Taming his Mate (Black Hills Wolves, #8)(4)

He helped seat his new mate on the barstool next to Kate then pushed his way through the crowd.

“How are you, Kate?” Michelle spoke in a warm, affable tone.

Jace’s mate was so sweet it made Kate’s teeth hurt, but she could never purposely bring herself to be mean to the woman. She didn’t deserve Kate’s anger. In all honesty, no one did. Not even Stephen, though he often received the brunt of it.

“I’ve had better nights. But the real question is, how are you and Jace? I haven’t seen much of you two lately. Holing up in the bedroom, I take it?”

Michelle turned a bright shade of red and ducked her head. “Something like that.”

Despite her crappy mood, Kate smiled. “Nothing wrong with that. Not a thing at all.”

Though Michelle was almost six years older, Kate still felt the urge to protect her. Perhaps it was the air of innocence that surrounded the woman. “You’ve made my brother a happy man. I’m proud to call you part of my family.”

The petite woman surprised her by springing forward and hugging the breath out of Kate’s lungs. “Thank you. That means so much to me.”

“Alright, enough of this. I’ll grab this round.” Kate sat back. “And I promise not to let you drink too much…this time.”

Michelle wrinkled her nose. “I’m sure Jace won’t let that happen again. His idea of a fun night does not include cleaning up vomit and force-feeding me aspirin.”

Kate laughed and grabbed her beer, which nearly spilled when a bulky male shouldered his way between her and Michelle.

“Well, what do we have here?” Damien glanced at the two of them. “The two loveliest ladies in the bar.”

Kate snorted. The biggest flirt in town, he could lay it on thick when he wanted, but he was a good, honest man who loved to have fun. “Hey, Damien.”

He laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “How you doing tonight, sugar?”

“Not too bad. Just having a couple drinks before I head home.” She resisted the urge to peek at the pool tables again.

“You sure everything’s good?” His furrowed brow and the thin set of his lips told her he suspected more. He’d most likely witnessed Tanya hanging on Stephen. No doubt the whole bar noticed.

“I’m good. Why wouldn’t I be?” Damien’s green eyes narrowed and his mouth opened as though he wanted to say more, but Kate switched topics. “How about a dance before I leave?”

Damien studied her a moment longer before shoving away from the bar and extending his hand. “It would be my pleasure, sugar.”

She downed the rest of her beer. There wasn’t enough liquor in the entire bar to drown her sorrows tonight. But dancing with a hot, attractive male might make her feel somewhat better and forget the sight of Tanya’s hand on Stephen’s ass.

Kate placed her hand in Damien’s and jumped from her barstool. Ignoring the crowd’s stares, she didn’t dare glance in Stephen’s direction. It wasn’t as if he would notice anyway. He was too busy with Skankarella. And so what if he did see her? She was a damn grown woman. Stephen had no claim on her, and she definitely didn’t have one on him. She was tired of playing the good girl and pining after a man she could never have.

Melding into the group of gyrating shifters on the dance floor, she allowed everything else to fall away around her. Her focus was on the strong male who moved in close behind her and settled a firm hand on her hip.





Chapter Three





Stephen managed to extricate his arm from Tanya’s grasp. He ignored her ridiculous pout and cuffed Jace’s shoulder.

“Man, it’s good to see you.”

Christ, he’d never been more thankful to see his friend than he was at that moment. For at least an hour, he’d tried to ditch the woman with the death grip on his arm who squeezed his ass each time he attempted to take a shot.

Once he’d entered the Den without Kate, the damn she-Wolf had taken it as an open invitation and latched on. Of course, he hadn’t missed Kate’s glares from the bar. For her not wanting him around, she damn sure hadn’t appreciated Tanya’s free hands. Stephen silently pleaded with Jace to understand and spare him from the damn nuisance of a woman who just wouldn’t take the numerous hints he’d thrown at her.

Jace pasted on a charming smile. “If you don’t mind, Tanya, I need a word in private with Stephen.”

Stephen heaved a sigh of relief and sidestepped Tanya before she could plant a kiss on his cheek. Her face contorted with annoyance, and she stormed off, her sights no doubt locked on the next unsuspecting Wolf. He grabbed his beer from the edge of the pool table and downed a healthy swig. When he turned to face Jace, he fell under his friend’s scrutiny.

“You want to tell me what the hell’s going on?”

“Not a damn thing. Trust me, I’m still working on your stubborn-ass sister. That”—he nodded toward Tanya—“was not my idea at all.”

Jace chuckled. “Yeah, Tanya’s determined to snare herself a mate by any means necessary.”

“Ha, you think? I could’ve never told. She wasn’t exactly subtle about it.” Stephen swallowed a mouthful of beer. “Besides, I already have a mate.”

“Oh yeah? How’s that working out for you?”