STORY EXCERPT

On Cole's third day at the magazine, he made sure to leave his apartment early, seeing as he was biking to work. It felt good to be getting some fresh air so early in the morning, and in his mind, it totally canceled out the cake he had eaten the day before, even though his ride to work was less than half an hour.

It was a beautiful morning to be out on his bike and he actually started to feel better about everything. He was sure that he had exaggerated Evan West's annoyance of him in his head and that he hadn't screwed up too badly by sending Naomi that email and then proceeding to humiliate him and his perfect eyebrows in front of all of his employees.

He was sure that deep, deep, deep down, Evan had a sense of humor. Naomi claimed to like the guy, but that could have been just because she wanted to fit in with Jared's family and was secretly lying to herself. That, or the man's high cheekbones, chiseled jaw and olive skin had mesmerized her so much that she had convinced herself that only a nice guy could be that good-looking.

Cole was pretty caught up in his own thoughts, as was the norm when he was out on his bike. He saw the Prowl building up ahead and went down the slope to the underground garage. In hindsight, he shouldn't have underestimated just how steep that slope was or the fact that he had been meaning to put on new brake pads for a while now.

"Whoa," he said as he ascended the slope too fast, pushing on his brakes as far as he could. Just as he was nearing the bottom, and still not slowing down enough to stop, a car pulled out of a space and right into the side of his bike.

Cole, and his bike, toppled backward, landing in a sprawling mess on the hard concrete floor.

"Owww," he cried from underneath his bike. He was too stunned to know exactly what was wrong with him. He just knew that most of him hurt.

"Oh my god," a familiar voice said, accompanied by the sound of a slamming car door. "Are you all right? What the hell were you doing? You came out of nowhere."

Cole looked up into the face of Evan West and rolled his eyes.

Well, that's just perfect, he thought. And I was so sure today couldn't suck worse than yesterday.

"Are you actually yelling at me right now?" Cole asked as he tried to get out from under his bike.

"Don't move," Evan quickly told him as he easily lifted the bike off Cole with one hand and tossed it to the side like it weighed nothing. "They always say you shouldn't move humans after an accident."

"Did you just throw my bike? Like it wasn't damaged enough already."

Evan ignored him and started touching him. His hands traveled all over him as he seemingly checked for injuries. It was incredibly awkward and just a little erotic. Cole looked up at the werewolf's face, chiseled, tanned, and gorgeous.

"Should I call for an ambulance?" Evan asked. His hand was running up one of Cole's legs. Cole's brain decided to stop.

"Huh?"

"Did you hit your head? Do you have a concussion?" Evan asked, his hand moving onto the other leg.

"I think I'm okay," Cole insisted. "Just a little banged-up."

Evan nodded and offered him a hand. Cole took it, noting how strong a grip the werewolf had, and let the other man pull him to his feet. He ended up standing way too close to Evan, the werewolf's hotter temperature radiating from him.

"Um, thanks."

Evan nodded and licked his lips. His eyes looked a little glazed over as they stood there standing at each other. Cole started to wonder if the wolf really did want to eat him. He took a step back and looked over at his bike.

"Oh man," he moaned as he went over to the heap of metal and rubber.

"You shouldn't have been riding that thing anyway," Evan told him angrily. He turned back to look at the wolf and saw that he had his hands balled into fists as his sides.

"What?"

"It's a death trap. How old is it? When did you last replace the tires? Look at the tread on them. You're not even wearing a helmet," Evan said. He sounded angry about the state of Cole's bike, which was just fucking hilarious. Who the hell did this guy think he was?

"You know what? Seeing as you're so strong, you can move it to the side for me. I'll deal with it later. I don't want to be late for work," Cole said as he turned to leave. "My boss can be kind of a dick."

He walked over to the elevator, refusing to look back at Evan. When the doors closed behind him Cole slumped back against the wall.

"Oh, fuck."

He had managed to piss the boss off yet again and his work day hadn't even started yet. This had to be a new personal record.

ADULT EXCERPT

There was no hint of humor in Evan's eyes. The look of hunger was back as he let his eyes trail up and down Cole's body. Cole felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny, but it was a good kind of discomfort, an exciting kind.

Feeling a little emboldened, he slowly walked over to Evan and ran is hand down over his chest. The wolf was still, save for his chest rising and falling under Cole's hand. Cole could feel Evan's breath on his face and the heat radiating from his body.

Their eyes met once more and Evan let out a low growl from his throat before grabbing hold of Cole and throwing him over his shoulder.

Cole let out a surprised yelp as he was carried to his bedroom in a fireman's lift.

"Oh my god," he cried, holding onto Evan for dear life. "How impatient are you?"

Evan just growled again before nudging open the door and depositing Cole in the middle of his bed.

"Holy shit," Cole breathed. "Is this what you meant about not holding back? 'Cos honestly, I'm not sure if I'm turned on by what just happened or a little scared."

He scrambled back on the bed until he was nearer to the top. The predatory look on Evan's face softened a little and he actually looked a little sheepish.

"Sorry," he said in a quiet voice. "I guess I got a little caught up in the moment."

Hearing him say that, and knowing that Evan could snap out of it if he thought Cole was bothered by it, made Cole relax. He smiled at Evan and shook his head.

"It's fine. It was pretty hot," Cole confessed. "So, are you joining me down here or what?"

Evan smirked at him wickedly before leaning over and resting his hands either side of Cole's body. He smelled great, a heady combination of his natural musk and the cologne he was wearing. It was well known that werewolves didn't like strong-smelling products. There was an entire range of products that catered just to them. The company actually had a permanent ad page in the magazine.

Evan leaned in and kissed Cole again. This time he kept it light, almost teasing. Cole wondered if Evan was giving him a show of his control or if he really just did like it softer sometimes.

Before straightening up, Evan bit lightly on Cole's lower lip, making his cock twitch. He felt his entire body shudder pleasantly as Evan slowly and carefully pulled his tie out of his shirt collar. The werewolf placed it on the bed before removing his shirt. Cole swallowed thickly, wondering what Evan was going to do with that tie.

He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest from a mixture of fear and excitement. Evan was quite possibly the hottest man Cole had ever seen.

"Lie down," Evan instructed him, his voice low and even. Cole took a breath and did as he was told. He laid his head down on the pillow and willed his body to relax. Looking every bit the wild wolf, Evan kneeled on the bed and crawled up Cole's body. As he moved, he snagged the tie and brought it up to Cole's chest, sliding the smooth, cool silk material over his nipples and down his body before trailing it lower over his cock. Cole hissed at the sensation and found himself squirming.

"Fuck," he sighed. Evan wasn't watching what he was doing. His eyes were glued to Cole's face. It felt so intimate and new to Cole. It kind of tickled, what Evan was doing to him, but it also felt good. The tie was swirled around his cock, the light touch maddening.

"Look at you," Evan murmured in his ear. "So desperate for more."

Cole whimpered as Evan took Cole's cock in his hand, the silk tie still bunched between Evan's and Cole's skin. Evan stroked him slowly, lazily, as he nibbled on Cole's earlobe.

"Would you let me do anything to you?" Evan asked, making Cole moan. He had never really played any bedroom games before. Sex had always been something fun to do with another person, but with Evan, it felt like something more, something somehow both dark and pure. It felt like therapy and religion.

"Yes," he heard himself say. Evan rumbled happily in his chest and licked Cole behind his ear. The hand on his cock disappeared and Cole had to stop himself from crying out.

"Grab hold of the headboard," Evan ordered him. He straddled Cole's body, aligning their cocks and pressing down teasingly. Cole moaned and quickly did as he was told. "Good boy."

The look on Evan's face was one of pride. Not for himself, but for Cole. Cole had no idea it would make him feel so good to please Evan in such a way. It frightened him a little.

Evan brought the tie up to Cole's hands, and quickly and effectively rearranged them so that he could tie his wrists, crossed over, to the metal headboard. His first thought was that it was a little uncomfortable, his arms stretching above his head in such a way. Once he got past the physical sensation, however, he felt something else entirely. He was completely exposed and vulnerable. He had given this near-stranger utter power over him. He felt his breathing quicken and his body begin to shiver with fear. Somehow, it only made his cock harder.

Evan leaned back on his haunches and let his eyes wander down Cole's body. "You're beautiful."