I'm meeting up with the subcontractors."

  "Oh crap, should I be there for that?" Jolie sat up, her face wrinkled. "I was going to spend the day drawing up bids for the Van Schloss place."

  "Yeah, probably wouldn’t be a bad idea, because guess who I got to agree to it?" Zane’s grin practically cracked her face in half.

  Jolie leaned forward and said, "Who?"

  Knowing she was about to drop a bomb on Jolie, Zane settled on the chair, crossing her legs and staring at her fingertips. "Oh, just, ya know, the Quatre Loups Brothers."

  Jolie sat bolt upright and half screamed. "Oh my god, are you serious?"

  Des looked back and forth between the two women. "Is that a big deal?"

  Zane smirked. "Yeah, it's a big deal. They totally snaked some contracts from us last year, the dirty dogs."

  Jolie said, "They totally underbid us, so I don't blame people for going with them. But if those peeps think they can come back to us for the same price, after their 'introductory price' goes up?"

  "No. Way." Zane and Jolie high-fived. Zane continued, "Besides, Gabe's place is going to keep us really busy and since word got out that we're doing it? I've already had ten feelers for high-end jobs. No RFP, straight to business."

  Des said, "But then why are these Quatre Loups Brothers working for you? I don't get it."

  Zane leaned back and smiled at her new friend. "You know how you have paralegals to do the grunt work for you? Same diff. Only it will be Jolie's design and our name on it. We just don't have to dig all the holes."

  "So what do they get out of it?"

  "It's a good rate and they get to park their trucks out front."

  Jolie interrupted, "Behind our trucks, of course. Still, it's not a bad connection. And their work has been really solid. I'd hire them."

  Zane threw a pillow at her friend. "We did, silly. I'm sure they want to try and get the bigger jobs too, but, hey, for now, we know what they are doing."

  Jolie caught the pillow easily. "So that means you are going to be tame Zane at the speed dating thing? Because you have to get up early and corral a bunch of sweaty hard bodies you've been dying to spy on."

  "Something like that." Zane's mouth twisted. She didn't expect to find anything at the speed dating event except the stink of desperation and a decent happy hour bargain. Even if Zane had a funny ache in her midsection when she thought about finally finding someone who made her heart sing, she knew better than to get her hopes up.

  Jolie interrupted Zane's negative thoughts. "Well, if the night really is a bust, maybe one of the hard-working wolves will get your heart racing tomorrow."

  "Ugh, you know how I feel about dogs. The Fox and the Hound traumatized me when I was just a wee kit! Plus, do you really think a stodgy old wolf can keep up with all this?" Zane gestured at her lush figure, wrapped in the silky fabric of her perfect little red dress.


  Jolie looked her friend up and down and said, "I dunno if it will be tonight, but one day you'll meet someone who can match your pace and you aren't gonna know what hit you."

  Two

  Zane breezed toward the restaurant. This was the kind of thing where her confidence made life easier. If these guys couldn’t handle what she was bringing to the table, it was nice to know they wouldn’t be wasting her time. Not that guys didn’t try to bring her down to their level, hoping if they made her feel bad she’d be desperate enough to let them do whatever they wanted.

  But her momma didn’t raise no fools. Zane could admit to herself that there was a distinct pleasure in turning down a guy who thought he was doing her a big favor by letting her be his always available booty call. They were always so shocked that a curvy girl could have self-esteem. Whatever. The memory of the last man who’d tried to tarnish her crown put a swing in her step as she walked through the door.

  “Hi there!” There was a bubbly blond standing at the doorway with a clipboard. “You here for the Mate in a Minute event? I’m Ferrell.” Zane got the impression those words had been said a million times and the woman’s smile didn’t quite meet her eyes.

  “I am.” She gestured at her outfit and said, “I’m Zane Hayes and I lost a bet.”

  The woman chuckled. “You probably wouldn’t be surprised at how often that happens. But people really do seem to have a good time.”

  “I wouldn’t have wiggled myself into this dress if I didn’t think I might actually meet someone.” Zane took any excuse to dress up. When your day job had you elbows deep in dirt or covered in sawdust, it was nice to slap on some fake nails and super high heels. Zane lowered her voice, inviting the woman into her confidence. “I even shaved. On the very outside chance I meet my mate. Gotta convince them that the legs are just magically smooth.”

  Ferrell shook her head, but whatever funk the woman had been in seemed to dissipate. “Well, here’s hoping he’s in this bunch.” She handed Zane a name tag, a piece of paper and a pen. “Did your friend tell you what to expect? Or have you ever done something like this before?”

  “Yeah, Jolie filled me in.” Zane frowned at the name tag. It was totally going to ruin the lines of her dress. She finally picked the least offensive spot for it and slapped it on. “I sit and drink while men try to woo me. I might be paraphrasing a little.”

  “That’s about the gist of it, though. Chat until the bell dings, then circle yes if you liked them.”

  Jolie followed Ferrell to her table. “Ugh, that’s the worst part about this bet. I have to say yes, to all of them.”

  “Well, lucky for you, there are some real cuties in this bunch.” She looked over at the door and said, “Hope it works out for you. See you at the end of all this.” Then she flitted back to the door.

  Jolie settled and looked around for the waiter. She was going to need at least two glasses of wine to get through this.

  A cheerful redhead popped up, order pad at the ready, as she was looking around. “What’s your poison? And if you aren’t sure, we have a stellar Vinho Verde as our special tonight. Light and bubbly, no matter what dogs they trot through your line.”

  “Well, that sounds like a winner, I’ll take that.” Zane glanced around the room at the other women. “And let’s just go ahead and bring me another if you see me getting low. And here’s your first tip of the night: don’t make open-ended bets with friends.”

  The waitress laughed and said, “Oh, it’s not so bad. I saw a woman at one of these in a swan costume. She lost a hell of a bet. Got three dates out of it, though.”

  Zane watched the waitress weave in and out of the tables and discretely checked out the other women in attendance. It wasn’t that they were competition, per say, but if there was a total knockout, it would turn everyone’s brains to jelly. But as the bell rang, she didn’t see anyone that would send her scurrying for her sweatpants.

  The first man sat in front of her.

  He was nice. Nice. That was a nice way of saying boring.

  My god, were these the type of nice little rabbits that Jolie thought she should settle down with? No - no way, not after Jolie landed that bear hunk Gabe. Her bestie would never expect her to settle down with someone who didn’t make her body hum and her skin crackle with need.

  But this stream of accountants and sales managers and desk jockeys just felt flat. She couldn’t imagine having a pile of kits with any of them. Zane couldn’t imagine even holding hands with most of them. Still, it wasn’t just about losing a bet. Jolie had really pressed her about making room for someone she wouldn’t usually say yes to. Maybe one of these bashful desk jockeys secretly welded massive sculptures that spun with the wind in his spare time.

  So she dutifully circled yes for every single nice, aka boring, one of them. Because, not that she’d ever admit it to Jolie, but her taste in men ran towards wonderfully wild and ferociously feral, and those kind of men? They only tended to play house, not build one. And she was really ready to stop playing house.

  So when Lucky Bachelor #7 strolled up, the vixen inside sat up and took notice. Muscles for days, tousled blond hair and warm green eyes that twinkled as he gave her the up-down. She just met his gaze with her shoulders back and a smirk on her lips. He spun the seat backwards and sat in front of her, smiling as he settled his well-muscled arms on the back of the seat.

  He made every inch of her tingle, which, based on her history, meant he was no mate for her. Still, at least he was looking at her in interest.

  He said, “So, what’s a looker like you doing at speed dating?”

  “Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing.” It felt like little zings of electricity were flying off him and making her skin buzz with reckless anticipation.

  He threw his head back and let loose with a deep, hearty laugh. Zane felt it ripple through her, like he’d pressed his body against her, all the way to her toes.

  He stuck his hand out and said, “Hey, I’m Josh. Nice to meet you.”

  Zane took his hand and exchanged a firm handshake. “Hi Josh. I’m Zanea. Nice to meet you too.” His hand was strong and a little rough, like he used his hands for a living. The rasp of his skin against hers sent a frisson of pure lust right to her core. She wanted to feel those work-roughened hands running down her bare back.

  He ran his thumb across the back of her hand before letting go. “So Zanea, you really don’t seem like someone who needs help getting a date.”

  “In truth, I lost a bet. And my friend thought it would be real cute to make me do this.” She lifted her wine glass to him. “And hey, they have a nice wine as their special.”

  He plucked the glass from her hand and spun it til he was sipping from her lip print. “You’re right, you’re sweet on my tongue.”

  Zane leaned forward and wagged her finger at Josh. “You enjoy trying to get a rise out of people, don’t you?” She was having fun, even if it was just for a few minutes. It reminded her of exactly what she wanted to feel every day. Just the impossible.

  The edge of his lips twitched and he said, “Maybe just a little. Too bad they only give us five minutes. I like you. You don’t let anyone overwhelm you, do you?”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  “And has any one of those other chumps been as much fun as me?”

  She grinned at his boast. “Well, they are all very nice.”

  “Oh, shot to the heart. Promise me one thing, doll.” He picked her hand up and held it between his hands. “At the very least, when you dissect tonight with your little friend, you won’t call me nice.” His lips were blazing hot against her wrist as the bell rang. That kiss ran straight to her core and made her melt a little into her chair.

  He stood up and walked away, to the next table, leaving Zane wanting him so bad it hurt. She hated the woman at the next table over and she hated the perfectly nice man who sat down in front of her. She wanted that sexy beast of a man to walk back, throw her over his shoulder an
d walk out of the bar with her.

  Instead, Zane smiled at the nice man in front of her and said, “You keep having to follow that guy, dontcha?”

  His laugh was more polite than anything but he did shrug his shoulders cheerfully. “I’m sure it could be worse. At least you aren’t staring at him longingly the whole time, like the last woman.”

  “Well, that’s a little awkward.” Her neck ached from the effort it took to keep her head from whipping to the next table and staring at Josh.

  They had a polite, nice little conversation and when he wandered to the next table, she didn’t mind circling ‘yes’. At least he had a sense of humor about himself. She could do a lot worse than having a nice dinner with the guy.

  When the night finally ended, she was happy to hand off her paper, dutifully marked off with the entire ‘yes’ column circled because she promised Jolie she really would give it her best shot.

  And with her best friend, Jolie, so wrapped up in her mate, Gabe, Zane was going to get lonely if she couldn’t keep herself busy.

  Three

  Josh was torn as he turned in his paper with his decisions circled. He wouldn’t have even been here tonight if it hadn’t been for his brothers. Despite them crowding him to get out of the house, they all knew the deal. Mom was sick, real sick.

  He didn’t have time for anyone else in his life. Dating would just take away precious time from Mom, even if Josh knew that she would literally get up off her sick bed and beat him with her slipper if she heard him say that.

  He smiled to himself as he opened his car door. He could hear her voice now, “Don’t you boys dare stop living just because I’m having a rough patch. I spent too damn much time raising you to be independent to have you moping around the house. Now shoo, get out from under my feet already. Get me some grandpuppies to keep my spirits up!”